Indonesia has so many beautiful islands, that choosing one for ten days’ trips was a bit tough. I chose Flores, mainly because of Komodo national park but when I was there I fell in love with each town.
Although 10 days are enough to see the main attractions, probably it would be better to extend it to a couple of days more to have flexibility.
Labuan bajo – ruteng
After landing I got some information in Labuan Bajo regarding bus, share taxis and boat tours. The travel agency arranged for us to share a taxi with some stops along the way to Ruteng and it would take around 5h drive.
Between Ruteng and Labuan bajo there are some different places to see, but with a shared taxi you can choose just the closest to the road. I decided only to stop in the web rice field.
One place you can decide to see is Wae Rebo village, but you must get a private taxi and dedicate one day to it.
Bajawa 2 day
This time we prefer a private taxi to get around lunch time and have the afternoon free.
A shared taxi would be around 200.000 Rp each person a taxi would be 800.000Rp.
Once in the guest house, we rented a motorbike directly to them. It is the best way to feel freedom.
Places to go:
- Traditional villages: the famous one is Bena, but next to it there is also Luba. These villages are mainly heritage, some people still use them but the community lives around the traditional village.
- Malanage Hot Spring: 15 min from the bena village you have the opportunity to swim with local people in this nice river.
- Wolobobo viewpoint, fully recommend going in the morning. There is a higher probability that it is not cloudy.
You can also think of doing the hike to Inerie, but it takes time so, consider what is your priority. I prefer to move to my next destination, Riung.
Riung 3rd day
also this time we choose a private taxi for 600rp, this because we wanted to visit in the morning the Wolobobo viewpoint and go direct to Riung.
Once there you have to ask your guest house or go directly to the beach to find a boat. Here the main attraction is 17 islands, and one afternoon is enough to enjoy it.
I fully recommend to stay on the boat till sunset, you will enjoy it
Moni 4th day
To get to Moni I travelled by bus to Ende and then got a taxi to Moni. Although it was a local and funny experience, the bus took too long with poor ventilation. Probably would be better to get a shared taxi to Ende.
Moni is a tiny village but it is nice to walk around and have nice food in one of the restaurants. The most famous place during the night is a bar called, it is very touristy but there is nice music there.
The main attraction is Kelimutu, so be sure to book a taxi that drops you there the next day.
Ende 5th day
A good start is to wake up early in the morning to enjoy Kelimutu and Moni. One or half day was enough for me so then on the way back to Ende, you can also stop in a traditional village called Wologai.
In ende you can enjoy the beach and a walk along the city, beaches here are black due to the volcanoes, the better once are outside the town.
To go back to Labuan Bajo it is possible to fly from Ende to LBJ. The Ende airport has some connections to other places in indonesia.
Labuan Bajo 6th to 10th
6th day:
You can hire a taxi or rent a motorbike and explore the area. I fully recommend the second option, give you more flexibility.
Around Labuan Bajo there are few beautiful places to explore. FIrst day you can go to:
- Rankgo cave, to get to the cave you need a boat so just park nearby Desa Tanjung Boleng and you will find a capitan after the cave, relax on the beach nearby the cave.
- The viewpoint (no. 3), there are few viewpoints around this area, But I quite like this one, it will take you just a 10 min hike to appreciate the landscape.
- For sunset, go to Pantai Waecicu, they serve nice cocktails and have live music.
1st alternative for day 7 to 9th
Get a sailing tour 3 days and 2 nights. This was my first option, but the weather was not good so I changed to the second option.
Prices for these tours depend mainly on the boat you choose, and if you booked online. But the price is between 150$ to 280$. They have the same Itinerary if you arrive some days before you can find easy availability for the weekend, the majority of them depart Friday and go back Sunday morning.
2nd alternative
I really enjoy this alternative, probably because I like to be free and choose my own path.
7th day:
- always with a motorbike go to the Cunca Wulang Waterfall, it is one hour from LBJ. After parking your motorbike and paying the entry, you must walk 25min to get there, but it deserves the time to get there.
- Beach and food around LBJ
8th day
- Sunset boat trip. I loved this trip, they stopped at 3 locations. It starts around 1pm and finishes around 8pm. You will have time to explore 2 islands where you can do snorkelling and the last stop is the best one where the bats fly to land at sunset.
9th day
- Day trip to National park of Komodo, this is a popular tour of 6 destinations in one day. It can seem very stressful, but you have time to enjoy every stop and at the end of the day you will be very tired but happy.
10th day
- Nice breakfast and departure.