Rote Island, Indonesia: Best Things to Do + Travel Guide

Surrounded by the shockingly-blue waters of the remote Savu Sea, Rote Island is a mostly-untouched paradise in West Timor, Indonesia. Known locally as Pulau Rote, Rote Island is Indonesia’s southernmost inhabited island — a fun fact to be able to throw out, considering Indonesia has some 18,000+ islands, about 8,000 of which are inhabited. 

But Rote is more than just a geographical superlative: it’s also a major pilgrimage spot for surf geeks, as well a those who want a remote and unique island getaway in Indonesia away from the crowds you’ll find in the main tourist hubs of Java, Bali, Lombok, and Komodo. 

Free-roaming goats, cows, and chickens wander the streets, at times creating “traffic jams” when they decide that they like the middle of the road just fine and don’t feel particularly pressed about moving anytime soon.

In a word, Rote is rugged, with endlessly undulating hills covered in lontar palms, which drop off into the sea on wild white sand beaches. Besides its coastline, there are some inlets in its mangrove forests that shelter crystal-clear lagoons, perfect for all sorts of water activities. 

Mostly, what Rote offers is a stark contrast to the more frequented Indonesian destinations, giving you a rare place to slow down, unwind, and appreciate a place that has mastered the Goldlilocks of tourism: enough infrastructure to be comfortable, yet not enough hype to be overrun. 

Whether you’re a surf enthusiast drawn to the legendary T-Land break, a diver eager to explore the island’s underwater seascapes, or a beach bum looking for some of the most beautiful blues and soft sands Indonesia can offer, Rote offers something for everyone. 

Here are the best things to do in Rote Island — and at the end of the post, I’ll explain a bit about how to get here as well as a few recommendations for where to stay on Rote.

Best Things to Do in Rote Island

Catch some waves during surf season.

Rote Island is one of the best places in Indonesia to go surfing, with the area around Nemberala Beach being the favored spot on this rather large island.

The most fabled break is called T-Land, which is described as a “three-point left that can roll for over 1,000 feet”.

As a non-surfer, I’ll be honest; I have literally no idea what that means, so click above to learn more about surf in Rote from someone who actually knows what they’re talking about!

What I do know is that Rote’s surf season is pretty short-lived each year, between May and August, and the island will definitely be at its busiest then (I visited in May, and I didn’t find it too busy).

But then again, busy on Rote is not like busy elsewhere in Indonesia, and you’ll surely still find plenty of accommodations and uncrowded waves.

Go scuba diving.

Besides coasting on top of the waves, there’s a whole world of reef under the thundering surf which you can explore with the one dive shop on the island, Rote Dive Adventures which is part of the Anugerah Surf & Dive Resort. They’re super professional and have excellent, high-quality gear — I’ve never been able to rent a backplate & wing set up as the standard rental BCD, but I could here!

Diving in Rote Island is pretty good — the reef is extremely healthy and packed with life — but it’s not quite enough to make my top list of Indonesian dive destinations, though that’s a hard list to crack given how amazing the diving is all over Indonesia. 

But there is one quite special thing about diving in Rote: the owner of the dive shop, Mike, has been scouting out dive sites for years, as the only dive shop on the island. He found a dive site that features an oceanic manta cleaning station, which he’s named Jurassic Park! 

However, while the mantas are there year-round, the swells to get there are too intense during much of the year, and so he only makes trips to this area in November and December when the surf dies down and it’s safe to get here in the small boats they use. 

Besides mantas, except to see cool macro life like colorful nudibranchs, hairy squat lobsters, ghost pipefish, and if you’re super lucky, the very funny-looking toadfish.

Sometimes, you may see larger life like whale sharks, reef sharks, or dugongs, but Rote is more about the small life and abundance of fish species (oceanic mantas excepted!).

Not yet licensed? Mike is a scuba instructor so he can also certify you while you visit Rote Island!

Stay in a gorgeous eco resort.

One of the coolest things about Rote Island is its abundance of reasonably priced, laid-back eco-friendly resorts. These aren’t your average all-inclusive style resort; they’re very personal and individual, with a lot of attention to detail in the design.

We stayed for three nights at Seed Resort in the heart of Nemberala with gorgeous views over the seaweed fields, right where the sun sinks into the sea each night. We had a beautiful infinity pool to swim in with gorgeous sea views. 

Seed Resort also has an excellent on-site restaurant with a diverse menu of Indonesian and international classics. There’s not a ton of restaurants on Rote, so having a good on-site restaurant is a big plus. Plus, their coffee is soooo good — especially with that view!

We loved our bungalow, with its gorgeous and spacious eco-design. I especially loved the huge outdoor bathroom and lounge area with its own private hammock area. The outdoor shower was so luxurious — water pressure on point! — and I appreciated the attention to detail like having stepping stones so you didn’t step on any sand that you would then track into the hotel room. 

There are some other excellent resort options in Rote, though, such as Anugerah Surf & Dive Resort and 81 Palms Resort (where we had sunset drinks and dinner) if you want other options.

I asked and I was able to check out the rooms at 81 Palms Resort and I was blown away about how thoughtful and unique the interiors are.

I’d definitely happily stay here during my next trip — I love the indoor/outdoor hybrid feel of the place, and the location and pool on site is absolutely gorgeous.

Go on a hunt for Rote’s best beaches.

Rote Island has a number of amazing beaches on its southwest edge, near Nemberala. 

While Nemberala is popular for its surf breaks, I have a few other favorite beaches on the island that I think take the cake. Here are what I think are the best beaches on Rote Island:

• Pantai Oeseli: This area is where you’ll look for boats heading to Telaga Nirwana (the next item on this list of things to do in Rote!). But the beach here is definitely worth visiting in its own right. Its waters are a true kaleidoscope of every hue of blue that exists, making it a mesmerizing place to stare at the water. There aren’t too many amenities here but there are some locals who will sell you drinks and coconuts.

• Pantai Loedik Boa’ Rote: Hands down my favorite beach on Rote Island! This isn’t super far outside of the Nemberala Resort area. Head towards the Loedi Bungalows Rote on Google Maps and you’ll find the most spectacular stretch of beach in Rote, with a white sand beach that seems to go on endlessly. There really aren’t any amenities here, so BYO supplies and enjoy a lovely deserted beach!

• Mangrove Beach: With mangrove forests emerging from the water at certain tides, this is a really unique place on Rote Island. It’s a great place to go kayaking or paddle boarding. It’s very tide dependent, and it looks its best at high tide when the mangroves bob and float just above the waterline. There aren’t really any amenities here so if you want to explore the waters around here, I would try to organize kayaks or paddle boards through your hotel instead, as I didn’t see a place to rent them here.

Visit the stunning waters of Telaga Nirwana.

Telaga Nirawna, which literally means Nirvana Lake in the local language, is the whole reason why we wanted to go to Rote Island in the first place! 

To get here, first make your way to Oeseli Beach, where you’ll find a little hut where you can wait for the locals with their boats to bring you to Telaga Nirwana. Note that you’ll need to time your trip carefully: the lake is only accessible during high tide, as when the tide starts to go out, boats can get stuck as the water here can get very shallow.

The boat ride to the heart of Telaga Nirwana is stunning, slicing like a knife through some of the most technicolored blues I’ve ever seen. You’ll carve your way through the waters in a little channel of mangroves until you reach a crater-like lagoon in the middle of the jungle landscape. All around you, the water is impossibly blue. 

Here, you can go kayaking or just go swimming in the pristine waters — and this is an epic place to fly a drone if you have one (and are brave enough to launch one off a boat… I nearly had a heart attack doing so, so my flight was very short-lived!).

Check out the seaweed farms.

One of the most unique features of the area around Nemberala is that this is the main hub for seaweed and agar agar farming in Rote Island, which is its main economic driver outside of tourism.

It’s a really unique feature of life in Rote Island and I enjoyed walking around the coastline and watching the seaweed being harvested and laid out to dry in the sun, picked in a beautiful array of greens and purples.

Note, though, that these seaweed farms means that the waters around Nemberala’s resorts isn’t suitable for swimming right from your hotel.

For example, our resort was right in front of Oenggaut Beach, which is a big seaweed farm.

Depending on where you stay, you will likely need to take a short taxi or motorbike ride to reach beaches like Oeseli and Loedik Bo’a where you can swim more freely.

Wander through coconut and lontar palm groves.

One of the unique features of Rote Island is the lontar palms that dot the island of Rote, looking a bit similar to coconut trees but growing an entirely different fruit: the palmyra fruit, which can perhaps be described as a cross between a lychee and a coconut. 

This tree is nicknamed the “tree of life” by Rotenese locals for their hardiness and ubiquity on the island. It touches nearly every aspect of Rotenese life: from sweetening their cakes and drinks to being woven for their hats and musical instruments to being used as thatching in houses.

Where to Eat in Rote Island

Admittedly there aren’t a ton of choices for where to eat in Rote Island, but here were my favorites!

• Indika Health Store: Pictured above, this restaurant has some of the most creative food on the island, like these beef rendang tacos on blue masa tortillas with sweet potato chips on the side! Portions are a bit small, so order more than you think so you don’t feel like you’re missing out. They have a lot of vegan and vegetarian options here too so it’s a great choice for travelers with dietary restrictions.

• Narrow Resto: One of my other favorite meals in Rote Island was the chicken curry I had at Narrow Resto — and my friends ayam rica rica (a spicy braised chicken dish) was also so delicious. They also have smoothie bowls in the morning and early afternoon if you’re looking for more of a brunch-like option.

• Seed Restaurant: Honestly, I loved the food at our resort and we ended up eating there most of the days. Breakfast was included with our stay, so we had a chance to try all the different breakfasts and they were all so good. I especially loved the shakshuka with hummus and baba ghanoush!

Heads up: Many of the restaurants I had scouted out and wanted to try were closed when I visited Rote Island, despite it being surf season, so treat the opening hours as suggestions rather than guarantees!

Where to Stay in Rote Island

MID-RANGE BOUTIQUE | Seed Resort: Where we stayed, this beautiful collection of independent bungalows is all centered around a beautiful pool and restaurant area with a gorgeous view of the sea and sunset. Our room was spacious and clean and they took such good care of us. I highly recommend it!

LUXURY STAY | 81 Palms Resort, with gorgeous rooms and amenities and an on-site Spanish restaurant serving seafood and tapas, this is another great choice perfect for a romantic getaway.

BUDGET COMFORT | Anugerah Surf & Dive Resort: For a less trendy, less spendy stay, Anugerah is a perfect option. You can arrange all sorts of activities and lessons from here and it’s also locally owned and operated.

Getting to Rote Island

I wrote a full post detailing how to get to Rote Island from Bali or Jakarta, via a transfer in Kupang (which is worth exploring a bit on your way to Rote — there’s a surprising amount of cool things nearby!)

Here’s the quick version.

• From Bali: You’ll likely need to stay a night in Kupang on either end. Fly into Kupang and arrive in the afternoon. The next day, you can return to the airport early in the morning and fly via Susi Air (on Monday, Wednesday, Friday only), or you can go to the ferry terminal at 9:30 AM and take a ~2.5 hour fast ferry, which gets you to Rote around noon, and to Nemberala area around 2 PM. If you really want to get to Rote in the same day, you can take the slow ferry which leaves around 4 PM, but you won’t get to your resort until about 10 PM at the earliest!

• From Jakarta: If you take the 2 AM flight that arrives in Kupang by 6 AM, you have options. That same day, you can either fly via Susi Air (MWF schedule) or you can take the fast ferry. On the way back, you can’t go all in one day; the flights to Jakarta from Kupang are in the morning, so you’ll need to stay in Kupang the night before.

Allison Green

Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.