Sumba

Despite being only an hour’s flight from Bali, the island of Sumba is little visited by tourists and remains blissfully rooted in traditional customs – a wild and rugged place that feels like Bali might have done 100 years ago.

Sumba remains somewhat of a mystery. This is a place where buffalo are still traded as currency, where people worship animal spirits and joust annually on horseback. It’s an island of two distinct halves: the east hot, arid and barren, the west mountainous with areas of dense forest and wide-open grassland, with hilltop villages of thatched clan houses clustered around megalithic tombs.

Surfers were the first visitors to camp out on Sumba’s spectacular wild beaches, having discovered a mesmerising left-hand break that barrels onto the island’s pristine shores. Today this same stretch of beach is home to one of Indonesia’s most extraordinary eco-resorts, NIHI Sumba. Other hotels have followed in NIHI’s wake, allowing modern-day travellers to experience the island’s culture and traditions for themselves, while also enjoying horse riding, diving, surfing, hiking, paddleboarding, village visits and more.