Waerebo Village Flores Indonesia

The Waerebo tourist village is located in Satar Lenda Village, West Satar Mese District, directly bordering the Komodo National Park. Situated approximately 1,100 meters above sea level, Waerebo is a remote village surrounded by mountains and lush tropical forest scenery in Manggarai Regency, Flores Island. Waerebo has now developed into a popular ecotourism destination. In August 2012, the Waerebo traditional village received the Award of Excellence, the highest honor at the 2012 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Heritage Conservation in Bangkok.

The Waerebo traditional village, often referred to as heaven above the clouds, offers natural beauty and unique cone-shaped traditional house architecture, called Mbaru Niang in the local language.

The history of tourism development in Waerebo.

For the record, the first foreign tourists to arrive in Waerebo were Simon and Claus from America and New Zealand

in 1984. Ten years later, Matsuda Shuikhi (a Japanese photographer) visited Waerebo in 1994. After Catherine Allerton (a British anthropologist) began publishing her research on Waerebo, several visitors began to visit.

In 1998, the Waerebo traditional village received funding from the Manggarai Regional Government to renovate two mbaru niang (traditional wooden houses).

In 2005, the Sunda Trail tourism agency in Lombok helped promote and bring tourists to Waerebo. Martin Anggo, a Waerebo resident, began urging his community to generate additional income from tourism.

In late 2005, Martin Anggo was invited to a regional ecotourism workshop held by Indecon in Mataram.

In 2006, Ary Suhandi, Director of INDECON, and the Ecosea team, who had previously assisted the Tado residents, visited and met with the Waerebo residents, reaching several agreements,

including the establishment of a National Tourism and Recreation Agency (LPBW) and collaboration between the Waerebo and Tado residents to identify the natural energy sources and culture found in Waerebo.

In 2007, with support from UNESCO, National Geographic Traveler covered and produced a story about the Waerebo traditional village, which became the first publication for Waerebo.

In 2007, UNESCO collaborated with the NGO Burung Indonesia to provide support, including clean water and excellent tourism services.

In 2008, based on Indecon data, Swiss Contact assisted in promotion by organizing visits by guides and expedition agencies from Labuan Bajo to Waerebo.

In 2008, Yori Antar and a group of Jakarta architects visited Waerebo and were impressed and committed to reconstructing and preserving it, especially the Mbaru Niang, which had begun to fade due to age. In a joint statement, the Waerebo community, Indecon, and Ecosea agreed to undertake documented revitalization efforts. This effort was coordinated by Yori Antar, and the construction was carried out entirely by the community in accordance with Waerebo customs.

Since then, the Rumah Asuh Foundation, led by Yori Antar, has been a permanent partner of LPBW, helping preserve Waerebo traditional houses, including fundraising and constructing several traditional houses. Some of the parties who have supported through Yori Antar include the Danone industry, Bunda Hatta Rajasa, Arifin Panigoro, Laksamana Sukardi, and the Department of Education and Culture. Furthermore, the Rumah Asuh Foundation partner group, along with LPBW, built a guest house for tourists.

From 2013 to 2016, the INFEST (Innovative Flores Indigenous Ecotourism for Sustainable Trade) Program, initiated by Indecon with funding from the European Union, has

supported the capacity development of local residents in institutions, management systems, administration, tourism services, and local food-based souvenirs.

Tourism Activities

When tourists visit Waerebo, they engage in various activities, such as interacting with the village community, living with villagers for one to two days, learning about the customs and lifestyle of the Waerebo people, and observing important cultural performances. Furthermore, Waerebo offers a scenic tour with its equally captivating natural scenery, offering visitors the opportunity to see the beauty of local flora and fauna, as well as hunting (pictured) birds endemic to Flores Island in the conservation forest.

Facilities

Waerebo has several facilities to support tourist activities, including four public restrooms and a guard post that sells tickets and provides information on the rules and regulations for tourists in the Waerebo Traditional Village. The water comes directly from the spring, which is odorless and has a fresh taste. Waerebo Village also offers homestays, called Mbaru Niang, which remain unchanged in form and function from everything else inside the Mbaru Niang.

Accessibility

Access to Waerebo

You can reach Waerebo by motorized vehicle, car, or travel agency. The route to Waerebo is: Labuan Bajo-Ruteng-Dintor-Waerebo. Denge is the last village accessible by motorized vehicle. To reach Waerebo, tourists must walk, taking approximately 2 hours.

Management

The Waerebo Traditional Village has been managed by the Waerebo Cultural Preservation Institute (LPBW) since 2007 and was established in 2012.

LPBW consists of:

• 8 advisors (Elders/Customary Council from 8 generations)
• 1 assistant
• Core Management: Leader (1), Deputy (1), Secretary (1), Treasurer (2)
• Supervisors: Leader (1), Deputy (1), Members (3)

Section Leaders (8)

• Employees: Accountants (3)
• Traditional Elders Group (10)
• Daily Guest House Manager (5)
• Women’s Cooking Group (76)
• Cultural Group (36)

In 2021, Waerebo received the Tourism Village Award for the Tourism Attraction category. by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Awards Won by Waerebo Tourism Village:

• World Cultural Heritage (UNESCO 2012)
• Green Tourism Village (Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy)
• Indonesian Sustainable Tourism Award (ISTA 2018)
• Tourism Village Award (ADWI 2021) for Attraction Type
• ASSEAN Community-Based Tourism 2023