Flores land tour with snorkeling in Riung and Komodo on Rinca

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

Travel to Flores Island: ✈ to Maumere

from Maumere to Moni village at the foot of Kelimutu

After breakfast at 9.00 am you will be picked up at the hotel for your Flores countryside tour. Flores has a long history of weaving ikat. This art is still very much alive and an important part of the traditions (Adat) on Flores. We support women in our neighborhood in the village of Waiara, who will briefly and vividly show you the individual steps - starting with spinning and dyeing the cotton to the finished ikat. We are happy to organize a larger ikat performance in the village of Watublapi or Doka including traditional dances instead. If you are not interested in it, this program item can also be omitted.

Afterwards, depending on the day of the week, we visit either the market in the coastal village of Geliting or the traditional market in the mountain village of Nita or the daily market in Maumere (Pasar Alok) and the Bajo village fisher village Wuring.

After that we will leave Maumere and drive to Ledalero where, if you are interested, you can visit the small Bikon Blewut Anthropological Museum and the Nilo Viewpoint. On the way from Maumere to Moni is the beautiful Koka Beach where you can spend some time before continuing to Sikka village on the south coast of Flores. Enjoy wonderful views of the landscape with plantations and small mountain villages. In Sikka there is an interesting 150 year old church to visit. Then continue to Moni with a stop in Wolowaru where you can see traditional Lio houses. Accommodation in a bungalow at Kelimutu Eco Lodge in Moni, idyllically situated just outside the village of Moni.

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 to see the "spider web rice field" called Lingko. Lingko is a typical farmer land in the group or clan belong to Manggaraian (west part ethnic group) when they divide land. Than we continue to Todo (2 hours drive) in South Central Manggarai. It is one of the few possibilities to see the traditional ceremonial houses Mbaru Niang. In the past, Todo was also the Centre of the Kingdom of Manggaraian and the home of the Royal clan.

Alternative to Todo you can visit Liang Bua (Hobbit cave) . This large cave was the site of a stunning archeological discovery in 2003, when the skeletal remains of a small humanoid were unearthed, the so-called Homo Floresiensis. There is a small museum on site with some displays. Otherwise the cave is indeed empty and the road in poor condition but the scenery is beautiful.

If you spend 2 nights in Ruteng you can visit both sites and make hiking from Hobbit Cave to Tengkulese Watterfall. Optional and with additional charge we can visit Melo to see performance of Caci - ritual whip fight dance .

Labuan Bajo ➝ Day excursion to Rinca Island ➝ Labuan Bajo

Rinca island has a higher density of the Komodo population and is very likely to see Komodo. After arrival at Rinca we start a 3 hour walk through a landscape dotted with Lonta Palm trees . We will see not only the Komodo but we will see also other animals, such as Timor deer, Buffalo, monkeys, wild boars, and exotic birds. There are breathtaking views of the slopes. Lunch will be served upon return to the boat.

In the afternoon there is possibility for snorkeling, swimming or just relaxing on the white beach of Kelor island or Bidadari island. Late afternoon we are sailing back to Labuan Bajo. Accommodation in Labuan Bajo

The boat trip can also be done with a private speedboat with an appropriate surcharge. If you really want to immerse yourself in the fascinating underwater world of Komodo National Park, we recommend multi-day sailing trips on traditional Phinisi boats.

✈ 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 be also done in reverse direction means start in Labuan Bajo and end in Maumere