Bena

Bena sits on a shoulder of Mount Inerie in central Flores, laid out as two long rows of houses on stone terraces facing each other across an open central space, with the ground between them filled by ngadhu and bhaga - paired ritual structures, the ngadhu a carved wooden post under a conical thatched roof standing for a male ancestral line and the bhaga a small thatched house standing for a female one - along with megalithic stone slabs and platforms marking clan graves. The Ngada are matrilineal in descent and the arrangement of the village encodes the clans. Roofs carry figures of a man with a spear or a small house. It is the most visited of the Ngada villages, receives a steady flow and asks a donation, and neighbouring Luba and Gurusina are quieter.

What you actually see

• Ngadhu and bhaga - the paired male and female ancestral structures down the centre.
• Megalithic slabs and graves - stone platforms marking clan burials.
• Two facing rows of houses - the village plan encoding the clan structure.
• Inerie above - the symmetrical volcano directly over the village.

When to go

May to September. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is the most visited Ngada village and can feel like a receiving line, with weaving sold along the terraces. People live here. Luba and Gurusina nearby are quieter and less prepared for visitors.

Nearby

Luba and Gurusina are close; Bajawa is north; Inerie rises above.