What is there to see in Flores?

Most people fly into Labuan Bajo, get on a boat and leave. Flores itself is 350 kilometres of volcanic mountains, Catholic villages and one of the most rewarding overland routes in the country.

Kelimutu

Three crater lakes at the summit of a volcano near Moni, each a different colour, and the colours change over time as the mineral chemistry shifts: turquoise, green, black, brown, occasionally red.

How it works. You leave Moni around 4am, drive to the car park, walk 30 minutes to the viewpoint, and watch the sun come up over the lakes. In the dry season the sky is usually clear; in wet season the lakes are often in cloud.

Local belief holds the lakes as the resting place of departed souls, divided by age and character. Respect the site accordingly.

Moni, the village below, has simple guesthouses and warungs, hot springs and waterfalls nearby. It is a small place and it exists largely for Kelimutu.

The Trans-Flores road

The drive from Labuan Bajo to Maumere takes two to four days depending on stops, over mountain passes, through rice terraces, past volcanoes, with the sea appearing on both sides.

Stops along the way:

• Ruteng, a cool highland town, with the Wae Rebo trek nearby.
• Wae Rebo, a remote traditional village of conical thatched houses, reached by a three to four-hour uphill walk. Visitors stay overnight in the communal house. One of the best things in Indonesia and a genuine effort to reach.
• Bajawa, with the Bena and Luba traditional Ngada villages, megalithic stones and thatched houses under the Inerie volcano.
• Riung, on the north coast, for the 17 Islands marine park and quiet snorkelling.
• Ende, the port town where Sukarno was exiled.
• Moni and Kelimutu.
• Maumere, with diving on the north coast and an airport for the flight back.

Getting around

Hire a car and driver for the trans-Flores route, typically 700,000 to 1,200,000 rupiah a day plus fuel and the driver's accommodation. This is how almost everyone does it.

Public buses and bemos exist, are very cheap and very slow.

Scooter for confident riders, on a road that is winding, steep and occasionally broken.

Flights connect Labuan Bajo, Ende and Maumere to Bali and Jakarta, and flying back from the far end saves retracing the route.

Practical notes

Flores is predominantly Catholic, which makes it culturally distinct from most of Indonesia. Sunday is genuinely observed in the villages.

Facilities are basic outside Labuan Bajo: simple guesthouses, warungs, limited ATMs, patchy mobile coverage in the mountains.

Malaria is present in parts of Flores, unlike Bali. Take advice from a travel clinic before you go.

Roads are slow. 100 kilometres can take four hours.

Weather: dry season April to October. Wet season makes the mountain roads difficult and Kelimutu often invisible.

How long

Five to seven days for the full route from Labuan Bajo to Maumere with the main stops. Three days minimum to do Kelimutu as a return trip from Ende or Maumere.

Who it suits

Travellers with time who want the version of Indonesia that has almost no tourism infrastructure, and who are comfortable with long days on winding roads and simple accommodation. It is not a holiday; it is a journey, and it is one of the best in the country.

Doing it as a short trip

If the full overland route is too much, there is a three-day version: fly into Maumere or Ende, drive to Moni the same day, do Kelimutu at sunrise, spend the afternoon at the hot springs or Murundao waterfall, and fly out the next day. It is a long way for one sunrise and people still say it was worth it.

The reverse also works: fly into Labuan Bajo, spend two days on the water in Komodo, then drive east for three or four days and fly home from Maumere. That combination is the best week in eastern Indonesia for most travellers.

Diving on Flores

Beyond Komodo, the north coast around Maumere has good diving, rebuilding since the 1992 earthquake and tsunami, and the 17 Islands marine park at Riung has easy snorkelling with almost nobody there. Both are far quieter and cheaper than Komodo, with less dramatic fish life.