Exciting private Flores & Komodo round trip 15 days/14 nights

This 2 week trip through Flores and the Komodo National Park offers the opportunity to get to know different facets of the fascinating culture, the rich nature and the friendly people of Flores. With activities such as hiking and snorkeling as well as relaxing on secluded beaches, the travel time is varied.

ITINERARY:
✈ Maumere ➝ Kelimutu ➝ Riung (17 Island National Park) ➝ Bajawa (hiking to traditional Ngada villages) ➝ Ruteng ➝ trekking to Wae Rebo ➝ Labuan Bajo ➝ 2 Days/1 Night Boat trip in Komodo National Park ➝ Labuan Bajo ✈

This private round trip can be customized and expanded. You will explore all of the national and marine parks on Flores in Indonesia: Kelimutu Volcano in Moni, 17 Islands National Park in Riung, Komodo National Park in Labuan Bajo in West Flores and the Marine Park in Maumere in East Flores.

Travel to Flores Island ✈ Maumere

Island Hopping in Maumere Bay

An exciting boat trip to the Islands in Maumere Bay to the islands of Pulau Pangahbatang, Pulau Babi awaits you today. Let yourself be surprised by beautiful snorkeling areas, picnic and shell collecting on white coral beaches and encounters with friendly people in picturesque fishing villages. It is not uncommon to encounter schools of dolphins on the crossing.

We start this boat trip with a short drive to the village of Nangahale, where you can see how sea salt is refined and boats are built. Then you board a fisherman's boat with a guide and travel from island to island with snorkeling stops and visits to the small settlements. At Pulau Babi, in the shade of mangroves, we will serve you a picnic lunch you have brought with you. Accommodation is again in Hotel in Maumere Bay

from Maumere to Moni village at the foot of Kelimutu

In the morning we visit the market in Maumere (Pasar Alok) and the Bajo village Wuring. Then we drive to the mountain village Watublapi or Dokar with a long history of Ikat weaving. Here, we visit a demonstration of the weaving of Ikat fabrics and each step starting with spinning and dyeing of cotton up to the finished Ikat are vividly explained. Then we visit the Bikon Blewut Anthropology Museum in Ledalero, the viewpoint of Nilo with a large Holy Mary statue and continue to Paga Beach (with possibility for lunch) and have some time to relax on the wonderful Koka Beach. Then we visit the traditional village Sikka on the South coast of Flores. Enjoy wonderful views of the countryside with plantations and small mountain villages. In Sikka we visit a very interesting 150 years old Portuguese Church. Then we continue to Moni with stop at Wolowaru, where you can see traditional Lio houses. Accommodation in a bungalow in Kelimutu Eco Lodge which is remote located surrounded by beautiful natur just outside the Moni village.

The 3-colored Lakes of the Volcano Kelimutu

Kelimutu is a volcano near the Moni village in Central Flores in Indonesia. The Volcano Kelimutu consists of three crater Lakes, which have different colors because of minerals. The colors of the Lakes have changed several times dramatically over the last years. The Lunar of crater is a hideout of the spirits according to the beliefs of the locals. Then the souls of boys and girls live in the Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai , which change the color between turquoise, blue and white greenish In Tiwu Ata Polo the sinner wait till night, to fly up with the wind and destroy every living Intruder. This lake change the colors between red, dark green, dark red and green color. The souls of the ancients rest in the Tiwu Ata Bupu. The now almost black Lake was once dark blue then light blue to white. The name of Kelimutu itself in the local language means 'keli' = 'mountain' and 'mutu' = 'boiling'.

On this day, we have to get up early in the morning and after a cup of coffee or tea, we drive to the volcano Kelimutu. After 30 minutes we reach the parking lot, and here a pleasant walk about 1.5 km and 127 stairs leads to the terrace of Mount Kelimutu at 1690 m altitude. From here, you have wonderful views of all three colored crater Lakes of Kelimutu and the surrounding countryside. Approximately at 10: 00 fog or clouds can come up and prevent the view so it is important to be up at least between 8 and 9. In the midst of this lunar landscape, the colors of the Lakes look spectacular.

It's always a surprise what colors the Kelimutu Lakes will have when we visit.

On the drive back from the mount Kelimutu to Moni, we will pass beautiful rice fields and tropical Florests. Here it is worth to make on the way down photo stops and walk some meters or kilometers, while the car moves forward and waiting for you. It is 14 km from the parking lot of the Kelimutu to Moni's main street. Arrived in Moni, we can have breakfast at the hotel before we go then to Ende with stops at street market in Nduaria and rice paddies in Detusoko. On the way from Moni to Ende we visit the village Wologai with well-preserved traditional houses in the for Ende/Lio region formerly typical Lioneser architecture. Than we can visit traditional house in the Lio village Wolotopo and if you are interested we can arrange an Ikat weaving demonstration of the beautiful Lionesen Ikat in Ndona.

Accommodation is in a modern small City Hotel in Ende.

From Ende to Riung on the North coast of Flores Island

Morning we will visit the market and the Museum Rumah Soekarno. It is the House where the first Indonesian President from 1934 to 1938 has spent his years in exile, and it is believed that it was in Ende under a breadfruit tree where he was inspired to define the Indonesian national philosophy called " Pancasila ". Than we make a detour to the Penggajawa Beach, which is littered with many colored stones. The stones are predominantly blue to turquoise, but also green and red stones are in between. The stones are collected by the local population and sold as building material. After lunch we will drive from Ende (South Coast) to the North Coast to Aegela via Mbay and from there to Riung. From Ende to Riung is a realatively long car ride. Yet there is on the way time to discover again interesting things, opportunity for photo stops, short walks and encounters with the locals. In the late afternoon we reach Riung. Overnight is in a guest house in Riung.

Boat-Trip for snorkeling in Riung /Seventeen Islands National Park

After breakfast, we go by wooden motorboat to a nearby island. Relax on the pristine beach. Riung is one of only few places in Flores with access to white sand beaches. The area of Riung makes up a national park called Pulau Tujuh Belas (Seventeen Islands). Some of the islands are just rocks sticking out of the sea but the large ones are hilly and fringed with mangroves, where we will see thousands of flying foxes hanging in colonies in the mangrove trees.

After a relaxing day spend on the beach with picnic lunch and snorkelling we return in the afternoon to Riung. Accommodation in simply Guesthouse/Hotel in Riung.

Riung ➝ Soa Hot springs ➝ Bajawa

Traditional Ngadha villages in the surroundings of Bajawa

After an early breakfast we will first visit the small traditional village of Luba and drive then to Bena, on of the best preserved and best known of the traditional villages in Ngadha. The village consists of two rows of centuries old houses covered with grass. In the middle of the village, there's a sacrificial stones and cult houses, which were used for ritual ceremonies and sacrificial offerings. Christians are the people, who today lives and works in this heritage village but nevertheless, some of the old traditions and ancestor worship are still alive. After the visit of Bena we start a hike to one of the secluded Ngadha villages to Tololela. This easy hike takes about 2 hours. In Tololela, a local lunch will be served to us, accompanied with a demonstration of traditional music. After lunch we continue 1 hour to the next remote Ngadha village named Gerusina. Here our car is already waiting and we drive with a stop at another wild Hot springs for swimming back to our accommodation in Bajawa.

Bajawa ➝ Rana Mese Lake ➝ Ruteng

Today we continue to Ruteng. We make our first break in Aimere, where we visit an original Destilerie of Arak. Than we drive through a mountainous landscape and rice fields in Mano and then stop at a beautiful view point to the Rana Mese Lake. It is a crater lake, where we can arrange especially for natur lovers, photographers and bird watchers a walk around the shore and through the Florest. Lunch is on the road in a local restaurant. . In the afternoon or late afternoon (if including hiking around Ramanesee) we arrive Ruteng and visit a Rumah Adat Ruteng Pu'u.In Ruteng you will spend the night in a beautiful, small country hotel surrounded by a well-tended gardens.

Ruteng ➝ spider rice fields in Cancar ➝ Denge/Dintor

After the breakfast we drive to Cancar, where we will see the "spider web rice field". (Rice fields, which are arranged like a spider's Web) and are called also called Lingko. hen we go with some photo stops to Dintor on the southern coast of Flores. Here, we stay in a simple lodge with beautiful views before early in the morning the next day we will start trekking to Wae Rebo.

Trekking Wae Rebo

Wae Rebo is an ancient village with a unique architecture, isolated in a beautiful mountainous area of ??Manggarai in West Flores. It consists of 7 traditional circular and cone shaped buildings called Mbaru Niang which means "Drum Houses" in Manggarai language. People used to live here in these round houses with space for up to 200 people. When the Dutch came, these houses were demolished, as they thought they were anything but hygienic. So this ancient treasure was lost. But hidden in the mountains, a few of these mythical houses have been preserved and renovated by the local community together with a team of Jakarta-based architects and the Indonesian government.

Wae Rebo is tucked away in lush green mountains and is only accessible on foot. Depending on your condition, the hike takes 3-4 hours. The hike leads along a narrow path through dense rainforest with orchids, palm trees and various ferns and is accompanied by the singing of various birds.

Arriving at Wae Rebo, you will be greeted like honored guests with a special ceremony. You stay the night in this village and have enough time to see the local way of life. Most people work in their gardens from early morning until dusk, harvesting coffee or traditionally processing coffee beans. You will be overwhelmed by the tranquility and the beauty of the place. There is no electricity, no cell phone signal, no mopets. You'll stay at the Mbaru Niang, dine with the Wae Rebo community and other guests, and sleep on a tikar, a woven mat made from pandanus leaf. The accommodation is very spartan but you get an impression of how life was here when the extended families still lived under one roof.

Wae Rebo ➝ Denge ➝ Labuan Bajo

After breakfast we start our hike back to Denge. The descent is shorter as the hike up yesterday and takes 1.5-2.5 hours, depending on the condition. In Denge, our vehicle is waiting and we drive today to Labuan Bajo. In the afternoon we will reach Labuan Bajo and check in at your hotel. Accommodation in Labuan Bajo

Labuan Bajo ➝ Kelor Island ➝ Menjerite ➝ Rinca Island ➝ Kalong Island

Pick up from hotel in Labuan Bajo and after 15 minutes drive we reach the the harbor in Labuan Bajo. Here we board your private boat with cabins for 2 days sailing in Komodo National Park. First, we sail about 1 hour to Kelor Island, where you can snorkel. After another 30 minutes, we reach Menjerite, one more place for snorkeling. During a further 1 hour sail we reach Rinca Island. Here we make a hike of about 1.5-2 hours with a Ranger of the National Parks and you will see Komodo dragons and other animals such as wild boars, Timor deer and monkeys. There are also breathtaking views of the slopes. Then we sail to Kalong Island, where you can see a large colony of flying foxes as they leaves at dusk the Island in all directions. Overnight on boat.

Komodo Island ➝ Pink Beach ➝ Manta Point ➝ Labuan Bajo

After breakfast on the boat, we start very early a 2 hour hike on Komodo Island to see Komodo Dragons when they leave there hideouts and go into the sun. After returning to the boat we sail first to Pink Beach, where you have time to relax and have snorkeling and then continue to Manta Point to snorkel with Manta Rey. On the way back to Labuan Bajo, there is still possibility to snorkel or you can hike to the view point of Padar Island. Late afternoon we arrive back in Labuan Bajo. Accommodation in Labuan Bajo

✈ Departure from Flores Island

The tour ends with the transfer to the airport in Labuan Bajo. If you have an afternoon flight, than we can offer optional half day excursion around Labuan Bajo with visit of Batu Cermin Cave.

The tour can also start in Labuan Bajo and end in Maumere.