Most tourist use Malang mainly as a stopover before visiting the famous Bromo Vulcano. However, we highly recommend you to spend a couple of days exploring this city. Malang has so much to offer with its comfortable climate, stunning waterfalls, painted villages and friendly locals. Read our travel guide on 8 things to do in Malang, Indonesia below.
SAVE THIS ON PINTEREST!
1. Tumpak Sewu Waterfal
In our opinion, Tumpak Sewu waterfall is without a doubt the most incredible waterfall in Indonesia. The name means a thousand waterfalls, and you will understand why when you feel the insane water force around you. You can visit this waterfall from the top, or you can venture down to its foot on a quite challenging hike.
Read: Tumpak Sewu Waterfall, Indonesia
thefiestaplanner.com 
thefiestaplanner.com
2. Visit the secret lagoon of Tumpak Sewu
One of the biggest gems in Malang and an absolute must-do, is the secret lagoon in Tumpak Sewu. To reach this incredible place, you will have to hike down to the foot of Tumpak Sewu Waterfall. This hike is both challenging and steep, but completely safe as long as you watch where you step. And as with everything else – hard work pays off. We spent the entire day here, and we surprisingly had the place all to ourselves.
An absolute must-do whilst in Malang!
thefiestaplanner.com 
thefiestaplanner.com
3. Jodipan, the rainbow village
Make sure to include a visit to Jodipan village, also known as the rainbow village in Malang. The entire area was formerly a slum area, and the government wanted to relocate its citizens as the living condition were so bad. A group of students came up with the idea to paint the village in different colors to attract more tourists, and in 2016 the project was set to life. The result was remarkable, and is one of the highlights on this 8 this to do in Malang, Indonesia travel guide.
Entrance fee: 3000 IDR per person
Read more: The colorful villages in Malang, Indonesia
thefiestaplanner.com 
thefiestaplanner.com
4. Kampung Biru Arema, the blue village
On the other side of the bridge of the rainbow village, you will find the blue village. Its official name is Kampung Biru Arema. In this village all the houses are painted in different tones of blue. It might remind you of the blue street in Morocco, only smaller. The area is covered in local shops, recycled artwork, street art and beautiful murals. We spent 45 minutes walking through the blue village.These two villages are an absolute must-do on our list of 8 things to do in Malang, Indonesia.
Entrance fee: 3000 IDR per person
Read more: The colorful villages in Malang, Indonesia
thefiestaplanner.com 
thefiestaplanner.com
5. Coban Rondo Waterfall
If you have time, you should also include a visit to Coban Putri. This area has a couple of cool viewpoints for you to enjoy, as well as a beautiful park surrounding the waterfall. With it´s fall of around 80 meters, this powerful waterfall is beautiful to look at! You will meet a couple of families here, so prepare to spend time chatting with the friendly locals.
Tip: make sure to taste the famous local dish named chipok at the parking area. We had ours with soya and peanuts sauce and it was friggin delicious!
thefiestaplanner.com 
thefiestaplanner.com
6. Bukit Kuneer tea plantation
Our wonderful friend and guide, Azhar, took us to this place, and it was a wonderful surprise! We were shown around at the plantation, and got introduced to the coffee and tea they collected there. It was quite interesting to see the process of creating to gathering to storing to selling and shipping their products. And the area is huge! You can either walk around or take a scooter to cover larger grounds of the plantation. You should plan to spend about 2-3 hours here.
thefiestaplanner.com 
thefiestaplanner.com
7. The Blue Mosque, Masjid Tiban
Personally, this wasn’t our favorite thing to do. However, many people find this place interesting so we though to include it in our guide of 8 things to do in Malang, Indonesia. The Masjid Tiban, also known as the blue mosque is a sight for sore eyes with its beautiful mosaic blue color and details. We went here late in the evening when few other tourists roam the grounds, but kindly note that this place is a massive tourist trap during day time.
thefiestaplanner.com 
thefiestaplanner.com
8. Kapas Biru Waterfall
This waterfall is located only 10 minutes by car from Tumpak Sewu Waterfall. Hidden in the Indonesias jungle, this waterfall also require some hiking. The path down is quite steep and challenging and you will be walking through rice paddies, climbing down ladders and crossing small wooden bridges on your way. The hike itself only takes approx. 30 minutes, and the reward is so sweet! We met zero tourists on our way here, and had the place all to ourselves! A wonderful experience we would not be without 🙂
Tip: we do not recommend this hike if you are experiencing issues with your knees and/or hips.
How to get to Malang
Flight to Malang
There are direct flight to Malang from Bali or Jakarta. Find your next flight here.
Train to Malang
The Maliboro Express train goes from Yogyakarta to Malang. This 8-hour ride is very comfortable, and we were pleasantly surprised by the standard (1t class). This route is even faster than by car, as the ride is almost direct to Malang. It has a couple of short stops in between, and is the perfect way of transport during your East-Java trip.
Where to eat in Malang
We highly recommend visiting the SaigonSan Restaurant and Rooftop Terrace during your stay in Malang. This was our absolute favorite meal in the city, and both the food and atmosphere was on point. You can even stay there as the restaurant is a part of a hotel. And even better – if you are thinking of visiting Canggu in Bali: they have a hotel and delicious restaurant there too with the best sunset view!
Book a travel guide
We highly recommend you to book a guide in as it made the whole experience so much better. Our wonderful guides, Azhar and Vivi, showed us places we would never have discovered on our ow. They helped us with everything from hiking to taking photos.
You can contact our friend Azhar on WhatsApp (+6281336042045). You can also contact him via Messenger here. Make sure to say hi from “The Fiesta Planner”, so you will get the best price 🙂
