Kedung Kandang is one of those places that exceeded all my expectations. From some quick internet research, I was expecting to see a waterfall. Little did I know that the most incredible rice fields surrounded the waterfall I was looking for. Best of all, we had the place all to ourselves.
How to get to the waterfall
Kedung Kandang is quite tricky to find, and our driver had to ask a few locals about how to get there. Kedung Kandang was the only place in Java where our driver joined us for a bit, as he mentioned he had never been there himself.
The hike down the rice fields all starts with the sign that says “Teruskan perjuanganmu”:
From there, we went down in a circle towards a covered bench that looks like a small house:
We then crossed a wooden bridge to get to the waterfall. Even better than the waterfall itself were the blue puddles just after the bridge:
In fact, the waterfall itself was rather disappointing compared to the rice fields surrounding it:
Travel tip
Just keep in mind that while it feels and looks like you’re walking in a circle, you don’t actually end up in the same place as where you started. We thought that leaving our bags and jackets at the beginning of the road would save us from carrying them around all the time.Β
A little panic kicked in by the time we passed the waterfall, at which point we realised that we wouldn’t get back to the beginning of the path. Lucky for us, our driver magically appeared at the road we walked- with all of our stuff inside his car. It turned out he had kept an eye on us all this time, and he came to the rescue when needed.
Comparison to Bali's Tegallalang rice fields
Kedung Kandang definitely made both of us feel disappointed about Bali’s Tegallalang rice fields. After we had the most incredible ricefields of Kedung Kandang all to ourselves, and completely free of charge, the Tegallalang rice fields in Bali just felt like a tourist attraction.
On top of the official entry tickets we paid to visit the Tegallalang rice fields, there were lots of farmers trying to claim that it was “their land” – demanding us to pay them extra fees before entering. Our driver had already warned us about this behaviour and told us not to pay anything but the official entry ticket. We did see lots of tourists who fell for this trick though. Also, we had to be quick to claim a photo spot in the Tegallalang rice fields, as it was full of tourists.Β
Our experience in Tegallalang was in sharp contrast with the Kedung Kandang rice fields, where we didn’t need to pay any entrance tickets. We could enjoy the Kedung Kandang rice fields in absolute peace, and we had all the time in the world to enjoy and take our pictures.Β
Where’s Kedung kandang exactly? Is it in Yogyakarta?
Hi Nora, it’s difficult to explain in a comment where exactly Kedung Kandang is. But when you search for “Air Terjun Kedung Kandang” in Google Maps, you will see that it’s less than an hour drive from Yogyakarta.
Hi there,
looks so awesome!
Can you share some more information where and how to find it please?
Thank you!
Thanks Chocolat, when you search for “Air Terjun Kedung Kandang” in Google Maps you should be able to find it. It’s less than an hour drive from Yogyakarta.
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