Alor island is generally regarded as one of the best diving destinations in the world today. It has more than twenty-five splendid dive sites and great beaches.

Nevertheless, Alor still is a relatively unknown destination since travellers have only just started to discover it, roughly since 1991. Due to this fact there is an increasing trend in tourism to the Alor archipelago nowadays.

As the currents can be rather strong at times, however, it is best to snorkel or dive with someone who knows the area well.

The people of Alor island live mainly on agriculture and some fishing. Farmers around the villages of Alor cultivate among others vanilla, tamarind, almonds and other nuts In the forests areas sandalwood is cut down for trade.

The latest geological explorations have discovered valuable resources such as ipsum, kaolin, petroleum, natural gas, tin, gold and diamonds.

Also, income from tourisme has started to increase since Alor is becoming more and more known in the travel world.

Visit Alor Island
Arriving in Kalabahi you will have a first taste of Alor. Probably not the one I prefer but still this crowded main city (for a small island) is worth a stop to feel the local lifestyle. Kalabahi is also a good starting point for day trips around the island. You can go to the Air Terjun Binafui, a nice waterfall after a broken road, where you will have a taste of adventure, or for a more easy journey just go through the north-east coast until you reach the Air Panas Tuti: hot springs with a surprisingly weird shaped geyser. Another wonderful day trip would be to go around the north-west part of the island with a motorbike as you will reach several beaches with clear water and corals (Sebanjar, Batu Putih, Canary…). At a point you’ll need to go through a broken road in the cliffs which will offer you nice views on the coast and a real taste of adventure. Also worth the stop: you can go with a fisherman’s boat near the airport to spot a dugong which lives in the area and observe him playing with the boat.
After all this exploration trips, you can go to Kepa island (especially in La P’tite Kepa diving resort, even in you don’t dive) for a well deserved rest. You will find a well preserved tiny island surrounded by corals, perfect to relax, from which you can spot dolphins every day. From the beach (ask for advice as currents can be dangerous) you can easily spot numerous types of fish and small reef sharks or you could join the boat for a half day trip to either dive or snorkel. If you want to explore more remote villages in Alor, just ask to la P’tite Kepa staff: they will happily share tips & secret places!
By Benjamin Sanguinetti (France)

More than fifteen different indigenous languages are spoken on Alor, the majority of them classified as Papuan or non-Austronesian. These include Abui, Adang, Hamap, Kabola, Kafoa, Woisika, Kelo , and Kui. In addition, Alorese (Bahasa Alor) is a Malayo-Polynesian language which is spoken along the coast of the western and southern Bird's Head of Alor Island and in places on surrounding islands.

Many of the Papuan languages of Alor are endangered and are no longer being actively acquired by children. Some languages have fewer than 1000 speakers remaining. Significant linguistic documentation efforts have been undertaken recently by Leiden University in The Netherlands.