WaeRebo: A Mystical Village Above the Clouds. Wae Rebo is home to the Manggarai tribe situated in the West Maggarai Regency on the highland of Flores Island, Indonesia. According to the oral lore, the village was settled somewhere around 18 generations ago. An elder of the community-led his tribe to the Flores highlands after a vision came to him. . Wae Rebo is a village in Flores, Indonesia. Understand[edit] A traditional village, mostly untouched by technology living in round huts that signify the unity of their village. Their English is not good so consider hiring a guide Rp 200,000 to guide you up to the village and translate. Make sure to wear appropriate clothing covering shoulders and knees. The handshake is important here, shake hands say hi, your name and touch your chest with your right hand. During their traditional new year celebration the village of around 200 inhabitants accept 400 visitors during last celebration, November 2015 and presumably returning family members. Get in[edit] The only way to get to the village is to hike. For a fit person this hike is about 3 hours on small paths through the jungle. Bring lots of water. The path starts in Denge and is very obvious. Follow the largest trail and you will eventually end up in the village. There are numerous shortcuts but if you are unsure just stick to the main path. The first 1/3 of the hike is along a road that is under construction and not covered by trees so best start early before it gets warm. Right where construction ends there is a stream of water, upstream 20 m there is a small basin where you can cool down. To get to Denge follow the Flores highway west from Ruteng about 20 minutes and follow the sign towards Wae Rebo. The road will become progressively worse as you travel further from Ruteng. From the highway to Denge is about 2-3 hours of spectacular views and crappy roads. It is passable by car and scooter but consider being one person per scooter as the road is very bad. Google maps will find the way to "Gereja St. Petrus dan Paulus Denge" which is right below the path to Wae Rebo. There is a second way to get to Denge, following the coast from the west but the roads are even worse. It is however shorter in time if you come from/are going to Labuan Bajo. It is passable by scooter not car but expect to cross rivers without bridges, boulder fields with some semblance of road and other obstacles. 1 person per scooter is recommended. The road is mostly obvious, just follow the largest road along the coast. The path starts at and is clearly marked. There is a homestay Rp 200,000 per person include three meals 50m to the west of the start and a "lodge" further down towards the coast. Get around[edit] See[edit] The village is located at about 1200 m altitude and has a spectacular view. Stay up late and see the most clear night sky you can imagine. Do[edit] When you enter the village start by heading to the biggest hut in the middle for the mandatory welcome ceremony. And a Rp 50,000 donation for a group of 4. After this you can enter pretty much any hut and receive a warm welcome and tea/coffee. Buy[edit] Wae Rebo is known for its coffee production which you can buy here. Eat[edit] Drink[edit] Sleep[edit] Most people hike up in the morning stay a night and hike back down the following morning. Sleeping in the village costs Rp 325,000 per person and includes three meals a day. Connect[edit] There is no cellphone reception in Wae Rebo or the surrounding areas villages. There is a VHF radio in Wae Rebo for emergencies. Go next[edit] 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 A public two day tour to Wae Rebo. It is the last remaining traditional Manggaraian ethnic village where still traditional houses exists and where people still live like their ancestors thousands of years ago. Wae Rebo is the last remaining traditional Manggaraian ethnic village where still traditional houses exists and where people still live like their ancestors thousands of years ago. It is located at an altitude of 1,125 meters above sea level in the Nature Conservation Forest. There are seven traditional houses, the so called 'Mbaru Tembong' and each of these houses hosts more than one family. The people live on agricultural products as coffee, taro and vegetables. Day 1 LABUAN BAJO - DENGE - WAE REBOEarly in the morning we leave Labuan Bajo and travel up to the mountains with beautiful panoramic views, villages and rice fields. On a beautiful resting place we take a break and unpack our lunch package. Time to enjoy the beauty of the nature and the tranquility. In the early afternoon we arrive at Denge, a small village on the food of the mountain- our starting point for the four to five hours hike to Wae Rebo. We hike up hill through the rain forest and reach Wae Lomba, a creek. The first stop after about one hour hiking from Denge. Sometimes we can hear the voices of Asian Paradise Flycatchers and other endemic birds. We proceed to Post 2 at Pocoroko with picturesque views towards the Sawu Sea in the south. It is the last place for cellular phone connection services. The last stop is at Nampe Bakok, a place where we have a complete view over the traditional village of Wae Rebo. Breathtaking! Just before sunset we arrive at Wae Rebo. The head of the village - usually the eldest man in the village - welcomes us in his house with open arms. However, we need to ask for a permit first to enter the village and whether we will be welcomed. After our guide getting the permit the villages elderly men hold a welcome ceremony for us in manggaraian language. Don't worry. Our guide will translate it for you. Afterwards we get accompanied by villagers to the traditional manggaraian guest house where we set up our camp for the night possibly with other guests who arrived today. The round house can accommodate up to 25 people. Meanwhile the local women have started to cook with fire wood in the adjacent kitchen. Who like to assist doesn't need a special invitation. Everybody is welcomed! After enjoying our dinner of traditional simple food we sleep on woven gras mattresses arranged in form of a circle. Good night! The ghosts of the ancestors of the village will protect you!Day 2 WAE REBO - LABUAN BAJO or RUTENGAfter an early breakfast which the traditional women prepare for us, we say good bye to the villagers which we have grown fond of in only one day. We leave the village and trek the same way back downhill to Denge. We jump in to the car and depart either to Ruteng or back to Labuan Bajo. Lunch we take on the route. We arrive in Labuan Bajo in the evening or in Ruteng in the afternoon. Transportation We travel by an air conditioned car or van to the starting point of our hiking tour in Denge. Difficulty of the HikeIt is always hard to judge the difficulty of a hike. The hiking trail is in the first part very wide. Stones and fallen trees sometimes block the trail and we have to jump over it. The second part of the trail is a small path, in parts very steep and winding up to the montain. The third trail is much smaller as the second one, but it descends slightly to the village of Waerebo. In rainy season or after a big rain shower in dry season the trails could be very moody. Please wear good trekking shoes. Hike distance apprx. 6 kmHike duration uphill apprx. 4 hours depending on your conditionHike duration downhill apprx. 3 hours Hike classification minimum beginners in a medium and good condition. AccommodationWae Rebo We stay in one of the traditional manggaraian roundhouses together with other guests. Each house consists only of one room and can accommodate around 30 guests. We sleep on natural, thin matrasses. Pillows and blankets are provided. Toiletry is not provided. There is no electricity in Wae Rebo except in the evening when a generator will run. Food The food in Wae Rebo as well as the lunch package are traditional and basic. Water, tea or coffee is provided. Vegeterian food on request Luggage, equipment and clothingWe reccommend to bring a small backpack. If it is possible leave your suitcases in Labuan Bajo. During the hike one porter accompanies us and he can carry some of your sticks are good but not necessary. You can wear trekking shoes or in dry season sandals which are closed behind the foot chop. After a rain shower the trek is always very slippery. Therefore trekking shoes are more reccommended. During the night, especially from June to September, it could be chilly in the mountains 13°C/ F. We reccommend to bring a light pullover or jacket and a light rain forget your toiletry. There is a possibility to wash one self. But there is no shower and only cold water. 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! Have you ever wondered somewhere deep in the jungle and on the mountain summit, lies a community living their lives isolated from the spoils of modernization and exploitation. Tucked away in the dense tropical jungles of East Nusa Tenggara Island or more commonly known as Flores Island, there is such a place. Well, almost. Wae Rebo, is a village tucked away on top of a mountain near the town of Denge. It is easily recognizable by its distinct circular, cone shaped structure and thatched roofs, according to the Colony Roofers website. The traditional village is home to about 50 Manggaraian people, still living their normal lives since its first founding a century ago. Wae Rebo is one of the many villages of the Manggaraian people but it is the only one left that is built in the traditional cone shaped Mbraru Niang style. Wae Rebo Traditional Village This small village situated 1,100 meters above sea level where the air is fresh and cool. The picturesque village is completely surrounded by tropical vegetation and dense jungles. One of the more unique sounds you can hear here are the chirping of many types of songbirds. If you are into this kind of unique adventure, then read on. Getting There Getting to Wae Rebo village is no easy task. The first thing you need to know is that the only way to get there, is to hike. The hike starts from the base town of Denge. Since this is a village that is above the clouds, the hike takes about 3 hours and you do require a good deal of stamina to pull this off. Wae Rebo Lodge, Denge Denge is a 5-hour drive away from Labuan Bajo or a 3-hour drive if you are coming from Ruteng. It is a small town also occupied by the humble Maggaraian people. If you want to reach Wae Rebo without missing daylight, I would suggest staying for a night in Denge and start hiking in the early mornings. We stayed at a homestay called Wae Rebo Lodge. They offered us a room and some food. The lodge is strategically placed with views of ricefields and mountains. Just a few minutes walk, you can reach the beach with the sound of the ocean. Staying a night here, allows you to get some fresh air and clean up from the long journey you took to get here. The hiking trail The hiking route to Wae Rebo is easy to recognise. Just follow the route slowly and you will get to Wae Rebo eventually. As you begin your trek, you will be approached by some people on motorcycles offering you a ride for a fee. They said they could get us up to the village on their bikes. A few of the other people got on the bikes with the right gears from this store and off they went. Unfortunately, I turned them down because my Asian instincts raised a few flags but Fann got annoyed at me for refusing these gentlemen’s generous offer. We continued our hike with an angry Fann. We took our sweet time slowly hiking up the mountain. Panting and panting. After a 15 minute hike, we reached a bridge and here we saw the same group of bikers again. The few who paid them now had to get off the bike. The bikers signalled that this is the furthest they could go and then rode off after getting their money. I was relieved I didn’t accept their “too good to be true” offer. Fann then realised the scam and I saw her happy face again. We continued our hike up the village slowly and steadily. We were lucky to have a local guide to lead the way. He helped me to carry my drone and that eased the hike for me. After about 3 hours, we finally saw the hut that welcomes you with a banner that says “Welcome to Wae Rebo”. At the hut, you will see the coned shaped houses and this is when we got extremely excited. Reaching The Village View from the hut Once you reach the “Welcome to Wae Rebo” hut, you have to ring the bamboo bell. After signalling the bell, you have to wait for a response. The villagers will ring back and only if they ring back are you allowed to head down to the village. After that, you need to head to the largest coned shape house and pay a visit to the village chief. Here, the chief will do some prayers to ask the spirits to keep us safe during our stay here and our journey out. After that, you can head out and admire the amazing village. The village chief Food We stayed in one of the cone shaped houses that was catered for tourists. Staying here which I highly recommend costs 325,000IDR. This includes a sleeping mat, a pillow and a blanket. They also offer dinner, breakfast and of course their famous coffee. The common area was in the center and where we had our meals. We all sat around and shared the simple but delicious food that was offered by the villagers. We were allowed to roam around the village. We visited some of the houses and had a good look at how these people lived their lives here. Every house has 8 rooms that houses a different household. They share the common area in the center. Each of the houses has 5 levels and each level is used as a storage for different things as you can see in this image above. The people of Wae Rebo are farmers and they are famous for harvesting coffee beans like Arabica and Robusta. One of the other popular things they grow are cinnamon. That’s where we met an old man who was proudly showing us his cinnamon harvest. As the day gets later by the hour, clouds will slowly move in. That’s where Wae Rebo gets its most amazing picturesque look. We enjoyed our stay in Wae Rebo and we definitely hope that everyone would too. It would be great to visit this place as soon as you can. With the fast development of tourism in Indonesia, in a short few years, once a road is paved and hiking time is cut short to half. Who knows what would happen to the authentic and beautiful Wae Rebo village. Tips Bring tons of water when you are hiking up to Wae Rebo village. The 3 hour hike may be worth every effort but getting there safe and hydrated is most crucial. Respect the village rules and the village good hiking shoes and bring a spare. I broke my shoe halfway hiking up the mountain hereTry their amazing coffeeDon’t forget to take as many pictures as you can. Indonesia is famous for many beautiful destinations such as Bali, Nusa Penida and Raja Ampat – but perhaps one of the most magical little spots is Wae Rebo Village, a mystical oasis nestled in the mountains and forest. The village is known for its tall conical shaped houses called “Mbaru Niang” and its community of friendly villagers who call this place this blog post, I will cover everything you need to know about visiting Wae Rebo Village and also share with you my experiences there – including my overnight stay in one of the traditional Mbaru Niang houses. But first, let me introduce myself. My name is Polina and I’m from grew up in Minsk, Belarus and never traveled when I was a kid, but I always dreamt of exploring the world. I only first started traveling approximately five years ago. These trips inspired me to learn new languages because I wasn’t able to communicate with local people – so I started with English and then a few years later I picked up a bit of Italian!Traveling in Indonesia for a Year and a HalfWhile I enjoyed traveling in Europe, there were other regions of the world that captured my interest too. My boyfriend and I had this dream of spending a winter in Asia. So we conjured up a plan to visit a few different countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore. In 2020 we started our trip in Indonesia but then the COVID-19 pandemic ended up getting stuck in Indonesia for a year and a half! Once we realized that we couldn’t travel internationally, we decided to spend our time exploring Indonesia as much as possible. During this time we traveled to Lombok, Surabaya, Jakarta, Mount Bromo, Ijen, Banyuwangi, Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Penida, Sumba, Flores and we were living in Indonesia for such a long time, we made friends with some locals. One guy ended up inviting us to share a trip to Wae Rebo Village. It wasn’t exactly an organized tour but we did get to share the experience with a local which was pretty cool! I remember feeling this incredible calmness once we arrived at the village. It was a special place!Broken Beach, Nusa Penida © Polina panamarovapalinaExploring Indonesia © Polina panamarovapalinaPadar Island © Polina panamarovapalinaIjen Volcano Complex © Polina panamarovapalinaMount Bromo © Polina panamarovapalinaMy Experience at Wae Rebo VillageWe arrived at Wae Rebo Village in the evening. First of all, we had to go through this amazing ceremony where we were blessed to be “Waerebo People”. This event took place inside one of the traditional houses. The man who ran and performed the ceremony was the head of the a few hours in Wae Rebo, we were invited to have dinner with other travelers. We had this delicious omelet, rice and vegetable dish for dinner, and enjoyed sitting on the floor and conversing with other travelers. Once dinner was complete, we set off to explore more of the was a really peaceful space – a little bit foggy and cool. There were some animals roaming around the village like dogs and cats. We brought some treats for the kids there but based on the rules we couldn’t give them our sweets without letting their parents know or asking for the adults approved, we gave the sweets to the kids and they were all so happy! So this is my first recommendation take some gifts for the kids. They will love you for it! We stayed overnight at the village and slept in one of the traditional houses. It wasn’t possible to stay in the houses with locals, so we stayed in a house that was still traditional but only for day at 10pm all of the lights in the village are turned off and the magic begins. I don’t think I have ever seen such a beautiful night sky as I did in Wae Rebo. There were so many stars and I couldn’t stop watching and taking photos! It was a precious moment, one that I will never village gets quite cold at night, so my second recommendation is to take some warm clothes. I slept wearing sporting pants, a t-shirt, a hoodie and some warm socks. You can also take earplugs and a sleeping mask because it can be a little noisy with the other tourists sleeping next morning was awesome! I thought this would be the best time to take photos, and so we spent around an hour choosing different angles and scoping out different spots to shoot some photography. The breakfast was the same as our dinner but we also got to enjoy a cup of the way, the coffee at Wae Rebo Village is grown nearby and we got the opportunity to see how people process and roast it. You can also buy some traditionally roasted coffee here. The souvenir shop is located inside one of the tourist houses and they sell a few souvenir gifts for those Rebo Village © Polina panamarovapalinaWae Rebo Village © Polina panamarovapalinaWae Rebo Village © Polina panamarovapalinaWae Rebo Village © Polina panamarovapalinaWae Rebo Village © Polina panamarovapalinaWae Rebo Village © Polina panamarovapalinaTips for Visiting Wae Rebo VillageBring a decent pair of hiking/walking shoes it’s quite a long and difficult hike to get to the village. It tooks us two hours to arrive and I remember that the terrain was fairly difficult, so just be prepared!There are no proper showers or toilets the shower is just a bucket with some really cold water, again just be mentally prepared for mosquito spray I recommend putting it on before you every moment visiting the Wae Rebo Village is a super unique experience. You will fall in love with the charming village Rebo Village © Polina panamarovapalinaAuthor Polina PonomarevaPolina Ponomareva is a traveler, lover of languages, and coffee enthusiast from Minsk, Belarus. She recently spent a year and a half traveling through Indonesia.

wae rebo milky way