• Sumba Pasola
  • Alor ikds
  • Sumba Nihiwatu
  • Whale shark Labuan Jambnu Sumbawa
  • Alor fisherman
  • Alor Dugong
  • Alor Bampalola
  • Timor Sasando

Tour module round trip 7 days Alor culture and adventure

Alor has already been known by divers for some time. Merapi likes to put Alor on the map as an island full of experience. Traditional villages proudly show their culture and rituals, nature is untouched and under water you don’t believe your eyes.
This tour module let you experience all these things. In coordination with our local agents and guides you can bring in your personal preferences and adapt the program that is shown here.

Alor is not used to tourism yet. The accommodations are absolutely not worthy of a star. So don’t stay in bed too long, the island is so incredibly beautiful!
Included:
•Accommodations based on bed&breakfast
•Private car or minibus with driver
•Local English speaking guide
•All specified excursions, including entrance fees.

Not included
•Tips and personal expenses
•Flights (guide price one-way from Bali: € 70 to € 100, from Kupang € 25 to € 40)
•Travel and cancellation insurance
•Booking fee and contribution Calamiteitenfonds €30 per booking
•SGR contribution € 5 per person
•CO2 compensation € 22 per person

Dag 1 Arrival on Alor

After picking up your luggage from the carousel you walk out of the little airport hall. Your guide and driver are waiting there for the transfer to your hotel on the beach of Sebanjar. The rest of the day is yours (free). A very nice place for snorkelling!

Dag 2 Island hopping

Today you step into a small boat to visit the neighbouring islands and do a lot of snorkelling. First your captain sets sail for Pura island with beautiful snorkelling spots. Ashore you see how the traditional grass fishing baskets are made and you visit a local Sopi distillery where palm wine is distilled from the flower moisture of the Lontar palm. You have lunch (most of the time with fresh lobster!) on the beach. Then, you sail to the island Ternate, where you can admire lots of colourful fish and corals under water. Almost every woman on the island works in little ikat weaving workshops. If there’s enough time left we’ll visit Kepa island too to see the ‘nursery’ of the sea turtles.

Dag 3 A day culture and history

After breakfast you drive to Bampalola, a traditional village where the Fet tribe celebrates its ceremonies. Normally the houses are unoccupied. For festivities only the original population returns to the village to eat and dance together. To get to Bampalola you have to do quite a tough hike of about half an hour. After Bampalola you drive again along the southern coastal road to kampong Hula and visit the ikat workshop of Mama Sariat. Her ikats have won many prizes and Mama Sariat passes her expertise on to the women of the neighbouring island Ternate. In the workshop you can see how they cultivate and spin cotton, how cotton-thread is dyed and patterns are made, and finally the weaving process itself. You continue our way to kampong Babussholah and visit the mosque here. Inside you’ll find the oldest (12th century) Koran of south-east Asia. The Koran is written out by hand on parchment. Finally we visit the woodcarving workshop of Bapak Midun.

Dag 4 Mawar the sea cow, manta rays and an ultra white beach

Today you drive to Mali beach, immediately next to the airstrip of the airport. From the beach step step onto a local pirogue and go with Pak Oné looking for his friend Mawar, a male sea cow, near small Sika island. Unfortunately you can’t swim anymore with Mawar, but from the pirogue you can see very well how he plays around the boat. You have lunch on the beach of Sika island, a little mangrove conservation island. From here you get on the water again to snorkel with the manta rays. NB-1: The order of these excursions depends on the tide. NB-2: Sika island is a protected natural park. It is possible that, due to circumstances, the island is closed for public (and consequently snorkelling with the Manta rays is neither possible). In that case we’ll look for an alternative, such as for instance planting of young mangrove near Buiko beach.

Dag 5 Mombang ceremony, Kalabahi market and museum, beaches, coral and fish

Today a day full of variety. You start with a visit at the 1.000 Moko museum. In the museum some 50 Moko are displayed, bronze kettledrums that Vietnamese traders exchanged hundreds of years ago for Alorese spices. Moko are particularly important when people want to get married. The future husband has to offer a Moko as part of the bridal dowry, No Moko, No Marriage... The museum displays also some historic utensils and has a separate building with ikats. After the museum you'll visit the local traditional market. Always an inspiring place for special encounters and beautiful photos. You continue your way to the traditional village Monbang where the Kabola tribe shows you some of their rituals. Here you also go for a walk through the plantations and you can dress up in the traditional clothes made out of tree bark… The rest of the day you can enjoy the beaches at Buiko and Maimoi.

Dag 6 Tapkala village, Tuti hotsprings and snorkelling at Kepa island

Tapkala is one of the nicest traditional villages on Alor. You get a very warm welcome and have a talk with the chief of the Abui tribe. The people show you their culture and rituals with evident pleasure. The right moment to take a selfie in traditional Abui clothes! A little further are the Tuti hotsprings with three springs, one of them is almost constantly gushing water like a geyser. The last part of the day is for snorkelling in front of Kepa island. Beware of the current! When the tide is waning the current is too dangerous. On the spot we decide in which order we’ll do the program. When you’re snorkelling at Kepa you’ll see incredibly many tropical fish and fantastic coral. There’s a big chance you’ll also see sharks (1 to 2m) swimming around!

Dag 7 Departure from Alor

After breakfast your driver brings you to the small airport of Alor for your flight to Kupang. If you wish, Merapi can also take care of your flights from and to Alor, from Bali, Flores or Jakarta. It’s a bit of a puzzle, but we’re happy to do that for you.

Alor Beachfront Bungalows

Very simple accommodation on Alor, directly on the beach of Sebanjar. The small resort is notably at weekends very popular with local tourists. Western tourists are still a curiosity here. 4 of the 8 rooms have a western toilet. All rooms are equipped with a fan, shower with cold running water and a small terrace. Bed linen and towels are provided by our local agent. They also take care of your breakfast. meer info more info Informations supplémentaires

Alor

Alor

Alor is an archipelago with 92 small islands, of which Pulau Alor and Pulau Pantar are the largest. Alor is located east of Flores and north of Timor. Pulau Alor has a small airport, where Wings Air and Trans Nusa airlines operate daily flights with Kupang on Timor, and NAM Air on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday direct to and from Bali.

Alor is particularly known by diving enthusiasts; the archipelago has unparalleled beautiful and varied dive and snorkel sites. Diving is particularly reserved for experienced divers, the currents in the Alor archipelago can be strong and unpredictable.

Administratively, Alor belongs to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara.
For years, Alor was relatively isolated due to the limited infrastructure and transport facilities, so that the natural environment has been protected from human activity and industrial activities.
The Alor Islands are surrounded by clear blue waters and fairly strong currents and offer accessible reefs, drop-offs, caves and valleys, full of brightly coloured corals as well as sandy / sediment bays, where thousands of species of fish and invertebrates shelter. In terms of biodiversity, it is one of the richest underwater reserves in the Coral Triangle.
On land you can find steep mountains, dry savannas and also lush rainforest. There are also an active volcano (Sirung, west Pantar), several hot springs and some hidden waterfalls ... These small, rugged and remarkably beautiful islands, dominated by jagged mountains and steep valleys, are divided into many different ethnic groups with more than 8 different languages within which 50 dialects! The islands are rich in interesting local cultures, with strong traditional beliefs and the Ikat woven here is among the best in East Indonesia.

Many villages on Alor still live in a traditional way, living in houses of tied-up trees with thatched roofs or simple houses of concrete and working as farmers or fishermen, in order to provide for their living. Sometimes they grow a few crops that yield some money, such as cashew nuts, vanilla or seaweed, and always with an intense social life. Despite the fact that there is still a lot of poverty, in most remote villages you are warmly welcomed by your host and hostess. The traditional lego-lego dance is the heart and soul of the Alorese society. This dance, where old and young dance hand in hand from sunset to sunrise can be seen everywhere on Alor and people love it when you as a visitor take part in the festivities.
If you are looking for 1st class dive sites and prefer staying in an authentic environment rather than at a standard tourist location, come to these beautiful islands and enjoy the gorgeous underwater life, traditional culture and friendly and hospitable people!

Suggestions for excursions and trekkings

There are a few excursions to explore Alors which you can do in half a day or a day: you can visit the traditional villages Takpala and Mombang, a trip by car around the "bird head" or "kepala burung", with a stop at the beautiful Batu Putih bay ... Or you can drive along the north coast of Alor and end at "Tuti Agadai", a very small river with small hot springs ... We also recommend a visit of the museum "1000 Moko" in Kalabahi , and of course you should not miss the lively markets (pasar Kadelang, pasar Impres ...)! For the adventurers among you, this could be an opportunity to try the "siri-pinang", the local custom of chewing betel nuts (or areca nuts) ... You could also take a regular boat from Kalabahi or rent a fishing boat to go to the Pantar strait islands (Pura, Ternate ...).

If you want to make a 2 or 3-day trek you can go to the Alor mountains: a rural experience in a beautiful landscape! You will hardly encounter vehicles on 4 wheels, but there are "ojek" taxis (moped taxi) and alternating moped rides with hiking is a nice way to discover the area. You sleep at local people’s homes: basic but they are so friendly! Go for example to Mataru, Masape, Kelaisi Tenggah, ... walk to Atingmelang or Lakwati, and there are so many other places ... You can also discover the active volcano Sirung on Pantar. That is a trip of 3 days, including boat trips to / from Baranusa (about 4-5 hours), 1 night in Baranusa and 1 in Kakamauta, the village at the foot of the volcano. Keep in mind that in a certain period you cannot climb the volcano for certain reasons of faith and respect these.

Sebanjar

Sebanjar

Sebanjar is a small fishing village in the southwest of Alor. From the shell beach you have a beautiful view over the islands of Pantar and Ternate. With a bit of luck you can even spot a whale!