Charming Culture of Wae Rebo Village in Flores Island
Wae Rebo Village depicts traditional life, authentic and strong culture of the Manggarai community in the western part of Flores Island. Its location in the highlands of this island represents the harmony of the community’s culture and the beauty of nature that is still maintained.
Once you step up to this village, you will feel the aura of warmth and friendly welcome from the local community that has become part of the culture. Visiting this village makes you involved, learn and feel the way of life of Manggarai people traditionally.
Livelihoods and Crafts of Wae Rebo Villagers.
Daily life in the traditional village of Wae Rebo is rooted in agriculture, plantations, or sometimes skilled crafts such as weaving. These skills are often passed down through families and serve both practical and artistic purposes.
Agriculture and Plantations
The main livelihood of the Wae Rebo community is coffee plantations. when you visit here, you can be involved in the process of making coffee traditionally, especially if you visit during the harvest season. you can go to the garden and pick coffee beans that are ready to be harvested. you can even be involved in extracting coffee beans into coffee powder that is ready to be enjoyed. everything is done traditionally.
Please Note that If you want this kind of experiences, it is highly recommended for you to visit during the coffee harvest season in this village. because the coffee harvesting process does not occur throughout the year but once a year. You can communicate through us when the exact time of coffee harvest, but it is usually on May and June.
Weaving
Weaving is usually done by the women of this village in their spare time. They usually weave Songket cloth which is part of the traditional clothing of the Manggarai community. Even though it is not their main activity, you can see women weaving nice pieces of cloth here. Their woven products also have unique motifs and patterns which usually correspond to the philosophy of the local indigenous community. The patterns created are usually related to nature, such as flowers, leaves, even animals. If you are interested, you can buy one or more for your collection at home from Wae Rebo village.
Cultural Attractions of Wae Rebo Village in Flores Island
Wae Rebo Traditional village is worth visiting since they offer distinctive holiday experiences for the visitors.
Located on Flores Island in Indonesia, Wae Rebo Village offers unique cultural attractions, which are related to nature, local life, spiritual belief, and local customs.
Mbaru Niang
Mbaru Niang is the name for traditional houses of Manggarai People. It looks like a cone made from wood and palm fiber. The houses are used for the family as well as for storing gongs and drums used for local dance performances.
The ceremonies usually take place in the huge communal house. If you visit this place, you can stay a night at the local house and enjoy the food offered by the villagers. You can sleep on the tikar, a mattress made from pandan leaves.
The weather is so nice so you can breathe relaxingly and forget about crowds and the polluted city, where you live.
Nice scenes and singing birds
Since the local people take care of the environment well, the nature is preserved nicely. You can see local people starting to work early in the morning to harvest coffee or collecting beans.
The singing birds are among the trees and they are so beautiful, thus providing you with the real and simple country life, in which the villagers live close to nature.
How to Get to Wae Rebo Village
Reaching Wae Rebo Traditional Village can be done 5 hours driving from Labuan Bajo Town to the Denge village as start trekking point. From Denge Village, you need around 3-4 hours more, trekking through the lush forest. While your trekking, you will be accompanied by the chirping of singing birds.
It is advisable for you to include a tour guide on this tour to prevent you from losing your way up to Wae Rebo village. The tour guide will also help you with their knowledge about the village and natural conditions during you trip.
Best Time to Visit Wae Rebo Traditional Village
If you are very interested in visiting this village, choosing the right time also determines the success of your tour. In addition, this is also intended so that you feel satisfied and get an unforgettable tour experience after you return from this traditional village.
Our suggestion is you can visit Wae Rebo village from March to October or you could say visit during the dry season. why is that? there are several underlying reasons
First of All, it is because your journey to Wae Rebo village is through a hilly path and is in an area that is very prone to landslides when the rainy season comes. Due to this reason, sometimes tour activities to Wae Rebo village are closed during the rainy season, especially if there is a landslide. All this reason are for your safety.
Secondly, If you want to experience and be involved in the local way of life in this village, especially during the coffee harvesting process, then it is recommended that you visit around May or June. Here, you will be invited and shown the process of making coffee from beans to coffee powder in the traditional way.
Lastly, this aims to ensure the running of all your travel activities smoothly. We know that traveling during the rainy season will slow down your tour activities. Of course this is not very enjoyable, right?
a sunny day in the dry season would be a great opportunity to explore more about the village and the beauty of nature here in Wae Rebo Village.