As most of you have known, I recently moved back to Indonesia and have been here for about several months. I have returned to the city of pollution,traffic jams and good food (trust me, I gained 3kg in a month)! Since a lot of my highschool friends lives in Indonesia, I get to have a little reunion with them and we decided to have a mini trip to Flores in NTT (East Nusa Tenggara), a collection of islands located east of Bali. It has always been on my bucket list to travel around Indonesia which is the biggest archipelago on Earth. This trip was another step closer to achieving my bucket list. I have always loved going to places that showcase God’s masterpiece (take a look here for my trip to Ijen).
If you are interested in going to Flores, here are some tips I have for you:
1) The trip is mostly done on a boat. That means that we had to stay on the boat for three whole days and two whole nights! So if you have motion sickness, this might not be for you.
2) We hired Salam Ransel as our guide (Rp 2,000,000. per person = <USD$200). There were seven of us on a private boat with the guide and four of the ship’s crew. They were totally friendly and fun to be with! We even played guitars, sang songs and danced in the moonlight (great song btw!) They also take additional pictures and videos for you which is a plus.
3) The boat had two air conditioned private rooms. However, electricity is only on after 6PM. Unfortunately for us, one of the bedroom’s air conditioner broke and thus, we had to sleep in what feels like a sauna room. I eventually gave up and slept outside.
4) Be prepared to apply a lot of sunblocks.
5) Hiking shoes are necessary. Leave all your less-practical shoes at home.
6) Only Telkomsel has reception on the sea and the islands, my carrier is XL and my phone was useless.
7) Don’t sweat too much about the details and be prepared to be in awe!
We first arrived in Bali for a stopover before heading to
Labuan Bajo. Stayed there for the night before embarking to the open waters for our tour. Once we went on our boat, we were greeted by blue waters and hilly surroundings (insert excited emoji here). The boat had all all our basic needs covered including an ample amount of drinking water and a toilet. When I first sat on the porch of the boat,I had to stop myself from breaking into the tune of “
I’m on a Boat by The Lonely Island“! It was not long before, “Land Ho!” and we arrived at our first destination:
Kelor Island!
We had a steep hike up a small hill to a wonderful view of the swa and surrounding islands.
After Kelor Island, we left to the highlight of the trip which was to see Komodos! Yes, real life dragons, and as one of the New 7 Wonder of Nature, this was definitely in my bucket list! Komodos are carnivorous reptiles and they can grow up to 4 meters long! They move really fast and their bites are extremely poisonous. Luckily for us, Komodos are generally lazy creatures (you can say that I have found my spirit animal) and that for the most part they were not interested in us. We had two guides guarding us with their Y-shaped sticks which we were totally relying on for safety. Unfortunately, we did not get to see much of the Komodos walking around Rinca Island as the island is rather huge.
KOMODO FACT!
Did you know that baby Komodos can climb up trees and are known to pounce on their prey from there? I am glad I did not encounter one.
Spelling doesn’t really matter if you are running for your life.
Those poses are actually done when a Komodo mates with another, Hi-10!
No wonder it is called “The Virgin Tree”
As we head for our next stop, we had a great lunch prepared by a pair of talented chefs who actually caught the food from the sea itself! It can’t get any fresher than this! We got off the boat to chase sunset in what I say to be the most picturesque place I have ever seen. Presenting: Padar Island! One thing you need to know is that the island has a vista showing the three beaches it has. It only takes about 30-40 minutes to hike up from the beach. We were so amazed at the scenery and decided we stayed too long for our own good; the hike down was treacherous in the dark.
We were told to wake up at 5AM the next morning and being the Komodos we are, we woke up late, some of us anyways. We were greeted with the amazing smell of breakfast as we head to the next island full of Komodos, yes, you got it, it’s Komodo Island of course! This time, after a short walk, we were able to spot a lot more “active” Komodos. Some were showering below a hut and I did not hesitate to take more pictures than necessary. We still had to be cautious as they might attack anyone randomly.
Next up, we docked our boat in the deeper part of the sea to finally start snorkeling! We went to the Pink Beach, known for its, well, pinkish sand. The pink came from pink corals washing up on the shore. Unfortunately, tourists has been taking up the pink sand home and thus, the beach is not as pink as it was before. Anyways, the waters were crystal clear and it was very refreshing to finally dip my whole body into the water and just float.
We then chased another sunset in Gili Lawa. The weather app notified us that there was going to be a downpour, but it turned out to be a very gorgeous day. We got a perfect sunset which we did not have to hike a lot for. The island this time, had lots of features of a savanna. This meant that there were small short shrubs and tall grasses which makes this place a great place to go to for your pre-wedding photoshoot. Some of us turned into perfect models to showcase the beauty of the landscape. We also stayed near the island overnight as we were planning to hike for sunrise the next morning. I suggested that we woke up earlier to try and take a picture of the milky way. I was really hoping that the sky would clear up by twilight because the night was filled with clouds and it was difficult to see the stars. The brightness of the moon also did not help in this case. However, at 3AM, we were greeted with a clear sky! And of course, as much as we hated it, but because we wanted to witness the sunrise, we hiked the tallest mountain in the island. One of us had acrophobia and decided to stay in the midview point. The rest of us made it just in time before a wave of tourists came. All in all, it was WORTH IT.
And… For the last few hours we had, we spent it for snorkeling! Corals and fishes galore! We even spotted some turtles and manta rays (which were rarer than the fish). Sadly, I am unable to show them here because they are mostly in video format but here is what it looks like underwater!
Despite of the fatigue from our lack of sleep (because let’s be real, sleeping on a boat for several days straight kind of suck), it was a phenomenal experience. It was all worth the muscle cramps and burnt skin. I would definitely relive this experience all over again.
I hope this post inspires you to go and visit NTT! Let me know where I should go next in Indonesia in the comments!
