The bus terminal is in the southeast of the town and serves all areas of western Sumba; trucks and bemos also stop here. Services are erratic, but buses to Waingapu usually stop running around 2pm, and others dry up after late morning. Tambolaka airport is a good ninety-minute drive from the north of town; buses and taxis meet arriving planes. Buses leave daily for Tambolaka airport in the early mornings and will pick you up at your hotel door if you go to the bus depot the night before and ask them: the depot is in the back yard of the house opposite the Hotel Manandang. Flights out of Tambolaka are often cancelled or severely delayed, especially in the rainy season. In pasola season, flights are more reliable but need to be booked months in advance. If you need to rely on leaving Sumba at a precise time then go by ferry from Waingapu. The Merpati office, which is often closed, is on the right-hand side of Jalan Achmad Yani on the second floor of a dusty grain store.

Most things that you will need in Waikabubak are either on the main street of Jalan Achmad Yani, or within several minutes' walk of it. At the southern end, the market and bus terminal are sandwiched together, with the 24-hour Telekom office a few hundred metres further south. Opposite the bus-station turn-off is an interesting art shop full of old carvings and some jewellery and ikat. The BRI bank is a stone's throw west of the bus terminal and will change US dollars cash if the bills are pristine. The post office is at the northern end of Jalan Achmad Yani where it meets Jalan Sudirman (Mon-Thurs & Sat 9am-2pm, Fri 9-11.30am).