Gateway to Komodo and the Lesser Sundas — West Timor's capital is the launching point for Komodo dragons, Flores's coloured crater lakes, and the Savu Sea, with a Portuguese-Dutch colonial history distinct from the rest of Indonesia
Kupang is the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province in eastern Indonesia — a city of 450,000 on the western tip of Timor island, serving as the primary hub for the Lesser Sunda Islands region (Flores, Sumba, Sumbawa, Timor, Rote, Sabu). The province contains some of Indonesia's most spectacular and least-visited natural attractions: Komodo National Park (Komodo dragons, pink beach, manta rays), Kelimutu volcano on Flores (three crater lakes that change colour independently), the textile island of Sumba (ikat weaving, megalithic tombs, horse-back fighting festival), and Rote Island (the world…
Kupang was contacted by the Portuguese in the early 16th century, who established trading posts and Catholic missions on Timor. The Dutch VOC established a permanent fort at Kupang in 1653, displacing Portuguese influence to East Timor. Kupang served as the Dutch colonial capital for the entire Lesser Sunda region for over 300 years. The famous arrival of Captain Bligh and the Bounty loyalists in June 1789 — after their 47-day open-boat voyage from Tonga following the mutiny — is commemorated by a plaque in the city. Under Indonesian rule since 1949, Kupang grew as the administrative centre f…