Skip. The pool that defines this site is brown and visibility-zero in December. Wait for April or July.
Tibu Puyuh Waterfall in December is a poor visit. The cascade is rebuilding power as the catchment recharges, but the deep pool that makes this site worthwhile turns brown and cloudy with monsoon sediment, removing the underwater clarity that justifies the trip. The trail is muddy and slippery, leeches are at peak abundance, and afternoon storms are reliable. The pool itself remains swimmable but the experience that defines Tibu Puyuh is essentially absent in December. Skip and visit in April or July.
# Tibu Puyuh Waterfall in December: The Wrong Time for the Wrong Reason
Tibu Puyuh's appeal is its pool — a deep, contained, emerald-coloured bowl that's genuinely worth swimming in for the underwater experience. December removes that appeal entirely. The pool turns brown and cloudy, visibility drops to near-zero, and what's left is a small modest cascade and a difficult trail. There is no good reason to make this trip in December.
The pool is the issue. Tibu Puyuh's distinctive feature is the way the deep emerald water lets you see the bowl structure underwater, the rock projections on the sides, and the small fish in the deeper edges. In April this is sensed through cloudy water; in July it's clear; in September it's glass-clear; in December it's gone entirely. The catchment runoff dumps soil and forest debris into the pool faster than it can settle, and you're swimming in opaque brown water.
Without the underwater experience, what's left at Tibu Puyuh is small. The cascade is 8-10 metres — modest by Lombok standards. The site is contained — not photogenically dramatic. The trail is short — not a meaningful hike in itself. Take away the pool and you have a 30-minute muddy walk to a small brown waterfall. That's not a trip worth making.
The trail is also harder. April's mud is bad; December's mud is worse. The descent into the gorge becomes genuinely slippery, leeches are abundant, and the wet undergrowth makes the walking unpleasant. Combined with the loss of the pool experience, this is the wrong month.
To be fair, the cascade is rebuilding power in December. Three months of monsoon recharge have increased flow significantly from the September trickle, and by late December the column at Tibu Puyuh is moderate again — comparable to July. But this isn't a powerful waterfall regardless of the month, and the modest cascade alone doesn't justify a December trip.
If you want to see strong cascade flow specifically, Mayung Putek or Tiu Kelep are far better choices in April. Tibu Puyuh is the wrong falls for cascade-focused visits in any month.
Narrow conditions where a December visit is reasonable:
Even then, the experience won't be great. The realistic best case is a 2-hour outing that includes a difficult walk, a brown pool you don't really want to swim in, and a return drive in increasing afternoon clouds.
The quietest month of the year by some margin. Most December days see fewer than 5 visitors at Tibu Puyuh; many days see zero. The few visitors are usually local Sasak from Selong or Mataram who happen to be in the Suela area for other reasons. Foreign tourists are essentially absent.
The solitude is the December visit's only real upside, and it's not enough.
Off-season:
The pricing is low because demand is low. Suela area accommodation is at its annual cheapest if you're staying nearby.
If you write off Tibu Puyuh for December, the East Lombok area still has options:
Any of these is a better December East Lombok day than visiting Tibu Puyuh.
If you specifically want a waterfall in December, Sendang Gile near Senaru on Rinjani's north slopes is the best choice — better infrastructure, shorter approach, more developed paths. It's still not a great December visit but it's manageable.
If you do go:
Tibu Puyuh in December is the wrong month for essentially all travellers. The single feature that makes this site worth visiting — the clear pool — is absent. The trail challenges that you accept in other months for the reward of the pool experience aren't worth accepting when there's no reward.
If you have any flexibility in your dates, push to April for the strongest cascade and full pool, or July-September for the best underwater clarity. If you're stuck with December dates and want a Lombok waterfall experience, Sendang Gile is the more practical choice.
If you're already in the Suela area in December for other reasons and you have a clear morning to fill, Timbangu is the better choice over Tibu Puyuh — Timbangu's appeal is the forest walk through Lemor, which retains some value in misty December weather. Tibu Puyuh's appeal is the pool, which has no value in December.
Save Tibu Puyuh for a return trip in dry season. The pool will be there.
Tibu Puyuh's whole appeal is the deep emerald pool with its underwater clarity, and that pool turns brown and visibility-zero in December. The cascade is rebuilding flow but it's small and not impressive on its own. There is genuinely no good reason to make this trip in December — you give up the headline experience and you accept all the trail mud and weather risk. The smart December plan is to either visit other Lombok areas (south coast beaches between storms, Senggigi area) or wait. If you're already in East Lombok in December for other reasons and you want a brief outdoor stop, choose Timbangu over Tibu Puyuh — Timbangu's appeal is the forest walk, which is at least somewhat enjoyable in misty December weather.