Skip. Small reward, large difficulty, no reason to go in December. Visit Senaru sites or skip waterfalls entirely.
Semeleng Waterfall in December is not worth visiting. The cascade is rebuilding power as the catchment recharges, but the trail through farm plots and forest becomes treacherously muddy, leeches are at peak abundance, and the small site doesn't offer enough reward to justify the difficulty. Even local Sasak skip the visit in December. The smart plan is to skip Lombok waterfalls in December entirely or visit the better-developed sites at Senaru on Rinjani's north slopes.
# Semeleng Waterfall in December: The Wrong Month for the Wrong Site
December at Semeleng combines two things that don't reward each other: a small unremarkable cascade that needs every advantage to justify a visit, and the difficult monsoon conditions that strip away every advantage. The result is a clear answer — don't go. Even local Sasak who occasionally visit Semeleng in dry season skip it entirely in December because there's no point.
Other Lombok waterfalls in this guide have December-specific tradeoffs that occasionally work in particular contexts. Mayung Putek has dramatic scale that some visitors will accept the risks for. Mangku Sakti has cultural significance that draws certain travellers. Timbangu has a forest setting that has its own value. Tibu Puyuh has a deep pool that maintains some appeal even in cloudy water.
Semeleng has none of these. The cascade is small in any month. The pool is modest in any month. The site has no cultural significance, no famous reputation, no distinctive feature. Take away the dry-season ease that makes the visit pleasant, and there's nothing left to justify the trip.
This means Semeleng is more clearly a December skip than any other waterfall in this group. With the others, you can construct a narrow case for visiting in specific conditions. With Semeleng, you can't.
The trail issues are the same as at other small Lombok waterfalls in monsoon. The path through the farm plots becomes muddy and confusing — even with a guide, navigation is harder. The forest sections are slick and slippery. The creek-bed approach to the falls becomes genuinely treacherous as the rocks become covered in algae from the higher flow.
Leeches multiply in December. The wet undergrowth around Semeleng is exactly the right habitat, and you'll likely pick up several on a December visit. This is unpleasant rather than dangerous but adds to the overall negative experience.
The cascade itself is rebuilding from the dry-season low. By late December the column is moderate — comparable to July — but the water runs brown rather than clear. The pool is unappealing for swimming and visually you can't see what's beneath you.
Zero on most days. Even more so than other months. The December visitor count at Semeleng is essentially zero — not "low" or "minimal" but actually zero. There's no community of travellers who consider this a worthwhile December trip.
This isn't really an upside. Solitude only matters at sites that are otherwise rewarding.
If a guide will take you (some will refuse):
Total for a couple: 180-300k IDR for a visit that delivers very little.
If you write off Semeleng for December — which is the right call — the broader East Lombok area still has options:
If you specifically want a waterfall in December, the better-developed sites at Senaru on Rinjani's north slopes are the only reasonable choice. Sendang Gile has paved sections and shorter approach to the lower falls. Tiu Kelep is harder to reach but more rewarding when conditions allow. Both have actual infrastructure for monsoon visits — handrails, defined paths, regular maintenance — that the East Lombok waterfalls lack entirely.
Honest framing: December is a bad month for most Lombok waterfalls, and the right plan is usually to skip waterfalls entirely and focus on other things. South coast beaches (Kuta Lombok, Selong Belanak, Tanjung Aan) are visitable between storm windows. Cultural sites like Sukarara weaving village or Banyumulek pottery work in any weather. Indoor experiences at homestays — cooking lessons, weaving demos — make sense for full-rain days.
Save the waterfall hikes for a return trip in April or July.
Semeleng in December is the wrong month for essentially all travellers. Unlike the other waterfalls in this guide where I can construct narrow scenarios for a December visit, with Semeleng there are no scenarios. The site doesn't offer enough reward to justify any difficulty, and December's difficulty is at its peak.
If you're in Lombok in December and you specifically want to see a waterfall, go to Sendang Gile near Senaru — the only Lombok waterfall with infrastructure that handles monsoon conditions reasonably well. If you're in Lombok in December and you're flexible about the activity, skip waterfalls and do beach time, cultural sites, or indoor experiences.
If you're interested in Semeleng specifically, save the visit for April — when it earns its modest place as a third-tier stop on a multi-waterfall East Lombok day. The cascade will be at its strongest, the trail will be more workable, and you can pair it with Timbangu and Tibu Puyuh for a fuller day.
Don't go. Semeleng in December is the worst combination on this guide — a small site that doesn't offer enough reward to justify any difficulty, in a month where the difficulty is at its peak. The local Sasak who occasionally visit in dry season skip Semeleng entirely in December because there's no point. The smart plan is to either skip Lombok waterfalls in December entirely (focus on south coast beaches between storm windows) or visit the better-developed sites at Senaru, which have actual infrastructure for monsoon visits. Save Semeleng for an April visit where it earns its place as a third-tier stop on a multi-waterfall day.