Roadtrip to Flores

Flores is one of Indonesia's many islands. It's an island that's growing enormously, and Indonesia is putting its money where its mouth is. But it's still very authentic, and the effects of tourism have yet to be felt. If you're looking for a trip to experience the local culture, this is the perfect island.

To reach the island of Flores, simply take a plane from Bali. The flight takes about 1h15 and we paid €100 AR/pers.

TIPS

*Getting around: Once you've left the airport, there are plenty of cabs to drop you off in the center of town. Scooter or car, the choice is yours. In Labuan Bajo itself, the easiest way to get around is to rent a scooter. For our roadtrip, we decided to rent a scooter for the freedom and lower cost. Nevertheless, the roads can be complicated and some parts are not in good condition. You need to be fairly confident in your driving. We rented our Kharisma Tour scooter. We took a 155cc Yamaha N-Max, and thank goodness for that! It's better to take a more spacious and powerful one for comfort.

The other option is to take a driver with a car. The disadvantages are the price, the itinerary you have to follow and a loss of freedom. But it's a comfort!

*Money : As in Bali, these are Indonesian rupiahs. There are banks everywhere, but if you're travelling outside Labuan Bajo, I'd advise you to withdraw plenty of money beforehand, as some ATMs only accept Indonesian cards.

*Visa : As for Bali, as a tourist you can get a 30-day visa for around €30. It is renewable 1 time. If you're leaving Bali, you don't need to show it again at the airport for your flight to Flores.

*Security : Nothing to say, the locals are adorable!

ITINERARY

We decided to do a scooter loop starting from Labuan Bajo. It is possible to hire scooters from Labuan Bajo to Maumere and then fly back to Labuan Bajo (unfortunately, flights from Maumere to Bali are no longer available). However, this adds a significant cost, so we decided to make a loop, allowing us to do the northern coast as well.

Labuan Bajo – Komodo Islands -Waerebo – Ruteng – Aimere – Bajawa – Riung– Reo – Ruteng– Labuan Bajo

LABUAN BAJO

Very nice little town that's developing quite well. We stayed there for two nights. We rented a scooter to get around. During the day, take the scooter and explore the surrounding area. There are beaches and small fishing villages. At sunset, you can stroll along the bay they've recently renovated at the port. Or drink a fresh coconut on the rooftop of the Green Cherry, with its beautiful view of the harbor. In the evening, check out the fish market. You can choose your fish, they cook it live and then you can enjoy it by the water.

KOMODO ISLANDS

We booked our 2-day/1-night Komodo Islands cruise with the Captain Octopus team (Contact: Dery +62 813-3892-4972). We paid 2.2 million/pers (+- 130€) all-inclusive (cruise, snorkelling equipment, park entrance, transport from accommodation to port). We were delighted with the organization. The team was attentive, very well organized and always smiling. We ate like kings. The boat was very comfortable. There were a dozen of us on the cruise, and we didn't feel like we were on top of each other. In short, we highly recommend doing it with them.

On the first day, we did Kelor Island, Gado Island (snorkelling) and Kalong Island. We were also treated to a magnificent spectacle of bats ❤️ emerging from the mangroves to feed.

On the second day, we went to Padar Island at sunrise ❤️ (departure at 5 a.m.), Pink Beach ❤️ (snorkelling), Komodo Island (guided walk to see the Komodo dragons) and Manta Point.

Jalan Jalan to Flores 🛵

Let's discover Flores

WAEREBO TRADITIONAL VILLAGE

Waerebo is a traditional village high up in the mountains. It's a beautiful village, full of history. The inhabitants still live in traditional huts and are very proud of their village. They would be delighted to have you visit their home. We received a very warm welcome.

From Labuan Bajo, it took us about 4 hours by scooter to the Waerebo Head Trail, which is the starting point for the trek to the village. The last two hours on the road are very tough. The road is in terrible condition. On the other hand, the view is superb, just to give you courage ;) No stress about leaving your scooter in the parking lot. It's a 2-hour trek to the village. The first hour is intense, but the scenery is magnificent. Once you arrive at the village, you're welcomed and taken to the main hut to receive a blessing, and pay the fee for your stay. We paid 700,000 rupees for two people. This also includes dinner, breakfast and tea/coffee during meals.

It's quite cool at night, so remember to take a thick sweater and pants with you.

In the morning, wake up around 5:30 a.m. to watch the sunrise over the village - it's magical.

RUTENG

For us, Ruteng was a rest stop. It rains quite often, especially in the afternoon. There are some magnificent rice fields, so it's well worth walking around.

We stayed at the Sun Rice Homestay on the outward journey (250k/2 pers with breakfast). It's a very decent homestay run by a great family. The view from the terrace is superb. They offer a vegetarian dinner for a small supplement. They also organize a sunrise tour of the rice fields. On the way back, we stayed at the Hobbit Hill Homestay (250k/2 pers with breakfast). Very nice accommodation too.

You can also visit the covered market in the center. Local experience guaranteed!

AIMERE

The road to Bajawa from Ruteng is quite long, so we decided to make a stop in Aimere. It's not really worth lingering there, apart from a short break on the beach.

BAJAWA

Bajawa is located at altitude, so it's cool and often rains in the afternoon/evening. We visited the villages of Tololela and Bena, which are traditional villages, very different from Waerebo.

Tololela is our favorite ❤️. There are no tourists, so we were alone with the locals for an hour. The village has a very atypical architecture. The locals are delighted to see tourists, and are all smiles. It was incredible to see them living as they do on a daily basis, without the influence of tourism. We paid 20k/2 pers for a donation.

Bena is the best-known village. It has the same architecture as Tololela, but you can see that they've turned it into a tourist spot. Entrance is 50k/pers.

RIUNG

We head for the north coast. Riung is a small, quiet fishing village. It's the departure point for the "17 islands". It's easy to find a fisherman who will organize a day trip. The program includes snorkelling and grilled fish on a deserted island. Even if it's not as good as the Komodo, it's still worth the detour. We were the only boat out, so we had the snorkelling spots to ourselves. The corals are still magnificent, and there are an enormous number of fish. We paid 350k/pers for a 5-person boat. Here's the number of our captain Alex, who was great: +62 813 37520048.

To eat, head for Pato Resto. It's delicious and in the evening there's live music.

For lodging, we stayed 2 nights at Sangria Mentos. It was clean, comfortable and had a very good breakfast. We paid 200k/2 pers.

REO

The road between Riung and Reo is magnificent, but tiring. We just slept there to get back on the road to Ruteng rested.

LABUAN BAJO

Back from our roadtrip, we were able to stay at Menjaga Bay, a brand-new resort accessible by boat from Labuan Bajo. The resort is magnificent, with rooms on stilts overlooking the Komodo islands. The staff are very attentive and offer a wide range of activities. If you get the chance, treat yourself to a few nights!

There's still the whole eastern part of the island to discover, but that's for a future trip ☀️