Bukit Persaudaraan, Sumba: Waingapu's easy sunset hill

The light turns gold an hour before sunset. From the crest, the grass runs away in folds towards the river, the rice paddies below glow like scattered mirrors, and beyond the roofs of Waingapu the sea goes from blue to silver. A plane lifts off from the airport just below and banks over the strait. Then the sun drops behind the hills, the sky turns violet, and the only sound left is the wind in the dry grass.

What Bukit Persaudaraan is and why go

Bukit Persaudaraan, which translates as "Brotherhood Hill", is in Kelurahan Mauliru, Kambera district, on the edge of Waingapu, the capital of East Sumba. It is a grassy limestone hill rather than a mountain, and the reward is the panorama: terraced fields and rice paddies, the river winding below, the town of Waingapu and the sea. The hills are bright green in the rainy season and turn golden brown in the long dry season, which is when East Sumba looks most like its famous savanna.

Near the summit there are small caves dug by Japanese forces during the Second World War; you can climb a few metres down into them. It is the easiest of Waingapu's viewpoints, a good first or last stop if you are flying in or out of the east, and it is often almost empty on weekdays.

If you have more time, East Sumba has a whole family of hill viewpoints: Wairinding on the road west, and Bukit Tanau and Bukit Merdeka (Tanarara) around Mauliru and beyond. Bukit Persaudaraan is the smallest and closest of them, which is exactly why it suits a spare hour before a flight or after a day in town.

How to get to Bukit Persaudaraan

• From Waingapu airport (WGP): the hill is almost directly in front of the airport, a few minutes by car.
• From Waingapu town centre: about 7 km, 10-15 minutes by car or ojek. A bemo heading east on Jalan Ahmad Yani can drop you near the turn-off: ask for "masuk Bukit Persaudaraan".
• From Tambolaka (TMC): about 175 km, realistically 4.5-5.5 hours across the island, so combine it with a stay in East Sumba.

Depending on where you are dropped, the last part is a walk uphill of up to about 30 minutes on grass and rough track. An ojek ride from town has cost around IDR 10,000-20,000 each way in past years, plus a little extra if the driver waits; agree the return before you set off.

When to go and the best time of day

Late afternoon, arriving about an hour before sunset, gives time to explore the caves and then watch the light change. Sunrise is also beautiful and cooler. In the dry season, roughly May to November in East Sumba, skies are clearest and the grass is golden; in the rainy season, roughly December to March, the hills turn green but showers are common. Weekends are busier with local visitors.

Tips and etiquette

• Fees: there is no fixed ticket. Occasionally someone may ask a small parking contribution; carry small notes.
• Bring: water, a hat and sunscreen (there is no shade and nothing is sold on the hill) and a torch for the walk down after sunset, because there is no lighting.
• Caves: go in only a few metres, watch your footing and do not go in alone.
• The grass is used for grazing: close any gates you open and keep your distance from buffaloes and horses.
• Take your rubbish with you, and do not start fires: dry-season grass burns fast.

Nearby

• Waingapu town, with its harbour, markets and ikat shops.
• Prailiu village, a traditional village with large carved stone tombs on the edge of town.
• Wairinding hill, the famous savanna viewpoint about 25 km away.
• Walakiri beach, about 22 km away, known for its mangroves at sunset.