Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
10,711km²
Area
540km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
604m
Highest point
611,422
People
29°C
Warmest sea
December
676km
To the mainland
When to go to Sumba Island
Best for the beach from June to August.
The sea is warmest in December (29 °C) and coolest in August (26 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia
Sumba Island is an island in Indonesia. It belongs to Lesser Sunda Islands. It covers 10,711 km², with 540 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 604 m. About 611,422 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 676 km away.
Getting there
- Sultan Muhammad Salahuddin Airport (BMU)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 196 km in a straight lineCar hire at DPS airport (Kuta, Badung)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesWaikelo - Mamboro, Waingapu - Borong, Mamboro - Waingapu, Aimere - Waingapu
- 676 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From June to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Sumba Island.
- 37beachesPantai Wanokaka, Parunu Beach, Pantai Pero and 34 more
- 9viewpointsBukit Persaudaraan, Savana Puru Kambera, Pantai Pero (Beach) and 6 more
- 8ferry terminalsASDP, Pelabuhan Watu Asa, Waikelo ferry port and 5 more
- 152named peaksGunung and 151 more
- 9waterfallsMatayangu Waterfall, Lapopu Waterfall, Harunda and 6 more
- 1castles and fortsKuburan Islam
- 4ruins and archaeological sitesKubur Batu Gallubakul, Kampung Adat Wunga, Kampung adat Rindi Praiyawang and 1 more
- 4campsitesJulius Manna’s Land, GKS Cabang Ndapa Kali, GKS Cabang Lobung and 1 more
- 74hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 24restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Sumba Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Sumba Island, each with its own numbers.
6beaches and covesCoastya
3lakesLakeyas
6waterfallsCascadyas
Largest lake
0.37km²
Rin
according to Lakeyas
Beach with the warmest sea
29.5°C
Teluk Rita
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
6 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Teluk Ngedocove29.5°C
- Teluk Ritacove29.5°C
- Teluk Kahorecove29.5°C
- Teluk Kapihakcove29.3°C
- Teluk Laiwutungcove29.3°C
- Teluk Makanocove29.3°C
3 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- Rin0.37km²
- Ramuk Rakawat0.21km²
- Tamma Laimadat0.17km²
Lakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗
6 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Air Terjun Waimur
- Air Terjun Kalikupandi
- Air Terjun Matayang
- Airterjun Kanabuai
- Air Terjun Lukat
- Tanggedu waterfall
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 322 m above the sea. 35 % of it is below 200 m.
- 10 %0–50 m
- 24 %50–200 m
- 43 %200–500 m
- 22 %500–1,000 m
- <1 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
100 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Waingapu35,932 people
- Tambolaka35,790 people
- Waimangurano census figure
- Waikabubakno census figure
- Kawanguno census figure
- Elopadano census figure
- Bondokodino census figure
- Kananggarno census figure
- Nggongino census figure
- Malaharno census figure
- Kabukarudino census figure
- Kotawaikabubakno census figure
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 30 |
| Night low (°C) | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 25 |
| Sea (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 |
| Rain (mm) | 236 | 203 | 204 | 124 | 60 | 32 | 17 | 10 | 21 | 39 | 97 | 227 |
| Wet days | 27 | 26 | 26 | 20 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 27 |
| Sun h/day | 6.8 | 7.2 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 9.2 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 8.9 | 7.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 16 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 11 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.5 | −0.4 | +1.0 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.5 |
| 2021 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +1.0 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.3 |
| 2022 | −0.2 | −0.2 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +1.2 | +1.3 | +0.3 | ±0.0 |
| 2023 | ±0.0 | −0.4 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.5 | −0.3 | +0.2 | +0.1 | −0.1 |
| 2024 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.8 | −0.2 |
| 2025 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.1 | ±0.0 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Komodo Island
Indonesia319 km²436 m142 km away
Rinca IslandIndonesia204 km²26 m120 km away
Flores IslandIndonesia13,540 km²2,370 m199 km awayEnde IslandIndonesia10 km²130 m191 km away
Sumbawa IslandIndonesia14,386 km²2,850 m247 km away
Sabu IslandIndonesia419 km²146 m221 km away
Rote IslandIndonesia1,210 km²320 m359 km away
Adonara IslandIndonesia508 km²1,659 m381 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q206368) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Lakeyas, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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