Mbaru Niang house at Wae Rebo
After exploring Komodo National Park (You can read the story here), I moved on to explore the mainland of Flores Island. The first destination which is on top of my list would be visiting Wae Rebo Traditional Village in order to experience the real lifestyle of the local people.
The Traditional Village of Wae Rebo. Located on the valley of the highland of Manggarai District on the island of Flores. Because of its extremely remote location, The only way to visit this beautiful village would be hiking/trekking/walking through the thick forest for about 4.7km(9.7km both way).
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- Since farming is one of the occupation for the locals, you will fnd many rice fields along the road from Labuan Bajo to Wae Rebo
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- The hiking Trail
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- Some locals transporting many food or raw material to the village from nearby village.
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- Small Waterfalls for you to wash your face and refresh during the hike/trekking
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- The view from Second Post Point
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- The cinnamon tree
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- How to harvest cinnamon
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- The bridge to Wae Rebo
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- The last Post
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- The first Glimpse to the village
After arriving to the village, you will need to do welcome ceremony with the head chief of the village and have permission to do some sightseeing activities like taking photos and also stay overnight there. The chief will even wish that you will have a great time during your stay here.
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- Wae Rebo Village Panoramic View
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- Me posing In front of the village
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- Wae Rebo Traditional Village
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- The Main HeadChief House
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- Wae Rebo Traditional Village
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- Wae Rebo Traditional Village
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- Wae Rebo Traditional Village
You can even stay overnight inside one of the houses specifically prepared for visitors/tourist.
The village received UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards in 2012.
The interior of the guest house
The village will have a brief electricity from the generator from 6pm to 10pm, then everything went dark. But, if you are lucky, try to go outside and look up to the sky. When the sky is clear and the moon is still in its new phase, you will see many stars and also the Milky way.
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- The reward after 4.7km of hiking/trekking through the thick forest is the sky full of stars.
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- The reward after 4.7km of hiking/trekking through the thick forest is the sky full of stars.
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- The reward after 4.7km of hiking/trekking through the thick forest is the sky full of stars.
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- The reward after 4.7km of hiking/trekking through the thick forest is the sky full of stars.
During the morning, there will be many activities for you to explore. Enjoy the sunrise, or in my case, talk with the locals and observe their morning activities. Here you will see the local cinnamon farmers drying the cinnamon before moving on to the next process.
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- Wae Rebo Sunrise
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- Wae Rebo Village Aerial Photo
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- Wae Rebo Village Aerial Photo
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- Local Cinnamon Farmer
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- Local Cinnamon Farmer
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- Local Cinnamon Farmer
It was a very unique experience after all, even though the hike and trekking is extremely hard at first, but with that Milky Way view, everything is definitely worth it. Hopefully you will have the opportunity to witness the star show to cure your fatigue and tiredness from the whole trip.
Wait for my next post overland of Flores!.
