Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
419km²
Area
87km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
146m
Highest point
30,000
People
30°C
Warmest sea
December
562km
To the mainland
When to go to Sabu Island
Best for the beach from June to October.
The sea is warmest in December (30 °C) and coolest in August (26 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in Sabu Raijua Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia
Sabu Island is an island in Indonesia. It covers 419 km², with 87 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 146 m. About 30,000 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 562 km away.
Getting there
- El Tari Airport (KOE)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 204 km in a straight lineCar hire at DPS airport (Kuta, Badung)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesSabu-Ndao, Raijua - Sabu, Kupang - Sabu, Sabu - Raijua
- 562 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From June to Octoberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Sabu Island.
- 6beaches
- 2ferry terminalsSabu, Sabu ferry port
- 1marinas
- 1named peaksPederoh
- 2hotels, guesthouses and apartments
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Sabu Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Sabu Island, each with its own numbers.
2beaches and covesCoastya
19mountainsPeakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
29.6°C
Teluk Liebaru
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
19 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Lede Kolorae
- Lede Gurihaba
- Lede Kebuhu
- Lede Kepuluwuru
- Lede Raepudi
- Lede Laboleha
- Lede Raga
- Lede Keohe
11 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 96 m above the sea. 92 % of it is below 200 m.
- 28 %0–50 m
- 64 %50–200 m
- 8 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Sebano census figure
- Loboaeno census figure
- Bolouno census figure
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Night low (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| Sea (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Rain (mm) | 197 | 159 | 144 | 77 | 35 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 38 | 155 |
| Wet days | 25 | 23 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 24 |
| Sun h/day | 7.1 | 7.6 | 7.9 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 9.4 | 10.1 | 10.4 | 10.3 | 9.9 | 7.8 |
| Wind (km/h) | 18 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 13 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.5 | −0.3 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +0.7 |
| 2021 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.5 | −0.4 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.6 |
| 2022 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +0.5 | +0.4 |
| 2023 | −0.1 | −0.2 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.7 | +0.6 | −0.2 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.1 |
| 2024 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.8 | −0.2 |
| 2025 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Rote Island
Indonesia1,210 km²320 m141 km away
Flores IslandIndonesia13,540 km²2,370 m207 km away
Sumba IslandIndonesia10,711 km²604 m221 km awayEnde IslandIndonesia10 km²130 m187 km away
TimorIndonesia30,777 km²2,963 m290 km away
Lembata IslandIndonesia1,253 km²2 m301 km away
Adonara IslandIndonesia508 km²1,659 m285 km away
Komodo IslandIndonesia319 km²436 m342 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q1469472) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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