Ngada Villages

While hanging out at the common verandah at Hotel Silverin, I struck up a conversation with a French couple, Edouard and Aude, and we agreed to look for a guide to the traditional Ngada (the local ethnic group) villages and share the cost. They had a private car hire which they graciously agreed to share with me. We procured a guide in no time, and agreed on an itinerary and price.

We started out at 8am this morning. Our itinerary involved a hike to two traditional villages, followed by a visit to a hot spring. It was rainy and overcast when we set out and this did not abate until after the hike. Starting at Hotel Silverin, we drove for about 30 minutes to the trailhead. From there, it was about a 1.5 hour hike through beautiful country before we hit our first settlement, Tolo Leda. There, our guide told us about life in a Ngada village, and about the significance of the various items on the houses.

We reached our second settlement - Guru Sina - after a steep downhill hike. After Guru Sina, it was another steep and slippery downhill hike and then up some steep steps where we joined up again with the driver. From there, we drove to Mangeruda Hot Spring, which is located at the confluence where a hot water stream and a cold water stream joined up, and we soaked there for a while.

After a refreshing soak, we made a quick stop at a vantage point overlooking Bena (the most touristy and accessible of the villages) for photos before heading back to Hotel Silverin. There, I said my goodbyes to Aude and Edouard as they were heading west to Aimere.

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