The only thing more famous than the Gitgit twin waterfalls in north Bali are the scams tourists fall for trying to visit them—like forking over 300,000 rupiah ($22 USD) per person for an superfluous “local guide.” That’s just crazy talk. What you should do instead is drive 1km north of the main Gitgit entrance on Jl. Raya Bedugul-Singaraja, bypassing the parking lot full of sarong hawkers and aggro touts, and enter at the Bertingkat trailhead instead. There, entry is as it should be (5,000 rupiah, or about 37 cents) and you won’t have to shake off any swindlers. The hike is gentler, too, bypassing hundreds of steps and taking about 10 minutes on clearly marked paths. Your reward at the end is a mercifully under-visited five-tier waterfall and crystalline swimming hole. It’s not as tall as Gitgit, but it’s less way stressful to visit.

Props to our hero driver and new BFF, Moon, for the excellent tip. If anyone is headed to Bali and needs a smart, funny, reliable guide with air-conditioned wheels, Moon is your man. He is fluent in Bahasa, Balinese, English, and Japanese and doubles as a walking Wikipedia entry on Indonesia. Buzz him at 081-934-302-665 or e-mail moon_bali@hotmail.com. (But really, phone is better.)

Jl. Raya Bedugul-Singaraja, Bali, Indonesia.