Indonesia · Village Tours

Full-Day Watublapi Cultural Tour in Maumere with Live Performance

1 Day Round trip from 967Q+62F Moderate pace

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The journey

Trip highlights

01 Watch the art of making tribal hand-woven fabrics
02 Enjoy local music, folk songs, and traditional dance performances
03 See a handicraft exhibition and interact with the locals
04 Savour local delicacies, chew betel nut, and taste Arak
05 Shop for high-quality hand-woven fabrics and local handicrafts

Explore the beautiful hillside village of Watublapi in Maumere, Flores, and travel through rural settlements with stunning views of mountain slopes, valleys, and terraced farmland. Experience traditional greetings, local music, folk songs, and dance performances while discovering the cultural heritage of the village. You will also observe the traditional hand-weaving process, enjoy local food and drinks, and spend time interacting with the community at the Bliran Sina Cultural Center.

We will then take you to the hillside village of Watublapi, passing through small rural settlements and offering beautiful views of mountain slopes, valleys, and terraced farmland.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 1 Day

Tour type Private

Activity level Moderate

Accommodation Not included

Transport Included

Wheelchair access Not applicable

Languages English, Indonesian

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Watublapi Village Cultural Experience

Our team will greet you and pick you up from Frans Seda Airport in Maumere, Flores, from Laurens Say Commercial Port in Maumere wherever your cruise ship or yacht is anchored, or from your hotel in the Maumere area.
We will then take you to the hillside village of Watublapi, passing through small rural settlements and offering beautiful views of mountain slopes, valleys, and terraced farmland.
During the journey, you can observe cashew nut plantations, cocoa, cloves, candle-nut, jackfruit, avocado, and more. Upon arrival at Watublapi village, you will be welcomed with traditional greetings and typical dances, followed by a chance to chew betel nut, smoke local tobacco, and taste "Lekun," a local cake, and Arak, a liquor made from palm fruit. Local music, traditional dances, and folk songs will accompany these activities.
You will also have the opportunity to participate in a demonstration of traditional dances and observe the process of making hand-woven fabrics, from cotton seed separation to milling, dyeing, and weaving. Lunch will be served by members of the Bliran Sina Cultural Center, after which you can take a leisurely walk to enjoy the fresh air of Watublapi village and observe the drying process of cloves, cocoa, coffee, or other commodities, depending on the season.
After the tour, we will take you back to your original location, with an optional stop in Maumere city for those who need access to a bank ATM or would like to do some shopping.

Tour ends.

Where this trip takes you

Watublapi village, terraced farmland and mountain slopes, Bliran Sina Cultural Center

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map — Round trip from 967Q+62F 1 city · 1 Day

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

Tour and transfers by private AC car, minibus, or bus, depending on the number of participants
A package of live cultural performance
1 lunch featuring delicious local culinary specialties
Communication and pre-arrangement
Mineral water
Experienced English-speaking local guide

What's Not Included

Flight tickets to and from Flores
Travel insurance, side trips, and meals outside the tour program
Any expenses of a personal nature and end-of-tour tipping for the guide and driver, unless specified as included

What to bring

Toilet paper
Other personal needs

Know before you go

Watublapi is a small community in Sikka Regency that is famous for its fine, high-quality traditional woven fabrics. While many other local weaving communities have turned to industrially spun yarn and chemical dyes to save time and money, Watublapi weavers still use hand-spun yarn made from local cotton and local natural dyes. In the 1980s, the villagers, together with the German priest Pater Bollen, SVD, founded a cultural cooperative called Sanggar Bliran Sina with the aim of preserving and promoting traditional dances, local music, ikat weaving, and other local crafts. Under the enthusiastic leadership of Daniel David, a young man from Watublapi, Bliran Sina has grown into a well-established cooperative with more than 40 members who support each other in financial, educational, and health matters. Additionally, Bliran Sina's outward orientation and collaborations with Fair Trade organizations, such as Threads of Life, have allowed Watublapi's ikat weavers to find their way to collectors around the world. Visitors who are particularly interested in woven ikat will have the opportunity to shop for high-quality hand-woven fabrics and other interesting handicrafts as souvenirs.
Private visit or optional tour and extension tour days are available upon request:
- 3 hours round trip to Blikon Blewut Museum, an anthropological museum that offers various collections of local royal families' old portraits, antique hand-woven cloths, ancient elephant fossils, prehistoric agricultural equipment, and much more.
- 4-5 hours round trip to Bukit Nilo, a strategic and beautiful spot that offers a spectacular view over Maumere city, Wuring fishing village, and the Flores Sea, with small outlying islands to the north and the Savu Sea to the south. There stands a large, sturdy statue of Mary, the "Mother of All Nations." This place has become a favourite pilgrimage site, and there are visitors every day.
- 5 hours round trip to Sikka, a traditional village south of Maumere. It offers a 150-year-old Portuguese church, typical Sikkanese hand-woven fabrics, and a beautiful beach. Different from Watublapi, Dokar, or other villages in the east of Maumere, the hand-woven fabrics from Sikka look much brighter and more colourful and still use hand-spun cotton thread and natural dyes.
- 4 hours round trip to Doka Tawatana, another weaving village near Watublapi. It is available with advance booking and includes a live cultural performance similar to Watublapi, but with a different surrounding environment, views, colours, background, and story - much more cheerful in colour.
- Kelimutu via Ropa Beach, North Ende, or from Maumere, based on request.

Logistics