NIHI Sumba is an estate destination wedding venue in Wanokaka, Indonesia, hosting up to 70 guests (Aisle estimate) in the $$$$ price range, reached from Tambolaka, Southwest Sumba (TMC), ~90 minutes by car. Best months: June, July, August, September.
NIHI Sumba
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.
About NIHI Sumba
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.
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Capacity, rooms and facilities
Staying over
- Rooms
- 36 rooms
- Sleeps
- 70 guests
- Whole property to yourselves
- Yes
The ceremony
- Outdoor ceremony
- Yes
Money
- Price
- US$70,000 to US$120,000 for the whole property, per nightAisle estimate
Getting there
- Nearest airport
- TMC, 90 min by carAisle estimate
The spaces
- Setting
- Coastal, modern, relaxedAisle estimate
Venue highlights
- 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
A sample wedding weekend
See the day-by-day outline+
Use this as a starting point and adapt it to your bookings and guests.
- 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
Costs and booking details
- Getting there
- TMC · about 1 h 30 by carAisle estimate
Guests fly into Tambolaka, Southwest Sumba.
- Weather window
- June – September
The months the weather is kindest. Weather does not indicate whether a date is available.
Questions about the venue
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?+
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.
Could this be your venue?
Ask about pricing and availability for the month you have in mind. You do not need a fixed date.
Still deciding? Elena is Aisle’s AI wedding planner. Give her a month and a guest count and she will forecast the budget, work out how your guests would travel, and put a first plan on paper. No account needed.
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Sources and booking notes
Confirm your dates, guest numbers, room arrangements and inclusions with the venue before booking. An enquiry does not reserve a date. Figures labelled Aisle estimate are modelled from regional rates and public sources; they are not venue quotes.
Sources for individual venue facts
Rooms: 36 rooms
“NIHI Sumba can accommodate up to 70 adults across 36 rooms.”
Read the source for roomsSleeps: 70 guests
“NIHI Sumba can accommodate up to 70 adults across 36 rooms.”
Read the source for sleepsWhole property to yourselves: Yes
“Our team can arrange everything from the most intimate ceremony to a full resort buyout.”
Read the source for whole property to yourselvesOutdoor ceremony: Yes
“Whether you choose to marry along our sweeping beach or atop a clifftop overlooking the ocean, each ceremony can be enriched with the vibrant traditions of the island.”
Read the source for outdoor ceremony