Nusa Tenggara travel guide
This sparsely inhabited archipelago extending eastwards from Lombok to Timor is formed by the protruding peaks of a giant submarine mountain range that stretches to Sumatra. Sandalwood rather than spices was the treasure that foreign merchants sought in this southern corner of the East Indies, always something of a backwater in Indonesian history. Nusa Tenggara translates as “Southeastern Islands” in Javanese.
The first Portuguese ships reached the area in 1512, and by the end of the century they had hijacked the Timorese sandalwood trade and established fortresses on Flores and Solor. The Dutch wrested much of the spice trade away from their rivals in the 17th century, but what remained of the area’s sandalwood was largely depleted by then.
One of Indonesia’s poorest and least fertile regions, most of its 9.2 million inhabitants are subsistence farmers or fishermen, and many of them still worship nature and ancestral spirits under a thin veneer of Islam or Christianity. Imagine, then, how the discovery of Indonesia’s second-largest gold reserves on Sumbawa has changed the lives of the people on the island.
While many visitors have discovered Lombok, the few who undergo the rigours of travelling further east largely seek the mystifying array of cultures from one region to the next, the myriad fine hand-woven ikat textiles that they create, excellent water sports, or the splendid nature of the national parks and reserves, including the Komodo dragon. Surfers have frequented the south coast villages for decades, and the superb marine life attracts divers to Alor. But as elsewhere in Indonesia, it is the people of Nusa Tenggara, with all their differences in physical features, personality traits and traditions, who are the most stunning.
In some ways it’s a pity that the infrastructure in Nusa Tenggara isn’t better developed, allowing more visitors to wander from one island to another to marvel at the differences between the cultures and landscapes. Since the region continues to receive relatively few foreign visitors, modest dress and politeness out of respect for ancient cultures and religions are imperative.
Places to visit in Nusa Tenggara
Lombok
Bali's eastern neighbour is favoured by some for its quieter and more laid-back island experience. Lombok offers lovely beaches fringed by beautiful coral reefs, some fabulous surfing and a spectacular volcano.
Komodo
The main attraction of these inhospitable islands is the remarkable Komodo dragon, the largest lizard in the world. Read more about Komodo...
Sumbawa
Some of the best surf in the world is off the coast of little-known Sumbawa. Non-surfers can trek through forests, snorkel off the south coast of Pulau Moyo or view ancient stone sarcophagi.
Flores
Named for its untamed verdant beauty, Flores is crowned by Gunung Kelimutu, with three crater lakes that constantly change colour. High-quality ikats are woven in numerous villages around the island.
Timor
For many centuries, Timor island was known as a source of fragrant sandalwood, a draw for foreign traders. The Portuguese and the Dutch later fought to control the trade and subsequently divided the island into Dutch West Timor and Portuguese East Timor. Indonesia claimed Dutch West Timor in 1975 and Portuguese East Timor in 1976, but in 1999 East Timor gained independence and is now called Timor Leste.
Underwater freshwater caves that stretch for miles offshore from Timor include walls of fossilised shells and invertebrate skeletons, stalactites and stalagmites – excellent for diving.
The capital of East Nusa Tenggara province, Kupang has regular air and ferry services to and from the rest of Indonesia. Kupang’s attractions include the town market and the Museum Negeri Kupang (Museum of East Nusa Tenggara). Ask about cultural performances here.
Timor also offers good cave diving and snorkelling and a great variety of fine textiles. On the main road between Kupang and Dili (Timor Leste), So’e is a bustling little town with a cool, pleasant climate. Don’t miss its colourful daily market.
Read more from the travel guide to Indonesia