Sumba doesn't have many tourist routes. What it has is a road network that leads to places most travellers never reach — a saltwater lake where you can swim with bright blue water and no crowds, a surf beach that's been called one of the best in the world, waterfalls that fall into stone pools in the middle of the forest. Getting to any of them on a motorcycle takes between 30 minutes and 2 hours from the main towns. The roads are the experience, not just the means of transport.
These are the six routes we'd ride if we had a week in West Sumba. All are accessible on the BH Custom BH-G3 — and several of them are only really doable on a bike that handles off-tarmac surfaces.
🛵 All routes start from Waikabubak (the main town in West Sumba, 42 km from the airport). With airport delivery, you can start riding any of these routes within an hour of landing.
The Routes
Weekuri is Sumba's most photogenic destination — a lagoon of impossibly turquoise water cut off from the ocean by a thin strip of rock. The water is saltwater but calm, protected from the swell. You can swim, float, or just sit on the rocks and try to understand how something this beautiful exists without a resort around it.
The road from Waikabubak is mixed tarmac and gravel. The last few kilometres before the lagoon are unpaved. The BH-G3 handles it without drama; a standard scooter will struggle on the final approach.
Nihiwatu is where Sumba's coast hits its peak. The beach is long, empty, and breaks with a left-hand wave that Surfer Magazine once ranked as the best in the world. The resort of the same name sits above the beach, but the beach itself is public. Bring your own food and water — there are no warungs close to the beach.
The route from Waikabubak takes you south through savannah that turns golden in the dry season. The road is tarmac most of the way, with a few short dirt sections as you approach the coast. Combine this with Pero Beach (5 km further down the coast) for a full day of riding and swimming.
Air Terjun Lapopu is one of the most impressive waterfalls in Eastern Indonesia — a wide cascade that falls into a natural swimming pool surrounded by forest. The access road is decent tarmac for most of the way, with the final kilometre on dirt. The swimming pool at the base is deep and cold, perfect after the ride in.
This is a good route to combine with Weekuri Lake (both are roughly south-west of Waikabubak) for a full day out.
The area around Anakalang, east of Waikabubak, contains some of Sumba's most important traditional villages — clan settlements with megalithic stone tombs that were carved for the nobility centuries ago. The tombs are still used today for burial. This is not a museum — people live in these villages, and the tombs sit in the middle of daily life.
The roads through the Anakalang area are paved and in good condition. The route is easy to navigate — several villages are visible from the main road. Ask at your guesthouse for current etiquette guidance before visiting.
The Wanokaka coast south of Waikabubak is where you go when you want to feel like you've found Sumba for real. The road hugs clifftops above the ocean, passing through tiny fishing villages where children wave at you and adults look genuinely surprised to see a foreign visitor. The road quality is variable — some sections of smooth tarmac, some loose stone, some compressed dirt that turns to mud in rain.
There are several unnamed beaches accessible from this road via short tracks down the cliff. Most are completely empty. This is the kind of riding Sumba is for.
This is your first ride in Sumba — the 42 km between Tambolaka Airport and Waikabubak. It's worth mentioning because the road itself is a preview of everything that makes Sumba remarkable: rolling savannah, horses grazing freely on the roadside, water buffalo in the rice paddies, views of hills in every direction. It's tarmac, it's easy, and it's beautiful. Take your time on it.
With airport delivery, this is the first road you'll ride. Don't rush it.
Practical Tips for Riding These Routes
- Always carry water and snacks. Warungs (small food stalls) exist in most villages, but remote coastal roads can have gaps of 15–20 km with nothing.
- Download offline maps before you go. Mobile signal is unreliable once you leave the main road. Maps.me or Google Maps with offline area downloaded work well.
- Ride earlier in the day. Afternoons bring heat and occasional rain. Most routes are better in the morning light anyway.
- Tell your guesthouse where you're going. Not for safety theatre — just so someone has context if you're not back by dark. Roads in Sumba don't have roadside assistance except ours (we're 24/7 on WhatsApp).
- Avoid dirt roads after heavy rain. Sumba's clay soil turns to a deep slick mud that's difficult even on knobbly tyres. Wait a few hours after heavy rain before heading onto unpaved sections.