Flores Natural - Culture and Komodo Dragon 10D/9N

Day 1. Denpasar – Maumere

Upon arrival at the Frans Seda Airport in Maumere in East Flores, you will be met by our guide and transfer to Sea world club Hotel. Based on your flight, you can have some free time in the afternoon to relax on the wonderful hotel beach or seek a trip put to Maumere to experience some of the local life.

Day 2. Maumere- Moni Kelimutu

After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we starting your tour though Flores island by first driving to Dokar. This is a traditional weaving village located about 40 minutes from your hotel sitting atop a mountain from which you can see lush landscape and the surrounds of Maumere Bay. Once there, we will be treated to their traditional dances and weaving demonstrations in their village. We then continue on to Paga and Koka beaches noted for their black sand and visit one of the first churches established by the Portuguese on the island. Lunch will be provided along the way. We then conclude our day with a drive through the interior alleys of Flores with its stunning rice fields and mountains along side. We can stop as needed for those who wish to take photos. We arrive at our hotel and have dinner and overnight. Kelimutu Eco Lodge Hotel or Bintang Lodge.

Day 3. Moni-Kelimutu-Ende-Bajawa

We arise early in the morning at 4:30 to drive/hike up and experience sunrise at the top of Mt. Kelimutu where exists three exquisitely colored lakes that consistently change color over time. This is truly one of the most spectacular and mysterious sights in Indonesia. We return through winding roads along the mountain side to your hotel for breakfast. Afterwards, we continue your trip to Ende and on the way we visit Saga village, which is a traditional village of the Ende Lio tribes. We will lunch at restaurant in Ende before driving along the coast and up to Bajawa sitting higher in the mountains. Dinner at Ditos Restaurant, overnight at Silverin Hotel or Happy Happy Hotel in Bajawa.

Day 4. Bajawa and surrounding

We get up early in the morning and start our trek for 1.5 hours to the Wawomuda volcano (1753m). As the latest volcano to emerge in Flores and recently erupting in 2001, you can see spectacular views of Mt. Inerei and Mt. Ebulobo volcanoes in their classic cone-shaped poses. In the afternoon we visit the unique Bena and Luba traditional houses and megalithic tombs where we can share our time with these people who still practice pagan rituals to this day. Both villages are at the base of a classic volcano that towers above them. We then would proceed on and end up taking a dip at the Soa Natural hot springs. Dinner at Ditos Restaurant, overnight at Silverin Hotel or Happy Happy Hotel or similar.

Day 5. Bajawa- Ruteng

After breakfast we leave your hotel in the morning and drive down to the south costal Flores region to Aimere, where it is famous with its “Arak” distillation and fresh palm juice tapping. We continue on to Rana Mese Lake located on the lope of Mt. Ranaka. On the way, there are many stops to experience the culture and traditional rice fields. Dinner at local restaurant and overnight at MBC Susteran Ruteng.

Day 6. Ruteng – Todo – Narang – Dintor – Denge.

After early breakfast we depart from Ruteng to discover the southern part of the Manggarai region of Flores. Our first visit is to Golo Cara village where we can best see unique and spectacular ‘spider web’ rice fields that have been growing for generations. From there, we continue our drive to Todo, a traditional village where we will do some soft trekking through rice terraces and enjoy the beautiful landscapes near Narang Village. Lunch will be provided at a local families house in Narang. In the afternoon, we continue our drive along the south coast to Dintor and Denge with stops along the way as need to soak in the Flores environment. You will have dinner and stay overnight at a family’s house in Denge.

Day 7. Denge – Wae Rebo Village

After a light breakfast, we trek to the remote village of Wae Rebo which takes around four hours. These authentic Manggarai houses are located about 1100m above sea level in the middle of the mountainous terrain. There are seven traditional houses all built in the same form with six of them for the local people and the extra house for the visitors. Still untouched, all the houses are still very traditional with 5-story high roofs that house the storage of goods in the top four floors with all the living areas on the bottom floor. Here you have the chance to reach out with these people and experience how they experience their culture, life and activities. This is a unique opportunity to realize how remote cultures live in the ways of the past and gain an acceptance of who these people are. We will have dinner and stay the night here as they provide sleeping mattresses. Overnight will be at the elderly Florenese women’s home which houses up to 8 families.

Day 8. Wae Rebo – Denge – Dintor – Labuan Bajo

After enjoying the local breakfast, we trek down to Denge Village through the lush rainforest and villages to where lunch will be provided. After lunch, we drive on to Labuan Bajo via Dintor and Nangalili (depending on the road condition; alternatively take the route through Todo Village to Labuanbajo). Along the way you will experience more of the remote and traditional ways of these cultures in Flores. You will have dinner and stay overnight at Puri Sari Beach Hotel or in similar accommodation.

Day 9. Labuan Bajo – Bidadari – Rinca – Labuan Bajo

After a full morning breakfast at hotel, we will take to the sea and transfer to the pier of Labuan Bajo to visit Rinca Island, which takes 2 hours sailing. Once we arrive in Rinca, we start trekking in search of the legendary Komodo Dragon. We will walk through dry forests to explore the Island of Komodo dragon, where you will find not just the Dragons, but also many wild animals like Timor deer, wild buffalo, long-tailed macaque, wild boars along with numerous of birds. Sometimes if you are lucky, you can see the young Komodo dragons on the trees or side of the rocks. Return to boat and proceed to Bidadari Island for swimming, snorkeling and relaxing. Afternoon back to Labuan Bajo. Dinner at Tree Top restaurant, overnight at Puri Sari beach hotel or similar hotel.

Day 10. Labuan Bajo – Denpasar.

Price Include:

• Accommodation
• Meals during the trip.
• English/German speaking guide
• Boat as per itinerary
• AC coach Transfers
• Soft drinks

Price does not include:

• Flight from/to Denpasar by Garuda Indonesia, Wings or Lion Air and Nam Air.
• Approx. roundtrip ticket price: USD 240
• Airport tax Denpasar IDR 40.000 Labuanbajo IDR 11.000
• Camera charge at Komodo Park: IDR 50.000
• Masker and fins rental for snorkeling
• Porter fee, personal expenses and Tipping

What to bring:

• Dress is casual. Clothing should be light, preferably cotton with at least one long sleeved shirt and pants.
• Bathing suit, thongs or sandals and sneakers or walking boots, lots of film, camera, replacement batteries, and spares. Bring one light sweater or jacket as it can get cool in the highlands.
• Also bring sun-screen, insect repellent, sunglasses, sunhat and swimwear.