Benteng Tawa III – small rural settlement on Flores Island in the western part of Ngada Regency
Benteng Tawa III is located in Kalimantan Timur Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur) Province of Indonesia, on Flores Island, part of the Bali and Lesser Sunda Islands macroregion. Administratively, it belongs to Riung Barat District (kecamatan), which is part of Ngada Regency (Kabupaten Ngada). Based on the settlement's coordinates, it is located in the western-central area of Flores, near the island's interior. The available public sources do not contain detailed information about the specific settlement, so the following description is substantially based on verifiable information available at the Ngada Regency level.
General overview
Benteng Tawa III is a small, likely predominantly agricultural rural settlement, for which no independent, specifically verifiable descriptive data exists in publicly available sources. Riung Barat District, to which the settlement is administratively connected, is located in the northern part of Ngada Regency and includes areas facing the Flores Sea. The regency itself — whose administrative center is Bajawa City — covers a total area of 1,736.83 km². In the 2010 census, Ngada Regency had a population of 142,254 people; by the 2020 census, this figure had risen to 165,254, and the official estimate for mid-2024 shows 174,088 people (of which 85,909 are male and 88,179 are female). This indicates moderate but steady population growth in the region. Ngada Regency borders Nagekeo Regency to the east on Flores Island, and Kalimantan Timur Manggarai Regency to the west; it is bordered by the Flores Sea to the north and the Savú Sea to the south. Benteng Tawa III itself, based on available information, does not rank among places known for or developed with particular tourist infrastructure; rather, it represents the type of quiet rural settlement typical of the regency's remote interior areas.
Real estate and investment
There is no independent, verifiable data on Benteng Tawa III's real estate market. Based on trends observable at the broader level of Ngada Regency and Kalimantan Timur Nusa Tenggara Province, the real estate market in rural, smaller settlements is generally characterized by low turnover and limited liquidity, with prices far below those in Bali or Lombok. In rural Flores areas, most real estate transactions take place informally, based on customary law and community decision-making, and formal land registry records are not always complete. Regarding the general framework of Indonesian land ownership regulations: foreign individuals cannot acquire direct land ownership rights (Hak Milik) in Indonesia; for them, primarily Hak Pakai (usage rights) or long-term lease arrangements are available, which provide secure legal standing for a limited period. From an investment perspective, Flores Island as a whole received some tourism development attention from the Indonesian government over the past decade, but this process mainly affected areas around Labuan Bajo, while the interior regions of Ngada Regency — and thus the settlements of Riung Barat District — have not yet been significantly integrated into major investment flows. Potential investors should take into account the area's infrastructure, accessibility, and the particularities of the local administrative framework.
Safety and security
There is no independent, specifically verifiable data available on Benteng Tawa III's public safety. The rural areas of Kalimantan Timur Nusa Tenggara Province and within it Ngada Regency can be counted among lower population density, community-based organized Indonesian regions, where organized crime and large-city public safety problems are less typical. However, this is merely a cautiously formulated conclusion following from the general character of the region, and does not substitute for specific, local data collection regarding public safety. For travelers and those wishing to stay in the area, it is always advisable to obtain current information from local authorities and reliable sources, especially considering that access to certain interior areas of Flores Island may present challenges due to road conditions.
Tourist attractions
No data on named tourist attractions in Benteng Tawa III's immediate vicinity appears in available sources. Riung Barat District, to which the settlement belongs, lies in the northern, Flores Sea-adjacent part of Ngada Regency, and is closer to the Riung area, whose proximity represents one of the island's natural points of interest — the Riung marine protected area, the Seventeen Islands Marine Nature Park (Taman Wisata Alam Laut 17 Pulau Riung) — in the broader region. However, this cannot be directly connected to Benteng Tawa III from available sources, but merely noted as a known natural feature of the region. In the more southern, interior areas of Ngada Regency, Bajawa City is known for the surrounding volcanic landscape, traditional Ngada villages, and the local megalithic culture; however, these sites are likely not close to Benteng Tawa III. Those wishing to visit the area can most systematically explore the regency's natural and cultural values by using Bajawa as a starting point.
Summary
Benteng Tawa III is a small, rural settlement on Flores Island in Riung Barat District of Ngada Regency in Kalimantan Timur Nusa Tenggara Province. Since publicly available sources contain no detailed information about the specific settlement, contextual information formulated at the level of the broader administrative unit — primarily Ngada Regency — provides the foundation for orientation. The regency shows moderate population growth, and its rural areas possess characteristics similar to the Indonesian rural average in terms of real estate market, public safety, and tourism. Those interested in the area will find that on-site inquiry and contact with local authorities offer the most reliable information sources.
