Mata Jitu: The Waterfall Where the Forest Teaches You to Slow Down

A wellness journey into the terraced pools of Moyo Island, Sumbawa

There are waterfalls you photograph, and there are waterfalls you feel. Mata Jitu belongs firmly to the second category. Tucked into the rainforest above the village of Labuan Aji on Moyo Island, off the northern coast of Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara, this limestone, multi-tiered cascade has long drawn travelers seeking something quieter than the usual island itinerary, including, in 1993, a young Princess of Wales, whose visit is still remembered locally.

Mata Jitu translates roughly to "true eye," and standing before its terraces of turquoise pools, each rimmed in pale limestone and fed by the one above it, it's easy to see why the name stuck. It isn't a single dramatic drop, it's a staircase of pools rising back into the forest, framed by birdsong and dense green canopy.

Getting There

Reaching Mata Jitu is part of the experience. Guests typically arrive by boat, either a speedboat crossing from Sumbawa Besar or a private charter, landing at Labuan Aji village. From there, it's roughly an hour's walk into the hills, or a shorter ride by motorbike, or hotel jeep for those staying at Amanwana, the one luxury resort on the island. A small village fund fee is charged at Labuan Aji, and independently arranged visits typically involve a modest island fee paid through your accommodation.

Most non-resort visitors experience it as one stop on a full-day tour that also includes snorkeling at nearby reef sites like Takat Sagele and a village lunch. For Amanwana guests, though, the waterfall is something more.

The Real Ritual: A Floating Sound Bath

Amanwana's spa program includes a genuine, bookable experience set directly at the falls: the Floating Sound Bath at Mata Jitu Waterfall. It's led by Frendy Agung Dewanta, a healer of Javanese and Balinese heritage who draws on generational healing traditions from both islands. Guests float in the waterfall's pools while layered tones and sound frequencies are used to quiet the mind, an immersive, water-based sound therapy session rather than a spoken ceremony or spa-room treatment.

It sits alongside Amanwana's broader wellness offering, which includes:

Grounding Massage - a Tibetan-influenced Ku Nye full-body treatment combining cupping, acupressure, deep-tissue work, rose quartz, and hot Himalayan salt poultices, finished with a Tibetan head massage.
Bonfire Meditation - a seated, fire-gazing meditation practice focused on breath and release.
Yoga Shala - an open-air platform on the forest's edge, used for daily practice as well as private wellness gatherings.

The sound bath is the only one of these held off-property, at the waterfall itself, which is what makes it worth building an itinerary around, rather than treating Mata Jitu as a quick day-trip photo stop.

How to Experience It

The Floating Sound Bath is arranged directly through Amanwana as part of a stay, there's no separate walk-in booking, since it requires being a guest at the resort and coordinating with their spa team and Frendy directly. The practical route for clients is:

Book a stay at Amanwana (accessed via light aircraft to Sumbawa followed by a short boat transfer, or by private charter).
Request the Floating Sound Bath through the resort's spa/wellness team in advance, timing depends on weather, water levels, and Frendy's availability.

Pair it with the Yoga Shala or Grounding Massage for a fuller two-to-three-day wellness arc, rather than a single isolated treatment.

For clients not staying at Amanwana, Mata Jitu can still be visited via a day-tour boat charter from Sumbawa Besar, but the sound bath itself is exclusive to resort guests.

Why We Recommend It

This is one of the rare cases where the "wellness ritual" marketing language is actually earned, a real practitioner, a real technique rooted in specific regional traditions, held in a setting most visitors only ever glimpse from the trailhead. For clients who want more than a swim and a photo, it's worth structuring the whole Sumbawa leg of their trip around it.

Interested in an Amanwana stay built around the Mata Jitu Floating Sound Bath? We can arrange the flights, transfers, and spa bookings as part of a bespoke Sumbawa itinerary.