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The Hidden Gem: Cunca Lega Waterfall, Manggarai-Indonesia

By the last time I visited my hometown, Ruteng; I wanted to explore the new (at least for me) hidden gem I saw in Fadli’s Instagram account (@fadfadd), the Cunca Lega Waterfall. Fadli is my one of my best friends since over than 10 years ago. His post on Instagram about the waterfall attracted me to see and experience its beauty with my own eyes. Since I and Doris stayed at Ruteng for 2 days, we planned to hang out with friends in Fadli’s house. Lia, my other best friend also was there. Lia is very good at cooking, so we decided to cook and had dinner together. While having dinner, we share and talk about everything, then I asked Fadli & Lia to take us to Cunca Lega waterfall on the next day since we really wanted to see the waterfall. And yes, they were glad to become our guide to the waterfall.


In the next day, Doris and I woke up and had a freezing shower. The weather in Ruteng is pretty cold comparing to the other parts of Flores. As I get used to the Bali weather, it’s hard for me to showering with the ice cold water. Brrrrrrrrrrrr


We went to the waterfall with the motorbike lent by Lia’s brother. Cunca Lega waterfall is located in Tengkulese region; it’s about 1-1.5 hours driving from Ruteng. The road was quite good but very narrow. Along the way to the waterfall, I was greeted by the stunning and peaceful scenery. I enjoyed the combination of the brown cliffs, rice fields, green hills and the happy face of the local kids. I had the feeling that I would crash my motorbike because of those beautiful distractions. Luckily, I could stay focus until reached the last village before the waterfall. We parked our motorbike in the local house and started trekking.


We met local boys who spontaneously became our local guide to the waterfall. From the village, I saw the waterfall flowing through the hill charmingly. It’s a two-step “staircase” waterfall and only 1-2 km walking from the village. We walked along the pathway that flanked by the newly planted rice fields. Down under the waterfall, we saw a little rainbow down showing off its beauty


There are plenty of big rocks surrounded the waterfall. We spent our time taking pictures and enjoyed the breathtaking view. The local boys dipped themselves in the waterfall and made us feel pretty jealous about it. Too bad we didn’t bring our swimming suitL. We spent almost 1 hour there and because its monsoon season we had to go back arrived at Ruteng before 3 pm, otherwise it’d be raining. Overall, Cunca Lega waterfall is worth to visit, it’s definitely more than just a waterfall! #keepwandering



Tips:

  • Find the local guide to take you to the waterfall. It’s quite hard for you to get there if you can’t speak Bahasa or local language. Most of the local people don’t understand English. There are plenty of guides that you can find in Labuan Bajo.

  • Bring your swimsuit and sunblock

  • Bring candies or snack that you can share to the local kids, sharing is caring J

  • Don’t forget to bring your camera

  • If you travelling with motorbike please ensure the motorbike is in good condition, use a helmet and you have your driving & vehicle license with you.

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