Best time to visit Sumba: a month-by-month guide
Green hills or golden savanna, roaring waterfalls or clear pools, Pasola horsemen or empty surf: in Sumba, the month you choose decides the trip you get.
LatestVery strong El Niño delays rains in most of NTT until DecemberEast Sumba could issue NTT's first customary land certificateEast Sumba drew 41,524 visitors in 2025, wants quality over quantityBali-Waingapu non-stop: what the TransNusa route means for East SumbaUnlicensed gold panning pulls East Sumba farmers from their fieldsPolice step up checks on ferry passengers at Waingapu portPertamina ships 2,500 kilolitres of fuel to Sumba to ease queuesMagnitude 6.1 earthquake off Southwest Sumba damages homes, churchesFerry link between Waikelo (Sumba) and Sape (Sumbawa) is back
Top story · Living on Sumba
Very strong El Niño delays rains in most of NTT until December
Indonesia's weather agency expects a late, short rainy season across East Nusa Tenggara, the province that includes Sumba. November should stay drier than normal.
By The Sumba Times desk ·
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The travel desk
Ferry link between Waikelo (Sumba) and Sape (Sumbawa) is back
Surfing in Sumba: waves, seasons and what to know before you go
Sumba vs Bali vs Flores: which island is right for you, and how to combine them
Sumba itinerary: 5, 7 and 10 days from west to east
Travel
All stories in Travel →
Sumba's beaches, lagoons and waterfalls: nine places worth the drive
From a turquoise lagoon in the north-west to mangroves that seem to dance at sunset in the east.
Useful words in Sumba: Indonesian and local phrases for travellers
Outside the resorts, English runs out fast. These Indonesian essentials, plus a few verified words in Kambera and Weyewa, will carry you through markets, roads and villages.
Australia to Sumba: flights from Perth, Darwin, Sydney and Melbourne via Bali
Sumba is closer to Australia than most people think: fly to Bali, sleep under a frangipani tree if you need to, and the next morning a short flight takes you to an island with almost no crowds at all.
Europe to Sumba: flights via Doha, Dubai, Istanbul or Singapore, and how long it takes
Getting from Europe to Sumba takes one long-haul flight to Bali and one short hop, and with the right stopover the journey becomes part of the adventure.
Surabaya to Sumba: the direct Nam Air flight, Bali connections and Pelni ships
Surabaya is one of the few cities outside Nusa Tenggara with a non-stop flight to Sumba, and when it does not fit your dates, Bali is just an hour away.
Culture
All stories in Culture →
What to eat in Sumba: local dishes, markets and coffee
Corn and rice, sweet katemak, grilled fish by the harbour, betel nut on every veranda and an award-winning robusta: a practical guide to eating well and politely in Sumba.
Sumba ikat: how it is made, what it means and where to buy it from the weavers
A single hinggi can take most of a year to make, and every horse, shrimp and skull tree on it says something. Here is how to read it, where to watch it being woven and how to buy one fairly.
The horses of Sumba: the Sandalwood pony, the Pasola and horse culture
Small, fast and sacred: why the Sandalwood pony is part of every Sumbanese wedding, funeral and festival, and how to see these horses without disturbing them.
Pasola 2027 in Sumba: dates, places and how to see it
Who sets the dates, which fields hold the battles in February and March, every date from 2024 to 2026, and how to watch safely and respectfully.
Sumba in figures
Essential guides
- Surfing in Sumba: waves, seasons and what to know before you go
- Sumba vs Bali vs Flores: which island is right for you, and how to combine them
- Best time to visit Sumba: a month-by-month guide
- Sumba itinerary: 5, 7 and 10 days from west to east
- Sumba's beaches, lagoons and waterfalls: nine places worth the drive
- Useful words in Sumba: Indonesian and local phrases for travellers
- Australia to Sumba: flights from Perth, Darwin, Sydney and Melbourne via Bali
- Europe to Sumba: flights via Doha, Dubai, Istanbul or Singapore, and how long it takes
- Surabaya to Sumba: the direct Nam Air flight, Bali connections and Pelni ships
- Is Sumba safe? Health, malaria, water, money and phone tips for travellers
The Sunday letter
What people say at the end
A nurse listened to hundreds of people in their final weeks. They kept saying five things.
Low Tide, every Sunday
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