Sumba waterfalls: the complete guide

Sumba is a dry island, which makes its waterfalls feel even more special. Most sit inside forested valleys or canyons and need a walk to reach. All are on our interactive map.

West and Southwest Sumba

Lapopu

Lapopu falls down a wide staircase of rock inside Matalawa National Park, between West and Central Sumba. A short walk leads from the parking area. An entrance fee applies.

Weekacura

Weekacura is a series of low cascades in the middle of rice paddies near Tambolaka. Walk carefully on the field edges.

Central Sumba

Matayangu

Matayangu hides deep in the national park forest and is reached on foot along a jungle trail. One of the island's most magical places, and one of the hardest to reach.

Harunda

Harunda is a waterfall about 20 metres high reached by walking up a rocky riverbed.

East Sumba

Tanggedu

At Tanggedu the river has carved a narrow canyon of turquoise pools. The walk crosses open savanna; go with a local guide.

Waimarang

Waimarang pours into a deep green pool surrounded by forest, reached on foot.

Kolam Jodoh

Kolam Jodoh, the "lovers' pool", is a small multi-step fall into a clear pool near Lewa.

Tips

• Wear sandals with grip; rocks are slippery.
• Do not swim after heavy rain: water rises fast and turns brown.
• Carry water, cash for entrance fees and parking, and leave nothing behind.
• Late dry season (September and October) can leave some falls very thin.

When to go

Waterfalls are fullest in and just after the wet season, roughly December to April, and thinnest in September and October. In the dry season the water is clearer and paths are easier.

Safety

• Rocks are slippery: wear sandals with grip.
• Do not swim after heavy rain, when water can rise quickly.
• Some falls require a walk or a river crossing; ask locally.

📍 Places in this guide at a glance

💧 Every waterfalls on our map

• Lapopu Waterfall (Central Sumba). One of Sumba's tallest waterfalls, tumbling down a series of rock terraces inside Matalawa National Park, on the border of West and Central Sumba.
• Matayangu Waterfall (Central Sumba). A hidden waterfall deep in the forest of Matalawa National Park in Central Sumba, reached on foot along a jungle trail.
• Waimarang Waterfall (East Sumba). A waterfall that drops into a round, jade-green pool surrounded by rock walls, in the Rindi area of East Sumba.
• Tanggedu Waterfall (East Sumba). A river that has carved a narrow rock canyon in the hills of East Sumba, leaving a staircase of turquoise pools and small falls.
• Harunda Waterfall (Central Sumba). A waterfall about 20 metres high in the village of Soru, Umbu Ratu Nggay, in the east of Central Sumba, roughly 45 km from Waibakul.
• Weekacura Waterfall (Southwest Sumba). A waterfall in the middle of rice fields at Tema Tana, Wewewa Timur, in Southwest Sumba.
• Kolam Jodoh Waterfall (East Sumba). A small multi-step waterfall that pours into a clear natural pool ringed by greenery, at Umamanu in Lewa Tidahu, just across the border in East Sumba.