Nihiwatu new owner J. Christopher Burch, founder and CEO of Burch Creative Capital in partnership with acclaimed hotelier James McBride has recently made an acquisition of Nihiwatu, on the Indonesian island of Sumba. The exquisite 27 villa estate Nihiwatu is located on Sumba Island, a mere 55 minute flight East of Bali, offering absolute privacy, appropriate luxury, spectacular scenery and one of the best waves in the world-in short an un-touched exclusive hideaway in the “Archipelago of the Extraordinary.”
Situated in a protected environment, Nihiwatu is a sanctuary that offers much more than a holiday destination. Nihiwatu opens guests up to the unparalleled nature surrounding them. Visitors may either experience a choice of outdoor activities (fishing, diving, horse-riding, boating and yoga/Spa) or, just relax in perfect tranquility. The thatched private villas are set within a 580 acre estate comprising forested areas, open savannah and expanses of rice terraces of which only 65 acres are developed. The pristine, fine-grained pink and beige hues of Nihiwatu’s adjacent sandy beach extends to two and a half kilometers (1.6 miles) in length with cliff headlands at each end providing an exclusivity unmatched anywhere in Indonesia.
“Nihiwatu is a rarity today. The opportunity we have been given to continue the work of its creators Claude and Petra Graves is tremendous. We want to spread the word about this extraordinary place, the island of Sumba and its people for generations to come. Our aim is to evolve into one of the best resorts in world, whilst demonstrating a successful and sustainable operation with the environment and the Sumbanese people,” commented Chris Burch.
One of today’s best possible examples of sustainable tourism (Grand Award for Environmental Tourism PATA & Best Responsible Hotel Development HICAP), Nihiwatu has captured the hearts and minds of its new owners who are entirely committed to continuing the work of the charitable trust, The Sumba Foundation. Established in 2001, the Foundation extends support to 20,000 islanders and provides clean water supply to villages whilst addressing malnutrition and education needs on Sumba. 90% of the foundation’s donations come from hotel guests and all of the distributions are made directly to the local Sumbanese community.
Nihiwatu’s origin has to some degree evolved around “The Wave,” recognised as one of the best left-hand surf breaks in the world. The founders of Nihiwatu, Claude and Petra Graves who arrived on Sumba in 1988 wished to protect it from becoming overpopulated and set about to carefully manage access to a maximum of ten surfers at any given time. As a result of protecting land and sea, Sumba has gained a cult status in the international surfing community.
It is rare for luxury in environment and philanthropy to co-exist in such perfect harmony; great care has always been taken to consult with the Sumbanese to ensure that everything at Nihiwatu is done to respect beliefs. Nihiwatu is also committed to being a carbon neutral resort and is one of the only hotels in the world powered by bio-fuel which is produced from coconuts at its own bio-diesel factory. Over 110,000 trees have been planted in deforested areas of Sumba since 2004 with an additional 20,000 trees planted each year.
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From a historical and cultural perspective, Sumba is the home of one of the world’s last intact Animist cultures: to witness Sumbanese culture is like looking through a window to the past. One of the most culturally interesting places in the world, on Sumba faith in old traditions is very strong.
Nihiwatu is easily accessed through the many international flights into Bali’s Denpasar International Airport with a weekly charter to Tambolaka Airport in West Sumba via Nihiwatu’s private charter or through local flight connections via Lion Air, Merpati Airlines and Aviastar Airlines. For details, visit www.nihiwatu.com
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