Warinding Hill
Grass hills in the west where horses graze loose. Sunset stop on the four and five day trips.
Marapu Sumba
The Sandalwood horse, wealth that walks
Sumba's indigenous pony is not livestock. It is status, bridewealth and ritual, and it shaped the savanna you drive across on the way east.
Plan on WhatsApp- Indigenous breed
- 1
- Arrived before European contact
- Pre-EU
- Hills you see them on
- 2
- Both halves of the island
- W+E
In short
The Sandalwood horse is Sumba's indigenous pony, a marker of status and wealth in Marapu communities long before it was ever a means of transport.
- Horses are believed to have reached the island before European contact, by way of older trade routes.
- They adapted to Sumba's savanna, which is why the breed is small, hardy and sure-footed.
- Historically a marker of status, wealth and power - and part of bridewealth.
- They are also the horses ridden at Pasola.
On the trip
Where you actually see them
Not in a paddock. They are working animals on open ground.
Purukambera Savanna
Open savanna in East Sumba, on the five and six day trips.
In the villages
Tethered and grazing among the houses at Ratenggaro and Prai Ijing.
Ask before you photograph
If someone is with the horse, the same courtesy applies as anywhere else on the island.
Getting there
Trips that cross the savanna
Purukambera is on the longer two. Warinding is on all four.
Open Trip 4D3N
Shared departure every Thursday, USD 459 per person.
Private 4D3N
Your own car and dates, from USD 390.
Private 5D4N
Fourteen destinations, from USD 490.
Private 6D5N
Eighteen destinations, from USD 570.
Frequently Asked Questions
Want savanna in the itinerary?
Purukambera needs five days or more. Send your dates and we will confirm.