Sumba Airport Taxi

Tambolaka Airport - TMC

Arrival to TMC Airport you will find local taxis waiting outside arrivals. Like any small airport you arrive to the taxi drivers are outside the arrival door all looking to offer their service to the tourist. It can be overwhelming but it's probably there only chance that day to make some money so they of course are very eager. Depending on the time of day you might also find some very excited children who want to help you.

Prices for locals and tourists are different. You can haggle the price to the hotel. If you really push you can get down to 100,000 IDR which is the more local price to the hotels near the airport. If you don't mind paying then 200,000 IDR will be the first price they offer or more.

Sumba doesn't have a lot of taxis available so If you are looking for someone to drive you around the island you will probably stick with the driver you chose from the airport. They all have what's app and know who is driving what tourist and it's difficult to swap to a new driver. Most drivers are from Sumba, however there are some drivers from other parts of Indonesia that are more pushy in their style and take things for granted like if you offer them a drink they will sit down and order food if you eat at a restaurant.

There really is no need to have an additional tourist guide. The taxi driver knows where to go and of course as a small island knows most of the people. You can always use a translate app.

Rates for hiring a taxi can start from 600,000 for a transfer from Tambolaka Airport to the south of the island where Nihiwatu Beach or Pantai Dua is and the other hotels listed on the hotel booking apps.

All day tours start from 800,000 and upwards depending on your negotiation skills and how much you want to get a lower price. On an all day tour you can decide the places and beaches you want to visit and just discuss the route. The driver will come at about 8am to pick you up but any earlier they are not really reliable. Remember they are not really aware of the western tourist concept and prefer to work on a time schedule that suits them. On Sundays as Christian and Catholic drivers will probably want to go to church so bare that in mind if you are thinking about Sunday all day tours.

Lots of people like to experience the Sunset so probably starting later in the day can be a good idea. The sunset on the west coast can be quite amazing. Most if not all of the hotels that cost over 1 million do not welcome outside guests and if they do they like to inform you about a minimum spend even before you sit down.

Visits to waterfalls and beaches all have parking fees and entrance fees. These are not really told to you in advance but make sure you carry lots of small notes to pay, especially 20,000 and 50,000 notes. You can easily get through 1,000,000 IDR in one day. The places don't have change as they think perhaps you will just give the 100,000 instead of the normal fee of about 50,000 entrance to the place. Parking can be upward of 20,000 for each place you stop.

Note that Pantai Mandorak and and Laguna Wee Kuri parking and entrance fees are high at 100,000 or something like this. They have been used to getting tourists from high end expensive hotels and now expect this amount. There are also a lot of children at these two places chasing photos and generally annoying a peaceful visit. There are over 110 beaches in Sumba, so if you don't like the pushy side of things or children chasing photos whilst you are trying to relax chose another beach. Laguna Wee Kurt is a smaller version of Raja Ampit.

All of the hotels have their own drivers they like to use. Just be aware that if the hotel arranges any transport the cost will include a little commission for the person arranging the taxi so the price will not be the cheapest. It all depends if you follow a careful budget, don't like to pay above the local rate or you are carefree with your money on holidays or you just like to haggle and feel like you are getting a good deal.

You can also try the tax app 'Maxim' - you could be lucky and get a ride this way.

Tambolaka to Waingapu Taxi

It's about a 4 hour drive from the Tambolaka in the west to the east side of Wainapu. The road is nice and well maintained. The scenery is enjoyable and spectacular.

The price starts from 1,000,000 IDR but you will often be asked to pay 1,300,000 IDR or higher.

The road is full of bends similar to mountains in Europe so if the driver drives fast you can get quite nauseous and sick as for them its a long drive there and back so they want to go fast. Just ask them to slow down.

Waingapu Airport - WGP

A new airport with a modern arrival and departure area opened last year 2023. Taxis at the airport will charge 50,000 IDR per person to local hotels.

All day tours start at 800,000 IDR including driver and fuel expenses.

In Waingapu there is the Taxi App 'Maxim" but most of the hotels know the taxi drivers so as soon as you book on the app the taxi driver will send a message to his contact in the hotel to ask who has booked. They then agree that the taxi doesn't come and the hotel will offer to arrange transport.

Instead of costing 20,000 IDR for a trip from the Kanbaniru Hotel to down the port it will cost you 100,000 IDR for a one hour taxi hire. Of course the next bump will be the driver drives so slow that he's just wasting time so you end up hiring him for 2 hours.

He's also super curious to know where you are going so he can also make commission on you from that location. Not really what you expect as a modern tourist but this is how things are in places that are only just getting used to tourist dollars arriving, reset your mindset to handle these values. You can either laugh at the experience or go with the flow at getting cheated or hit red mist. Either way it's a memorable experience and the reason why we travel to places like this. Happy Adventures.