For first-timers planning to travel here, you may be asking what are the things to do in Flores and after several trips here, I can narrow them down for you.
One of the lesser-visited places in Indonesia is the island of Flores, but many may know this place as Komodo, due to Komodo Island being part of Flores, East Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia.
Things to do in Flores
Flores is all the way East of Bali, after Lombok and Gili Trawangan and just before Ambon and Papua Indonesia.
There are only two ways of getting here, the old way via ferry and boats, and currently via flight from Bali using several local Indonesian airlines.
For those who intend to visit Flores, I would recommend booking well in advance, especially if you are a budget traveler as of lately, more travelers are keen to visit here.
1. Visit the Komodo National Park
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| One of the many Komodo Dragons at the Komodo National Park |
Tours run daily and depart from Labuan Bajo for day trips while those on a budget opt for the overnight trips where they stay on board a local boat.
In total, two islands are open to visitors, Komodo Island and Rinca Island where you can trek with the park rangers to see the dragons. It is no doubt that when you want to visit Komodo, you have to make your port of entry in Labuan Bajo.
I also wrote this article on how to get to Komodo Island for those who plane to visit here and let me just say, this place should be on everyone's bucket list, especially for Indonesia or Asia.
2. Visit Pink Beach at Komodo Island
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| Pink Beach at Komodo Island |
Not to worry as any tours to Komodo will include a visit to the pink beaches here for you to snorkel and relax.
After a trek to see the Komodo Dragons, you will be brought to the main popular pink beach to spend an hour or two before heading off.
One of the must-do things here is the trek up the small hill to get a birds-eye view of the pink beach.
3. Trek Up Padar Island
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| Padar Island Photo, taken from the peak |
This stunning experience lets you trek up a hill, all the way to the peak where you can see the entire island from up top. The photo above was taken by me using my Oppo R9s panoramic mode.
Hoards of tourists, locals, and foreigners head here to make that tiring journey uphill for about 30 minutes and to be rewarded with probably the most popular selfie in Indonesia.
Those with heart conditions or knee and leg problems are not recommended to attempt to climb up, but you can wait in the boat or beach below.
To see more, check out my Padar Island Video which I shot and edited.
4. Have A Manggarai Village Experience
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| The unique Manggarai people at the village in Flores |
This cultural experience lets you see the Manggarai tribe participate in their traditional rituals and dances.
The welcome ritual takes you into the home where the head man will recite some prayers to welcome visitors.
After that, the unique Caci war dance is performed followed by a harvest dance and then a traditional bamboo dance.
Visitors will be treated to the local Flores Coffee and possibly a lunch with traditional Manggarai food. Well worth the experience if you love cultures, food, and coffee.
5. Go Scuba Diving in Komodo Island
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| My divemaster explains the dive site at Komodo Island |
Being a scuba diver, I was totally speechless with the ultra-rich marine and coral life at the many dive sites around Komodo Island.
Many have said that Raja Ampat is the best dive site, but speaking to the local divemasters who have been diving for more than 20 years have told me that they spent time all over Indonesia and Komodo Island is still hands-down the best dive spot in Indonesia.
I couldn't agree more and after three dives, I was sold. My next dive trip will definitely be here, especially during the manta ray season.
You can also read my other article on diving at Komodo Island for more information.
6. Volunteer at Rainbow Reading Garden (Taman Bacaan Pelangi)
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| Nila Tanzil and the volunteers at Taman Bacaan Pelangi in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara |
Taman Bacaan Pelangi is also a non-profit organization working to establish children’s libraries in remote areas of Eastern Indonesia since 2009.
The beauty of this experience is that you get to communicate and share with these local children in their own little schools.
Get more information from Taman Bacaan Pelangi as they can arrange for your volunteering in Flores or any of the other islands around here.
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| A Wallacean Drongo is seen at the Komodo National Park |
This attracts many birders to do bird watching in Flores as the wildlife and overall island is still pristine and not developed.
The best way to do this is to engage a bird guide to travel around Flores. The recommended bird watching route would be to start in Labuan Bajo move to Komodo Island and slowly make your way towards Ruteng, Ende, Kelimutu National Park and end up in Maumere.
For moving around, flights are connecting internally between Labuan Bajo, Ende, and Maumere with the local airlines. The best time to do birdwatching in Flores is from April to November.
8. Trek up Mount Kelimutu
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| Two of the three lakes at the peak of Mount Kelimutu in Flores |
The beauty of the tricolor lakes is that you can see three different colors in the crater lakes. From the park headquarters, the trek up to the Kelimutu peak will take you no longer than 45 minutes.
The walkway is concrete steps all the way and probably the hardest part is just before the peak, but for seasoned hikers and trekkers, this is considered very easy.
Along the way, you will pass through the Kelimutu National Park which is rich with flora and fauna. Elderly people can also do this trek up to Mount Kelimutu.
The main city to visit Kelimutu is Ende where hotels and restaurants are available.
9. Exploring Maumere
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| The statue of Mother Mary on Nilo Hill in Sikka, Flores |
I stayed at the Coconut Beach Resort in Maumere which is pretty amazing, with lovely bamboo themed individual villas and a beach all to yourself.
Maumere is also known as one of the best diving spots in Flores after Komodo Island. Further out of Maumere town, you can visit some of the local tourist spots like the oldest wooden church in Flores located in the district of Sikka.
You can even head up Nilo Hill to see the 28-meter statue of Mother Mary at the peak of the hill. In general, Maumere is for those who enjoy the laid back slow lifestyle, minus the tourist.
10. Visit Wae Rebo Village
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| Wae Rebo Village in Flores (Image from Indonesia.Travel) |
It is actually one of the most beautifully preserved traditional Manggarai villages with amazing circular cone-shaped homes and located in a hilly area.
To get here, you need to trek for about three hours to the highlands before reaching Wae Rebo village. For culture and heritage fans, this is probably one of the main highlights of things to do in Flores.
11. Explore Bajawa
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| Bajawa Town in Flores (Image from http://www.florestourism.com) |
This town which is home to the Ngada people is said to be the coolest part of Flores where it is found on an elevated area of 1500 meters above sea level.
The weather here is cool and great for anyone wanting to see the natural way of life of the highlands here.
Things to do around Bajawa include cycling, cultural experiences or just to experience the laid back life here. Perhaps I will plan for another trip just to visit this place.
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| Liang Bua Cave in Flores. (Image from http://www.southeastasianarchaeology.com) |
This is simply because, in 2003, a group of archaeologists discovered the remains of a Homo Floresiensis, which is said to be a new kind of human species.
Word got around and now, archaeology fans can come here to see what this is all about. Again for me, time was not on my side where I could not visit the Liang Bua Cave near Ruteng in Flores.
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| A rooster at one of the local villages in the Sikka district of Maumere, Flores |
How To Get To Flores?
To get to Flores, several airlines fly into the island and you can check for flights to Flores from various websites.
Note that you may have to do two or three flights depending on which city or country you fly from. The easiest way to get to Flores, East Nusa Tenggara is via Bali.
The main entry point into Flores is no other than Labuan Bajo, which is located on the western end of Flores Island.
At Labuan Bajo town, you will find hotels, resorts, bars, bakeries, restaurants, travel agents and more here. You can also read my article on things to do in Labuan Bajo for more information.
Conclusion
The list above is compiled by me, David Hogan Jr from Malaysia who has been to Flores several times and mainly on a mission to explore and promote this beautiful island to the world.
Each of the places was personally visited by me unless stated above. Given the opportunity, I would visit this beautiful island to explore and find more things to do in Flores.