Wae Rebo

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Wae Rebo is a village on the Indonesian island of Flores in the Manggarai administrative district of the Nusa Tenggara Timur Province . It is characterized by the traditional Manggarai houses and by its seclusion, as it is isolated in a high valley without road connections and can only be reached on foot.

Manggarai houses from Wae Rebo

Location and townscape

Wae Rebo is located at an altitude of about 1100 m on Mount Rato, near the southwest coast of Flores. The place has no direct transport links. Access to the village and the goods are transported almost exclusively on foot via mountain paths, most of which lead through the tropical rainforest. The main path leads from the coastal town of Denge as an asphalt road about 5 km to the foot of the wooded mountain paths. From there it is about 10 km, partly a steep trail, to the village, which is located in a high valley on Mount Rato.

The approximately 200 inhabitants are almost exclusively Catholic Christians. According to the State Ministry of Tourism, Wae Rebo was founded by Empu Maro about 100 years ago. Today's residents are its descendants in the 18th generation. They live mainly from agriculture, by growing coffee beans, vanilla pods and cinnamon.

Sightseeing and tourism

The most characteristic aspect of Wae Rebo are the traditional, so-called Mbaru Niang round houses, which are covered with conical roofs made of straw from the Lontar palm that almost reach the floor. These houses were once typical of the region, but have fallen into disrepair and have visibly disappeared in recent decades. With the help of a group of architects, craftsmen and artists from Jakarta, ten of these houses were examined and restored so that they can once again serve as traditional homes for up to eight families of one clan. The houses are up to seven stories high, with only the lowest level serving as living space and the other intermediate floors being reserved for the storage and processing of the agricultural products grown in the area.

Since 2012 tourism has been an increasingly important source of income for the residents of the village. Backpackers are offered overnight accommodation with meals in a Manggarai house serving as collective accommodation. Other tourist facilities or infrastructure do not yet exist. As part of the "UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards" in 2012 in Bangkok, UNESCO presented Wae Rebo with the "Top Award of Excellence". Since then, the village has been sponsored by UNESCO as part of an eco-tourism project.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Traditional Village of Wae Rebo on the Island of Flores. Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia
  2. ^ The Traditional Village of Wae Rebo on the Island of Flores. Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia

Coordinates: 8 ° 46 ′  S , 120 ° 17 ′  E