Malojloj Falls

Inarajan / Waterfall Valley, Guam, Micronesia

About Malojloj Falls


Hiking Distance: 1/2-mile out-and-back scramble
Suggested Time: allow about 1 hour

Date first visited: 2022-11-22
Date last visited: 2022-11-22

Waterfall Latitude: 13.29697
Waterfall Longitude: 144.75267

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Malojloj Falls was a modestly-sized hidden waterfall (probably about 15ft or so) in the so-called Waterfall Valley situated in the southeast of Guam near the village of Inarajan.

I treated this particular waterfall as kind of an introductory adventure, because hiking in Guam on my own without a guide was full of obstacles and hazards (e.g. slippery surfaces, steep slopes, mosquitoes, flash floods, getting lost, swordgrass, etc.).

Malojloj_Falls_025_11212022 - Malojloj Falls
Malojloj Falls

Thus, the short 1/2-mile round-trip scramble through such undeveloped terrain (i.e. no signage, no “official” trail, etc.) was manageable enough to give me a taste of what boonie stomping in Guam can be like without jeopardizing life and limb.

As you can see from the photo above, this waterfall won’t knock your socks off, and its plunge pool is rather murky and dirty-looking.

However, if you’re up for extending the excursion, this area was called “Waterfall Valley” for a reason, and there are indeed at least 4 other waterfalls further downstream on a neighboring excursion.

As of my first visit here, I only pursued Malojloj Falls because the other waterfalls required more scrambling, route-finding, and exposure to dropoff hazards.

Malojloj_Falls_011_11212022 - Context of the scramble leading down to the Aslinget River and the Malojloj Falls
Context of the scramble leading down to the Aslinget River and the Malojloj Falls

Therefore, this write-up only focuses on this one waterfall, and if I’m fortunate to return, I’ll likely come back to pursue the remaining waterfalls and do a separate write-up encompassing that excursion.

How Do You Know You’re In The Right Place?

If you’re looking to pursue Malojloj Falls on your own, the first obstacle to overcome is figuring out if you’re in the right place or not.

I provide more details on finding the trailhead in the driving directions below, but for the purposes of starting the hike, you’ll want to really pay attention to the subtle clues I’m about to describe.

First, you’ll want to look for a grassy area on the west side of the main road, especially where it starts to curve as it descends from Inarajan.

Malojloj_Falls_001_11212022 - This was the 'opening' that hinted to us that this might be the correct path to Malojloj Falls
This was the ‘opening’ that hinted to us that this might be the correct path to Malojloj Falls

Across this grassy area, you’ll want to look for an opening in the fringing swordgrass next to a power pole with possibly a colored ribbon on a blade of swordgrass.

To help you pinpoint the right starting point, I provided the GPS coordinates for the trailhead in the sidebar on the right of this page (if you have a desktop computer) or at the very start of this write-up if you’re on a smaller screen.

Once you find the right spot, you’ll want to be careful about where you park your car, especially if the ground has been saturated with moisture due to rain because that grassy area can get muddy and thus get your car stuck!

It didn’t do that to us during our visit in late November 2022, but that was because the weather had been pretty cooperative during the week that we were there leading up to this visit.

Navigating Down To Malojloj Falls

Malojloj_Falls_009_11212022 - Looking back at the dirt track and the tell-tale power line on the way down to the Malojloj Falls
Looking back at the dirt track and the tell-tale power line on the way down to the Malojloj Falls

Having found the right place to start on the hike, I went towards the opening in the swordgrass where it briefly ascended on a red dirt 4wd track.

Shortly after reaching the apex of this short hill, the trail became grassier and potentially muddier, which forced me to pay even more attention to visual clues given how quickly things can get overgrown.

The nice thing about this hill was that I was able to get an overview of the downhill terrain before me and the general direction of the Aslinget River, which was responsible for Malojloj Falls and the rest of the waterfalls of Waterfall Valley.

So continuing on the “path”, which I was still able to follow by sticking with the faint 4wd track or areas of trampled grass and more colored ribbons acting as clues, the path would moderately descend for the next 1/4-mile.

Malojloj_Falls_021_11212022 - Descending into a fairly thick patch of swordgrass on the way down to Malojloj Falls, where this set of fragile bamboo 'planks' helped me to get around the steepest muddiest parts
Descending into a fairly thick patch of swordgrass on the way down to Malojloj Falls, where this set of fragile bamboo ‘planks’ helped me to get around the steepest muddiest parts

The further down I went, the thicker the vegetation became until I got to a fairly thick patch of swordgrass right at a real muddy slope.

Fortunately, during my visit, there was a colored ribbon hinting at gong to a fragile bamboo “bridge” traversing a gully that’s narrow enough to jump across if you’re confident.

Otherwise, that “bridge” (more like a series of bamboo “planks”) was the way to go, but I had to put my weight at the ends and not the middle of the bamboo because it easily cracked under my weight (who knows how long it had been there?).

After that obstacle, the route dropped down past a large bamboo “tree” adjacent to the stream, where I arrived at the edge of the murky plunge pool fronting the Malojloj Falls itself.

Malojloj_Falls_023_11212022 - A big bamboo stalk fronting the plunge pool before the Malojloj Falls
A big bamboo stalk fronting the plunge pool before the Malojloj Falls

It’s possible to keep scrambling around the plunge pool to get closer to the waterfall, but I was content with my views across the pond, especially because mosquitoes were literally swarming around me while I was here.

After having my fill of the falls, I went back up the way I came, which ended up being about 1/2-mile (or a little less than an hour away from the car) in total when all was said and done.

Authorities

Malojloj Falls resides in the so-called Waterfall Valley in the village of Yona, Guam. It may be administered by the Guam Department of Agriculture. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting this website.

Malojloj_Falls_006_11212022 - Shortly behind the power pole and subtle opening at the trailhead for Malojloj Falls was this more obvious dirt track between swordgrass
Malojloj_Falls_007_11212022 - Continuing on the red and white dirt track between the grass as the immediate hill was about to top out en route to Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_008_11212022 - Beyond the apex of the hill next to the trailhead, the tall grass starts to obscure the 4wd track, which makes it a little trickier to follow.  It's here that I had to pay more attention to the colored ribbons and subtle clues of trampled grass
Malojloj_Falls_012_11212022 - Looking towards the south coast of Guam where I can glimpse the ocean on the way down to Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_014_11212022 - Continuing further downhill towards the ravine containing the Aslinget River and the Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_016_11212022 - The further down the hill I was going, the thicker the vegetation became, which was why I appreciated colored ribbons like this one placed by people who have been here before
Malojloj_Falls_017_11212022 - Descending closer to the thicker vegetation surrounding the Aslinget River on the way down to Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_019_11212022 - Trying to follow the trampled grass when the 4wd track was overgrown to help me navigate my way down towards Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_020_11212022 - Approaching the next large patch of swordgrass, where I noticed this opening fronted by a blue-colored ribbon en route to Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_026_11212022 - Finally making it down to the plunge pool fronting the Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_027_11212022 - Context of Malojloj Falls and its partially shaded plunge pool during my midday visit on late November 2022
Malojloj_Falls_029_11212022 - Rippling reflections in the plunge pool fronting Malojloj Falls, which kind of shows how stagnant the Aslinget River can be, which means it's a breeding ground for mosquitoes
Malojloj_Falls_005_iPhone_11222022 - Closer look at the many mosquitoes that have landed on the straps of my day pack as I stood before Malojloj Falls, but this doesn't include the ones that were in the air (earning them the reputation of being called 'no-see-ums')
Malojloj_Falls_004_iPhone_11222022 - Another look at the rippling and somewhat stagnant murky plunge pool fronting the Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_032_11212022 - On the way back up to the car after having had my fill of Malojloj Falls, I definitely appreciated these blue ribbons helping me to navigate my way back up the way I came in (so I would be less likely to get lost)
Malojloj_Falls_038_11212022 - This unfortunately-located big spider was directly above the thick scrambling track that I took down to the Malojloj Falls, which meant that I had to carefully duck and crawl underneath it without it hitching a ride on me
Malojloj_Falls_040_11212022 - Continuing to follow the blue ribbons through the swordgrass (did I mention you'll probably want to be wearing long sleeves, long pants, and gloves) on my way back up from the Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_042_11212022 - Still making my way through the swordgrass on the return scramble from Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_045_11212022 - After making my way back up through the thickest of the swordgrass, I had this grassy hill climb to look forward to as it was noticeably easier to navigate my way back at this point
Malojloj_Falls_046_11212022 - Looking back at the way I had scrambled through on my return jaunt from the Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_047_11212022 - More scrambling through some fairly moderately-sized blades of grass as I was approaching the apex of the hill near the spot where we parked the car for Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_048_11212022 - Starting to see the telephone pole on the way back from Malojloj Falls
Malojloj_Falls_049_11212022 - Finally at the apex of the hill, and now going the final few yards back to the parked car by that power pole thereby ending my short jaunt to Malojloj Falls


The trailhead for Malojloj Falls is in an unsigned grassy area just south of the village of Inarajan.

I’ll describe in detail how we identified and stopped at this trailhead based on our southbound trajectory as we came from Tumon Bay (where we had been staying).

Malojloj_Falls_002_11212022 - Looking back at the final bend before the Malojloj Falls trailhead when approaching from the north (after passing through Inarajan)
Looking back at the final bend before the Malojloj Falls trailhead when approaching from the north (after passing through Inarajan)

From Tumon Bay, we would head east on Marine Corps Drive (Hwy 1) towards Army Drive (Route 16) before the Micronesia Mall.

Then, we’d drive south on the Route 16 for nearly 7km to its junction with the Route 10, where we’d turn left.

Next, we’d drive south on Route 10 for nearly 6km before turning left onto Hwy 4.

Then, once on Hwy 4, we’d drive for nearly 20km towards the unsigned trailhead for the Malojloj Falls, but when we reach the town of Inarajan, that’s when we really want to start paying attention to the landmarks.

Malojloj_Falls_003_11212022 - Context of the grassy area next to the main road where we suspected that the Malojloj Falls started from
Context of the grassy area next to the main road where we suspected that the Malojloj Falls started from

Indeed, after passing through the town of Inarajan, we went past a 76 gas station followed by a church shortly thereafter, which let us know that we were close.

The road then started to bend to the left as it descended followed by another bend to the right.

It was in between these bends that there was a fairly sizable grassy “pullout” beneath some power poles.

This was where we parked the car though we knew full well that if there had been rain, this grassy area could have been bogged down with the mud beneath the grass thereby possibly making our car stuck.

Malojloj_Falls_004_11212022 - Context of the subtle opening containing the Malojloj Falls scrambling track, which was adjacent to this power pole
Context of the subtle opening containing the Malojloj Falls scrambling track, which was adjacent to this power pole

Fortunately, that wasn’t what we faced, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re pursuing this waterfall.

Anyways, from the fringes of this grassy area, that was where I spotted a blue colored ribbon on a blade of swordgrass next to what appeared to be an opening (it may be different color depending on who and when the last person leaves behind such visual clues).

This opening was situated right behind one of the power poles, which was pretty much the only real indication that I might be in the right place (considering the lack of signage providing any confirmation about the waterfall’s whereabouts).

Overall, this drive took us about 45-50 minutes.

Malojloj_Falls_050_11212022 - Another look at the context of the main road and the grassy area fronting both Malojloj Falls and the Waterfall Valley
Another look at the context of the main road and the grassy area fronting both Malojloj Falls and the Waterfall Valley

Finally, for geographical context, Yona was about 18km (under 30 minutes drive) north of Inarajan, about 19km (under 30 minutes drive) south of Tamuning, and 20km (about 30 minutes drive) south of Tumon Bay.

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Brief back and forth sweep from across the plunge pool of the falls with mozzies swarming about

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Tagged with: waterfall valley, inarajan, guam, mosquito, muddy, swordgrass, neti, waterfall, hike



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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