Indonesia’s dazzling arc of eastern islands that stretches towards northern Australia is perhaps the most varied and rewarding part of the nation to explore. There are few regions of the world that can compete with Nusa Tenggara for sheer diversity – east of Hindu Bali are the largely Islamic islands of Lombok and Sumbawa, followed by predominantly Catholic Flores with its Portuguese heritage, while Timor and the Alor and Solor Archipelagos have Protestant majorities. On all of these islands, animist rituals and tribal traditions continue alongside the minarets, temples and chapels, particularly in rural areas. Though Bahasa Indonesia is a unifying tongue, each main island has at least one native language, which is often subdivided into dialects.
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Moni is a pretty village, nestled among soaring peaks, which serves as the gateway to Flores’ main tourist attraction, Kelimutu. It is scenic, cooler than the lowlands and a good place for walks.
The seaport of Maumere is a pretty forlorn place, but as it’s one of the main gateways to Flores, and well connected with Bali and Timor, you may well end up here for a night. Its crumbling concrete buildings and air of decay brutally betray its recent history – in 1992 an earthquake and resulting 20m tsunami killed thousands here. The city authorities appear to have done little to help the town’s recovery, however: mounds of rubbish line the streets, nibbled by marauding pigs and goats, which only compounds the postapocalyptic air that lingers on.
The capital, and main city on Lombok is Mataram, although it’s actually a conglomeration of several towns – Ampenan (port); Mataram (administrative centre); Cakranegara (business centre), which is often shortened to ‘Cakra’; and Bertais-Sweta to the east, home to the bus terminal. It’s not an unattractive city and it has some broad tree-lined avenues, but, as sights are thin on the ground and there are beaches close by at Senggigi, very few travellers choose to stay here.
A busy little port of rusting tin-roofed houses at the eastern end of Flores, Larantuka nestles around the base of Gunung Ili Mandiri, separated by a narrow strait from Pulau Solor and Pulau Adonara. Most folk choose not to linger here and quickly depart for the Solor Archipelago or Kupang by boat.
A picturesque fishing community clinging to the western tip of Flores, Labuanbajo has an agreeably weathered, slightly ramshackle charm. It’s the main jumping-off point for Komodo and Rinca, and with dozens of world-class dive sites and fine snorkelling nearby there’s every reason to spend a few days here. The attractive harbour is scattered with outrigger fishing boats and is sheltered by the islands, giving the impression that you’re standing on the shores of a vast lake.
Lombok’s Kuta beach is a magnificent stretch of white sand and turquoise sea with rugged hills rising around it. Surfers are drawn here by the world-class waves, but the village has a languid charm of its own with some delightful hotels and a succession of dramatic bite-shaped bays nearby.
Kupang is all energy and commerce, a bustling city that’s the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province (NTT), which includes West Timor, Rote, Sabu, the Solor and Alor Archipelagos, Sumba, Flores and Komodo. The city centre is scruffy and noisy, with streets patrolled by squadrons of Indonesia’s most outrageous bemos, each kitted out with a bombastic sound system. Though Kupang is virtually bereft of cultural or architectural attractions, it’s not a threatening or intimidating place. It’s a reasonable base to linger for a few days if you’re waiting for a flight or boat – English naval officer Captain William Bligh did after being cast adrift by the mutinous crew of the Bounty in 1789.
Komodo and Rinca are hilly and desolate yet beautiful islands, sandwiched between Flores and Sumbawa, that are home to gargantuan reptiles – the legendary Komodo dragon. The world’s largest lizard, known locally as ora, it can reach over 3m in length, weigh up to 100kg and feed on animals as large as deer and buffalo.
Just off the northwestern coast of Lombok is a vision of tropical paradise – a trio of tiny coral-fringed islands, each with white sandy beaches and pellucid water teeming with a kaleidoscopic array of reef fish. For years the islands of Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan were a budget-priced stopover for travellers on the Asian trail, but in recent years accommodation options have diversified and now there are luxury villas and rustic-chic bungalows dotted between the simple bamboo-and-thatch huts for rent.