Discover the best attractions & things to do in Sumbawa, Indonesia
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anemptytextllineSumbawa is somewhat of an enigma. It’s separated from its western neighbour Lombok by only 20km’s and is three times the size. And if you happen to be flying over it on your way to Flores or West Timor, you can’t help but notice the rugged topography and jagged...
anemptytextllineAfter all that ocean swimming, Satonda Island is the perfect place to wash a little salt off the skin and out of the hair. This small island is actually the cone of a volcano, thrust violently upwards after an eruption a 1000 metres below on the sea floor millions...
anemptytextllineMoyo Island sits just off Sumbawa’s mid-north coast, almost closing off the entrance to Sumbawa’s massive Saleh Bay. It’s another very pretty island in a chain of very pretty islands but Moya has something the other islands don’t - several permanent spring fed waterfalls hidden among the trees just...
anemptytextllineThe Marente region just south of Alas contains the villages of Marente Beru and Marente Loka and three beautiful waterfalls. Nestled in a wide river valley in the foothills of a jungle clad mountain, the villagers quietly go about tendering their rice fields with buffalo drawn ploughs. Only the...
anemptytextllineThe Don Donggo “Mountain People” are small minority ethnic group who occupy the cloudy highlands west of Bima Bay. Basically, directly across the bay from Bima. The Don Donggu fled to the highlands over 400 years ago to escape Islamisation. In the isolation of the mountains, they maintained a...
anemptytextllineSimply put, the west coast of Sumbawa is stunning. Sweeping bays fringed with wide, sandy beaches, clear blue water topped with frothing rolling surf. Every crested headland reveals yet another amazing view. It almost seems pithy to relegate some of the coast to “second best” but the section of...
anemptytextllineAs much as this website is not targeted at surfers (unless they happen to be into other forms of adventure) it would be amiss of us not to mention the surfing mecca of Pantai Lakey, or more precisely Lakey Peak, the famed left and right hand break within paddling...
anemptytextllineFlying into West Sumbawa’s capital Bima, tends to leave a lasting impression. If you’re approaching from the west, you’ll get a bird’s eye view of the massive Mt Tambora crater before descending towards the airport near the bottom of the Bay of Bima. And this is where it gets...
anemptytextllineBungin Island is one of those places that just has to be seen to be believed. The “island” is actually a coral reef on which some 14,000 Bajau people live in a tight cluster of stilted homes. It is literally a landless village. Twice a day, the whole place...
anemptytextllineMost visitors to East Sumbawa come and go without ever visiting the sculptured seaside cliffs of Wadu Pa’a. How this ancient archaeological site has stayed so far off the tourist radar is a bit of a mystery but it’s certainly worth a visit. Literally meaning “carved stone” in the...
anemptytextllineTalwa Hamlet The tiny hamlet of Talwa is renowned for its traditional blacksmithing skills. The men of the hamlet supplement their farming income by producing a range of practical implements such as machetes, knives, hoes and spades. Located in Leseng Village, Upper Moy District about 14kms south of Sumbawa Besar,...
anemptytextllineOne of the most unexpected sights in predominantly Muslim Sumbawa is the Hindu temple of Pura Agung Udaya Parwata Tambora. Nestled in the forest on the western slopes of Mount Tambora volcano near the village of Pancasila and Oibura Tambora Bima hamlet (commonly referred to as Bali Village),...
anemptytextllineMount Tambora occupies its own peninsular, Sanggar, which forms the eastern arm of Saleh Bay. Everything about it is impressive. The 1815 volcanic eruption that formed the present day Tambora was the largest eruption ever recorded. The explosion was heard 2,000km’s away in Sumatra and volcanic ash rained down...
anemptytextllineLocated just 13km off the north-east tip of Sumbawa, Sangeang Api is one of the more interesting islands in the Lesser Sunda Island group. For starters, it is literally a volcanic island, dominated by a soaring and active volcanic peak rising sharply from the surrounding sea. The island’s volcanic complex...
anemptytextllineLake Lebo is located just north of Taliwang on Sumbawa's west coast. You can’t miss it; the main road runs right alongside it for 4km's. Water reeds and other floating vegetation such as pink and white flowering lilies have split the large, shallow lake into a series of attractive...
anemptytextllineA short boat ride from Pai village on the north coast of east Sumbawa, Pulau Ular or Snake Island is a unique and fascinating attraction. With beautiful beaches nearby, the often smouldering volcano, Sangeang Api to the north and friendly locals the effort to get there is well worth...
anemptytextllineAlso known as Sangeang Village, Wera is located around 60km north of Bima, on the north-east tip of Sumbawa. A small, quiet coastal village, Sangeang and the nearby island of Sangeang Api are one of only two locations in Indonesia carrying on traditional wooden boat building. The other is...
anemptytextllineBatu Tering & Surrounds The area around Batu Tering Village has a number of attractions including the ancient Ai Renung and Raboran stone sarcophagus sites and the Liang Petang and Laing Bukal Caves. The village is only 28km south of Sumbawa Besar but given the sad state of the last...