NIHI Sumba is an estate destination wedding venue in Wanokaka, Indonesia, hosting 10 to 70 guests in the $$$$ price range, reached from Tambolaka, Southwest Sumba (TMC), ~90 minutes by car. Best months: June, July, August, September.
NIHISumba
Two and a half kilometres of private beach on the south coast of Sumba, an island most of your guests will have to look up.
NIHI Sumba in Wanokaka, open June – September.
Two and a half kilometres of private beach on the south coast of Sumba, an island most of your guests will have to look up.
Claude and Petra Graves found the surf break here in the 1980s and opened Nihiwatu around it; Chris Burch and James McBride bought the property in 2012, renamed it NIHI Sumba and turned it into the thing that now appears at the top of best-hotel lists.
There are 27 villas across a 560-acre estate of thatched roofs, teak and local ikat, plus the Nihi Oka spa safari, a 90-minute trek along the coast that ends at a beach with treatment tables on it.
The surf break, Occy’s Left, is limited to ten surfers a day, which tells you how the whole property is run.
4 notes of our own.
2.5 km of private beach on a 560-acre estate on Sumba
Full resort buyout for up to 70 guests
Occy’s Left surf break, limited to ten surfers a day
Nihi Oka spa safari: a 90-minute coastal trek to a beach spa
Best held in June, July, August.
The months the weather, and the local rhythm, is kindest to a stay at NIHI Sumba.
Ask about a date.
Choose a day from the calendar.
Nothing is reserved until the venue confirms. A first note comes back within two business days.
How the weekend usually runs.
Yours will be different, nothing below is required. Every planning begins with the three meals you most want to eat, and builds outward.
- 16:00Guests arrive from Tambolaka, drinks at the Boathouse
- 07:00Nihi Oka spa safari, a 90-minute trek to the beach spa
- 19:30Welcome dinner at Ombak, above the surf break
- 16:30Ceremony on the private beach
- 18:00Cocktails on the clifftop as the sun goes down
- 19:30Dinner and dancing on the sand
Things worth knowing.
TMC · ~90 minutes by car
Guests fly into Tambolaka, Southwest Sumba. Our team arranges every transfer.
USD 150,000 to 350,000 for a multi-night buyout for 70 guests
NIHI does not publish prices and quotes every celebration after enquiry, so every figure above is our estimate for a full-property buyout at this tier rather than a sourced NIHI number. Treat it as a planning band, not a quote.
See the full figure+
USD 150,000 to 350,000 for a multi-night buyout for 70 guests (estimated)
Quoted after enquiry; NIHI publishes no wedding rate card
A one-time licence and setup fee, paid to the venue.
USD 200 to 400 per guest for food and beverage / head
A seated dinner with wine and service, by headcount.
See the full figure+
USD 200 to 400 per guest for food and beverage (estimated)
USD 900 to 4,000 per villa / night
A standard room in the wedding window. Group rates on request.
See the full figure+
USD 900 to 4,000 per villa (estimated)
June – September
The 4 months the weather is kindest. Shoulder dates soften the light and the rates.
Figures are estimates, modeled from regional rates and public sources, not a quote from the venue. Once the venue claims this page, their own rates take precedence.
Asked along the way.
How many guests can NIHI Sumba hold?+
NIHI hosts weddings from intimate beach ceremonies up to a full resort buyout for about 70 guests, across 27 villas. That buyout number is the ceiling, and for a wedding of any size the resort is normally taken in its entirety.
How do guests get to Sumba?+
Fly to Denpasar, then Tambolaka (TMC) on Sumba, about 70 minutes in the air, then 90 minutes by road to the south coast. There is no way to shorten it. Guests should plan four nights minimum, and the resort arranges the road transfer.
What does a wedding at NIHI cost?+
NIHI publishes no wedding pricing and quotes each celebration after enquiry. A full buyout of 27 villas for several nights is the dominant cost, so ask for the buyout rate on your dates before anything else. Our planning band is USD 150,000 to 350,000.
Where do the ceremonies happen?+
On the private beach, on the clifftops above it, in the gardens, or on a villa terrace. With a buyout the whole 560-acre estate is yours, so the resort will build a ceremony wherever on the property the light and the wind work best that week.
What do guests do for a week on Sumba?+
Surf Occy’s Left if they can, ride horses on the beach, trek to the Nihi Oka spa, visit Sumbanese villages and the Sumba Foundation’s water projects, and swim at the waterfalls inland. There is no town, no nightlife and no shopping.
When is the dry season on Sumba?+
Roughly April to November, with the driest and windiest months mid-year. Sumba is drier than Bali and the hills turn from green to gold across the season, which is worth understanding before you pick a month for photographs.
Others to weigh.
Ask about dates at NIHI Sumba.
A note to us with a rough season and guest count. Nothing is reserved until the venue confirms. A reply comes within two business days, from a person by name.