The following itinerary is a part of our bigger trip to Indonesia.
Due to the stretched time limit, we spent in Flores only 6 days, but if you can - stay longer. We both love Bali and honestly didn’t expect Indonesia had anything better to offer. IT DOES. Flores is spectacular and we really hope to go back there one day.
For more details of our trip go to: https://www.whattoseenext.com/indonesia/flores/How_to_plan_a_trip_to_Flores_Indonesia
Day 1: Denpasar – Ende – Moni
We took a flight from Denpasar (Bali) to Ende. From Ende, we took a taxi to Moni (about 2 hours).
Moni is a small village that serves as a starting point for trips to Kelimutu volcano.
The trips to Kelimutu start before dawn. You can get there by motorbike or by car.
Day 2: Moni – Kelimutu – Wologai – Blue Beach – Bajawa
At 4 am the driver took us to Kelimutu, where he waited for us until 9 am (the time when the blue lake gets unshaded and thus ideal for pictures). The trekking from the parking lot to the top of the volcano takes around 30 minutes. Don’t stop for too long at the first viewpoint, as you’re going to miss the sunrise at the top spot (from where you’ll see the green lake changing its color). Go to the first viewpoint on your way back, when the sun is high and you’ll see the blue lake in its full color.
From Kelimutu, we went to the Wologai traditional village (it is located near Moni, close to the main road to Ende.
From the Wologai village, we went to Bajawa, stopping at the Blue Beach (the name comes from the color of the pebbles, collected by the locals for various craft purposes) for half an hour.
We also stopped at the several viewpoints on the way (the road is beautiful, sit on the left if you travel by bus), so we arrived in Bajawa in the very late afternoon.
Day 3: Bajawa – Luba – Gurusina – Bena – Ruteng
In the morning, we went by motorbikes first to Luba village then to Gurusina and finally to Bena village. Each of the villages was different, beautiful and well worth visiting.
Next we went to Ruteng. The trip took us about 4 hours.
The taxi driver offered to take us the next morning to the Cancar hill, from where we could watch the famous spiderweb rice fields. We agreed on the price and also arranged with him a pick-up to Labuan Bajo by another shared taxi.
Day 4: Ruteng – Puu village – Cancar hill – Labuan Bajo
In the morning, the taxi driver picked us up from the hotel. First, he took us to the Puu traditional village (we were seriously intrigued with the name), then to the Cancar hill to see the spectacular spiderweb rice fields.
When we got back downhill, we were introduced to another taxi driver, who took us to Labuan Bajo.
We arrived in Labuan Bajo in the late afternoon (the driver took us to the hotel we booked) and managed to see the town, eat the overpriced pizza (we craved for it) and arrange the boat to the Komodo National Park for the next day.
Day 5: Labuan Bajo – Komodo Island (the National Park + the Pink Beach) – Rinca Island – Kelor island
We started very early, at 5 am. First, we went to Komodo, where we were extremely lucky to see five huge dragons inside the park. We’ve also seen many other animals.
On the way back we stopped near the Pink Beach (the beach belongs to Komodo Island), where we snorkeled over the beautiful coral reef.
From the Pink Beach, we went to Rinca Island. It is located closer to Flores, so many more tourists come here than to Komodo island.
From Rinca we went back to Flores, stopping near Kelor island for more snorkeling and sunset watching.
We came back to Labuan Bajo around 8 pm.
Day 6: Labuan Bajo – Denpasar (Bali)
After a tour around Labuan Bajo, we took a taxi to the airport and went back to Denpasar (Bali was a starting point for all our island hopping trips in Indonesia).
