Stay in Tribal Boti Village, West Timor.

West Timor is one of Indonesia’s less visited destinations but just as captivating as anywhere else in the country!

It is the Indonesian western half of the island of Timor, adjacent to East Timor. West Timor, Flores, and Sumba are the three main parts of the province of East Nusa Tenggara.

West Timor remains virgin, almost untouched by modern life and is comprised of indigenous tribes that continue to follow ancient beliefs. Animism, the belief that earth, nature, and plants possess a soul, is still generally common in the villages that are spread through the beautiful mountainous inland. Around the island, more than 14 different languages are spoken; the official national language of Bahasa Indonesia is spoken only by a minority.

The best time to visit West Timor is from May to October, the dry season. It is the period indicated for trekking, as most of the trails and roads are open and accessible only during these months of the year.

How to Get Here

The airport 'El Tari’ of the capital Kupang, is connected by frequent flights with main Indonesian cities, such as Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, as well as Flores and Sumba islands. There are also international flights to the capital of East Timor, Dili. If you prefer traveling by boat, Pelni Ships frequently departs from Labuan Bajo (Flores), Maluku, Papua to Kupang. The boats are used by the locals as they are cheap, however, be prepared for a long and uncomfortable journey from 13 up to 18 hours. Besides, many travelers get from EastTimor (Dili) to West Timor (Kupang) by bus which takes about 12 hours.

I flew to Kupang, the capital of West Timor, I met Aka, my local guide, and embarked on our journey, heading east for 5 days around tribal villages, spending overnight at the beautiful village of Boti. It is almost impossible to visit the tribal communities without a local guide (costs around 30-60 euro/per day). It is not just a luxury need, as some of the villages do not welcome unescorted travelers. The local guide would communicate in their dialect, take permission from the head chief of the village to enter and introduce the visitors to the village elders, offer gifts or pay a small fee. Besides, you cannot communicate with the villagers and elders of these tribes as few of them understand and speak even the national language Bahasa Indonesia! Additionally, a car with a driver needs to be hired as many of the villages are deep in the mountains and there are not serviced by any public transport.

Our first spot was at Kolbano coast village which is placed in South Central Timor. The trip from Kupang was about 3 hours through the Malacca region. The road was broken and rocky for a few kilometers, but the view we got was great! I was looking at the view of the ocean with the long coastline and turquoise water under a bright blue sky that was worth the hussle that we went through.

West Timor is home to a magnificent coastline that is largely unspoiled and you have many alternatives for water activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving, and surfing.

Our next stop was the village of Nome, possibly the most fascinating tribal community in West Timor. Nome is located in the Gunung Mutis Area and is one of West Timor’s last headhunting villages and home to the animist Dawan people.

The village is home to around 50 families who have resided here for nine generations. They live in traditional beehive-shaped huts called ume kebubu with no electricity or running water. They still have their own shaman, conduct magic and animist rituals. As they were fighting off attackers and taking the heads of the vanquished well into the 1960s (despite this practice being officially forbidden in 1942), this natural defensive wall was imperative for survival.

I also had a memorable visit to the Tamkessi village, in very scenic countryside in the north-central territory. Tamkesi is located about 28km from Kefamenanu so it can be easily done as a half day excursion from there. This tiny hill village of Tamkesi is one of the most traditional and least visited West Timor’s fascinating indigenous villages.

We offered gifts of betel nut and lime powder to the villagers. It is rude and unacceptable to visit the Indonesian tribes in West Timor without taking any gifts so be sure you buy some betel nuts.

Next day early in the morning we start driving to Boti village in order to meet the local king family and stay in the village as scheduled already. It’s hardly surprising that Boti, deep in the mountains of Kei country, is regarded as one of the most authentic tribal villages in West Timor.

Boti Village is located approximately 30km east of Soe but, it’s a rather long 3-hour drive to reach it. Although the road was muddy with many glossy puddles, something like a poorly designed roller coaster ride, the route to Boti is particularly scenic, affording incredible pictures of the surrounding mountains, narrow valleys, and other tribal villages.

We got in the village, through a stone pathway and headed for the Kings porch, where I met the King and his family members. They are direct descendants of the Dawan, Timor’s first indigenous tribe. The king and the royal family of the Boti kingdom still stay here, maintaining a modest royal complex of Ume Khubu and Lopo, traditional conical thatched huts and structures of the Timorese.

As far as I remember, I paid around 10 euro for a dinner made from village grown products and an overnight in a traditional hut. Above all, I had the chance to experience more of Boti’s culture communicating with all these tribal indigenous in a peaceful village atmosphere!

It was totally worth it!