Things to do in Sumba
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Sumba
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season from April to October is best overall, with reliable roads, gold savanna and consistent west surf.
Wet season from November to March can close dirt roads and make waterfall trails slippery, but Wairinding is green.
Pasola season in the west in February and March, with exact dates set by priests and announced late.
Shoulder months of April, May and October often balance greener landscapes with fewer crowds.
What's on
- Pasola Festival February to March, exact dates announced 1 to 2 weeks ahead
Mounted spear ritual in Kodi, Lamboya, Wanokaka and Gaura in the west, set by Marapu priests around the nyale arrival.
Best things to do in Sumba
Kampung Raja Prailiu
A royal village 2 km from Waingapu with peaked houses, carved tombs and women weaving natural dye ikat at home.
Kampung Adat Praiyawang
The Rende village in Rindi with huge stone tombs and high quality hand woven ikat, 1.5 hours east of Waingapu.
Bukit Wairinding
Rolling savanna hills on the cross island road, green in the wet season and gold in the dry, best at sunset.
Pantai Walakiri
A calm beach east of Waingapu where small mangroves stand in the shallows and silhouette at sunset.
Kampung Tarung
A Marapu spiritual village inside Waikabubak town, with stone graves and peaked roofs on a hill in town.
Praijing Village
A ridge village above Waikabubak with a full overview of peaked houses around tombs, paired with Lapopu.
Kampung Adat Ratenggaro
The Kodi village with the tallest thatched roofs in Sumba, megalithic tombs and a beach just below the houses.
Pasola Festival
A mounted spear ritual in the west in February and March, with dates set by Marapu priests and announced late.
Where to stay in Sumba
Waingapu, East Sumba
ikat, savanna and east waterfalls
The east base for Prailiu, Praiyawang and Rende, Wairinding, Walakiri, Tanggedu and Waimarang, with no luxury tier.
Tambolaka and Waikabubak, West Sumba
villages, Weekuri, Lapopu and Pasola
The west base for Tarung, Praijing, Ratenggaro, Lapopu and Weekuri, with town hotels in both towns.
Wanokaka west coast, West Sumba
luxury resorts and surf
The remote west coast resort strip for NIHI Sumba and Lelewatu, 90 minutes from Tambolaka Airport.
Best restaurants in Sumba
Ombak Restaurant
NIHI's oceanfront main restaurant, serving garden produce and daily catch with sand underfoot at Wanokaka.
Kaboku Restaurant
NIHI's six seat Japanese omakase, a seven course fine dining dinner that must be prebooked, guests first.
Warung Gula Garam
Tambolaka's best known traveller restaurant, Indonesian and Italian dishes and a hub for west side tips.
Dapur Sumba
An inexpensive Tambolaka restaurant for local cooking, grilled fish, papaya flower stir fry and corn fritters.
Sacca Residence & Resto
A small Waingapu residence restaurant in Prailiu serving traditional Indonesian food, a reliable east dinner.
Pondok Wisata dan Restoran Elim
A simple guesthouse restaurant in Waingapu for plain Indonesian meals at local prices, no frills.
Outdoor things to do in Sumba
Tanggedu Waterfall
A turquoise canyon waterfall 75 minutes from Waingapu, reached by a short walk, a bridge and stairs.
Waimarang Waterfall
A waterfall and wide turquoise swimming hole in East Sumba, reached by a 30 minute trek, paired with Praiyawang.
Puru Kambera
Open savanna meeting the sea north east of Waingapu, with roaming horses and no facilities, pure landscape.
Weekuri Lagoon
A clear saltwater lagoon near Mandorak in the west, fed through the rocks, made for a careful swim.
Lapopu Waterfall
A 90 metre terraced waterfall in the national park, reached by a bamboo bridge, 40 minutes from Waikabubak.
Matayangu Waterfall
The wilder jungle waterfall paired with Lapopu, with a blue pool and a long descent that needs a guide.
Pantai Mandorak
A small white sand cove between headlands near Weekuri, best as a look and paddle stop on a west day.
NIHI Sumba Spa Safari
A guided trek through villages and rice fields to NIHI's clifftop spa, with treatments and ocean views.
Best hotels in Sumba
NIHI Sumba
The island's luxury pick, 27 pool villas on 567 acres above Nihiwatu Beach, 90 minutes from Tambolaka.
Lelewatu Resort Sumba
The second west coast luxury resort in Wanokaka, with ocean views, a pool and spacious villas.
Sima Sumba Hotel
A modern mid range town hotel in Tambolaka, practical for airport nights and town services in the west.
Hotel Pasola
A simple budget hotel near Tambolaka Airport, the listed cheap pick for a west base arrival night.
Kambaniru Beach Hotel and Resort
The most comfortable mid range base in Waingapu, with a restaurant in Kambaniru just outside the centre.
Padadita Beach Hotel
A beachfront budget hotel in Waingapu with a restaurant, well placed for early east side starts.
Is Sumba expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | IDR 850,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | IDR 1,500,000 a person |
| Splurge | IDR 20,000,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Occy's Left: months ahead
- NIHI Sumba Spa Safari: weeks ahead
- NIHI Sumba: months ahead
- Lelewatu Resort Sumba: weeks ahead
- Ombak Restaurant: weeks ahead
- Kaboku Restaurant: weeks ahead
- Book the Sumba flight leg first and leave long connections in Bali or Kupang, because frequencies are limited.
- Book NIHI Sumba months ahead in dry season and Lelewatu weeks ahead, and arrange drivers through your hotel.
- Do not pin a trip to a fixed Pasola date, because priests announce dates only one to two weeks ahead.
Is Sumba safe?
- Sumba has limited medical facilities.
- Carry medical evacuation insurance, use mosquito protection for malaria risk, and take care with surf, currents and slippery waterfall trails.
- Emergency numbers in Indonesia are 112 general, 110 police and 119 ambulance.
Sumba travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- At Ratenggaro, agree any horse ride, photo or drone fee before you accept it and expect persistent souvenir selling.
- Waterfall and village fees change often and may be negotiated on the day, so carry small IDR notes and confirm Lapopu entry before setting off.
- Do not climb on megalithic tombs or houses, and ask permission before photos in any traditional village.
Getting around Sumba: public transport and more
- Fly into Waingapu WGP for the east and Tambolaka TMC for the west, via Denpasar or Kupang, with limited frequencies.
- Waingapu to Waikabubak is about 180 km and 4 to 5 hours by car, so split the stay and do not day trip across the island.
- A private car with driver is the default at about IDR 700,000 to 900,000 per day, and there is no reliable public transport to the sights.
- Weekuri and Ratenggaro belong to the west base, Praiyawang and Tanggedu belong to the east base.
Who Sumba suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Sumba your trip
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