Flores | The Places of Interest

Labuan bajo
Komodo National Park encompasses a lot of water and islands west of Labuan bajo. Labuanbajo is a fishing village in the west of Flores, with many beautiful islands in front of its coast. It is the main spot for tourists to spend a couple of days relaxing and exploring before going overland to Ende and Maumere. Labuanbajo’s beautiful sunsets. It’s easy to arrange tours and boat trips to the islands of Komodo and Rinca, where the famous Komodo Dragons can be seen. Bring enough water and a hat. Deer, monkeys, water buffalos, different species of birds. There are several possibilities for diving in the waters of Komodo National Park. Day trips to the offshore islands, where you can relax, swim and snorkel, can also be arranged by hotels, guides and the little tour offices in town. ‘Batu Cermin’ (‘Mirror Cave’) with its stalagmites and stalactites just outside of town is another point of interest.
Rinca Island
Is a more convenient place to see Komodo Dragons than Komodo island. Some dive operators might be convinced to combine a stop at the island with a days diving. There are big dragons that are often right in front of the pier when people arrive. Scuba Diving within the park is excellent. Bajo Dive Club, Dive Komodo, and Reef Seekers are three main dive operators that offer day dives as well as live aboard opportunities.
Kalong Island
is also called Pulau Kalong which literally means which settled by thousands of Kalong, or giant flying fox bats. It is also the snorkeling stop at a nearby island before you reach Pulau Kalong. The boat ride to/from Labuanbajo will take roughly one hour.
Liang Bua Cave
The location can be reached one hour from Ruteng to the north-west. The anthropologists discovered skeletons of the Homo Floresiensis in September 2004. The cave is now open to visitors, and a local guide can explain the findings. The Homo Floresiensis may have existed until as recently as 11.000 BC, and they were about 1 meter tall. On the Ruteng-Bajawa route, you can also see a crater lake (Lake Ranamese), surrounded by forest.
Bena Cult Structures
Around the foot of Gunung Inerie, there is Bena Village that offers magnificent panorama. Bena is the center of the traditional religion of the area. There are no metal roofs here. Visitors still have to report in the visitor log. The yearly reba-cycle starts in Bena on 26 December and then continues to other villages. Other rituals in connection to the agricultural cycle are held as well: the zoa-planting ritual in September or October, and the keti kua ritual in April or May. The uma moni or ana koka, is an honor to the ancestors which planted here first and at this event, a water buffalo is sacrificed. The traditional houses of the Bena have steep, high roofs of grass. Some are crowned with the image of a warrior with a javelin and a parang, which looks like the one on the ngadhu; others with miniature houses which look like the bhaga. There are also several megalithic stones, sacrificing-or meeting places where the village elderly make their decisions which have anything to do with the relations with the supernatural. Near the entrance to the village a pension was built not too long ago. It should be a cheap place to sleep and eat.
Nggela weaving village
The Village that traditionally produced as home-made of 'ikat. Nggela is located on the east of Ende with the beautiful sea. Their selling techniques are very rude: When walking around you get a good impression of the different stages of the process of ikat, unless the women are working hard to sell something. Who wants to take pictures maybe has to pay for it. Nggela is famous because hand-woven threats and natural dye is used, but that goes up for several other villages as well. The prices in Neggala are not cheap. Look for woven fabrics on the markets during the market days.
Wolojita and Ndona Traditional Village and Ikats
Ikat (to tie or bind in Indonesian), is created when the design is tied off with grass or string bound around the threads which are then dyed in seried of dye baths, before being placed on the loom. Some regions dye the warp threads and then tie them on the loom and weave with one color thread. Others dye the weft threads that are woven in. Still others dye both warp and weft threads, which requires a meticulous matching to get very complex and difficult designs. Ende Regency is home to the Endenese and Lio villages with their famous warp ikat sarongs and shoulder cloths. You will find weaving villages primarily along the coasts, particularly in Wolowaru, Nggela, Wolojita and Ndona,and a very active cloth market in downtown Ende.

Moni

Moni is the main starting point for trips to the famous Kelimutu - the three colors crater lakes. The three lakes are set in deep craters at an altitude of 1,600m, and are near the summit of Kelimutu Volcano. These three lakes tend to change colors. It is depend on myth and local beliefs and mysterious stories, to a scientific explanation about minerals and gasses. The lakes have changed from light turquoise, olive green and black, to blue/green, brown and black. The best time to see the spectacular views of the lakes is on the early in the morning. Bring hat and enough water. To get there : It is one hour up the mountain by car then another 30-minute walk to the rims of the crater lakes.

The lakes of Kelimutu

Located on the village of Moni. Climb on the slope of its mountain to reach the three color lakes. In three volcanic craters below you are lakes of brilliant turquoise, olive green, and inky black. The rising sun makes them shimmer and glow like pots of pots of dazzling paint. No one knows what causes the color - the vertical sides of the craters make it impossible to reach the lakes.

Maumere

Maumere is Flores’ biggest town. Together with Labuanbajo, it is the main entrance or exit port. The most interesting spots are out of town. In Nita and Watublapi you can see local women weaving Sikka ‘ikat’. In some villages, on request, the people also dress up in their traditional clothing and you can enjoy local dances and music. Outside Maumere, there are luxurious resorts, and about 20km out of town to the east of Maumere, near Ahuwair and Wodong Beach, there are lovely bungalows on the beach from where you can arrange snorkelling/diving and trips to the neighbouring islands.