East Nusa Tenggara

East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur, NTT) covers the eastern Lesser Sunda chain — Flores, Sumba, West Timor, the Solor and Alor archipelagos, plus Komodo National Park. With about 5.5 million people, it is one of Indonesia's most distinctive provinces: predominantly Christian (Catholic in much of Flores, Protestant in much of Timor and Sumba), dramatically poorer than the rest of Indonesia, and home to some of the country's most striking landscapes.

Geography

The province covers about 49,000 square kilometres of land across hundreds of islands. The climate is drier than the western Indonesian islands — east Nusa Tenggara has a long pronounced dry season. The landscape includes:

• Flores: long, mountainous, volcanic; the cultural and tourist heart
• Komodo: small island, the famous dragon habitat
• Sumba: large, rugged, distinctive megalithic culture
• West Timor: shares the island of Timor with Timor-Leste (which became independent in 2002)
• Alor archipelago: remote, famous diving
• Solor and Lembata: smaller islands

Komodo National Park

The biggest international draw. Komodo dragons — the world's largest lizards, up to 3 metres long — survive only on Komodo, Rinca, and a few neighbouring islands. The national park covers about 1,800 sq km of land and sea. UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Standard tours run from Labuan Bajo on western Flores: day trips, overnight liveaboard, or longer dive trips. Pink Beach (Pantai Merah) on Komodo, the Manta Point dive site, and Padar Island's famous viewpoint are the other major attractions.

Flores

Flores is the largest and most-visited island in the province. Highlights:

• Labuan Bajo: the western gateway, harbour town, Komodo trips
• Kelimutu: three-coloured crater lakes near Moni; one of Indonesia's most striking sights
• Bajawa: highland town, Ngada traditional villages (Bena, Wogo, Luba)
• Ende: south-coast town; Sukarno was exiled here in the 1930s
• Maumere: north-coast diving base
• Trans-Flores road: 700 km mountain drive across the island, multi-day trip with significant cultural variety

Sumba

Sumba is one of Indonesia's more distinctive cultures — animist-Christian, with traditional villages featuring high-peaked thatched houses around megalithic stone tombs. The Marapu indigenous religion remains widely practised. The Pasola — annual ritual horseback spear-fighting between villages — is one of Indonesia's more dramatic ceremonies.

Sumba beaches are spectacular and increasingly known to surfers (Nihiwatu / Nihi Sumba is one of the world's celebrated luxury surf resorts).

West Timor

West Timor is the western half of the island of Timor; the eastern half is independent Timor-Leste since 2002. Kupang is the provincial capital. Highlights include traditional villages (Boti, Fatumnasi), the bizarre Mount Mutis area, and dive sites around Atauro Island.

Religion and culture

NTT is mostly Christian: about 55% Catholic, 33% Protestant, 9% Muslim, plus traditional indigenous religions. The Catholic presence is strong on Flores; Protestant churches dominate in Sumba and Timor. The annual Easter procession in Larantuka (eastern Flores) is one of Asia's most striking Catholic events.

Practical

• Airports: Komodo (Labuan Bajo), El Tari (Kupang), Frans Seda (Maumere), Tambolaka (Sumba), several others
• Best time: dry season May-October; the wet season makes some roads difficult
• Climate: drier than western Indonesia; hot
• Culture: largely Christian; alcohol freely available; dress codes more relaxed than Muslim areas
• Komodo entry fee: now USD 25-50 per visit depending on category; periodically revised

East Nusa Tenggara is one of Indonesia's more rewarding adventure-travel destinations, combining the world-famous Komodo with under-visited cultural depth in Sumba and Flores.