Sumba Island Among CNN Travel's Best Places to Visit in 2024

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - International tourism has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, with many of the world's tourist attractions experiencing overtourism. The renowned US-based media outlet CNN Travel released a list of 24 top destinations in the world that are less explored and usually overlooked due to their larger first cities or neighbors.

CNN put Sumba Island in East Nusa Tenggara in the first place. Other places to secure a spot on this prestigious list are Tartu, Estonia; Turkey's Black Sea coast; Tainan, Taiwan; Northwest Michigan; Trans Dinarica Cycle Trail, Balkans; Culebra, Puerto Rico; Angola; Saint John, Canada; South Korea; Albania; Chile; Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia; Macedonia, Greece; Panama; Galicia, Spain; Singapore’s offshore islands; Mérida, Mexico; Morocco; Florida’s freshwater springs; Texas Hill Country; Fujairah; Greenland; and Uzbekistan.

Sumba Island is highlighted as a place for tourists ‘looking for a beach destination that prioritizes community consciousness and sustainability’.

An hour's flight from Bali, Sumba's isolated villages, pristine forests, ancient traditional customs, and world-class surf breaks make it the perfect alternative to the crowds of Bali. Plus, the island is twice the size of Bali.

Sumba Offers eco-friendly luxury resorts

Karla Cripps, a CNN senior journalist, wrote that one of the most fascinating things about the island is the Nihi Sumba Resort, which has been traditionally offering a luxury resort since it opened in 2015.

More than a decade later, Sumba has unveiled several new luxury eco-resorts, including The Sanubari, which is a series of beachfront villas that debuted in 2022, and Cap Karoso in the southwest of the island.

Explore Sumba's exotic nature

From beaches, lakes, and waterfalls to grasslands that never cease to amaze visitors, Sumba is home to natural wonders and cultural riches. The savanna at Wairinding Hill in East Sumba is one of the island's most popular destinations and is located 45 minutes from Waingapu City. 

Bawana Beach is also increasingly favored by travelers for its unique rocky cliffs and large corals that gracefully curve along the shore.

Another exotic place to visit in Sumba is Weekuri Lake, located near the beach in Kalenarogo Village, Southwest Sumba. The lake is actually a lagoon whose water comes from the sea and is surrounded by coral reefs and green plants.

Unique traditional village

In addition to its stunning nature, Sumba is also famous for its traditional villages, such as Ratenggaro Village in Kodi District, which sits near cliffs overlooking the sea and is dotted with monolithic burial sites.

The villagers still preserve their ancestral customs and live in stilt houses with tower roofs rising 15-30 meters high. The roof symbolizes social status; the higher the roof of the house, the higher the social status of the owner. Traditional houses in this village are reportedly built without using a single nail and are held together with pieces of bamboo.

Other traditional villages worth visiting on Sumba Island are Prai Ijing, Pasunga, Praiyawang, Tarung, and Bodo Ede.

MILA NOVITA

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