Introduction : Nusa Tenggara

Nusa Tenggara or the lesser Sunda chain of island, stretching from Lombok to Timor is located some 35 km east of Bali. Nusa Tenggara's two provinves, West Nusa Tenggara consist of Lombok and Sumbawa while East Nusa Tenggara is made up of Sumba, Flores and East Timor. Its landscape comprises of dry grassland interspersed with green, terraced paddy fields and rainforests spread towards arid plains. Culture is enriched by the Hindu Bali faith that coexist in harmony with the muslim sasaks.


Some of Nusa Tenggara's fascinating attraction are linked to the annual arrival of the nyale or sea worms to shore. In Lombok, festivities of the Nyale ceremony are centered at Kuta beach. In Sumba, the appearence of the Nyale marks the beginning of Pasola, an impressive event during which more than a hundred horse-men participate in a mock battle using blunt spears.

Many say that Lombok is what Bali used to be. Lombok has the majestic Mount Rinjani with its Segaraanakan Creater lake and three offshore islands known as Gili Meno, Gili Trawangan and Gili Air, famous for their palm-fringed, white sandy beaches that border crystal clean waters.

Further east, you can watch fisherman hunt for whales using traditional tools such as small rowboats and hand thrown harpoons in Lamalera on Lembata Island. At 1.640 meters Mount Kelimutu's huge crater contains three multi colored volcanic lakes. Each separated by low ridges, the colors burgundy red, pale green and dark blue colors often change after a period of time. Nearby Rote Island is famous for its traditional stringed musical instrument called sasando, made out of palm leaf.

Nusa Tenggara best export are their esquisite woven ikat and songket cloth. Lombok's songket is brightly patterned and Flores has small red and black checkered design and the center fields is filled with small yellow checkered motif. Sumba's fine ikat cloth and striped and checked sarongs use natural dyes. They are made into wide mantles called hinggi used by the men and the lau sarong worn by women.

Dragon of the East

One of the most famous islands in the Nusa Tenggara archipelago is Komodo Island in West Flores. The Komodo Marine National Park is an untouched natural wonder. The sparsely populated island is the world's only habitat of the giant reptiles known as Komodo ( Varanus Komodiensis ). A Komodo may reach up to 3 meters in length and weigh 150 kg. These descendents of dinosaurs are known to lay 30 eggs at a time. The waters surrounding the island is filled with beautifully intact coral reefs, fish species, turtles and marine mammals.

Photo by : @dyanname