Bajawa and Bena: megaliths under a volcano
In the shadow of the perfect cone of Inerie, the Ngada villages keep stone altars, carved shrines and thatched houses arranged in terraces facing the mountain.
- Area
- Central & East Flores
- Start from
- Ruteng
- Distance
- about 130 km from Ruteng; Bena is about 18 km from Bajawa
- Time needed
- 2 days
- Best season
- April – October; Reba festival usually December – February
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Transport
- Car and driver or ojek from Bajawa
- Tickets & rules
- Donation or entry fee at Bena; sarong may be offered
Why go
Bajawa is a cool hill town in the Ngada highlands, surrounded by volcanoes, bamboo forest and coffee gardens. It makes a fine base for a few days, but the real reason to come is the traditional villages around it, above all Bena, which sits on a ridge below the near-perfect cone of Mount Inerie.
Bena is built in long rows of high-roofed houses facing each other across a central plaza that climbs in terraces. In the middle stand the village’s ancestral shrines: the ngadhu, a carved post topped by a thatched umbrella, representing male ancestors, and the bhaga, a miniature house representing female ancestors. Around them lie megalithic stones and altars. Women weave ikat on porches, and drying coffee, cacao and candlenuts cover mats in the sun.
Nearby, the Malanage hot springs offer a different pleasure: a hot river meets a cold one in the forest, and you can choose your temperature by moving a few steps. It is a perfect end to a day of driving and walking.
The story
The Ngada are a matrilineal society: land and houses pass through the female line, and a man traditionally moves to his wife’s family. Each clan in Bena has its own pair of ngadhu and bhaga, and the roofs of houses are often topped with small carved figures, a man or a house, showing whether the clan descends through a male or female founder.
The megaliths in the plaza are said to have been carried from the riverbeds by ancestors, and they are still used for ceremonies. Water buffalo horns and pig jaws hung on house fronts record the animals sacrificed at important rituals, a visible measure of a family’s status and history.
Mount Inerie, over 2,200 metres high, is sacred to the Ngada, considered the seat of ancestral spirits. Every year, in the Reba festival, the communities give thanks for the harvest and remember their ancestors with dances, songs and feasts. Catholicism arrived with missionaries in the early twentieth century, and today most Ngada people combine both faiths without contradiction.
Getting there
Bajawa is about four or five hours’ drive east of Ruteng on the Trans-Flores Highway, and four or five hours west of Ende. There is a small airport at Soa, north of town, with occasional flights.
Bena is about forty minutes by car or ojek south of Bajawa, on a winding road through bamboo. Malanage hot springs are nearby, and Gurusina, another traditional village, is a short drive further.
A suggested plan
- Day 1 afternoonArrive in Bajawa from Ruteng; walk the market and see the sunset over the hills.
- Day 2 earlyDrive to Bena while the light is soft on Inerie.
- Day 2 morningWalk the village with a local guide; visit Gurusina if time allows.
- Day 2 afternoonSoak in the Malanage hot springs.
- EveningBack in Bajawa for dinner and an early night before the road east.
Where to stay
Bajawa has simple hotels and family guesthouses. Some villages, including Bena, can arrange basic homestays; ask your driver or guide.
Good to know
- Hire a local guide in Bena to understand the shrines and customs.
- Bring warm clothes; Bajawa is cool at night.
- Buy ikat directly from the weavers; prices reflect weeks of work.
- Ask before entering houses or photographing people.
- Don’t climb on the megaliths or touch the shrines.
- Mountain roads are steep and winding; avoid driving after dark.
- Climbing Inerie requires a guide and a very early start; don’t attempt it alone.