Flying to Sumba Island on Nam Air

Rice paddies near Tambolaka

Children playing on Kita Beach

Daniel, Robby and Dahmie at Kita Beach. We saw and did so much in Sumba because of these two!

Daniel buying betel nuts for a village visit

Visiting Kampung Manola (Manola Traditional Village)

Interior view of a traditional house in Kampung Manola

Village elders chewing on betel nut; Kampung Manola

Wood carving in the stone tomb section of Kampung Manola

We greeted these village elders and gifted them with betel nut during our visit to Kampung Manola

Kampung Manola is off the beaten path and few tourists visit here. 4WD is absolutely necessary to visit this remote gem

A friendly girl smiles for a photo; Kampung Manola

Village scene in Kampung Manola

This girl was so grateful that Kirn promised to send her a photo

Buffaloes walking by the road side; Kampung Manola

Grilled fish for dinner at Enjoy Aja; Tambolaka

6 am and a Pasola festival participant rides towards Wanokaka Beach

This is a practice match in anticipation of the larger Pasola festival to be held later in the day

The Pasola Festival is a celebration of the harvest season. It is believed to be a way to appease the spirits and ensure a good harvest for the coming year. It is a battle between two teams of horse riders riding at full speed in a spear-fighting competition. Every year, someone gets seriously injured or killed and spectators are warned to keep their distance!

This impromptu pasola match is held on the beach at Wanokaka. Every year (sometime between February and March), the village elders look for the presence of the coveted nyale sea worms. This indicates the harvest will be successful and the Pasola festival is held shortly afterwards to celebrate another good season

Be careful of flying spears at the Pasola Festival!

It is pure mayhem as the riders go wild with abandon and rage when one of them gets hit with a spear; Pasola Festival

A tired rider leads his horse away from the practice Pasola match at Wanokaka Beach

Pasola festival warriors get ready for battle

A barefoot rider carries his three wooden spears to attend the main Pasola event

The Pasola participants have been practicing for a year in anticipation of this very important festival. Unfortunately, most of the events end up in violence as many of the participants show up drunk or high!

Robby poses next to a lanky Sumba man. He is one of the horse riders' helpers and his job is to gather spears from the battlefield

A long parade of Pasola festival riders make their way to the main fairground at Wanokaka

Grace and Kirn take a selfie next to a Pasola festival spectator

The police and anti-riot squad keep a presence on the field of play in anticipation of the inevitable fight that will occur between the Pasola warriors and an overamped crowd

The opening ceremony of the Pasola Festival at Wanokaka

Village elders attend the opening ceremony of the 2023 Wanokaka Pasola Festival

Each team has about 30 riders on horses and wooden spears are let loose all morning long at their opponents on the opposite side of the field. Spectators must keep their wits about them as the spears sometimes miss their intended target

Being on the field entails a certain amount of risk. Each year someone is blinded, maimed or killed on the battlefield. The running joke is that a Pasola Festival isn't considered successful until some blood has been spilled

Close up of a Pasola horseback rider

All of the riders are barefoot riding their horses bareback!

Pasola warrior getting more wooden spears

Our guide urges us to leave the festival after a few hours as he notices the crowd getting more and more restless. It is a good call because we later heard that a full on fight with machetes kicked off and the police had to fire water cannons to subdue the angry crowd!

Our last view of the massive crowd at the Pasola Festival in Wanokaka

A view looking back towards Wanokaka as we make our way up into the mountains

Our guide (Daniel) had heard of a funeral ceremony that we were invited to attend. The deceased had been stabbed to death by a rival family on his way to tend his rice fields in a land dispute. Here is his family dancing and welcoming us to the traditional funeral ceremony

A unique Sumba Island tradition is "kissing the nose" or “pudduk” (in East Sumba language). This symbolic gesture is between family and friends and indicates peace. We were all greeted with a nose kiss as we entered the village

Visitors arrive to the funeral ceremony with pigs in tow. We were shocked to realize that we were about to witness a Kede Death Ceremony where the family and relatives of the deceased person will deliver livestock to the deceased’s residence. In this ceremony, there is no limit to the number of livestock that must be given although the higher the number, the more beloved the deceased was. After the livestock is accepted, the grieving family immediately slaughters the animals which is then cooked and served to all the mourners

Meeting one of the deceased's sons. He was so happy that we attended his father's traditional funeral ceremony and explained what we were about to witness

A water buffalo is presented to the grieving family as part of the Kede ceremony. For the family to receive a water buffalo is of the highest honor as this will cost 3 years' wages for the average local!

A village elder with betel nut stained lips

Family members sit on a porch decorated with buffalo horns. These animals were sacrificed to ensure eternal afterlife for the deceased, honor the ancestors, and safeguard descendants’ futures. This display shows how many rituals the family has been a part of

The pigs somehow knew what was going to happen as they squealed loudly and attempted to escape. Thankfully, the men didn't prolong their terror as they used their machetes to slice the pigs' jugular veins which caused them to bleed out in seconds

Shortly after they were slaughtered en masse, the pigs were set alight to burn off their hair!

It was shocking to watch this part of the Kede Ceremony!

The children attending the funeral were really excited to get their share of the meat!

After all the hair had been singed off, the pigs were carried to palm leaves in the center of the village

It took several dozen men to hold down the water buffalo which put up a colossal fight

The aftermath as the buffalo took its last gasps of air

This scene has replayed in countless villages throughout Sumba Island. Featuring prominently in Sumbanese culture, buffalo are the island’s major status symbol. Locals work throughout their lives to own these sacred creatures and care for them fervently. One buffalo is worth several thousand dollars which is an obscene amount of money for locals as this can take years of their lives to earn. Buffaloes are a form of currency in their own right as the animals are traded back and forth cementing ties within villages

All the pigs have been gathered onto the leaves as the mourners anticipate the next step of the Kede Death Ceremony

The men expertly butcher the pigs and carve out a section for every single person in attendance. We were told we could not reject our portion of meat as it would greatly anger and embarrass the deceased's family!

The last part of the ceremony was laying the deceased within a stone tomb. We felt privileged to have witnessed a Kede Death Ceremony from start to finish as it was culturally fascinating

Natural cave at Waikelo Suwah waterfall

Robby carrying a baby at Waikelo Suwah waterfall

Waikelo Suwah waterfall

Water buffalo at Wee Leo Village

Wee Leo Traditional Village

Dozens of buffalo horns line the porch of this house in Wee Leo Village

Robby stands on a buffalo horn threshold at this simple hut in Wee Leo Village

Traditional dwelling in Wee Leo Village

The tribal village of Wee Leo

A young water buffalo is treated with care at Wee Leo Village

Sunset at Wee Leo Traditional Village

Robby about to eat a cute but tiny Pisang Susus banana!

Becky at Waikuri Lagoon

A local chopping a sprouted coconut for us to try; Waikuri Lagoon

Local boys happy that we visited their swimming hole at Waikuri Lagoon

Becky with a newfound friend at Waikuri Lagoon

The hidden paradise of Waikuri Lagoon

So happy that Grace and Kirn could join us on our Sumba Island adventure!

One last meal together before Kirn and Grace fly back to Bali

A restaurant in the shape of a boat!

Traditional huts used for massages at the boat restaurant

A Pasola warrior roundabout

View from Panorama Hobba Kalla in Lamboya

Water buffalo escaping the heat in a muddy pond; Lamboya

Goats at Pantai Marosi (Marosi Beach)

Another view of the pretty Marosi Beach

The path leading to Pantai Watu Bella, a stunning secret beach

Watu Bella Beach

Rock formations at the gorgeous Watu Bella Beach

Looking at Sumba Surf Camp at Pantai Kerewei

Traditional village of Waru Wora - the most touristy of the traditional villages due to its proximity to upscale resorts

A weaver making a traditional textile called "ikat" which is made entirely from plants (to include the color). This is an intensive process and takes anywhere from 2 to 5 months for one piece!

Waru Wora Traditional Village

Water buffalo at Waru Wora Village

View from Waru Wora Village towards the coast

Buffalo skulls line the porch of this house in Waru Wora Village

Asperitas bimaensis land snail with a yellow green shell

Praijing Megalithic Village

Another view of the pretty Megalithic Village of Prai Jing

Entrance to a home in Praijing Megalithic Village

Buffalo horns mounted on the exterior of this home in Praijing Megalithic Village

A lady selling beautiful ikat fabrics at Praijing Megalithic Village

Becky with some friendly girls at Praijing Megalithic Village

Bath time for two unhappy boys; Praijing Megalithic Village

Taro leaves on top of a minibus

Daniel, Robby and Dahmie at the Galubakul megalith. Built entirely from one stone, this gravestone was built for a King and his wife over 100 years ago. It took the local villagers over 3 months to pull the stone and erect it in its current place!

The spectacular scenery on our drive towards Tanggedu Waterfall

The rolling hills near Tanggedu Waterfall

Catching a scooter ride to Tanggedu Waterfall

The lower section of Tanggedu Waterfall

Another angle of the lower Tanggedu Waterfall

Robby in a swimming pool at the top of Tanggedu Waterfall

Becky drinking a coconut in a private plunge pool at Tanggedu Waterfall

It is quite a herculean effort to get to the very remote Tanggedu Waterfall but well worth it!

The view as we drove from Tanggedu Waterfall back to Waingapu

Unfortunately it was high tide when we wanted to see the iconic dancing trees of Walakiri Beach so that will have to be a trip for another time!

Stone statues at Elvin Hotel in Waingapu

Turquoise water flowing out from Wai Marang waterfall

Our first glimpse of Wai Marang waterfall, a gorgeous private plunge pool hugged by rugged rock walls

Another view of the beautiful Wai Marang waterfall. Arrive here early if you want to enjoy this slice of paradise all to yourselves!

Becky taking a dip in the refreshing pool at Wai Marang waterfall

Artwork on a home in the village next to Wai Marang waterfall

School girls walking home for their lunch break

Stone figurines at Praiyawang Village in Rende

Sumba traditional grave stone at Praiyawang Village

Detailed carved megalithic burial stones at Praiyawang Village

View of Praiyawang Traditional Village, one of the oldest villages on the island of Sumba

Crocodile carving on a tomb stone in Praiyawang Village

Buffalo skulls mounted on a tree in Praiyawang Village

Interesting tombstone carving near a buffalo at Praiyawang Village

A house with walls made from buffalo skin at Praiyawang Village

The King's son was very friendly and invited us for a chat at Praiyawang Village. Here, he sits in front of a massive buffalo horn

An epic sunset at Tanau Hills

Daniel and Robby at Patung Kuda Waingapu, a monument of warriors on horseback located 8 km outside of Waingapu

Danau Wairinding is a beautiful landscape spot with rolling green hills

School girls waving at us on their walk home from school

Colorful mural painted at Gollu Potto prayer park

View of the surrounding countryside at Gollu Potto

Selfie with Dahmie and Daniel at the Jesus statue in Gollu Potto Prayer Park

Taro roots for sale by the roadside

Bananas and taro for sale

Fish for sale in the mountainous interior of Sumba Island

Carved stone statue on display at Rumah Budaya Sumba (Sumba Cultural Conservation and Learning Institute) in Tambolaka

The Sumba Cultural Center is worth a visit. Photos are not allowed inside the museum but not a problem on the grounds themselves

Carving of hunters armed with spears accompanied by their dogs; Rumah Budaya Culture House

Scene of a buffalo about to be sacrificed in a ceremony

Two men carrying a pig; Rumah Budaya Culture House

Interesting carved figurine on display at the Rumah Budaya Culture House

Funeral ceremony scene

A busy street scene in Tambolaka