Wae Rebo Village, Flores
Wae Rebo village is located in Manggarai district – Flores East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It is one of the traditional villages of Manggarai tribe in West Flores. This village has kept its tradition and nature for decades.
Wae Rebo is consists of 7 traditional houses set up in traditional architecture as the representation of the ancient tribe of Manggarai. The village is located remotely from the city, it takes approximately 5 to 6 hours from Labuan Bajo and Ruteng.
The village is completely surrounded by beautiful rain forest and small mountains. These forests are rich with vegetarians and many kings of ferns. There is no mobile coverage in the area or the electric city is only available from 06.00 am to 07.00 pm.
Getting to Wae Rebo Village
The first thing you need to do is find a flight from Denpasar, Jakarta to Labuan Bajo or Ruteng. Then find a reliable travel company in Labuan Bajo or online for a better arrangement.
Below is how to get to Wae Rebo:
- The private car from Labuan Bajo to Denge village takes approximately 5 to 6 hours. Then trek through the rocky road for approximately 3-4 hours to the village. You will love it if you are an adventure.
- Motorbike for 4 hours all the way from Labuan Bajo to Denge Village and then continue trekking for 3 to 4 hours to the village.
You can also enter Wae Rebo from Ruteng, the capital city of central Manggarai. Cars and motorbikes are available for private trips. For more details on getting there, you can visit Komodo tour packages from Labuan Bajo.
What can you expect to see and do in the village?
Below are the things you can see and do:
- Hiking through the tropical forest
- See the traditional houses, people’s culture, and history of the village
- Enjoy a night stay in traditional houses
- Enjoy Wae Rebo original coffee, it is a handmade coffee
- Have a beautiful morning and sunrise over the village
- Take as many pictures as you can
Always make sure your guide treats you well when using services from travel agencies.
Things to Prepare Before Getting There
What you do before you start traveling is make sure everything is well prepared. Wae Rebo is a remote village, far away from the city. The village is located surrounding the tropical forest.
If flying from Bali and expecting to do a straight drive to Wae Rebo, we recommend booking a morning flight. Otherwise, you have to stay one night in Labuan Bajo before continuing to Wae Rebo.
Below are our recommended things to prepare before getting there:
- Your flight tickets
- Transportation from Labuan Bajo
- Enough clothes
- Raincoat
- Towels
- Trekking shoes
- Stick
- Physically trained
- Enough Cash
- Mobile phone
- Power bank
- Camere
- Medicine
- Travel insurance
You will have to be ready for a trek from Denge Village, it takes approximately 3 hours to get there.
People and cultures
The village is part of the Manggarai tribe. All the cultures that people lead are based on the Manggarai tribe. Before you enter the village, you are probably welcome with a tradition of its village.
In Managgarai, entering one of the villages has to be welcomed with a tradition. The well-known traditions are Pau Lu’u and Manuk Kapu.
Pau Lu’u is a typical tradition where you will have to put some coins for the dead ones in the village. It means you will give honor to them. While Manuk Kapu is the villagers will give you a chicken (a white one). It means that they give you a warm welcome and become an honorable guest. There are some rules you will have to follow while you are there.
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