Hear that hissing? You're in the presence of royalty

The central Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara offers a lot more than the famous Komodo National Park, which slithered onto the New Seven Wonders of Nature list last year.

The reptile-rich province is also  home to Istana Ular – the Snake Palace – in Weto village, Welak subdistrict.

Before getting its scary name, the place was known as Liang Wae Wau, or Stinking Water Cave. It is in fact a natural cavern, first discovered by the locals back in 1985.

“To my knowledge, Liang Wae Wau’s name was officially changed to Snake Palace in 2000. Now I often see tourists visiting this cave to see the serpents,” says local guide Fransiskus Luruk.

The snakes are often seen basking in warm sun at the cave entrance. However, they chose to go into hiding for my visit.

Fransiskus explains that the original name of the cave derived from the stink caused by snake and bat faeces inside the cave.

According to local legend, the Snake Palace stretches hundreds of metres up to Weto village’s bridge and seethes with wildlife all the way.

Local resident Bernabas Tas says he has ventured as far as 500 metres into its inky-black depths.

“There are so many snakes inside this cave, ranging from small specimens to ‘giants’ such as pythons. There is also a large tree branch inside the cave where all the snakes gather,” says Bernabas.

The snakes grow unusually large here thanks to the banquet laid on by Mother Nature. Bats and swallows nest in their thousands inside the cave, providing plenty of food for the agile ambush predators.

Visitors interested in putting their courage to the test will find nothing to stop them from exploring the cave. However, local villagers  will strongly advise that you first seek protection by going through the traditional snake ceremony. After mumbling a charm meant to ward off the serpents, the village headman  will hand you a hen’s egg. You are now, in theory, safe to venture into the reptiles’ den.

The trip to reach the cave, however, is an adventure in itself. Local infrastructure is primitive and the road leading to the place is yet to be tarmacked.

“I often guide foreign tourist on visits to the Snake Palace. But if the Wae Raho River swells , the path disappears under water and we are unable to cross it to reach the place,” says local guide Markus Langgut.

As well as testing their courage by entering the Snake Palace, visitors to Kampung Weto can also enjoy its lush green scenery or take a plunge and refresh themselves in Wae Raho River’s cool and gentle current.