Sumba is a large island in the East Nusa Tenggara province of east Indonesia. It's 200km long from east to west and 70km at its largest point.
The island is relatively dry and quite flat. It has 660000 inhabitants. Sumba was inhabited by Melanesian and Austronesian people, but was only colonised by the Dutch towards the end of the 19th century.
The highlights of Sumba are mainly its traditional villages, with their characteristic thatched and peaked roofs surrounding a central square with stone tombs. The most picturesque village is Ratenggaro on the southweatern coast, where houses surround a central square with stone tombs with the background of the ocean.
Sumba is one of the few places in the world in which megalithic burials still take place. Burial in megaliths was practised in many parts of the world during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, but has survived until today in places like Sumba.
The island has two airports, Tambolaka in the west and Waingapu in the east with daily connections to Bali and West Timor. Sumba has a few nice beaches in the south, of which the Marosi beach is the nicest.
Ratenggaro photo gallery  - 26 pictures of Ratenggaro
Praijing photo gallery  - 14 pictures of Praijing
Weekiry lagoon photo gallery  - 17 pictures of Weekiry lagoon
26 photos of Ratenggaro, the most scenic village on Sumba island
14 photos of Praijing, a traditional Sumbanese villages in the hills near Waikabukak
17 photos of the picturesque Weekiry lagoon in western Sumba
Wawarungu photo gallery  - 9 pictures of Wawarungu
Maderi photo gallery  - 9 pictures of Maderi
Waigalli photo gallery  - 10 pictures of Waigalli
9 photos of the Wawarungu village in the Mamboro area along the northern coast of Sumba
9 photos of the small village of Maderi, in the hills of northwestern Sumba
10 photos of Waigalli, a small traditional village built on a hiltop along the southern coast
Other villages photo gallery  - 22 pictures of Other villages
Beaches photo gallery  - 29 pictures of Beaches
22 photos of the Prainggoli, Wuntalaka, Tarung and Manuakalada villages in Sumba
29 photos of beaches and the coast on Sumba
Landscapes photo gallery  - 31 pictures of Landscapes
Miscellaneous photos photo gallery  - 18 pictures of Miscellaneous photos
31 photos of landscapes and sceneries on Sumba
18 miscellaneous photos of Sumba island
Gallery with all images
Here you can enter a comment or suggestion. Leave your email address if you would like to receive a reply.
Related travelogues
  • Indonesia 2016: 15 days spent in Nusa Tenggara in east Indonesia, visiting Flores, West Timor, Sumba and Bali
Page viewed 3969 times since 12.10.16
©Copyright Alfred Molon