My Adventure trip to Sumba island July 2024
If you've not heard about Sumba Island before and simply interested to learn more about why I’m writing about it, here goes.
Sumba is a massive island bigger than Bali, and there are no road signs one can get lost very easy and internet is very scarce! While Sumba is just a 1 hour flight from Bali, it will blow your mind at the difference between the two. Honestly, you couldn't get two islands more further apart. While Bali is definitely popular with tourists who are perfectly happy to spend the whole day taking photos of themselves, you won't find a much more authentic island than Sumba.
There's two tiny airports in Sumba, one in East Sumba called Waingapu and one in West Sumba called Tambolaka airport.
We flew into Tambolaka and out of Waingapu having to book two separate flights with Wings Air. We were picked up at Tambolaka which is when our tour started from West Sumba and finishing in East Sumba.
Sumba is an island in Indonesia which is the type of place which reminds us about what travel used to be like. As soon as we stepped off the plane we were greeted by friendly locals all waving at us and our wonderful guide who called me Miss Wendy! We left Tambolaka Airport and started our tour, first stop was our hotel!
The island is quiet without a lot traffic, but with a landscape which is so diverse and pristine. Not only with its beautiful beaches and landscape but also its unique, well-preserved culture and traditions. The common saying “time stands still” is rarely more appropriate than it is here in mysterious Sumba. People still practice their ancestors’ religion and rituals that first emerged over 4,500 years ago. Due to the island’s remote location, its flourish obscurity has allowed it to omit the passage of time, holding steadfast to old traditions ever since.
You will see pristine waterfalls that almost don't look real, traditional villages, dense jungle and rolling hills that you'll wonder why more tourists aren't flocking here as of yet.
We booked 8 days in Sumba, although we left at 6:30am on the 8th day so we basically had 7 full days there. Was it enough time to see everything? Absolutely . You could easily spend a month in Sumba Island chilling out in paradise with beautiful beaches on your doorstep without a single person in sight, amazing waterfalls to explore, local villages and so much more. It is best to go to Sumba island during the Dry season! The most popular time is March I was told as it is their Padilla festival. The Pasola Festival is a celebration of the harvest season, and it is believed to be a way to appease the spirits and ensure a good harvest for the coming year. The festival involves a mock battle between two groups of horse riders, who throw wooden spears at each other while riding at full speed. The Sumbanese men and also their horses are wearing traditional and colorful clothes during this ceremony.
We were totally wowed by the beauty of the place as well as the peacefulness of it too.
There are narrow walkways between the rice paddies which will bring you to a secret waterfall in the middle of them which you can't see from the road
Food is super cheap in Sumba island.
it's one of the poorest islands in Indonesia, and yes most parts are safe to visit While the island isn't set up for tourism like Bali is, the two islands couldn't be further apart. The local villages are incredible, and you'll wonder why the traditional houses have such tall roofs (it's to store the food in), as well why the houses range from tin roofs to thatched houses (the grass roofs are more expensive).
Animals are traded on the island and are a sign of wealth between families. So, you'll see a buffalo outside a house which are believed to be worth 25,000,000 IDR each ($2500 AUD).
You'll see tombstones outside the family home, and we saw families sleeping on the newer tiled tombs during the day to keep them cool. Tombs are kept outside the family home so their ancestors can protect them.
The phone network is very patchy in Sumba and even the wifi in hotels didn't work all the time! But, I loved being disconnected from my phone and able to fully appreciate where we were. We had a riot of an adventure! Our 4WD broke down, and the replacement had tires smoother than a baby's bottom. We tiptoed across bamboo poles without rails and climbed rickety ladders up cliffs to reach waterfalls. My drone decided to play Tarzan and got stuck high in the jungle. I did a spectacular dive off a rock in a lagoon, earning zero style points. Those eerie night noises? Just a gecko having a giggle. We took photos knee-deep in water, got stuck in mud that could swallow a shoe, and danced around sea urchins and mangrove roots. Using squat toilets with no loo paper and always-wet floors was a gymnastic feat. Meals were either tasteless or set-your-mouth-on-fire spicy, with enough rice to start a paddy field. Filtered water was our lifeline, and finding good coffee was like a treasure hunt. Despite it all, living and eating like the locals was a blast!
I really loved my time on Sumba island! Can’t wait to return in 2025 where I’ll be conducting workshops! Contact me if interested it will be 7 nights 8 days! Wendy Klein.
