Travelers usually go to Flores to look for the legendary Komodo dragons. But if you want something off the beaten track, you should do the island-hopping trip in the little archipelago of 17 Islands marine park in Riung! Virgin beaches, crystal clear waters, abundant underwater life in various sizes and colors, spectacular panoramic views, all of that will welcome you. This tour combines the enchanting marine park with many traditional villages across the island of Flores and of course, the majestic dragons that survived natural selection, the giant Komodo lizard.
Welcome to Maumere, the capital of Flores! This is the starting point of our Flores overland tour. Meet and greet with our friendly guide at the airport, then we will drive to Moni village. We will go from East to West through the famous and only road that crosses the island. It is known among locals as the “Transflores”. It takes about 4 hours driving, but we can make some stops on the way to Moni to make the journey more bearable. Your accommodation is close to Mount Kelimutu. On arrival, check in and rest.
Meals: Lunch – Dinner
Accommodation: Eco Lodge in Moni
Today we will get up early to see the sunrise at the top of the Kelimutu. It is a large volcano, which we access practically by car only until the last 20 minutes, which will have to walk in the fields to reach the volcano. Upon reaching the top, we can see 3 craters, which have become three lakes, of different colors. One black, one yellow and one a little purple, but the magnificent thing is that they change color, especially at dawn! Take a coat, because sometimes it is a bit cold while we wait for the sunrise.
After admiring this natural wonder, we will go down to the town of Kowanara, famous for its Lyon houses, stone thrones and the sacred animist cemetery. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant in the town of Ende. Then continue the day driving North until you reach Riung, via some pothole road. Things always happen in the surrounding towns, a wedding or celebration, we can stop according to what we see. Arrival at your accommodation and then free time.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Riung
Breakfast at the hotel and then we will take a boat to navigate the archipelago of Pulau Tujuh Belas (17 Islands), where you can snorkel in the spectacular coral reefs and see one of the largest varieties of fish in all of Southeast Asia. You will enjoy the dozens of idyllic white sand beaches, blue waters and tropical paradise. We then sail to Riung and head towards Bajawa. Before reaching Bajawa, you will visit some waterfalls and towns.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Bajawa
Today in the morning, we will go to see a second-class Kelimutu, a volcano called Wawo Muda. It is a walk of an hour and a half to go up and an hour to go down. Then we return to the hotel, take shower, and we leave to see some tribes called Ngadas. They still have animistic beliefs and they live in some peculiar houses.
We will make a stop in a town called Bena, one of the best known traditional villages of Flores, belonging to the Ngadas tribes. Tribes that despite being Christianized, they still maintain their animistic beliefs. There you can see the way of life of the Bajawa people. In the village complex they have all the houses with the doors open towards the Ngadhu and Bhaga (Man and Woman) temples. Altars that they use both to bless the town and for the harvest, as they represent their ancestors.
From Bena, we start a trekking of an hour and a half, which will take us to another town a little smaller, but more authentic called Tododela. There, a family will “adopt” you for one night, and you will sleep in their house and enjoy a dinner with them, it will be a nice experience.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Accommodation: Local House
In the morning when the dog’s barking and the roosters’ crowing wake you up, (DYK? There are many small dogs, which by the way is a typical dish of the area), we will have breakfast in the town. After that, we continue our march by a trek of about 3 hours in a tropical bamboo forest. In the end, you will reach a place where a river of boiling water mixes with a river of very cold water. There in the middle, you can give yourself the luxury of one of the best natural Spas in the world. On the way to the Malanage River we will easily meet some livestock such as pigs, water buffalo and cross plantations of vanilla, peanuts, cocoa, pepper, coffee, etc. After having a picnic lunch and bathing, we go up in a minute to the dirt road where the car will pick us up to go to the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel
Today, we start to go into the Manggarai territories. On the way, we will stop to see the Inerie Volcano, and then to Ruteng, we will stop at a place where they naturally distil alcohol from palm trees. The drink is locally known as Arak (if you carry 10 bottles empty, they exchange them for a full one). We will also go to Lingko, where you can see the only rice fields shaped like spider webs in the world. Then, we will continue by car for 5 more hours until you reach Labuan Bajo.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Labuan Bajo
Today, we begin our journey in Komodo National Park. The day you’re waiting for to see the mighty dragons!
We will sail to Loh Buaya, the ranger station on the island of Rinca that is one of the 3 major islands where the dragons live. During the cruise, you will realize that the sea is like a great lake dotted with hundreds of tiny islands, most of them uninhabited, or with only a few fishermen, who moor in them to rest or spend the night. Once on the island, we have to enter the office of the rangers to register and pay the national park fee. There we will be assigned a ranger who will accompany us at all times while we are inside the island.
Rangers always carry a long pole with a V-shaped tip, to make dragons keep their distance from us. They will give us a brief explanation of behavior in the park and what we can see. The dragons may sometimes make sudden moves so opening your eyes and keeping silent will always be the best advice. Watch your back as there might be also one behind you or up on the trees. The Ranger will always be leading the group, showing us all the species that he sees during trekking.
In addition to the Komodo dragons, we can see water buffalo, macaque monkeys, cockatoos, wild horses, etc.
Lunch will be provided on board.
In the late afternoon, you will sail to Kalong Island. Here, you can see the incredible thousands of flying foxes (giant bats) taking flight from the mangroves at around 6 to 7 PM. You can see the beautiful sunset from your boat. It is truly a spectacle of nature.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Accommodation: Traditional Boat (Cabin without AC)
Today, we will sail to Loh Liang that is the ranger’s station on Komodo Island. During the sail, you will realize that the sea is like a great lake dotted with hundreds of tiny islands, most of them uninhabited, or with only a few fishermen, who moor in them to rest or spend the night. Once on the island, we have to enter the office of the rangers to register and pay the national park fee. There we will be assigned a ranger who will accompany us at all times while we are inside the island. During the trekking, in addition to Komodo dragons in their natural environment. There are other animals in the area such as Timor deer, wild pigs, sulfur cockatoos, snakes, etc.
At the end of the trek, we head back to the port and continue the sail. After a short while, we will reach Pink Beach where we can do snorkeling in the middle of coral reefs full of life. Did you know that Indonesia is the most important center of marine biodiversity in the world? It is where the species of the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean come together with the endemic species of Indonesia. It makes Indonesia have the largest number of underwater species in the world. Well, you will be swimming in the middle of all that.
Lunch is served on board.
In the afternoon we go to the port of Labuan Bajo and from there to the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Labuan Bajo
Your adventure can continue for a little bit longer on this last day of the trip, but only if you still have time prior to your flight (situational). After breakfast, we can go to see Batu Cermin (cave of mirrors). Then at around noon we continue to Labuan Bajo airport to take your flight. Thank you for enjoying Flores overland tour with Come2Indonesia. We wait for you on another excursion with us. Sampai Jumpa!
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: –
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Based in Ubud
Village life activity
Jatiluwih rice fields
Cepung Waterfall
Tanah Lot Temple
Different hotels each night
Lovina dolphins
Kintamani
Tenganan Village
Besakih Mother Temple
Traditional Life
Farming
Cooking Balinese Food
Tanah Lot Temple
Sunset from the temple
Magical balinese dance
Unspoiled place
Swimming and soft climbing
Extreme nature
Half day tour
