Bena Traditional Village

Bena Traditional Village

Bena Traditional Village
4.5
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Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Heleen v
    8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great day tour
    We had a great tour today, starting in Bena. Impressive how the clans still live their traditional life. After Bena we chose to climb Avatar mountain and to visit the impressive waterfalls. The nature and views have been overwhelming. Many thanks to our English speaking and professional guide @Alfredo Sua and driver Marselinusbhejosely.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 15, 2024
  • Veronique1702
    Viry, France2,787 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful traditional village
    25,000 rp right entry to pay left when you arrive Women weave in front of their homes; they can be bought You can also buy vanilla or bamboo objects Beautiful place this traditional village; 30 minutes by scooter south of bajawa; this village is at the foot of Mount Inerie; the view of the mountain is spectacular Parking costs 3000 rp
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 18, 2024
  • Gianluigi A
    Arbus, Italy457 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Guardians of tradition.
    Probably the most interesting place to visit on the Island of Flores, at least for the cultural aspects, a timeless place, where the way of life has remained almost unchanged for centuries. Located amidst lush jungles and volcanoes, Bena is said to have been founded about 1,000 years ago by Javanese sailors, whose ship was stranded on the southern shores of Flores. Getting here is like being teleported to another space and time, women waving their Ikats on the carved wooden porches of thatched-roofed houses, using traditional looms. Old men, with black teeth for chewing betel nuts, dry cocoa nuts and cashews on the ground. A megalithic altar stands in the middle of the village, reverberated by a thousand years of songs, and screams of sacrificial buffalo. About five miles from Bajawa.
    Visited October 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written November 17, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles427 reviews
Excellent
208
Very good
156
Average
52
Poor
7
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4

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lrntravel
Bandung, Indonesia53 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Friends
We followed our guide's advice and went to Kampung Bena and were not disappointed at all. The Kampung is close to another one (Luba) and is really worth the visit. The residents are very friendly, welcoming and willing to share a piece of their culture with foreigners.

We definitely recommend our guide, Lorenzo, who's an experienced climber and great ambassador of Bajawa's traditional kampung and flora. You can contact him via WhatsApp (+6285333505160) to schedule your next visit in Bajawa.
Written August 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

REK
38 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Couples
My wife and I visited Bena in September of 2023. It is very close to Manulalu, where we were staying, and is a great thing to see while in Bajawa. We bought two pieces of beautiful hand woven Ikat to bring home. We were brought there and given lots of explanations by the guide we had for our 5 day overland trip - William Doi +62 812 39844115. We are completely confident he is the best guide on Flores. William is clearly beloved by everyone on his island, and does so much for his community. He belongs to the local Ngada culture, speaks local Bajawa, Bahasa, and great English. Everywhere we went in Bajawa, Ruteng, Aimere, Riung, and Labuan Bajo the people lit up when they saw him and in return we were treated like family. We had meals in people’s homes, and got a real window into the incredible culture of Flores. We have to give a huge shoutout to Jonas, our driver, for becoming a close friend while getting us all over quickly and safely. My wife and I are already planning a trip back to the region, largely in part because of the friendship we developed with William and Jonas.
Written September 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ramta
Santiago, Chile141 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
It is worth visiting even if it is a bit for tourists. Interesting to see and learn about the customs and traditions of the Ngada ethnic group that lives in Flores and do it with a guide from the village itself. Ours was Emilia and with her, after getting to know the village and listening to her explanations: we trekked to the village of Tololela, about two hours of non-difficult dog walking in the middle of the jungle where Emilia showed us the flora and fauna of the place.
RamT.
Google
Written August 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Danielle
Borne, The Netherlands4 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
Disappointing. The village is beautifully situated between the mountains, but is more of a museum than a real village. A guide was not available, so you look at some thatched cottages without knowing what you are looking at. People hardly speak English (understandable), so it's not really possible to have a chat directly.
Google
Written January 1, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Donatien d
1 contribution
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Family
The village setting is absolutely beautiful. Some explanatory signs are discreetly made available to tourists in the guest house. Unfortunately, the site is far too touristy: each house sells its ikats to passers-by...
The view behind the statue of the Blessed Virgin at the bottom of the village is worth the short climb!
Automatically translated
Written August 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ignatius Dwi K
Yogyakarta, Indonesia34 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2012 • Friends
Bena village is one of the megalithic village located in Ngada, Flores. Precisely in the Village Tiwuriwu, Aimere District, about 19 ​​km south Bajawa. This village located on the eastern slope of the mountain Inerie. Can be reached by motorbike, car, and public transport. Its presence at the bottom of the mountain are the hallmark of the old society as a devotee of the mountain where the gods. According to the villagers, they believe in the existence of Yeta, who reigned in the mountain gods that protect their village.
Bena villagers gardening. Their crops are coffee beans, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
From this village can do trekking for about 2 hours to the other traditional villages, namely Tolela and ends at Gurusina. Line trekkingnya very fun because going up and down and through the lush forest. Bena villagers are very friendly.
Written January 19, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CoisDeZweed
Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands844 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2017 • Couples
This is a very touristic place: 25k entrance per person. Instead of a gift like other traditional villages. We wanted to go there, but our guide said that it is better to take a good picture from the stairs in front of the village and go to Tololelo instead. This was a great tip: it is the best photo opportunity there!

Our guide was full of good tips and he was very interesting with all this info he gave us. If you are interested in a good tour with a bike to all the local spots (villages, markets, hot springs, waterfalls, mountains etc), you can contact him via Facebook or mobile: Edwyn Bajawa / 082 340 802 479.
Written April 26, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Vincent Sales
Flores, Indonesia4 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2019 • Business
It was really quite to visit Bena in low season. We did it in early of January 2019. There was a sunny day. the village was very clean and fresh. some local women weaved textiles and small children were playing at the home page. we had a good time to see a local woman did dyeing with the natural color from plantation. In the end of visitation we have a glass of coffee for each. it was an original one.
Written January 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bilal Q
London, UK4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2018 • Friends
During our afternoon tour of the villages we visited Bena village and Toloboro village. Myself and 3 others had a guided tour by Melki. Melki was an amazing guide, we contacted him before hand to arrange and he was so helpful. He even helped us arrange a car and driver to take us to the villages before the tour began as we could not find any scooters for rental on the afternoon. He was punctual, friendly, with great English and was really knowledgeable about the villages and the lives of those living there. I cannot recommend him enough.
The villages themselves were lovely to see. You really get a sense of how the community lives. We loved seeing all the houses and speaking to the locals, watching them weave and the children play together. Melki explained in great detail about the society, as it is a matriarchal society there are different elements to the houses to show if they are owned by women or men. He also introduced us to the locals, filled us in about what the various different buildings in the village mean, village customs, family ties, local names and explained the beetle nut, which you will see the majority of the women chewing.
After this he then took us for a short walk/hike between Bena village and Toloboro. Whilst walking through the jungle he pointed out loads of different types of flora and fauna, showing us fruits and spices growing off the plants. This was such a nice touch and we really enjoyed seeing where all these things we often use come from. At Toloboro village we had a look around as in Bena.
We then headed to the hot springs, which I also recommend.

All in all we had a great experience, but Melki our guide definitely made it! We don't usually take guided tours as we like to figure things out ourselves, but I must admit it was definitely worth it in this case. Melkis knowledge was great and without it we would of just been looking at the villages with no real insight.
Also, the most impressive thing was he put us in touch with another guide for us to climb Mount Inerie. As my partner and I didn't have the correct shoes, Melki and Laurenso (the other guide) accompanied us to the town centre to help us find shoes. They stayed with us for an hour, going to various different shops and trying on numerous pairs of shoes and even dropped us back to our hotel after. This was just so amazing, they are so genuine and kind and did not ask for any payment for their time. We then bumped into Melki again a few days later and he invited us to a local wedding. He is honestly such a genuine and kind person, if you need a guide around Bajawa look no further!
Melki's contact number is: +62 823-5063-0768 should you wish to take a tour with him!
Written September 14, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CrisandShamo
Australia184 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2016 • Couples
Yeah sure, it's not a traditional stone age village now in the sense that many people all have mobile phones...and they also charge for entry...but the money is distributed to the village to help the people continue to live here and transition into the modern era. Respect the local people when you visit and ask for permission to take photos...don't just shove a camera in their face. Also don't walk over the grave sites in the centre. I think Bena is one of the happiest and most easy going accessible village of this type I have visited, don't ruin that by being an ugly tourist. If you want REAL tradition, travel to one of the far flung villages that no one visits....but they may eat you!
Written December 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Bena Traditional Village - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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