SHORTEST Possible Itinerary for a Flores Overland Road Trip
- Aug 13, 2018
- 6 min read
So you've just finished your sailing trip or diving trip in Labuan Bajo, and now you're intrigued to explore the entire island from one end (Labuan Bajo) to the other end (Ende/Maumere) because you've heard enough from other travellers that the journey itself is completely unmissable. Plus, you've played your part in paying for a rather expensive flight to Labuan Bajo in the first place, and perhaps also risking your life in the process of flying over to the island with all these unreliable local airlines... so you ask yourself, when else will you ever come back to this island? Unless you're very sure that you'll be willing to take the same risks again sometime soon, if you were planning on going to an overland road trip, it's now or never.
What is a Flores overland tour/trip?
As the name suggests, it is a tour/trip that goes from one end of the island, to the other. The typical Flores overland route/itinerary goes as below:
Labuan Bajo > Ruteng > Bajawa > Ende > Moni > Maumere (cheers Google Maps for the visuals!)
But wow, for an island in Indonesia, it's already a lot to discover hmm? A lot of other travellers who have done the overland road trip through Flores have noted that it took them at least five days to complete the journey! That's obviously not an issue if you are flexible with time and budget. For my friends and I however, time was not as flexible as we'd hoped it would be. After completing a 3D/2N sailing trip through the Flores seas, and additional 2 days in Labuan Bajo before and after the trip, we were obviously short on time, and were not too keen on spending too long in Flores alone. We were still interested in pursuing for the road trip of course, but we aim to keep it short, and complete the entire journey within three days. Is this possible? Yes it was, we tested it. Is this recommended? Most definitely not, you'll just spend too much time on the road and this can be stressful on those not used to long road trips. But if you're really short on time and looking for the shortest possible itinerary/route to an unforgettable Flores overland road trip, then read ahead.
So, what is the shortest possible Flores overland road trip route/itinerary?
Simple, you cut out the unnecessary routes.
Pictured above was our itinerary. Not sure if it was the best shortest itinerary possible, but it was our itinerary regardless. We did not join a group tour, nor did we get this itinerary from a tour. All it took was some research off the internet, and a car rental in Labuan Bajo, and we were all set for the (shortest possible) Flores overland road trip!
Day 1 (Labuan Bajo to Bajawa) - 8 to 10 hours on the road
The five of us began the road trip from our hostel in Labuan Bajo. We rented a car which came in a package with a driver, petrol, driver's accommodation as well as driver's personal expenses (food) for Rp 800,000 a day + 1 extra day for an "empty run". We were lucky enough to have received the contact details of our rasta drivers from our previous guide from the sailing trip, after finding out that the one car rental company I found online was actually a scammer (oops), and I was beyond thankful that we were saved from an otherwise possible mishap. If you'd like to find out more about standard prices or recommended car rentals in Labuan Bajo, feel free to email me!
Attraction spots we saw on day 1 of the road trip:
Cancar Spider Rice Fields
Paddy fields shaped like a spider web that is unique to only Flores' Bajawa region.
Public transportation
Because Flores is still quite remote, getting around is a bit difficult if you haven't got a private transfer of your own. Public transport however, comes in the form of small busses/vans (as pictured above). It is a common sight to see young boys and high-schoolers getting to the top of the bus as a way of commuting. Don't be alarmed by such sights! As they say, whenever you're travelling, do as the locals do.... except this, please don't do it! Or do, at your own risk.
Accommodation in Bajawa
Leko Lembo Guesthouse
Website : http://bit.do/eurvF
Address : Leko Lembo, Wae Langga, Manggarai Timur, 86452 Keli, Indonesia
Price : MYR 127 for triple room (three persons)
Accommodation details : Leko Lembo Guesthouse was situated in a remote village off Bajawa. We arrived there quite late and the remote roads made it seem as if we were getting lost, when in fact we weren't! The guesthouse was owned by Janet, a lovely Dutch lady who offered us a great local dinner when we arrived in the guesthouse, and warm breakfast in the morning after just before we left. The guesthouse consisted of a local house with 2 rooms, each with 3 beds enough for 3 occupants (or 6 occupants if you take both rooms). Oh, did we mention the guest house had cute pets (dogs) and was located right in front of the local beach? A rare find, indeed.
Day 2 (Bajawa to Ende) - 8 to 10 hours on the road
The road trip resumed after a good night's rest in Bajawa, with some striking 'pit-stops' along the way (like the hut pictured above which was really just a mere roadside stall). Understandably, the journey gets rougher on day 2 because even though we all had a good night's rest, spending another 8-10 hours on the road gets exhausting, no matter how well rested you were the night before. The second day was also a lot tougher than the first one, because the roads we travelled to were much more remote than the ones on the first day, so finding decent restaurants/stops along the way was a bit of a challenge. Regardless, we did it!
Attraction spots we saw on day 1 of the road trip:
Local alcohol (Sopi) factories
Actually this was located within a 5 mins drive away from our first night's accommodation! Sopi is a local alcoholic beverage that is unique to Flores region, and many of the houses in the village distill this on their own using homemade and natural tools (like the bamboo tunnel pictured behind my friend above). Stop by one and test out the local alcohol if you'd like, which ranged from 5% all the way to 50%.
Bena traditional village
Bena is a traditional village located close to Berawa. The village itself still consisted of wooden 'huts' and traditional weaver locals/inhabitants. The authenticity of the village is questionable, considering how this village alone receives many foreigner visitors daily, but I guess it compensated our unsuccessful Wae Rebo trip.
Accommodation in Ende
F Hostel Ende
Website : http://bit.do/eurK7
Address : JL Gatot Subroto Km4, Ende Flores NTT (Kompleks Ruko Gudang Floresindo Wolowona), 86319 Ende, Indonesia
Price : MYR 41/bed
Accommodation details : Small hostel located close to Ende's remote little town. Small yet modern, this hostel provides excellent beds with curtains, clean toilet facilities, daily breakfast (bread with toaster and condiments) as well as other beverages/snacks. Helpful employees as well, helped a friend sort out a tiny scorpion she found in her backpack, so kudos to that!
Day 3 (Ende to Maumere) - 5 to 6 hours on the road
Damn, would you look at that, our exciting-yet-excruciating Flores overland road trip has finally come to an end! The last day was the most exhausting, stressful, and hardest day to wake up from our short slumbers thus far. But to be fair, we had to wake up at 2:30 AM either way, in order to catch the sunrise from the mythical Kelimutu lake.
Attraction spots we saw on day 1 of the road trip:
Kelimutu crater lakes
We finally made it to the ultimate end destination of our Flores overland road trip - Kelimutu crater lakes. These craters are situated on top of an active volcano, with different shades of blue/turquoise in each crater lakes, despite coming from the same volcano. The locals still consider it as a sacred spot, so it is essential that you pay respect and not make a mess surrounding the compounds. What I definitely disliked about this attraction however, is the ludicrous entrance fee prices between locals and foreigners. For the Rp 7,000 entrance fee that the locals have to pay, foreigners have to pay Rp 150,000, or sometimes even more during weekends/public holidays! I get that the price difference may have been imposed due to economic reasons, but I can't help but feel slightly guilty/embarrassed for the high price difference that made my foreigner friends feel slightly ripped off. And you know what? They didn't even check the tickets. We witnessed first-handedly many tour busses cheating the system by claiming they are carrying local passengers when in fact they aren't. So depending on your ethics and budget.... do as you wish, anyway.
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