Waingapu
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Understand
Waingapu is the largest town on Sumba and the capital town of the East Sumba Regency.
Get in
Waignapu is the gateway town to Sumba and many visitors arrive here.
The ferry experience is very enjoyable. When boarding expect a tussle as the usually friendly and courteous Indonesians will push and shove their way past anyone to get on. If travelling economy class do not expect to get a bunk in one of the many dorm style rooms. The spaces go quickly, so it might be worth taking along a mat to sleep on and a heavier weight sarong for if the weather changes. Quite frankly, it's better on the deck as the rooms are very hot and do have a very strong odour. On the subject of odours, be prepared for the bathrooms. Not well maintained or cleaned very often, just be aware. Wet wipes for washing hands are recommended.
Food is served 3 times a day, just listen out for the words "economy" on the loud hailer. Just follow the crowds. You'll need to take your ticket with you. It's not much, so you might want to bring along your own food; dry biscuits and so on. Bearing in mind the state of the toilets a lightweight diet may be in your favour. Hot water is available for a few thousand Rupiah from the little kiosk.
From Lembar to Waingapu is about 26 hours.
By plane
Umbu Mehang Kunda AirportA small single runway regional airport served by a few regional arilines. The main airlines are Wings Air (a subsidiary of Lion Air) and Nam Air (a subsidiary of Sriwijaya), with both offering flights from Denpasar (Bali) and the provincial capital Kupang. Susi Air operates routes to smaller airports on nearby islands, including various airports on Flores.
By boat
The Pelni passenger ship Awu calls in at Waingapu twice on its 14 day round trip of Nusa Tenggara. This allows access from Kupang and several other cities in the region. The Awu is by far the safest and best way to reach Sumba by sea.The ferry experience is very enjoyable. When boarding expect a tussle as the usually friendly and courteous Indonesians will push and shove their way past anyone to get on. If travelling economy class do not expect to get a bunk in one of the many dorm style rooms. The spaces go quickly, so it might be worth taking along a mat to sleep on and a heavier weight sarong for if the weather changes. Quite frankly, it's better on the deck as the rooms are very hot and do have a very strong odour. On the subject of odours, be prepared for the bathrooms. Not well maintained or cleaned very often, just be aware. Wet wipes for washing hands are recommended.
Food is served 3 times a day, just listen out for the words "economy" on the loud hailer. Just follow the crowds. You'll need to take your ticket with you. It's not much, so you might want to bring along your own food; dry biscuits and so on. Bearing in mind the state of the toilets a lightweight diet may be in your favour. Hot water is available for a few thousand Rupiah from the little kiosk.
From Lembar to Waingapu is about 26 hours.
See
- Prailiu Village, 3 km from the city centre on the road to the airport has impressive megalithic tombstones and really good examples of hand woven Sumba ikat cloth, coloured with natural dyes in traditional designs.
- Rende Village (sometimes spelt Rindi) has large traditional houses with imposing megalithic tombstones, about 70 km east of Waingapu, or 7 km east of Melolo.
Eat
- El Cafe Sumba
- Mr. Cafe
- Warung Makan Babi Guling "Muncul Jaya Indah": a simple yet ince Balinese eatery at an unsuspecting place. a portion of nasi campur (mied rice) is IDR 25,000 (as of Dec 2018).
Sleep
-
Hotel Elvin
phone: +62 387 61443address: Jl Jend. A. Yani 732 stars hotel in Waingapu. -
Hotel Merlyn
address: Jln D.I. Panjaitan -
Hotel Jemmy
address: Jln. Umbu MarahonguBig accommodation with many rooms. Offer two types of rooms: a cheap room with fan, and room with aircon at double the price. Most cheap rooms don't even have toilet seat. They also sell food and beverages if you are lazy to go out.