Mantar: The Exoticism of a “Land Above the Clouds””

Kompas/Rony Ariyanto Nugroho

The panoramic view from the top of a hill in Mantar, West Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara, on Sunday (26/3/2017). Mantar’s hilltop region has a natural and cultural tourism potential that is as-yet unsupported by adequate infrastructure, both for tourism and for locals’ daily activities.

After conquering a steep and twisty path through the hills for 40 minutes from Tapir, Seteluk district, West Sumbawa regency, West Nusa Tenggara, views of natural beauty will greet you in Mantar village. From 630 meters above sea level, a stunning panoramic vista is laid out before you.

On the western horizon, you can see Lombok’s Mt. Rinjani shrouded by clusters of white clouds. On the eastern side of the 3,276-meter mountain, the calm Alas strait reflects the sunlight. Ferries are seen approaching and leaving the Pototano port.

From Mantar, you can get clear views of eight small islands (gili) called Gili Balu not far from the port. From afar, the mostly uninhabited islands look beautiful with their white sands, lagoons and lush mangrove forests.

Some two kilometers to the south of Pototano Port, shrimp ponds are lining up on the coastal region. Squares of rain-fed corn and crop fields provide a splash of yellowish gold and light green color to the view. The fields extend to the foothills on the north and east.

Seeing all of this beauty is not only awe-inspiring but is also downright calming – even more so when the cool mountain breeze blows by. “Awesome!” shouted Jaelani, 41, who visited Mantar with his friends from a motorbike club in Mataram, Lombok, on Sunday (26/3/2017).

“The hours we spent on the motorbike to get here was totally worth it,” Jaelani said.

Not long afterwards, Jaelani took out his smart phone and started taking pictures. After several selfies, he asked his friends to take pictures together. They struck a different pose for each of the photographs. They faced the panoramic view for one shot and had their back to it for another. They stood sideways for the third set of photos and then put their arms up in the air for another. “What I saw on social media enticed me to come here. And what I saw was in fact true. This is just so breathtaking. I will come here again and bring my other friends from the club,” Jaelani said.

Kompas/Rony Ariyanto Nugroho

Cashew farms are a major part of the economy of Moyo Island in Sumabwa Besar, West Nusa Tenggara. The photo was taken on Tuesday (28/3/2017).

Paid off

Jaelani, who had come from far away Mataram, was not the only one amazed by the views. Awaludin Ismail, 47, a resident of West Sumbawa, said he never missed a chance to go to Mantar every weekend. “Going to Mantar is not easy as the route is challenging. However, the journey is worth it because of the stunning views here,” said Awaludin, who came to Mantar with his family.

It is no wonder that Awaludin’s family enjoyed the afternoon so much. Like many other visitors, other than taking selfies, they also took pictures and recorded videos. They only went back home after spending more than one hour in Mantar.

Awaludin said the panoramic view that afternoon was in fact incomplete. There was an element that was missing, namely the clouds. Mantar’s nickname of “The Land Above the Clouds” is not just a vain effort at branding. In the morning or after rain, views of the lowland and the sea disappear from Mantar as clusters of clouds tend to cover everything.

“At those moments, we can only see clouds. It is truly stunning at dawn, as the rays of the sun penetrate the cover of the clouds,” Awaludin said.

The nickname for Mantar first emerged after the film Serdadu Kumbang (Bee Soldiers) was released in June 2011. The Ari Sihasale-directed film, which he also produced along with his wife Nia Zulkarnaen, used Mantar as a shooting location. The story is about Mantar boys. Since then, Mantar has become increasingly popular and stories of its beauty have gone viral on social media.

Mantar began to receive tourists not only from West Nusa Tenggara but also from Jakarta, Surabaya, Bali and Sulawesi. Recently, Mantar was used as a spot for an international paragliding festival, in which people from China, Australia, Germany, Finland and Malaysia participated.

“Currently, on every weekend, on Saturdays and Sundays, we receive more than 100 tourists. Some of them come here with their own vehicles, mostly motorbikes. Some others rent cars that we provide,” said Samsul Hidayat, a rental car driver in Mantar.

Mantar is part of Potatano district and is located some 18.5 kilometers from Potatano Port. Before reaching Mantar, visitors must first go to Tapir in Seteluk district. There, tourists can rent vehicles for Rp 40,000 (US$3) per person for a round trip to Mantar, which takes 30 to 40 minutes.

Kompas/Rony Ariyanto Nugroho

Indra, 24, checks on sun-dried paddy in the yard of Uma Lengge in Wawo, Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, on Friday (31/3/2017). Uma Lengge is a granary that contains much local wisdom, including on food security and disaster mitigation, that was passed down through generations of locals.

Cultural village

Mantar’s exoticism is not only present in its natural landscape. A wealth of local customs and cultures can also be found in the 430-hectare village.

Traversing through the local village, visitors will see wooden stilt houses.

Mantar village chief Abdul Salam said that of the 1,344 people spread across three hamlets, namely Mantar, Ai Taruma and OmalSapa hamlets, a majority of them were farmers and breeders. Farmlands in Mantar are highly fertile.

Abdul Salam said the activities of locals made Mantar rich with culture that was maintained and inherited down the generations, including a “mutual assistance culture” called basiru in the local Sumbawa tongue. In basiru, locals help one another to plant crops, manage farms and harvest. There is the sedekah orang custom, which is a thanksgiving ceremony after planting paddy.

There is also the traditional badempak (foot-kicking) game and the baguntung tradition of playing music with rice mortars.

The still-existing customs and traditional culture in the village made the West Sumbawa regency administration name Mantar a cultural village. Abdurrahman, the West Sumbawa tourism agency promotion division head, said the agency pushed for the preservation of traditional ways of life in the village as well the exploration and promotion of other unique features in Mantar, such as craft-making.

“Other traditional ways of life, including horse-riding, will also be promoted. It will be part of cultural tourism development in Mantar. This will be supported by the presence of a paragliding area and a beautiful landscape that can be seen from above,” Abdurrahman said.

He added that the Mantar Charms Festival will be held on April 5 to promote Mantar culture as part of the 2017 Tambora Charms Festival.