Lombok’s Jungle Paradise
Tetebatu is a small village in Lombok that is close to the gorgeous Mt. Rinjani. This town is what Ubud in Bali was 10 years ago – not very touristic, but still has the beautiful rice terraces, waterfalls, monkey forests, coffee roasters, artisanal crafts and more. We absolutely loved Tetebatu and couldn’t be happier we chose to go here. The streets are lined with warungs (local restaurants) and homestays where the businesses operate out of a local family’s home. I highly recommend getting a local guide to take you on a walking tour through some of these amazing areas, but if you want to go at your own pace, we’ve got you covered! Lots of the locations you may want to go to are not correct on Google Maps, so we’ll tell you how to get there. We did the coffee roasting with a guide but we did everything else on our own. While Ubud gets most of the attention for rice terraces in Indonesia, Tetebatu should not be skipped! Without further ado, here are the best things to do in Tetebatu!
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The 8 Best Things to Do in Tetebatu
1. Rice terraces
First off we have the beautiful rice terraces. These are not as vast as rice terraces in other areas, but they are not to be underestimated. These are unlike anything we’ve seen before. While the Tetebatu Rice Terraces are the most popular, I recommend going here. To get to this location go here, follow the path, go down the big staircases and to the left to see these views:
2. Enjoy the Many Waterfalls
Tetebatu is filled with many waterfalls, but the most popular is the Durian Indah/Tetebatu waterfall. To get to the waterfall, follow the pavement path that starts here until the pavement stops and you see the irrigation ditch. Walk to the left and cross the rice patties in between the first and second patties. Then you’ll see signs for the Durian Indah waterfall, which you can follow, and you’ll walk through the complex where this homestay is located. You’ll have to pay to get in, and walk down rocky stairs that are fairly slippery due to the mini waterfall that runs over them. If you aren’t comfortable with this, you can walk through the Tetebatu rice terraces and get to approximately this location to walk down the bamboo bridge which is slightly safer.
3. Sample the Local Cuisine!
Lombok has its own cuisine which is slightly different than other Indonesian cuisine. They have this delicious hot chili lime chicken and each warung puts their own spin on the cuisine. Maddie ordered chicken curry at literally every restaurant we went to and never got tired of it. Most of the warungs offer cooking classes which is a great way to learn from the best!
4. Roast your own Lombok Coffee
Lombok Coffee is uniquely flavorful and roasting your own coffee is a great way to immerse yourself in the culture. We roasted a combination of cacao, coffee beans, and rice (you can also add coconut) over fire, then ground it up in a hollowed out tree stump and filtered it out with an extremely fine sifter. Once it’s all ground up, you simply pour hot water over it. It is similar to Turkish coffee, except it’s much more fine so you can drink the whole thing without leaving coffee grounds in your cup.
We went with Aquila Warung for this and we can’t recommend Eddie’s services enough. Him and his family also offer tours, transfers, cooking classes, moped rentals and anything else you’d need in Tetebatu.
5. Explore Tetebatu’s Monkey Forest
Tetebatu’s Monkey forest is unique as it has black monkeys, which are more shy and less aggressive than the common grey monkeys. The forest is also beautiful and a great walk on its own. We only saw two monkeys but everyone else who went saw a family of 8-20. Just our luck! If you go here and spend around 2 hours in the forest there’s a good chance you’ll see them!
6. Relax Before and After Hiking Mt. Rinjani
Mt. Rinjani is beautiful, however the hike takes 3 full days to complete, so you’ll definitely be craving some relaxation time after the hike! This is also a great starting point and most homestays will offer a tour guide for your Rinjani trek. Tetebatu is the perfect place to give yourself a relaxing break before or after your Rinjani trek.
7. Artisanal Crafts
Tetebatu and the surrounding villages are very self-sustaining, and make or build the things they need. Some of the popular artisanal crafts are bamboo weaving, pottery, and making sarongs. Locals will often trade these goods with each other instead of using currency, which is awesome to see. This table, the chairs, and its napkin holder are all made out of bamboo:
8. Watch the Sunset at Pergasingan Hill
If you don’t mind scootering/driving/going as part of a tour, watching the sunset at Pergasingan Hill is a great viewpoint for Mt. Rinjani. Pergasingan Hill is an hour and twenty minute drive from Tetebatu. The hike is a 3 hour round trip hike, so you may be hiking in the dark, but the sunset view is worth it!
Final Thoughts
There are a few things that we didn’t mention, because there are endless ways to truly experience the Tetebatu culture. There are tons of small waterfalls and rice fields that are wonderful to get lost in. You can see Mt. Rinjani from here, but your local guide may know of a better spot that’s in walking distance from Tetebatu. You may also want to rent a moped to visit the neighboring towns and explore the natural beauty they have to offer. Again, we loved our time with Eddie from Aquila Warung, and he is a wonderful resource for all things Tetebatu. Every traveler needs to add Tetebatu to their bucket list, but act soon because this will definitely be a crowded destination within the next few years! We recommend spending at least 2-3 days here if possible to enjoy all that Tetebatu has to offer.
Where to Stay in Tetebatu
Accommodations in Tetebatu are incredibly cheap and most properties are absolutely stunning. Staying anywhere in Tetebatu is bound to be a relaxing a rejuvenating experience.
Tetebatu Accommodations
How to Get to Tetebatu
You can either fly into Lombok or take a ferry from your previous destination. Anywhere you come from on Lombok shouldn’t be more than 400K IDR (around $28) for a private transfer in a car for your group. You can try Grab (the Uber of Indonesia) as well, but they may only offer Grab bike, which can be a tough if you have a big bag.
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