Tambolaka is a growing town in Sumba, Indonesia, used as the western entry point for the island.
Tambolaka used to be just a small area where the airport is, and Waitabula is (sometime written as "Weetabula", and originally "Wetobula"). Now Tambolaka has grown into a city district that includes Waitabula as its sub-district. Travelers normally use Tambolaka as the base to explore West Sumba, despite the stretch of distance to the tourist spots, due to limited accommodations.
Transportation is expensive in Sumba due to the limited availability of vehicles for tourism. In general you can expect (as of Dec 2018): Motorbike rental for a day: Rp100,000 - Rp150,000 Car rental (with driver) for a day: Rp500,000 - Rp700,000 There is no taxi operator in Sumba, but there are independent drivers touting at the airport. As in any developing destinations, you would need to get a clear rate (per person or per location), repeat it, and pay them exactly (don't use the Rp100,000 note). The rate from the airport to downtown Tambolaka is Rp50,000 per trip (as of Nov 2018).
Two of the tourism highlights in West Sumba are beaches and traditional villages, although they are sometime 30km away from Tambolaka. There is no ticketing or fixed price in Sumba (remember, infrastructure and system for tourism is still developing here). Most of the places would require you to sign a guest book and donate a voluntary amount. The recommended amount is Rp20,000 per person (as of Dec 2018). 1 Ratenggaro Beach. Located just about 200 m from Ratenggaro Village, this is the original site of Ratenggaro Village before it relocated to the current site. You can find some megalithic tombs here, including one of the previous village chief's.
You can get cold beer from kiosks on the street side for Rp35,000 per big bottle. Only Bintang is available in Sumba, locals have information that Bintang has blocked the access of other beer brands in the island.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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