Pristine: Terambing bay, an untouched azure beach in the southern coast of Sumba. (Courtesy of Jakpost.travel)

Sumba remains one of the least-visited islands of Indonesia, often bypassed for Lombok and Flores.

It is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands and lies slightly further south than its neighbors. But it is only a one-hour flight from Bali. It boasts pristine, sparkling beaches and world-class surf breaks, making it well worth a visit.

The island is still limited in terms of accommodation choices but with a bit of planning, you can explore some amazing, deserted coves.

Sumba is a large island with a very arid interior. Most of the island'€™s tourism lies on the southwest coast and centers around surfing and the annual Pasola festival.

However, there are fantastic untouched azure beaches stretching all around the island.

This is slowly becoming a must-see place for people seeking tranquility and a place where time seems to have stood still, despite the tourist boom all around them.

The beaches vary dramatically in terms of their landscape, depending on the surrounding ecosystems.

Sumba is also home to vast tracts of mangrove forest, which merge into the sea and rivers around the south central region and further to the east. Valleys of forests give way to endless powder-sand beaches, whereas the southwest coast is characterized by a continuous line of rocky outcrops harboring idyllic bays.

In the southeast, in the Tarimbang area, there are some small hotels and some truly breathtaking beaches.

Some are accessible by windy and bumpy roads that are slowly being renovated.

The main roads out of Waingapu, the capital of East Sumba, and Tambaloka, the capital of Southwest Sumba, run through the center and to the southwest coastal area, where many of the eastern beaches are located along smaller tracks with more basic accommodation options.

However, the natural beauty of the area more than makes up for the difficult journey that it takes to get there.

Other parts of Indonesia are being over-fished, but in the waters off Sumba there is a plethora of fresh seafood that will appeal to anyone who enjoys fishing. Simply drop a line and large mahi mahi, barracuda, tuna and snapper are plentiful.

A fishing boat is also the best way to explore some of the more out of the way coves and bays that are home to turtles and dolphins, and coves where you will hardly encounter a single soul.

Some yachts use this route but the main Indonesian sailing tours do not really venture to this point. Therefore, it is likely that you will not encounter any other tourists on this side of the coast.

Venturing toward the beaches on the central southern coast, you will reach Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park.

Here lie the Konda and Maloba (or '€œKondamaloba'€) bays. To get there, one bypasses a varied landscape, a lush dense mangrove forest filled with the shrieks of birds and monkeys. This area is a bird-watcher'€™s paradise and filled with a variety of species.

There is, however, no accommodation in this area and you have to head inland to Lewa and its surrounding areas to stay the night, so visit these areas earlier in the day.

At low tide, it is possible to swim both in the sublime estuary and alongside the beach.

However, when the tide is higher, it can be a bit rough and it is not good for surfing; therefore, it would be wiser to be cautious.

(Electra Gillies/Jakpost.travel)

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