10 days in Flores itinerary – Maumere, Ende, Komodos
My Flores itinerary, including advice and photos.
HOW I DECIDED THE ROUTE FOR MY FLORES ITINERARY…
To see the best of Flores, the best way is to hire an overland car – this way you can see the most places. However, as a solo traveller, a car-for-one would have worked out way too expensive. I’ve also heard about buses but couldn’t find enough info on these routes to make me comfortable with it. I’ll post the info here if I do find out how to do this.
So personally, I first flew to Maumere, did one internal flight from Ende – > Labuan Bajo (Komodo Islands) and then flew back to Bali. This meant I could see the key areas.
WEST OR EAST FLORES?
If you have more time and a bigger group, I’d recommend the car option and then you can do both, or do one internal flight as I did! In the east (Maumere/Ende) nature is astonishing and the newly emerging tourism means that locals seem truly delighted to see you. I must have ended up in a lot of local’s selfies! The locals are super friendly throughout Flores however. The west, Labuan Bajo, is home to the Komodo islands – that means the famous komodo dragons but much more too! Although I loved Maumere more in some ways I’d probably recommend Komodos (Labuan Bajo) if you only have a few days in Flores.
10 days in Flores itinerary
MAUMERE
MAUMERE was dreamy, unspoilt beginning to my Flores itinerary. I spent 5 days here and this is what I got up to…
Maumere Beach days
I stayed in a sleepy beach lodge with 3 people I met on the road in Maumere. The beaches I visited around here were the quietest I’ve ever seen, so it could be a great place to chill out. You can hire scooters or a driver if you feel like exploring the nearby coast.
If you have time for a traditional Indonesian massage here, I highly recommend it.
Suggested Day trip from Maumere – Koko Beach, Sikka Village, Fisherman’s Village
Hiring a driver for the day cost 500K IDR (between a group)
The first stop was Koko Beach, which only had one other couple there when I went. It had perfect white sand and a soft, crystal sea. Idyllic.
Sikka Village is famous for being the place where traditional sarongs are made and doesn’t feel super set up for tourism yet although they did ask for a 100K IDR donation. Worth a stop, particularly if you are interested in seeing an aspect of the traditional culture here. For me, it wasn’t really worth it as I feel a bit uncomfortable if people want me to buy things.
Fisherman’s Village is a free stop – since it really is just a village… with fishermen. Walking around, all the locals were asking for photos, to the point that a small van drove around 15 people up a pier so they could see us and get pictures! They did ask so feel free to say no if you don’t want your photo taken. The village itself was interesting to see, with wooden huts on stilts jutting out the water. I nearly skipped it because I was feeling tired, but after being in tourist-heavy areas, it ended up feeling like a very unique experience. Though I’ll be interested to hear how tourism changes these areas in the future.
Snorkelling and diving in Maumere
Maumere is one of the best places to see some fish since it hasn’t had a tourism boom yet and the reefs are really quiet. It’s also reassuring to see new, live coral growing there after a tsunami hit the area in 1992.
Snorkelling will cost around 500K and diving will be more like 1.1mil IDR.
Since I had a flight booked the day after there was availability on the dive boat, I had to snorkel – and even a very experienced diver admitted the snorkelling here was something special. In terms of small fish, many people say it’s one of the best places they have ever dived or snorkelled.
Quick update from 2020 – the best snorkelling or diving I’ve EVER done was still off the coast of Maumere!
There were only 3 of us on the boat (and we saw no other boats the entire day), plus the crew and a local girl, a ditsy waitress from the local restaurant who always forgot our orders but was too sweet for anyone to care! On the way out, we saw about two dozen dolphins which I found magical, but she was squealing at them with glee. It was the perfect start to the day.
Best of all? The local girl couldn’t swim and was afraid of the water, but we convinced her to put on a lifejacket and a ring and be pulled along by the guide. She felt a bit silly at first, but ended up being so so excited by all the fish she saw – she couldn’t believe it! Since she had lived in Maumere her whole life and had not been in the water before, it made the day feel really special for all of us.
Mounk
Mount Egon – Volcano Trek
Another possible activity is the trek up nearby Mount Egon, which is about 2hrs up and 2hrs down. Unfortunately, my travel buddy was not feeling well so we decided to call the hike early on, but online the hike has glowing reviews and – once again – you could be the only tourists around! And anyways, I enjoyed my morning hike in a forest.
Ende
ENDE is an obvious access point for Kelimutu National Park, as well as having an airport, so it’s a pretty handy spot (although the airport has NO facilities – when I was there I ended up totally alone)! I was here to see the famous Kelimutu Crater Lakes. You can stay in Moni for the night (accommodation here is apparently basic and gets booked in advance, so do plan this part of your trip beforehand if you want to stay here – the Eco Lodges in Moni have good reviews) or do the crater lakes before or after a flight. In my case, I took an early car ride from Maumere to see the lakes and then flew to Labuan Bajo on the same day.
The nature around here was incredible and it was a very winding, scenic drive from Maumere!
From here I flew from Ende to Labuan Bajo, though if you have more time you can rent a car and make it a fun road trip.
Komodo Islands
The below Komodo Islands Itinerary is based on my own trip to the Komodo Islands in August 2018 and the extensive research I did beforehand! I hope it helps.
KOMODO NATIONAL PARK is a series of islands famously home to the Komodo dragons and a UNESCO world heritage site. When you visit, you’re likely to want to see the three largest islands: Rinca and Komodo Island (home to the dragons) and Padar Island (which has a stunning viewpoint). But there are also many smaller islands which you can visit or snorkel/dive nearby.
Getting to the Komodos:
The closest main town is Labuan Bajo, which thankfully is a town well set up so you can base yourself here, and it also has an airport with regular flights directly to Bali – as well as to other places in Flores, if you want to also check out the East of the island.
Choosing your Komodos itinerary:
There is so much to see from Labuan Bajo, with dozens of different days and multi-trips to the islands, so it can be overwhelming to choose! If you have 2 days, I would recommend an overnight boat trip OR a one-day boat trip to the national park and one-day diving. Similarly, for 3 days you could the Komodo Islands on a 2-night boat trip, or do 2 days on the islands and 3rd-day diving. If you don’t dive, there are loads to see snorkelling or on land!
The most popular spots to look out for on a day or multi-day trip to the Komodo Islands include:
- Komodo and Rinca islands (from where you can see Komodo dragons)
- Pink Beach (but lower your expectations about how pink it will be)
- Padar Island (with spectacular viewpoints following a short hike)
- Snorkelling from Manta Point/Kanawa Island or elsewhere.
There are so many options for boat trips – many of which are quite pricey – so it can be overwhelming to choose the best Komodo Islands itinerary. A long day trip or overnight tour is integral to seeing the islands however, so you are very likely to end up booking one! Shop around and ask your accommodation and other travellers for recommendations if you’re not sure how to pick.
Expected costs to backpack the Komodo islands:
Day trips seemed to start from around 600K IDR or 1mil IDR for a one-night trip, but can get quite pricey depending on the quality you are after, with some travellers paying upwards of 4mil IDR.
Travelling on a budget? One way to save money is to sleep on the deck rather than in a cabin (as I did) and choose a 2 night trip rather than a longer one. This also seemed more cost-effective to me than the day trips – which were, of course, cheaper but seemed to jam a LOT into one day. And remember the costs DO include the nights’ accommodation and all meals aboard – add this on day trip costs when comparing costs.
There are also multiple options for diving and snorkelling day trips – I’ve posted more about diving in the Komodos below.
MY 2 DAY, 1 NIGHT BOAT TRIP KOMODOS ITINERARY
I chose a boat trip for 1 million. The cost included: 1 night’s accommodation (this was VERY basic – just sharing mattresses on the deck with other passengers) and all meals onboard plus tea, coffee, and water. If you’re on a budget, ask in advance if you can take your own drinks for the cool box.
Additional costs were: the national park fee (for me this was 310K IDR and entrance to Kanawa Island (10K IDR).
You can easily book a mid-range tour in Labuan Bajo or, should you prefer a private boat tour, there are various 2, 3 and 4 day options available. These usually include more comfortable accommodations and an all-around better service. Private Komodo Islands Tours
The boat trip Komodo Islands itinerary was as follows…
DAY ONE
RINCA ISLAND
On Rinca Island, we did a 2-hour hike that I swear was actually an hour including photo stops. Some reviews complain that you see the Komodo Dragons right at the beginning in the village and the hike is pointless, but I loved the scenery here and the hike was pretty easy, just hot. If you do hate walking, shorter hikes are available.
You will be led by a guide the entire time who carries big sticks to scare aware any aggressive dragons!
Komodo dragons are the world’s largest lizard, growing up to 3 metres/10 ft! They eat deer water buffalo, birds, and wild boar on the islands – and yes they have been known to kill humans. They have a long tongue which they use to smell, taste and detect their prey – this long, thin tongue can detect prey from a range of almost 10km.
KOMODO ISLAND
Another place to see Komodo dragons! We did another shorter hike and and spotted more monsters.
Someone took a photo of me with the dragons. The next day she accidentally threw her phone off the boat. Hence why I have no photos 🙂
PINK BEACH
I was warned beforehand to lower my expectations of how pink Pink Beach would be… which is probably a good thing. Where the sea hits the sand, it is definitely very pink, but at a distance most of the beach looks like white sand. Close up and at certain angles it looks pinker than others, but either I was unlucky or the typical insta photos I’ve seen of this place are edited a fair bit.
A lot of the group snorkelled directly from Pink Beach too.
Pink Beach is one of only 7 pink beaches on the planet. The colour comes from Foraminifera – microscopic animals which produce a red pigment on the coral reefs.
SUNSET AND DINNER ON THE BOAT
I was feeling introverted and sat on the opposite end of the deck from the rest of the group. I just looked up at the stars after the sunset and listened to locals playing guitar on a nearby boat. Dreamy.
DAY TWO
PADAR ISLAND
I began the second day of my Komodo Islands itinerary with a fantastic viewpoint. I enjoyed the hike up Padar to see the gorgeous 3 bays, although it was a touristy spot. It is the third largest island in the Komodos.
SNORKELLING OFF THE BOAT
The snorkelling was great – perfect visibility and lots to see. Remember marine life is wild so big animals can be hit and miss, and enjoy the huge schools of fish and beautiful coral.
KANAWA ISLAND/SNORKELLING
Since I was feeling under the weather and my priority was to feel well enough to dive the next day, I didn’t join everyone snorkelling on the second spot. The great thing? I had the beaches to myself! I just wandered round for an hour, half-dancing to my favourite playlist, on what felt like a private beach.
DIVING IN KOMODOS
If you like to dive, it’s a must on any Komodo Islands itinerary! Diving in the Komodos is said to be some of the best diving in the world, due to it’s biodiversity and coral reefs. It is possible to see big animals (green turtles, reef sharks and occasionally mantas) as well as miraculous schools of smaller fish.
I talked to various dive schools before making a decision of who to dive with and this is what I found out… 🙂
If you are there for a short time, there are two key areas to dive – around the central little islands closest to Labuan Bajo, or North of Komodo Island. Either way, the dive sites are all beautiful, and you can’t go wrong with the amazing diving in Komodo.
The second area is apparently suitable only for experienced divers (30 dives plus) due to a strong current, and it is common that they ‘clip you in’ to the rocks on one of the popular dives here so you can watch the show!
In the other area, it is suitable for newbies and a great place to do your PADI Open Water too, due to the high standard of many of the dive schools. I dived here and LOVED it. I saw more enormous green turtles than I could ever have imagined, and it’s possible to see mantas and reef sharks here too.
General cost for a 5* dive school – 2 dives is 1.3mil, 3 dives is 1.6mil. Prices should include all equipment, wetsuits, snacks, drinks and lunch. Overnight options are also available, as are options for various other day trips.
I dived with Divine Diving who were fantastic! The quality of their boat, equipment and guides was really great. I felt really comfortable with them, despite my anxious personality, and really loved dives. Plus the food was great. Lots of donuts 🙂
LABUAN BAJO
Labuan Bajo is a fishing town with great cafes and restaurants and many little shops. Prices for food can range from 25IDR to 100 IDR, depending on what you’re after. I didn’t check out the fish market as I’m veggie but I heard it was great and cheap/
There are many hotels and hostels here too – as well as the airport – so it is a great place to base yourself.
There is also plenty to see on lands, such as waterfalls and caves! You can go caving at Batu Cermin caves or at Rangko Cave, which has an underground lake I believe you can swim in. You could include these in a day trip with Cunca Rami waterfall, which was recommended to me by local
Though I spent my spare day on a swing on an empty beach. 🙂