Exploring Sumbawa and Sumba
Unreal mate. Sounds like a great trip.
Hiring a bike for a few weeks would defiently be the way to go to give you freedom to check out roads to the coast, and yes you can generally stay with locals if no proper accommodation, just ask to see the Kepala desa (head of village) if you can't stay with him, he will generally find you a family too stay with, trade winds are generally the problem for little surfed spots on those islands.
Other than that I'm not going to say anything else in a public forum and i hope others don't mention or even hint at specific spots etc that are little known..
BTW. If you are going to hire a bike long term and it has any kind of damage or even wear and tear etc...take photos of the defaults on bike with the guy you are renting it from or try to get it written on paper etc and talk to him about these issues before you go (do it with a smile and a joke), get your mate to record video of the conversation otherwise when you return the bike it's highly likely they will try to sting you for $$$ and say you did the damage. (scratches, dents, anything missing etc) and better still make sure the registration papers match his/her ID and that you have international drivers licensed to ride that covers motorbike, not just for cops but could save you time and money if in an accident...oh and get a good travel insurance that covers motorbike accidents.
Thanks Heaps, Indo-dreaming! I have just about finished up my three weeks in south Sumatra then i'm off to sort out a 60 day visa and head East!
Best of luck .
Maybe keep it a bit dark if you score somewhere nice without too many people so you can try and do the same next time ?
I reckon a motorbike could be the go. Plenty of accessible spots on both Sumba and Sumbawa.
I’m looking to spend a bit of time exploring Sumbawa and sumba in the coming months. I want to do it on the cheap and get away from the crowds as much as possible. Any suggestions on getting around, where to head, where to stay etc would be greatly appreciated. Am I better off hiring a bike for a month or two and just cruising around and trying to stay with some locals in exchange for some money or supplies? I am sure that sumba especially will have plenty of surf potential off the beaten track, just not sure if there is much access by land or is a boat the only option?
Thanks in advance! Yeew