Flores land tour with snorkeling in Riung/17 Islands Marine Park

On this 6-day land tour, you will discover the scenic and cultural highlights of the still for tourism underdeveloped Lesser Sunda island FloresFlores in Indonesia. Discover volcanoes and color-changing crater lakes, spider-web rice paddies, ancient villages, jungle, and visit the uninhabited islands of Riung 17 Islands Marine Park with stunning beaches and snorkeling reefs.

ITINERARY:
✈ Ende ➝ Kelimutu ➝ Riung (Boat trip in 17 Island Marine Park) ➝ Bajawa ➝ Ruteng ➝ Labuan Bajo ✈

The 3-colored Lakes of the Volcano Kelimutu ➝ Bajawa

Kelimutu is an active volcano near the village of Moni in Central Flores, Indonesia. At the top of Gunung Kelimutu there are three color changing crater lakes. The colors of the lakes have changed drastically several times over the years and are believed by locals to be a haunt of spirits. The name Kelimutu itself means 'keli' = 'mountain' and 'mutu' = 'boiling' in the local language.

On this day we have to get up early in the morning and after a cup of coffee or tea we drive to Kelimutu volcano. After about 30 minutes we reach the parking lot and here a pleasant walk over 1.5 km and 127 steps leads to the viewing terrace of Kelimutu at 1690 meters. From here you have a wonderful view of all three differently colored crater lakes of Kelimutu and the surrounding landscape. Amidst this lunar landscape, the colors of the lakes look spectacular. It is always a surprise what colors the crater lakes of Kelimutu will have when we visit.

On the way back from Kelimutu to Moni, we pass beautiful rice fields and tropical forests. Arrived in Moni, you can have breakfast at the hotel before we continue to Ende with stops at the market in Nduaria and rice fields at Detusoko. Then drive to Wologai village with well-preserved traditional houses in the Lionese architecture typical of the Ende region in the past. If you are interested, we can also visit the small museum Rumah Soekarno in Ende, where the first Indonesian President spent his years in exile from 1934 to 1938 and was probably inspired here in Ende to the Indonesian national philosophy called "Pancasila" under a breadfruit tree.

Then we stop at Penggajawa Beach, which is covered with many colorful stones. The stones are predominantly blue to turquoise, but there are also green and red stones in between. The stones are collected by the local population and sold as building material.

After Lunch, we drive westward, following the coast until Aegela, where we take the road to Riung on north coast of Flores. On the way, you can enjoy the scenic beauty of the landscape. It is a long driving day. Accommodation in simply Guesthouse/Hotel 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

Bajawa ➝ traditional village Bena ➝ Ruteng

After early breakfast, we take a detour to Bena, one of the most traditional villages in Ngada District. The village consist of two rows of centuries - old high thatched houses along a ridge. In the center you can see cult houses and much older stone monuments formerly used for ritual sacrifices in the ancient local religion. The local Christian people still use this historic protected site for worship. After that we visit the smaller traditional village Luba.

We continue driving to Ruteng, stoping to take short walks along the way. We pause at Aimere to see people brewing arak in very traditional way. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant on the way. Today is a spectacular drive. Enjoy the trip through undulating hills with mountains standing majestically in the distance. The rice terrace fields in Mano make a spectacular scene, with wonderful views of Lake Rana Mese. In the afternoon, we visit Ruteng Pu'u to see the "Adat House" and enjoy the panorama of Ruteng town. In Ruteng you will spend the night in a beautiful, small country hotel surrounded by a well-tended gardens.

Ruteng ➝ Labuan Bajo

After breakfast we drive from Ruteng to Labuan Bajo. Our first stop is in Cancar, where we can see the "spider web rice field " (rice fields that are laid out like a spider web), also called Lingko. Then we drive to Todo (approx. 2 hours drive) in south-central Manggarai. It is one of the few opportunities to see the traditional ceremonial houses of Mbaru Niang . In the past, Todo was also the center of the Manggaraian Kingdom and the home of the royal clan.

As an alternative to Todo, you can visit Liang Bua (Hobbit Cave) . An impressive archaeological discovery was made in this large cave in 2003 when the skeletal remains of a small humanoid, the so-called Homo Floresiensis, were excavated. There are some explanatory boards on site, but otherwise the cave is empty and the access road is in poor condition, but the landscape is beautiful.

If you spend 2 nights in Ruteng, you can visit both sights and do a hike from Hobbit Cave to Tengkulese waterfall . Optionally and at an additional cost, we can stop in Melo, where we can organize a demonstration of the ritual Caci Whipping Dance .

The tour ends in Labuan Bajo with transfer to the hotel, port or airport in Labuan Bajo.

This tour can also be done in the opposite direction, ie. start in Labuan Bajo and end in East Flores (Ende or Maumere).