May is excellent — comfortable hiking conditions, peak curtain water flow, dramatically quieter than main tier. The right month for the upper-tier secret.
May is among the best months to visit the upper curtain tier of Benang Kelambu, the second swimming pool above the famous main waterfall. Dry-season conditions create comfortable trekking to the upper tier, the curtain effect is at year-best clarity with reliable water flow, and crowd levels are dramatically lower than the main tier below. Hike 30-45 minutes from the main tier to reach the genuinely peaceful upper pool.
# Benang Kelambu Upper Tier in May: The Hidden Curtain Pool
Benang Kelambu is one of Lombok's most photographed waterfalls, with its distinctive curtain effect created by water flowing over a wide moss-covered rock face into a deep pool below. What most visitors don't realize is that Benang Kelambu is actually a multi-tier waterfall system — the famous main tier most photographs show is the lower of two distinct curtain pools, and a 30-45 minute forest hike upstream leads to the upper tier with its own smaller but equally striking curtain pool.
The upper tier sees perhaps 15-20% of the visitors that the main tier receives, creating a genuinely peaceful waterfall experience that the main tier can no longer deliver during peak hours.
The Benang Kelambu upper tier is a smaller curtain pool located approximately 800m upstream from the main waterfall and 60m higher in elevation. The structure includes:
Upper curtain face: A 6-8m high moss-covered rock wall with water flowing in the distinctive curtain pattern. Smaller than the main tier's 12m curtain but with the same characteristic effect.
Swimming pool: 3-4m deep, naturally cool, with rocky bottom in places and sandy patches.
Forest setting: Deep tropical forest surrounding the pool. Less open than the main tier's clearing.
Limited shore area: Small rocky shore for changing and resting. Not the open sandy area of the main tier.
The upper tier is reached via a forest trail that branches from the main waterfall area. Local guides know the route; without a guide, visitors easily miss the trail.
May delivers ideal upper-tier visit conditions:
Daytime highs at 28°C with overnight lows of 21°C. Humidity at 82%. Rainfall just 110mm across 8 days, mostly as brief late-afternoon showers.
The conditions matter for the upper tier specifically:
Water flow: At year-best for curtain effect. Heavy enough for the dramatic curtain visual, not so heavy as to create dangerous current.
Trail conditions: Mostly dry. A few damp sections from earlier wet-season rain but largely firm.
Forest comfort: Cool forest interior makes the hike pleasant. Open hillside sections in direct sun manageable in May temperatures.
Pool clarity: Excellent. Dry-season conditions deliver clear water for swimming and underwater photography.
Mosquito risk: Moderate but manageable. Wet-season mosquito populations have eased.
The forest hike from main tier to upper tier:
Distance: Approximately 800m one-way
Elevation gain: 60m
Time: 30-45 minutes up, 20-30 minutes down
Difficulty: Moderate due to some steep and slippery sections
Trail surface: Forest dirt path with rocky scrambles, some stream crossings
Key trail features:
A local guide is essential for first-time visitors — the trail is unmarked and easily missed.
Upper tier crowd level is dramatically lower than main tier in May:
Main tier: 50-150 daily visitors. Often busy.
Upper tier: 8-25 daily visitors. Genuinely quiet.
The hike requirement filters out casual day-trippers, leaving the upper tier for visitors specifically seeking the deeper experience. Many May upper-tier visits have only 1-2 other groups present, sometimes nobody else.
Upper tier requires a local guide:
Where to find guides: At the Benang Kelambu entrance, where guides offer their services to arriving visitors.
Guide fees: 50-100k IDR per group (1-4 people) for combined main + upper tier visit.
What guides provide:
Booking: Walk-up at entrance is standard. Advance booking unnecessary in May.
Standard May visit pattern:
1. 08:00 depart Senggigi or Mataram
2. 09:30 arrive Benang Kelambu entrance
3. 09:30-09:45 entrance ticket purchase, find guide, supply check
4. 09:45-10:15 walk to main tier (15-20 min easy walk)
5. 10:15-10:45 main tier visit, brief swim
6. 10:45-11:30 hike to upper tier (30-45 min)
7. 11:30-12:30 upper tier visit, swim, picnic
8. 12:30-13:00 hike back to main tier
9. 13:00-13:30 brief return visit to main tier or direct exit
10. 14:00 lunch in nearby village
11. 15:30 return drive
For deeper visits, consider:
Morning upper tier focus: Skip the main tier crowds, hike directly to upper, spend extended time there, return via main on the way out.
Combined Benang Kelambu + Benang Stokel: Both waterfalls accessible from the same entrance area. Add 60-90 minutes for Benang Stokel.
May light at the upper tier is excellent for waterfall photography:
Mid-morning (10:00-11:30): Soft light filters through canopy. Even illumination for the curtain effect.
Midday (12:00-14:00): Stronger light reaches the pool clearing. Can be harsh but allows long-exposure shots with strong neutral density filters.
Late afternoon (14:00-16:00): Beautiful warm light returns as sun angles westward. Workable for portraits with the curtain backdrop.
Slow-shutter water effects: 1-2 second exposures create the silky water look. Use ND filter and tripod. The upper tier's quieter conditions make tripod setup practical (vs main tier crowd interference).
Macro photography: The moss-covered rocks and forest understory have rich macro subjects. Bring close-up lens if interested.
Action shots: Swimmers in the curtain create dramatic action photography opportunities.
May day options:
Standard waterfall day: Benang Kelambu main + upper + Benang Stokel. 6-8 hour day from Senggigi.
Cultural + waterfall combination: Morning Banyumulek pottery + afternoon Benang Kelambu. Tight but workable.
Multi-day Aik Berik area: Stay at Aik Berik village base for 2 days, deep waterfall exploration including upper tier and surrounding less-known waterfalls.
Three things to plan for in May:
1. Trail navigation without guide: First-time visitors regularly miss the upper-tier trail and either don't reach the upper or take wrong turns. Hire a guide.
2. Slippery rocks at upper tier: The rocks around the upper pool are continuously wet and slippery. Water shoes or grippy sandals essential for safe entry.
3. Afternoon rain timing: May afternoon showers can make the descent trail slippery. Plan to be back at main tier before 14:00 if possible.
May upper tier visits make particular sense for:
May visits make less sense for:
May is excellent for visiting the Benang Kelambu upper tier. Comfortable hiking conditions, year-best curtain water flow, peaceful pool conditions, and dramatically reduced crowds compared to the main tier deliver a genuinely peaceful waterfall experience. For visitors who want more than the standard photogenic main tier, the 30-45 minute forest hike to the upper tier rewards the effort. Hire a local guide at the entrance and plan a relaxed half-day for the combined main + upper tier experience.
The upper curtain tier of Benang Kelambu is a genuinely separate experience from the main waterfall most visitors see. Most day-trippers stop at the main tier — the famous photogenic curtain pool with the sandy beach — and never know the upper tier exists. The 30-45 minute forest hike to reach it filters the crowd dramatically, and the upper pool delivers the curtain experience at smaller scale but with profound quiet. Ask your guide specifically for the upper tier (atas) when you arrive at the entrance — many guides default to taking visitors to the main tier only and you need to specifically request the upper. The hike crosses a couple of small streams and includes some steep sections so wear proper shoes.