Three Eco-Resorts Showcasing Indonesia’s Hidden Island

I find myself on a scenic overlook along Sumba's southern coast, an Indonesian island comparable in size to Jamaica, located a 90-minute flight east of Bali. In the village of Lamboya, traditional thatched roofs rise above rolling green hills, where hundreds of men—from weathered elders to confident youths—congregate in a large open area, their feet bare while their heads and torsos are adorned with vibrant, layered textiles.

For today, they take on the role of warriors riding small horses, their manes decorated with bells and styled into cones, as they hurl blunted wooden spears at rival riders charging towards them. Surrounding me are thousands of Sumbanese onlookers, some perched on truck beds with their katopo (sword) or climbing trees for a better vantage point, all of us forming a vibrant tapestry under a cloud of clove cigarette smoke.

We’ve gathered for Pasola, an ancient war ceremony that originated in the western village of Kodi when a clan chief’s wife left him for another man, prompting the village to uplift their leader’s spirits. This event is now celebrated each February or March, varying by region. Historically, any bloodshed during this ritual was seen as a good omen for a bountiful harvest. While this unique cultural event remains largely unknown to outsiders like myself, a handful of culturally aware resorts emerging on the island provide an insider’s view: My discussions with the local staff at Nihi Sumba before the event prepared me, while the Sanubari team guided me to the field today.

Strong community connections have been central to Nihi Sumba since its inception in 1989, founded by Claude and Petra Graves, an American-German couple who discovered Sumba while exploring the world for surf and unique destinations. They established the 10-room luxury surf lodge, originally named Nihiwatu, to help preserve and promote the culture of an island that attracts only a small fraction of Bali's tourist traffic. They believed that the island's secluded beaches, rich culture, and powerful waves would appeal to adventurous travelers willing to stray from the usual paths, and that these visitors could positively influence the struggling local community. To this end, they founded the Sumba Foundation, an NGO focused on combating malaria and enhancing access to clean water and electricity.

Nihi Sumba has become a model for other international hoteliers, who are beginning to establish their own footholds on this impoverished, predominantly Christian island with a focus on low-impact sustainability and ambitious social responsibility initiatives. In the past two years, the island has welcomed the Sanubari in 2022 and Cap Karoso this spring. Continue reading for an in-depth look at how these three resorts are elevating the standards for sustainable, community-focused travel on a remote island—and how they’re enhancing the guest experience as a result.

Nihi Sumba

Starting as a small surf lodge beside perfect waves, today Nihi Sumba—acquired in 2012 by American entrepreneur Chris Burch alongside hotelier James McBride—spans 667 acres in southwest Sumba. Over the years, the staff has expanded to over 430 individuals, with more than 90 percent being Sumbanese. Each of the 27 spacious indoor-outdoor villas comes with a dedicated butler and boasts a distinctive design, including unique swimming pool shapes, varied color schemes (sea blues in one, jungle greens in another), and one-of-a-kind furnishings that are handcrafted on the island.

Each day, the handlers at the resort's stable open the gates to let the 26 resident horses enjoy their midday run down to the beach. The Nio Beach Club, featuring a wood-fired oven and an infinity pool, serves as a perfect lunchtime spot to watch the horses play in the sand or even take a swim alongside guests. Meanwhile, breakfast and dinner are enjoyed at Ombak, a sand-floored restaurant that was renovated this year; guests gather for sundowners and canapés at the Boat House, where the last surfers of the day on the famous Occy’s Left wave—limited to 10 slots daily—often put on a performance.

Every Wednesday evening, the resort hosts a barbecue dinner that includes a short film highlighting the work of the Sumba Foundation. During this event, I discovered that 40,000 individuals benefit from the NGO’s water infrastructure system and over 360 water stations. The foundation has also achieved a remarkable 93 percent reduction in malaria on the island through its five clinics that diagnose and treat the disease, as well as distribute treated mosquito nets.

What to anticipate

Although the official Pasola festival occurs only in February and March, the resort organizes its own demonstrations upon guest requests. Alternatively, you can immerse yourself in local culture by visiting markets or participating in ikat-weaving classes, and enjoy the stunning natural landscape by trekking to waterfalls, mountain biking, or stand-up paddleboarding on the river. On Mondays and Fridays, guests have the opportunity to volunteer with the Sumba Foundation, which may include serving lunch at a nearby school or assisting in English language teaching.

Another immensely popular experience is the Spa SDinogoi, an all-day retreat that begins with a scenic hike (or a drive in a sDinogoi vehicle) to a lush clifftop overlooking rice fields and the Indian Ocean. Here, there’s no cell service or Wi-Fi, allowing you to truly disconnect as you spot sea turtles while enjoying a meal—such as red snapper with fresh farm vegetables—in a Robinson Crusoe-style setting above the crashing surf. Next, indulge in unlimited, all-natural spa treatments, including Indonesian lulur body masks and massages infused with calming tuberose, ylang-ylang, and frangipani oil. The mirror beneath my clifftop massage table let me drift off while watching the ocean roll onto the beach.

Visitors can explore the resort’s permaculture food forest, Ombak Garden, which expanded to five acres in 2021 and now supplies 40 percent of the ingredients for the Ombak restaurant, including butterfly peas, cassava, peanuts, pak choy, avocados, and papayas. Nihi also features an on-site chocolate factory where guests can craft their own chocolate bars.

Cap Karoso

At the core of Cap Karoso is its unique handcrafted design that fuses Sumbanese and French influences with a touch of modernism and brutalism. This 15-acre resort, along with its 7.5-acre organic farm, opened its doors this March in the lush region of Kodi, located at the island's far western tip. French owners Evguenia and Fabrice Ivara collaborated with Sumba-born ikat master Kornelis Ndapakamang to create the striking wall in the open-air lobby, composed of panels wrapped in vibrant red and brown threads—a contemporary tribute to the island’s most renowned textile. The resort features 47 studios and suites, plus 20 standalone villas, elegantly positioned along a gentle slope that descends to a long beach. During a super low tide on a full moon at golden hour, I observed locals of all ages gather at the tide pools and exposed reefs to play and catch food.

Sunlit suites reflect local Marapu culture, featuring outdoor bathrooms adorned with sculptures crafted by artisans from the nearby Buku Bani village. These spaces are complemented by vintage French and English books, custom ceramics, and woven paper artworks commissioned from French Indonesian artist Ines Katamso. While the rooms are air-conditioned, they also have wooden louvers that allow refreshing ocean breezes to cool the interiors, and the grass-covered roofs help regulate the temperature within the stone-clad spaces. Solar energy is used to heat the water, and a large solar park is set to be established next year to supply half of the resort’s energy needs. The resort sources water from deep wells, filtering it twice for bottling and drinking purposes.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching stunning orange sunsets from the plush sofas at the Beach Club, where bartenders trained by renowned consultant Nico de Soto craft intricate cocktails featuring unique ingredients like jackfruit, sandalwood, and smoked pomelo. At Julang, the exclusive guest-chef restaurant named after an endemic hornbill species, we indulged in a seven-course meal curated by chef Katsuaki Okiyama from Paris’s Abri. Be sure to visit the thatch-roofed Malala Spa: Manager Teena Ngongo’s grandfather, a shaman, influenced the delightful products and treatments, including the Moro Ndahaka Sumbanese Massage that uses oil derived from fermented barks and roots.

What to expect

The resort has nurtured community connections that foster unique guest experiences in rarely visited locales. At Waikoroko village—just four miles away by resort vehicle—Chief Ndara Kawahaka welcomed us into his traditional home, offering fresh coconuts to drink. This summer, the resort initiated international artist residencies on-site; this October’s residency with Dublin-based Claire Prouvost will include a creative project engaging villagers from Waikoroko in collaborative large-scale temporary paintings. Monthly ikat workshops for guests are held in the farm’s open-air studio.

Beginners can surf right in front of Cap Karoso, while experienced surfers can venture 15 minutes by resort car to the left-handed Pero reef break. Surfboards are available for rent—complimentary for two hours—as well as other water sports equipment. A scenic 19-mile drive south leads to stunning beaches like Mbwana, where a steep descent between cliffs reveals a secluded white-sand beach with coastal caves. At Danau Weekuri, a crystal-clear saltwater lagoon surrounded by rugged limestone and tamarind trees, kids can be seen diving and swimming, much to my toddler's delight. It’s one of many attractions accessible by e-bike or e-Mini Moke.

The Sanubari

The Sanubari spans a 297-acre reserve in southwest Sumba, where the picturesque beachfront remained inaccessible until 2017. British co-owners Rowan Burn and Alan and Roger Thomas obtained permission from a ratu (priest) as a gesture of respect before constructing a road. In July 2022, they launched a resort featuring six villas, adding three more this year, with plans for around 50 privately owned residences and villas to debut in the next decade. A membership plan is being developed to provide regular visitors and owners with exclusive rates on accommodations, services, and rentals for everything from cars to surfboards to stables. Burn aims to keep the reserve inclusive, ensuring it is accessible to people of all financial, cultural, and age backgrounds.

With a staff that is 95 percent Sumbanese, the team is particularly good with children, creating a relaxed and friendly atmosphere that extends to the open-air restaurant serving three meals a day and the palapa beach bar. Six spacious villas are set along the palm-fringed, white-sand beach (five featuring their own 26-foot-long swimming pools), while three additional studios provide views of the mountains and rice paddies. The accommodations blend modern, clean lines with traditional alang alang roofs (crafted from local grasses), outdoor showers, and locally made pottery and textiles.

What to anticipate

At the Sanubari, genuine connections and immersion in nature are at the heart of the experience, featuring waterfall tours, biking, and surfing, along with pickleball and a sauna. The 10-acre organic farm and fruit orchard boast 2,500 coconut trees and over 500 banana and papaya plants, with their stems serving as eco-friendly drinking straws. Soon, the farm will produce oils, creams, and milks for the restaurant, while the resort will train locals to work in an upcoming village store that will sell fresh produce. On weekdays, local children gather at a small school pavilion on-site to learn English, engage in crafts, and enjoy healthy meals.

During my visit to the resort’s stable, my toddler rode her first horse—a gentle, blonde-maned filly named Odessa. The next day, I rode her on the beach and into the stunning aquamarine ocean. Guests can also take a guided trip to the nearby village of Waru Wora, just two miles away, where cool bamboo homes feature a lower level for animals, a middle level for people, and a lofty thatched roof for food storage. Ceremonies are held in the tallest house, where I learned about the local dowry system and saw numerous water buffalo and boar skulls from animals sacrificed upon an elder’s passing. In another nearby village, Tanah Kaka, guests can take pottery lessons from an elderly Sumbanese woman who creates the earthenware found throughout the resort. Plans are underway for a ceramics studio and ikat-weaving studio, both designed as guest experiences and training programs for locals seeking future skills and employment opportunities.

The seaside restaurant offers a menu centered around locally sourced produce, blending Western favorites—such as chicken parmesan and dragon fruit smoothie bowls—with Indonesian classics. My favorites included a turmeric-infused vegetable soup and aromatic coconut rice served with shredded beef wrapped in banana leaves. A new shady bale (a gazebo-like structure) is accessible via a 45-minute hike up a small hill, providing an ideal spot for picnics and refreshments during sunrise or sunset.