WaeRebo is a small, very out of the way village. Situated on around 1,100 meters above sea level and approximately 3 - 4 hour travel by foot from Denge Village. Wae Rebo is completely surrounded by panoramic mountains and the dense Todo forest. Satuhal unik lagi yang terdapat di Desa Wae Rebo adalah keberadaan milky way, atau kumpulan bintang yang bertebaran di langit. Dipadukan dengan cahaya remang-remang dari rumah-rumah niang di sekeliling, Anda akan merasa seperti berada di dalam mimpi. Hari spesial bagi penduduk Wae Rebo Leadingthe way were several older men singing out phrases that other men answered. After the ridgepole and main house-post had crossed the stream, one of the women, Iné Kata, went forward and formally greeted the men. In Wae Rebo-Kombo, many people say that ritual practices are "the law of what the land wants" (ruku ngoéng de Sangbapak tak meminta uang parkir tapi, aku memberikan saja seikhlasnya. 5. Pos 1 - Wae Rebo. Dari pos 1 kamu harus berjalan kaki menuju Wae Rebo karena hanya terdapat jalan setapak. Perjalanan dari pos 1 - pos 2 melalui jalan berupa hutan yang menanjak dengan jarak tempuh sekitar 2 - 3 jam. Bedadari COVID-19, Begini Penularan Cacar Monyet. Melakukan perjalanan ke Wae Rebo memang tidak mudah. Untuk mencapai kampung yang dijuluki Negeri di Atas Awan ini, wisatawan harus trekking selama empat jam dari Wae Lomba, sebuah sumber air gunung yang memisahkan hutan negara dengan perkebunan komunal masyarakat. Theserene village. via Instagram/ ali_olfat. Wae Rebo is located at the highland in the southwestern part of Flores. The easiest access is via Ruteng, the capital of West Manggarai Regency. Ruteng is accessible via air from several big cities in Indonesia, the closest one is Denpasar in Bali. From Ruteng, you have to go to Denge or Dintor village. pRiXByt. Indonesia, which is rich in natural beauty, never seems to make us stop to be amazed. One of the portraits of Indonesia’s natural beauty can be found in the village of Wae Rebo in West Manggarai, Flores-East Nusa Tenggara. Wae Rebo Village, which is geographically located at an altitude of 1,200 meters above sea level, has earned it the nickname of the village above the clouds, because this area is always shrouded in a thin white fog with cool air that calms your heart and mind. Wae Rebo Village is a traditional village that is only inhabited by 112 families or around 700 people. It is said that the Wae Rebo people are descendants of the Minangkabau people who came about a thousand years ago. All residents are scattered in seven traditional houses called Mbaru Niang. In Wae Rebo only seven Mbaru Niang are allowed, not more. Mbaru Niang is a traditional Flores traditional house which is the main attraction of this village. In Manggarai language, Mbaru Niang means house because one part of the house is used to store sacred heirloom drums used to communicate with the ancestors. This traditional house is in the form of a cone built in the traditional way with a roof made of palm fiber that almost touches the ground. This cone shape symbolizes the never-ending brotherhood in Wae Rebo while in the middle there is a sturdy pillar to support the house which symbolizes Wae Rebo ancestors as its focal point. Mbaru Niang is about 15 meters high with five stories made of worok wood and bamboo with rattan to tie the construction. At the first level, it is called lutur, which means a tent that functions as a place to live and gather family. Then at the second level it is called lobo which functions as a place to store food and daily necessities. The third level is called lentar, which is used to store the seeds of plants such as corn, rice, and beans. The fourth level is called lempa rae which is used as a place to store food stocks in case of drought. Then the latter is called the hekang code which functions as a place to store offerings for offerings to the ancestors. Its unique shape and preservation have earned Mbaru Niang an award at the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award 2012 in the category of Award of Excellence given to conservation buildings that are more than fifty years old. The beauty of Wae Rebo is not only limited to the Mbaru Niang building, but also the surrounding scenery. Wae Rebo is surrounded by green mountains and hills, making this village always shrouded in fog. At night, you can clearly see the Milky Way star cluster if the sky is clear. Meanwhile, in the morning, you can join in pounding coffee or weaving a cloth called cura cloth with brightly colored motifs. Coffee and songket cloth are the advantages of Wae Rebo. For those who want to come to Wae Rebo, you can take a plane from to Labuhan Bajo, from here you can take a detour through Denge village, which is the closest village to Wae Rebo by using a vehicle for eight hours. After arriving at Denge village, then you can walk to Wae Rebo for about four hours. Even though you have to do trekking for a long time, the view of rice fields, green hills, and beautiful beaches can make you fascinated so that without knowing it, you have arrived at Wae Rebo village. When you get there, you must undergo a ritual that aims to ask permission and protection from the ancestral spirits of the guests who come. Before this ritual is finished, you are not allowed to take photos or do other activities. Not only local tourists who come to Wae Rebo, but also foreign tourists from various parts of the world. According to local data, there are around 300 foreign tourists who come every year from the Netherlands, France, Australia, and many more. Since Wae Rebo is a traditional village, there are several rules that you must obey such as dressing modestly and not wearing mini clothes. Apart from being polite, the air here is very cold. You are also prohibited from showing affection, cursing and saying harsh words. Those of you who have been to Flores or any similar remote tribal island, may argue what does it even mean the last traditional Manggarai village? In a region where most settlements consist of 20 bamboo huts, 100 people and 50 buffaloes, where the population mixes simplified Christianity with animism, where the most famous dance form is actually a martial art using a whip as a weapon, how can it get more authentic? Well, it can. The bamboo huts, for example, have replaced the traditional Manggarai conical houses, mbaru niang. Animist rituals and caci, the whip dance, can still be seen, but you would have to be lucky to find them. Caci is sometimes staged for tourists, but it is not the same one. In Wae Rebo, on the other hand, mbaru niang dominates the central square, and Penti ceremony, a full-scale spirit worship festival, is held annually in November. A caci tournament is part of the festival. After all, there must be a reason this village in Flores received the Top Award of Excellence from UNESCO in 2012.© Mark LevitinUp in the cloudsWae Rebo occupies a strategic position near the summit of a tall hill, at 1100 m asl. After slogging all the way up there on a stony path, you will probably call it a mountain. Up until now, there is no way to reach the village other than hiking. The reason for such placement may have been defensive, but nowadays it means great views and morning mists, which are actually low clouds stuck at this natural obstacle before evaporating. Most common houses and agricultural plots spread on the slopes above the cluster of mbaru niang, and the panoramic vistas at sunrise or sunset will keep a photographer busy for quite a while. It is, of course, a good idea to add extra cultural experience by arriving in time for Penti.© Mark LevitinPenti in Wae ReboEssentially a typical animist ceremony, unlike those easily seen in other tribal settlements around the globe, Penti feels special due to two factors the unique setting and the fully authentic procedure. Christianity, and the last few centuries in general, are temporarily forgotten. It starts in the morning with a large procession led by the head shaman to a sacred stone just outside the village. Rice and eggs are sacrificed in a rather elaborate ritual. Then the people return to the main square, and the rest of the day is dedicated to festivities, mainly caci. Fighters put on traditional costumes, wrap sarungs around their heads to protect the face, pick up whips and leather shields, and commence the duels. Traditionally, two types of whips are used one of the warriors brandishes the offensive variety, similar to the usual horse-riding implement, while the other – the defensive, with a longer, curved shaft and a short lash, designed to block and entangle the attacker. The tournament comes to an end in the late afternoon, when the village elders and shamans climb to the cemetery to sacrifice the chicken to the ancestors. Finally, they descend to the village square, where more chicken is slaughtered, and the divination is performed.© Mark LevitinPracticalitiesTo reach Wae Rebo, you will have to get to Ruteng first. It is a small town in West Flores, accessible by bus from Labuan Bajo, and the last place where you can get any necessary supplies. From there, things get more interesting. Once a day, if you are lucky, and with no schedule – ask around – an oto kayu passenger truck departs for the village of Denge. Sometimes the truck stops a few km short of it – you will have to hike the rest. More hiking awaits as you begin to climb up the mountain – count on 3-4 hours and expect a pretty bad trail, especially if it had been raining recently. Upon entering the village, tourists are supposed to undergo a ritual introduction to the guardian spirits and to pay for it. You can negotiate to minimize the ceremony and reduce the fee slightly, but not to zero. Wae Rebo is becoming quite famous, and the Manggarai community wants to profit from it. Otherwise, they are as friendly as you would expect Indonesians to be. Accommodation is in a homestay, which may be an ordinary hut or a traditional mbaru niang. There is no cellular signal and limited electricity. For the best views, climb to the upper houses or above them at sunrise. © Mark LevitinWae Rebo, FloresSatar Lenda, West Satar Mese, Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, IndonesiaWe recommend to book your stays in East Nusa Tenggara in advance as it can get booked up quickly during certain periods. If you use this link, you pay the same price and we get a small commission - thanks for your support!I am Mark, a professional travel photographer, a digital nomad. For the last four years, I am based in Indonesia, spending here roughly half a year and travelling around Asia for the other half. Previously, I spent four years in Thailand, exploring it from all perspectives. Wae Rebo Village Wae Rebo is a small and very out of the way village. It is on around 1,100 meters above sea level and approximately 3 -hour trekking from Denge Village. Wae Rebo village is completely in the middle of panoramic mountains and the dense Todo forest. Certainly, this tropical forest is rich in vegetation, where you will find orchids, different types of ferns and hear the chirping of many songbirds. There is also no mobile coverage in this village, and the electricity is only available from 6 to 10 pm. The air is relatively cold, especially in the dry season, so don’t forget to bring your jacket if you’re planning to visit the village. The History of Wae Rebo Village Flores Indonesia The traditional village of Wae Rebo is in the district of Manggarai on the island of Flores. The Village got the Top Award of Excellence from UNESCO in the 2012 and UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards, in Bangkok on 27 August 2012. This small and isolated village was recognized for its rebuilding of the traditional Mbaru Niang. It is traditional house based on the spirit of community cooperation towards a sustainable tradition. while at the same time improving its village welfare. The founder of the village was Empu Maro. Today, the inhabitants are his 18th generation descendants. The Characteristics of the Unique House in Wae Rebo village Wae Rebo’s main characteristics are their unique houses, which they call Mbaru Niang. Those are tall and conical in shape and are completely covered in lontar thatch from its rooftop down to the ground. It appears that at one time such kind of houses were quite common to the region. But today, it is only this village that continues to maintain the typical Manggarai traditional house. The house has five levels. each level designed for a specific purpose. The first level, called lutur or tent, are the living quarters of the extended family. The second level, called lobo, or attic, is set aside to store food and goods. The third level called lentar is to store seeds for the next harvest. The fourth level called lempa rae is reserved for food stocks in case of draught. And the fifth and top level, called hekang kode, which is held most sacred, is to place offerings for the ancestors. One special ceremonial house is the community building where members of the entire clan gather for ceremonies and rituals. They are predominantly Catholic but still adhere to old beliefs. In this house are stored the sacred heirloom of drums and gongs. How the People live there The Wae Rebo village comprises 7 houses with a small population of around 1,200 inhabitants. The staple diet of villagers is cassava and maize. But around the village they plant coffee, vanilla, and cinnamon which they sell in the market around 15 km. away from the village. However, Wae Rebo is popular as a tourist destination for international ecotourism enthusiasts. And it is good for the economic welfare of the village. The people of Wae Rebo warmly welcome visitors who wish to see their village and experience their simple traditional life. Interesting Things you need to know about Wae Rebo Village The village of Wae Rebo in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara is like heaven above the clouds. It takes a struggle to reach this village. However, what you will get when you arrive at the location is certainly comparable to the journey taken. It is truly a beauty that is difficult to describe in words, a traditional village with towering thatched roofs in the middle of a stretch of green hills. Well, behind this beauty, it turns out that Wae Rebo Village has many interesting facts and things that you can find in this village. Here are few interesting things you need to know about Wae Rebo. One of the Highest Villages in Indonesia. Wae Rebo Village is in the list of the highest villages in Indonesia. It is at an altitude of 1,200 meters above sea level masl. Wae Rebo is often decorated with a thin fog every morning that slowly descend from the surrounding hills and cover the entire village. Because of its location at this altitude, it is another challenge to reach Wae Rebo Village. You have to do trekking for two or three hours through quite difficult terrain. We recommend to hire a guide to assist you along the trek path. And it is good to spend a night at Wae Rebo to enjoy its uniqueness longer and also to save energy for return trekking. The Village with Seven Main Houses The traditional Mbaru Niang house in Wae Rebo Village is considered very rare and is located high up in the mountains. It has a fairly unique shape, which is like a cone barn and there are only seven of them. Each house is inhabited by six to eight families. Mbaru Niang consists of five floors with palm leaf roofs and covered by palm fiber. Every visitor who comes will enter a Mbaru Niang which is specially to welcome tourists who come on a trip. You will get a banquet in the form of Flores Coffee as a welcome drink at Mbaru Niang. For those of you who want to spend the night, you can stay at Mbaru Niang. Complementary blankets and pillows are available. Have a special day every November Residents in Wae Rebo Village celebrate the Penti Traditional Ceremony. The celebration to express gratitude for the harvest that is obtained in a year and ask for harmony and protection. During the celebration, the residents will wear traditional clothes complete with accessories. For those of you who are planning to visit this village, you should match your schedule with this traditional ceremony so that the visit is more meaningful because you can see more attractions and values. The people of Wae Rebo are of Minang descent Although Wae Rebo is a village in West Manggarai, NTT, it turns out that the villagers claim that they are of Minang descent from West Sumatra. Empo Maro, Wae Rebo ancestor from Minangkabau who migrated to Flores and moved from place to place until finally settled in the area which is now Wae Rebo Village. Although they are of Minang descent, the names of the inhabitants are not like the names of most Minang people. Flags on Traditional Houses When Independence Day, there is always a ceremony to commemorate it. Uniquely, the residents of Wae Rebo will place the Indonesian flag on top of the cone-shaped traditional house during the flag ceremony. Several people helped each other to make sure the flag was standing firmly. There is no cellphone signal In the Village of Wae Rebo and suroundings, there is no cellphone signal or internet connections. So, never expect to share your moment right away to the world from Wae Rebo village. Those are interesting things about Wae Rebo that you need to know. Being in a remote location doesn’t necessarily make this village empty of visitors. On the other hand, many tourists are willing to travel far away to enjoy the beauty of every corner of Wae Rebo Village. About Author You Might Also Like This Dieser Artikel ist auch verfügbar auf DeutschWae Rebo is something special in every way. Not everyone knows the small village in the mountainous hinterland of the Indonesian island of Flores. But Indonesian travel influencers and instagrammers are working on this fact to change. Wae Rebo is already the dream destination of many adventurous Indonesians, whereas foreign tourists still regard it as a small insider Rebo review – is it worth it?The famous traditional houses in the village of Wae ReboFirst a few facts, so that you can imagine where you can find this legendary placeWae Rebo is located on the Indonesian island of Flores, which you can reach with a short flight from Bali or with a longer one from Labuan Bajo, the largest “city” in Flores, it is actually only 70 km to the foot of the mountain on which Wae Rebo is Rebo itself can only be reached on foot, via a 2 or 3 hours hike steeply up the mountain depending on your personal fitness level.The village itself is situated on a plateau surrounded by breathtaking jungle-covered own story with Wae Rebo began with a short trip to Flores in November 2018 – we flew to Labuan Bajo to discover Komodo dragons, manta rays and other marine life in the adjacent national park. Over beer and fried fish at the night market we had a chat with Indonesian travelers who told us about the mystical Wae Rebo. A village that can only be reached on foot? A wild drive into the hinterland of Flores? Indigenous people who lives there undisturbed? We were to get to Wae ReboA few months later we were ready to go from Bali we flew to Flores, rented a motorbike in one of the many shops lining the street after a hearty breakfast in the Bajo Bakery they have Swiss cheese and fantastic Flores coffee and drove Bajo Airport on FloresView from Bajo Bakery to Labuan BajoOne more thing If you decide to go on this adventure, you have to be able to ride scooters very well. Some “roads” are often not paved, very steep, completely made of huge stones with big gaps between them or lead through rivers. Be realistic about your driving skills and don’t drive alone. For many kilometers you will not meet anyone – that means if you are out of petrol, get a flat tire or whatever, it’s much better to drive together with a fellow traveler. And insist on a helmet – many scooter rentals won’t automatically give you one, as police checks in Flores are rare. But since the roads are so bad, wearing a helmet is still a serious life first 20 or 30 km the roads are paved – very curvy and narrow, but paved. When we were on the road in April, there were several landslides – the roads were hardly passable. Fortunately it was dry. If it had rained, it would have been very dangerous. Therefore I recommend a trip in the dry season March to September.On the mountains above Labuan Bajo there are some nice viewpoints from where you can see parts of the Komodo National Park. That could be perhaps a first photo stop, in order to stretch your legs a little, because the way to Wae Rebo is still the hinterland of FloresAfter we had passed the mountains, we arrived in the flat hinterland of Flores, which looks like it has fallen out of time. The further away we were from Labuan Bajo, the fewer cars there were. At a certain point there are no petrol stations, no supermarkets, no Warungs anymore. Only rice fields, farmhouses, cows and a few scooters. The silence was deafening. We were stunned. How could a few kilometers make such a difference?In the hinterland of FloresOur journey took us across makeshift bridges, wobbly wooden footpaths, through rivers, foothills of the sea sometimes it takes a lot of strength to push the scooter up and down at places, because some stretches of the road are not “drivable”.To get to Wae Rebo by scooter, there are several routes – it is best to download an offline map, as there is no cell signal after a certain point and no road signs anyway. I recommend you to enter “Dintor” or “SDK Denge” in Google Maps. Cars usually take the road to Ruteng, which is a bit further. We chose the route to Dintor, which led us along the sea. Long, long distances without meeting anyone except a few goats – the salty wind on our skin – it was a dream come true!Although it is only about 70 km depending on the route, our scooter tour took more than 5 hours because of the sad state of the roads. Don’t underestimate that and start in any case before noon in Labuan Bajo. In the darkness, it is impossible to drive on these kind of roads, and you will very likely get lost as roads along the coast on the way to Wae Rebo LodgeWae Rebo LodgeWe arrived at Wae Rebo Lodge – one of the two accommodation options in the village of Dintor, where you can spend the night before your hike the next morning. The Wae Rebo Lodge is beautifully set in the emerald rice fields, has only a few hours of electricity a day remember this if you want to recharge your phone and serves you 3 meals included in the price of approximately 25 Euro In the evening when you arrive, in the morning before you leave, and after the hike when you return to pick up your scooter/luggage. The food has always been the same rice with vegetables/fish/ Rebo LodgeSince there wasn’t much to do in the lodge, we went to bed early not without taking a good look at the star-studded sky, of course. At we got up, had our rice breakfast and drove the last few kilometers to a kind of parking lot from where all the hikes to Wae Rebo were not sure about whether we should hire a guide, but decided against it. As it turned out, this was not necessary. There is only one path and it leads steeply upwards through dense jungle with orchids, all kinds of plants and on the humidity level, there can also be leeches. My travel partner got bitten by one – even though it is not considered dangerous, it is something to keep in mind. The small snake that crossed our path was also part of the whole jungle adventure package. You don’t necessarily need hiking boots, a pair of good sneakers will do. But I recommend you to wear long linen-pants, because it’s a bit cool up there in the village. After 2 hours of climbing and clambering we reached a point with a view of the mountain valley, where the roofs of the huts of Wae Rebo were already peeking out of the forest. A very sublime moment and after all the sweating and getting up early we had the feeling that all the effort was worth it. But this feeling was not meant to stay…Finally Arrival in the village of Wae ReboIn front of the village itself there is a board with rules which should give orientation no display of affection, no leaving behind of garbage etc. After this board you walk through a solidly built village until you see the famous huts of Wae were told to wait at the entrance until someone from the village picked us up. But since nobody showed up, we went straight to the biggest hut to present ourselves to the village note you are not allowed to take photos until you have been greeted by the village elder. He accepted our mandatory “donation” of 50,000 IDR per person about Euro and welcomed us to Wae Rebo. Theoretically, you can decide by yourself how much you want to “donate”.A young man led us to another hut – there he showed us our sleeping spots 350,000 IDR per person per night, about 22 Euro on the floor of the common room. We were a little surprised about the price – even more when we learned that the huts were not “authentically” old, but were recently rebuilt by a team of architects from Jakarta according to old villagers also didn’t seem to live in the huts at all, but in the more solid concrete houses a little further up. There was no interaction between the villagers and the tourists, but the children tore the wooden crayons we brought for them out of our hands and ran away. In the hut for the tourists there was also a souvenir shop where you could buy woven scarves, coffee and were so surprised by the prices for the overnight stay, the anticipated coldness of the villagers and the generally rather unpleasant mood in the village that we turned back on our heels and started the way down with the hope to arrive back in Labuan Bajo before nightfall spoiler Alert we didn’t quite make it and had to drive through the pitch-black mountain roads. Not to be recommended!.ConclusionIt is a sensitive topic and of course a matter of taste; also a matter of what you are looking for. How much “authenticity” can one expect when traveling to a presumably “remote” place? For me personally, the village of Wae Rebo was a bit too touristic, and not in a nice way. The atmosphere was weird and I had the impression that a show was put on for the tourists. Other friends who had visited the place found it magical, experienced the people as extremely friendly and the prices absolutely reasonable. So it really depends on what your own perspective is. For me, the beautiful motorbike trip back and forth was far more rewarding than the visit of the village the authorLisaIf she’s not doing yoga or racing around Indonesia on a motorcycle, Lisa will be found close to a turquoise beach, preferably a glass of red wine in her hand and sand between her toes. Having lived in Southeast Asia for more than 4 years, she’s fallen deeply for this part of the world – if only there was more real’ Pizza around! You can follow her travels and hunt for Pizza on Instagram lisa_asiaHave you been to Wae Rebo before? How was your experience? Did you like the village? Let us know in the comments!

wae rebo milky way