点评:Sekumpul Waterfall — 5* for Nature, 0* for Everything Else
It is incredibly difficult for me to separate the experience of getting to and from Sekumpul Waterfall from the waterfalls themselves.
0 stars for the chaos, misleading information, questionable practices, and rules that seem to change depending on whom you ask.
5 stars for the absolutely magnificent, breathtaking, jaw-dropping beauty of nature.
We visited Sekumpul on the 4th day of our two-week holiday in Bali. Unfortunately, this was the day when our excitement about exploring this beautiful island turned into something of a nightmare.
And the experience didn't end at the waterfalls. At the end of the day, our driver added the finishing touch by suddenly demanding twice the price we had originally agreed upon for his services. His explanation? Apparently, the agreed price was for one person, and there were two of us!
Well, he certainly lost us as customers for the following days.
Unfortunately, the whole incident left a lasting impression on us and significantly affected our enjoyment of the holiday. Over the following days, we started noticing that this kind of behaviour towards tourists was far from an isolated occurrence. Once we had experienced it ourselves, it was difficult not to notice similar situations elsewhere.
What should have been a wonderful day exploring Bali's extraordinary natural beauty instead became an experience that cast a shadow over the rest of our holiday.
Getting There — A Completely Unnecessary Nightmare
I had done my homework. I had read articles, reviews and discussions online. I knew exactly what we wanted: to visit only the viewpoint above the waterfalls, without trekking down into the valley. According to the information I had found, this should cost IDR 20,000 per person.
I even knew where our driver was supposed to take us.
We repeatedly explained to our local driver that we wanted ONLY the viewpoint from above. No trekking, no descending to the waterfalls, no guided tour.
At first, he didn't seem to understand. I showed him the map, pointed out the exact location and even sent the GPS coordinates directly to his phone.
Eventually, he appeared to understand perfectly well.
And then he told us it would cost IDR 300,000 per person.
I asked why on earth we should pay IDR 300,000 when we only wanted to visit the viewpoint that supposedly cost IDR 20,000. I showed him the article and the map again.
Nevertheless, he took us to this location:
GPS: -8.187978, 115.184172
Interestingly, this location isn't even identified as a waterfall parking area on Google Maps.
From there, we ended up taking a long motorcycle ride back towards the parking area we could have reached directly in the first place, at a fraction of the quoted price.
And the viewpoint we had been asking to visit all along? The entrance fee was IDR 20,000.
How Many "Official" Parking Areas Can One Waterfall Have?
What I find absolutely astonishing is the number of supposedly official starting points and parking areas around Sekumpul.
Just look at Google Maps:
* SEKUMPUL WATERFALL OFFICIAL (POST 1)
* Sekumpul Waterfall Official Parking Post 2
* Sekumpul Waterfalls Official Parking
...
How is a tourist supposed to make sense of all this?
Different entrances, different parking areas, different routes, different prices, and rules that appear to depend on whom you happen to encounter.
I cannot help feeling that at least some of this confusion is deliberate.
I completely understand and respect that tourism provides an income for local people. I have absolutely no objection to paying reasonable entrance fees or paying for a guide when I actually want one.
But I will never accept tourists being misled or pressured into paying for services they have explicitly said they do not want.
We live in an age when information is available online almost everywhere, including Bali. Visitors can research locations, compare prices and check maps. Yet somehow, even arriving well prepared doesn't necessarily protect you from situations like this.
And What About Our Local Driver-Guide?
Before visiting Bali, I had repeatedly read recommendations about how important it was to hire a local driver-guide. How much local knowledge they would share, how helpful they would be, and how much more we would learn about the places we visited.
Well, we had a local driver.
But we received none of the benefits that supposedly make hiring a private driver-guide in Bali so worthwhile. No interesting information about the places we visited, no explanations of local culture, traditions or history, no insights that we wouldn't have discovered ourselves, and certainly no helpful advice about how to navigate the confusing arrangements at tourist attractions.
Instead of making our day easier, helping us avoid tourist traps and ensuring a smooth, enjoyable experience, he managed to do quite the opposite.
We had done our own research, knew exactly where we wanted to go, and even provided GPS coordinates. Yet somehow, having a local driver made the whole experience more complicated rather than less.
What was the point of all my research, the maps, the GPS coordinates and the repeated explanations?
It was particularly disappointing because avoiding precisely this kind of confusion was one of the reasons for hiring a local driver in the first place.
And Finally — The Waterfalls Themselves
After all that, what can I say about Sekumpul Waterfall?
Absolutely breathtaking.
We were fortunate to visit on a day without rain, and the scenery was simply magnificent.
The waterfalls are spectacular, but what makes this place so special is the entire landscape. The lush green valley, the beautiful rice fields, the surrounding tropical vegetation and those extraordinary views of waterfalls cascading down the cliffs.
It is one of those landscapes that really does make you stop and stare.
Even from above, without trekking down to the waterfalls, the views are absolutely worth seeing.
And despite everything, I am glad that the IDR 300,000 we paid at least included permission to fly our drone. Or so we were told. We received no receipt, no documentation, nothing that would have allowed us to prove we had actually purchased a package that supposedly included drone permission. Just a paper wristband.
But at least we were able to capture this extraordinary landscape from above.
And now, when I watch our drone footage, I can admire those magnificent waterfalls, the lush green valley and the beautiful rice fields all over again. It reminds me just how incredibly beautiful this place really was.
And I can't help thinking how much more wonderful the whole experience could have been if it hadn't been overshadowed by everything else.
I wish those memories were simply about the beauty of Sekumpul. Because that beauty truly deserves to be remembered.
My Advice to Other Visitors
If you only want to admire the waterfalls from the viewpoint above, do your research carefully. Check the exact location, not just a parking area with "Official" in its name. Make sure your driver understands where you want to go and what you do not want to pay for.
And don't assume that hiring a local driver-guide automatically means you will receive reliable information or be taken to the entrance you requested.
One Final Thought
What saddens me most is that this review of such an absolutely magnificent place has ended up being 90% about unpleasant experiences rather than the extraordinary beauty of the waterfalls themselves.
And that feels terribly unfair to Sekumpul. Because the waterfalls, the lush green valley, the rice fields and the breathtaking scenery deserve nothing but admiration.
I wish I could have written a review entirely devoted to their beauty. Unfortunately, our experience of getting there became such an inseparable part of the visit that I simply couldn't leave it out.
Sekumpul's natural beauty deserves every one of its five stars. Unfortunately, our experience of getting there deserves none.
翻译:塞库姆普尔瀑布——自然风光打5星,其他方面全打0星
对我来说,很难将前往塞库姆普尔瀑布的途中经历与瀑布本身的美景区分开来。
混乱的秩序、误导性的信息、可疑的经营手段,还有那些似乎因人而异的规则——这些方面我只能给0星。
而大自然本身所展现出的壮美、震撼与令人惊叹的魅力,则值得满分5星。
我们在巴厘岛两周假期中的第四天前往了塞库姆普尔瀑布。可惜的是……就在那天,我们探索这座美丽岛屿的兴奋心情变成了一场噩梦。
而这场“噩梦”并未随着参观瀑布而结束。当天结束时,我们的司机又来“锦上添花”——他突然要求我们支付比当初约定价格高出一倍的费用。他的理由是什么呢?原来,最初商定的价格是针对单人而言的,而我们是两个人啊!
唉,从那以后他可就彻底失去我们这些顾客了。
可惜啊。整个事件给我们留下了深刻的印象,也极大地影响了我们度假的心情。在接下来的几天里,我们逐渐发现这种对待游客的行为绝非个例。亲身经历过后,我们便很容易在其他地方也察觉到类似的情况。
本应是一个尽情领略巴厘岛绝美自然风光的美好日子,却变成了给我们整个假期蒙上阴影的一段不愉快经历。如何抵达——一场完全不必要的噩梦
我事先做了功课。我阅读了网上的文章、评论和讨论。我很清楚自己想要什么:只去瀑布上方的观景台,而不必徒步下到山谷中。根据我找到的信息,每人费用应该是20,000印尼盾。
我甚至知道司机应该把我们带到哪里。
我们反复向当地的司机说明,我们只想去上方的观景台,不需要徒步。不能下到瀑布边,也没有导游服务。
起初,他似乎没明白我们的意思。我给他看了地图,指出了具体位置,甚至把GPS坐标直接发到了他的手机上。
最后,他似乎完全明白了。
接着他告诉我们,每人需要支付30万印尼盾。
我问他,我们只是想去那个据说只要付2万印尼盾就能进入的观景台,为什么非要付30万印尼盾呢?我又给他看了那篇文章和地图。
即便如此,。他带我们去了那个地方:
GPS坐标:-8.187978, 115.184172
有趣的是,在谷歌地图上这个地点甚至没有被标记为瀑布区的停车场。
从那里出发,我们骑着摩托车走了很长一段路才回到原本可以直接到达的停车场,而费用只是报价的一小部分而已。
至于我们一直想去的那处观景台呢?门票价格为20,000印尼盾。一个瀑布能拥有多少个“官方”停车场呢?
让我觉得极其惊讶的是,在塞昆普尔瀑布周围竟然有那么多号称是“官方”的入口和停车场。
看看谷歌地图吧:
* 塞昆普尔瀑布官方入口(1号点)
* 塞昆普尔瀑布官方停车场2号点
* 塞昆普尔瀑布官方停车场
……
游客要如何搞清楚这一切呢?
不同的入口、不同的停车场、不同的路线、不同的价格。还有一些规则似乎取决于你恰好遇到的是谁。
我不禁觉得,这种混乱局面至少有一部分是人为故意造成的。
我完全理解并尊重旅游业能为当地人带来收入这一事实。如果我确实需要导游服务,我也毫无异议地愿意支付合理的门票费用或导游费。
但我绝不会容忍游客被误导或被迫支付他们明确表示不想要的服务费用。我们生活在这样一个时代:几乎在任何地方,包括巴厘岛,信息都能在网上轻易获取。游客可以查询景点信息、比较价格以及查看地图。但即便做了充分准备,也未必能避免遇到类似的情况。
那么,当地的司机兼导游又如何呢?
在去巴厘岛之前,我反复读到过这样的建议:聘请当地的司机兼导游至关重要。他们能分享多少本地知识,又会提供多大的帮助呢?我们本可以从中了解到更多关于所到之处的信息。
其实,我们有一名当地司机。
但我们并没有获得那些据称能让在巴厘岛聘请私人司机兼导游变得物有所值的好处:没有关于游览地点的有趣信息,没有对当地文化、传统或历史的讲解,没有任何我们自己发现不了的见解,当然也得不到关于如何应对旅游景点中那些令人困惑的安排的实用建议。他非但没有让我们的旅程变得轻松,帮助我们避开旅游陷阱并确保体验顺利愉快,反而做到了恰恰相反的事。
我们事先做了不少调查,很清楚自己想去哪里,甚至提供了GPS坐标。但不知为何,有个当地司机在身边反而让整个行程变得更加复杂了。
我做的那些调查、准备的那些地图,到底有什么意义呢?那些GPS坐标以及反复的解释又有什么用呢?
这尤其令人失望,因为避免出现这类混乱情况本来就是聘请当地司机的主要原因之一。
最后——瀑布本身
说了这么多,关于塞昆普尔瀑布我又能说些什么呢?
绝对令人叹为观止。
我们很幸运地在没有下雨的日子里前往,那里的景色真是美不胜收。
这些瀑布真是壮观至极。不过,让这个地方如此特别的正是其整体的自然景观。郁郁葱葱的绿色山谷、美丽的稻田、四周的热带植被,还有从悬崖上倾泻而下的瀑布所构成的绝美景致。
这是一种真的会让人驻足凝视的风景。
即便不从高处徒步下去到瀑布旁,这里的景色也绝对值得一看。
尽管有种种不便,但我还是很高兴我们支付的30万印尼盾至少包含了允许我们使用无人机的费用。至少我们能够从高空拍摄下这绝美的景色。
如今,当我观看我们用无人机拍摄的画面时,又能再次欣赏到那些壮丽的瀑布、郁郁葱葱的山谷以及美丽的稻田。这让我想起这个地方曾经有多么绝美。
我不禁想到,如果没有被其他事物所掩盖,整个体验本可以更加美妙。我希望那些回忆仅仅是关于塞昆普尔的美丽景色——因为那种美确实值得被铭记。
给其他游客的建议
如果你只想从观景台欣赏瀑布,那就请仔细做些功课,确认其确切位置吧。这可不仅仅是一个名字里带有“官方”二字的停车场而已。务必让司机明白你想去哪里,以及哪些费用是你不想支付的。
另外,切莫以为雇佣当地司机兼导游就一定能获得可靠的信息,或者被带到你想要的入口处。最后的一点感想
最让我难过的是,这篇关于一个极其绝美之地的评论,最终却有90%的内容都在描述那些不愉快的体验,而非瀑布本身的超凡之美。
这对塞昆普尔来说实在太不公平了——那些瀑布、郁郁葱葱的山谷、稻田以及令人叹为观止的景色,完全值得人们倾尽赞美之词。
真希望我能写一篇完全歌颂它们之美的评论。可惜,事与愿违。我们前往那里的经历已然成为此次行程中不可或缺的一部分,我实在无法将其略去。
塞库姆普的自然美景绝对配得上五星评价;可惜的是,我们前往那里的经历却一文不值。