Solor and Alor offer some of the best diving locations in all of Nusa Tenggara Timor. The Indonesian Through-Flow is very pronounced in the area bringing nutrients to coral reefs and clean, clear water. Reefs are flourishing and diving in the strong currents can resemble flying.

The islands are all volcanic and rugged in nature and form a line of ridges running from E to W. Coastlines are often steep with little or no areas suitable for dwellings, and areas that do have cities will invariably have volcanic mountains towering above.

The island’s infrastructure is only weakly built with locals practicing mainly subsistence agriculture. Vanilla, tamarind, almonds and other nuts are cultivated. In the forests sandal wood is cut down for trade.

The Christian faith dominates the archipelago and three-fourths of the inhabitants are Protestants. Muslim and Roman Catholic villages make up the rest of the population and Animistic rites and traditions are still strongly practiced.