Flores is a beautiful island in Indonesia, and while it is still considered off the beaten track, Flores is rapidly gaining popularity. This is no surprise since this island is not only super green and natural, but also filled with sights like ricefields, waterfalls, volcanoes, beaches, and traditional villages. And did you know it’s also the main starting point to visit Komodo Island? The best way to explore some of the best things the island of Flores has to offer is by renting a motorbike and driving through the beautiful nature of Flores. In this article, I will give you a 10-day itinerary that includes all the best things to do in Flores, Indonesia.
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Table of Contents - Amazing Things To Do In Flores Indonesia – A 10-day Itinerary
How to get to Flores Indonesia
By plane: There are multiple daily flights between Labuan Bajo, the most touristic town of Flores, and Jakarta and Bali. There are a few other routes available too, but these ones are the most frequent interisland flights.
By ferry: There are several ferry routes that connect the island of Flores to other Indonesian islands. Note that ferries are usually not very frequent and take a long time. Flights are a more convenient way of travel, but if you prefer to take a ferry to destinations like Sulawesi or Kalimantan, you can look for available ferries here.
By tour: A few agencies offer 4-day boat tours from Lombok to Flores visiting some spots, including Komodo National Park, on the way. It’s a nice way to just sit back and relax on the boat and get to know fellow travelers. It is a long time on the boat though, and most activities are concentrated on the 3rd day. this means there is not so much difference compared to doing a day trip from Labuan Bajo. So if you like the idea of chilling on a boat for a few days, a 4-day tour is a great way to travel between Lombok and Labuan Bajo. If not, then I’d say it’s better to take a flight to Labuan Bajo and do a day trip from there.
How to get around Flores Indonesia
Flores is best explored by motorbike. It is possible to get to the different towns by bus, but there is no (reliable) information about the buses on the island. We did see buses all the way on our road trip though so it is possible to make your way around the island by bus. Do note that you’ll likely need more time to get around and that you’ll need to rent a bike (or try to hire a driver) to visit places of interest once you’ve arrived at the nearest town when traveling by bus.
If you don’t like either of these options, it’s also possible to contract a tour that takes you one way from Ende to Labuan Bajo.
Renting a scooter for your Flores road trip
Renting a scooter in Labuan Bajo is easy, however renting a good one that will bring you all the way to Moni and back is a little more complicated. The route is windy and hilly. The roads are generally in good condition (especially for Indonesian standards), but a small or old scooter will have trouble getting you up the mountains. Especially if you are two on a scooter. On top of this, most agencies don’t allow you to take a scooter this far, and will therefore not lend it to you for a week. We rented through Lovely Rents (Whatsapp +6281330285000) and had a great experience. We rented a bike for 100.000 Rp. per day. They dropped the motorbike off at our accommodation and picked it up here again too. We also didn’t have any problems with the scooter on the way and were two on one scooter.
What to bring for your Flores road trip
Since this roadtrip itinerary is starting and finishing in Labuan Bajo, you can just take a small backpack with essentials with you and leave the rest of your luggage in Labuan Bajo. Do note that once you leave Labuan Bajo, the other places mentioned in this itinerary are in the mountains. This means it’s colder and wetter up there. Besides the usual things you’d bring, also consider taking the following with you:
- Raincover for your backpack
- Warm and waterproof jacket (or a poncho)
- Shoes, it’s not quite flip-flop weather in the mountains. Most places don’t require hiking shoes, and sneakers are fine. If you do decide to visit some of the more remote waterfalls of Wae Rebo village, you could consider bringing hiking shoes if you have them.
- At least two pairs of long pants and sweaters (to make sure you have a change of dry clothes)
- Download an offline map to your phone as you’ll often lose signal on the way.
10-day road trip itinerary for Flores Indonesia
This road trip starts and ends in Labuan Bajo, which is the most common starting point for any Flores itinerary. From here, we will drive about 450 km to the town of Moni, which is the closest town to the volcano Kelimutu. Kelimutu is the goal of this road trip, and as far as we will drive. And then we make our way back, another 450 km (or more if you decide to take a different way back).
Day 1: Arriving in Labuan Bajo
After dropping off your luggage at your accommodation, go for a stroll around town. The town is surprisingly nice, I didn’t expect that. There is a sunset viewpoint in town over the waterfront around here and further along the road. If you want an unobstructed view of the sun dropping in the water, you go about 5 km out of town and find a nice hill in this area from where you can enjoy the sunset too.
As for dinner, the fish market is the most popular place in Labuan Bajo, and for good reason. Here you find many stalls offering fresh fish and seafood for low prices. Do enquire about prices at a few stalls though, as some will try to overcharge you. The fish generally comes with white rice and some vegetables. You can buy drinks at the supermarket across from the market or from the stalls. If you want something else than fish, La Cucina has great Italian food.
Accommodation tip: Note that accommodation on Flores is a little more expensive compared to many other places in Indonesia. We stayed at a lovely homestay Golo Tango. The staff here is super friendly and the rooms are nice and comfortable. It’s a little further from the main town, but still within walking distance. And also within walking distance of the airport. Plus, you store your luggage here during your road trip across Flores.
Day 2: Day trip Komodo Island
If you didn’t come here by 4-day tour from Lombok, a day trip to Komodo National Park is an absolute must. You won’t have any trouble finding a tour. The town is full of agencies that offer tours to Komodo National Park. These day trips generally include seeing the dragons on Komodo Island, a visit to pink beach for swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing, and the Padar island viewpoint.
Private Komodo tours: If it fits your budget, consider taking a private tour to Komodo Island. We noticed that most big groups (like ours) only did a very short walk around the ranger base. People who had booked a private tour got to go further into the national park. Our tour felt very much like mass tourism, where we just got to see a few dragons around, take a quick picture taking turns, and then go to the souvenir shop.
Day 3: Drive to Ruteng
It’s time to start the road trip adventure! The first leg of the journey will lead you from Labuan Bajo to Ruteng. The main sight on the way between Labuan Bajo and Ruteng is the famous Spiderweb Ricefields. As you may have guessed already, they are ricefields, in the shape of spiderwebs. Look for this viewpoint on Google Maps, and continue a little bit along the road to get some nice views over the fields. There is a cafe too if you want a hot drink.
We also planned on visiting the Ruteng Poo Traditional Village in town, but when we pulled up there, it felt more like a tourist trap than an actual traditional village. So we got a good look over it from the entrance and then decided to head to the hotel and skip the “tour”.
Accommodation Tip: We stayed at Tange Guest House, which was also a really nice place to stay. Once again a very nice and comfortable room, lovely owner, good internet, a hot shower, and delicious fried rice with egg for breakfast. Everything we could ask for. And, if you don’t feel like heading out very far for dinner, the place across the road is very cheap and has delicious saté!
Day 4: Drive to Bajawa
Today’s drive will lead you from Ruteng to Bajawa. Another beautiful drive during which you will drive down to the coast and back up through the mountains. Along the way, you’ll get some amazing views over the volcano Mount Inerie. Once you arrive in Bajawa, you can visit the Bena Traditional Village or one of the hot springs. We opted for Bena on our first visit to Bajawa, and the hot springs on the way back.
What we loved about Bena Village, is that it’s not only a very picturesque village, but it was also a very relaxed visit. When you arrive, you just pay the entry fee (25.000 Rp. when we visited) and you can just roam around. Children were playing football in the central square, and some adults were sitting around the village. Some sold souvenirs, but nobody came up to you to sell anything and we were allowed to take pictures and fly the drone in the town. I wouldn’t say it was a 100% authentic experience, but it was nicer than what we expected from a village that has turned into a tourist attraction.
Accommodation Tip: Kristian homestay is a lovely place, with yet again a lovely owner. And also here we enjoyed great internet, a hot shower, and a comfy bed. There are actually quite a few things to see and do around Bajawa so if you feel like you need a break from driving, you could plan an extra day here. Kristian will be more than happy to give you some tips for other things to do in the area.
Day 5: Drive from Bajawa to Moni
Today’s drive is the longest, but also the most beautiful drive of this road trip. Firstly, you’ll get some spectacular views over Mount Ebulobo. Then you’ll hit the coast again and you’ll pass Pantai Batu Biru: the Blue Stone Beach. It’s actually more of a black beach with pebbles that look green/blue when they are wet rather than a beach made out of blue pebbles, but it’s still cool! The warung here, Servan Beach Cafe, is a great lunch stop if you like fish. From here the drive will lead you through the city of Ende and back into the mountains. Just as you are coming up to Dile (right before this point on the map) you’ll get some really beautiful views over rice terraces again. Once you get to Moni, drop your luggage and enjoy a well-deserved dinner. We really enjoyed the food and ambiance at Mopi’s place.
Day 6: Kelimutu for Sunrise
Get up early to catch the sunrise at the volcano Kelimutu. On the top of this volcano, you’ll find 3 lakes, with each a different color. They get their color from different volcanic substances that leak into these lakes and the different microbes that live in them. The lakes change color over time, due to volcanic activity. Local tribes believe that these lakes are where spirits go when somebody passes away. There is a lake for the spirits of older people, one for younger people, and one for evil spirits. It’s a beautiful and spiritual place, and it’s a short and easy hike up to the viewpoint from the parking lot.
The ideal time to visit is at sunrise. When we visited, it was super cloudy before sunrise though. It actually rained the whole day when we wanted to go, so we had to postpone to the next day and visit after sunrise when the clouds started to clear a little. It was still really beautiful up there, and it was nice that there were not so many people. Most people do go for sunrise, so going a bit later means skipping the crowds.
Your ticket is actually valid for the whole day (the same day, not 24 hours) so you can go up again in the afternoon or for sunset if you feel like it. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time, as we had to leave in the afternoon.
The three lakes at the top of Kelimutu
Day 7: Drive to Bajawa
Today it’s time to make your way back to Labuan Bajo. We found the places we stopped on the way here where the most convenient, so we slept at the same towns. We considered driving back partly via the other coast, but it is a little longer and we didn’t want to do any more driving than necessary. So we decided to do the exact same route back. It was super beautiful anyway, so it didn’t bother us.
On your drive back to Bajawa, you can pass by the Mangeruda Hot Springs Gate. This route will lead you a little inland, so you’ll change scenery a little and it saves you driving back the next day. But it’s also not so far so you could also decide to drop your bags and go later. Or you could go first thing in the morning the next day, which is what we did. We visited Kelimutu in the morning before driving back to Bajawa, so we arrived quite late and didn’t want to rush.
Day 8: Bajawa to Ruteng
Our plan for today was to make a stop at Wae Rebo. Wae Rebo is the most famous traditional village on the island of Flores due to its beautiful and remote location in the mountains. It is not easy to get to though. It’s also more expensive than Bena and especially staying overnight is not very good value for money. We read mixed reviews, and most of them said the best part of their visit was the hike up. So we decided to skip it. We enjoyed our visit to Bena and saw the village of Ruteng Poo too. Plus, my foot still hadn’t healed from hiking Rinjani in Lombok, so I wasn’t going to enjoy the hike. We wanted to visit a waterfall instead but it started to rain so we just drove straight to Ruteng instead.
If you do want to visit Wae Rebo, it’s best to calculate another day. It’s a bit of a detour to get here and you’ll need to hike for a few hours to get here too.
Day 9: Drive back to Labuan Bajo
The last day of driving! By now your butt will hurt, but I hope you still think it was all worth it, this is how we felt about it at least.
On the way back to Labuan Bajo, there are a couple of waterfalls you could visit. They seem to all be rather difficult to get to, so calculate enough time if you want to try. We tried to get to Cunca Rami, but it wasn’t really a success. The road was too bad to drive on, so we had to walk. And the mandatory guide and entrance fee were also a lot more expensive than we are used to, and not worth it to us. So we didn’t enter and just took a picture from the rice fields. (We did already have a guide with us at this point, somebody from town will just run up to you and walk with you without any explanation if you try to go.
Other sights on the way seemed less interesting, and they all had similar reviews. So since you’re probably quite tired at this point, you might just want to drive directly back to Labuan Bajo.
Day 10: Off to your next destination
Today you’re probably exhausted from your trip, and don’t want to do anything. But if you do have some time to spare until you’re off to your next destination, you could head to a beach. If you want to spend an extra day in Labuan Bajo, there are still plenty of things to do here.
Snorkeling and diving in Komodo National Park is also supposed to be amazing. The main attraction is the giant mantas. The best season to see them is from December to March but it’s possible to spot them year-round. Do note that prices for snorkeling/diving tours are pretty steep compared to the rest of Indonesia. This is mostly due to the national park fee and the distance. We were thinking of going, but our main reason was to see the mantas so since chances weren’t that high, we decided to skip it. We had done quite some snorkeling and diving in Indonesia already and were up for more in the Philippines.
If snorkeling or driving is not your thing, you can also visit a beach or make a trip to a nearby island for the day from Labuan Bajo. There are plenty of amazing things to do in Flores to fill your days here.
This was Amazing Things To Do In Flores Indonesia - A 10-day Itinerary
If you’re looking for more off-the-beaten-track destinations in Indonesia, consider Sumatra.