Flores & Komodo
The Ultimate Guide
What are the best Komodo & Flores Overland Tours?
The most popular activity around is a Komodo Island Boat Tour to see the Komodo dragons in Komodo Island or Rinca Island, enjoy the viewpoint from Padar Island, snorkelling/diving around the rich corals and colourful fishes and swim with Manta Rays.
For budget travellers, there are 1-day boat trip in (packed) boats that have basic facilities. If you don’t have high expectations on the boat and just focus on the activities, you will enjoy this affordable tour. You can book a shared 1-day Komodo tour upon arrival in Flores
Travellers that care more about comfort, book a Komodo Island Liveaboard Tour in a private boat with private staff. We recommend to use a boat with AC cabins because it can be quite hot at night.
Day-to-day-itineraries for all Komodo & Flores Tours
(for the itineraries, click on the tabs above the image slider)
While there are 2 Day / 1 Night (2D1N) and 4D3N Komodo Tours as well, the most popular is the 3D2N version. Below is the day-to-day itinerary for the 3D2N Komodo Tour.
Itinerary for 3D2N Liveaboard Komodo Tour
DAY 1: Labuan Bajo >> Kelor Island – Rinca Island – Kalong Island
Pick up at the airport or hotel in the early morning, and drop off at the harbor where you enter the boat and meet the staff. You start sailing around 8 am towards Kelor island. Here, you can snorkel and have short hike to enjoy the beautiful panorama from the top of the hill.
Lunch is served on the boat. Then, you cruise to Rinca island to meet the dragons and other wildlife such as buffaloes, deers, monkeys, and wild boars. A ranger will accompany you on a 1.5 hour trek, during which you also go up hill and enjoy the panorama view.
The last destination of the day is Kalong Island where you see thousands of bats fly around you with sunset.
Enjoy a traditional Indonesian diner onboard and prepare for the night.
DAY 2: Padar Island – Komodo Island – Pink Beach
Enjoy the delightful breakfast on the boat and prepare for a 30 minute trek up hill to the top of Padar Island. This may be the absolute highlight of the day as the view is totally breathtaking!
Then continue to Pink Beach, one of favourite snorkelling spots during the trip. And yes, the beach is pink, so bring your camera with you! Lunch is served at this exotic place.
In the afternoon you sail to Komodo island, and a ranger accompanies you on a trek to spot the famous Komodo dragons. They are a bit bigger than in Rinca island.
Traditional Indonesian diner onboard, and then prepare for the night.
DAY 3: Taka Makasar – Manta Point – Sebayur Island >> Labuan Bajo
Your first stop is at the picturesque white beach at Taka Makassar, where you can relax or swim. The next destination – Manta Point – is nearby, and here you meet the giant Manta while snorkelling!
Continue to Sebayur island, where you can enjoy for the last time the beautiful underwater scene. Then it is time to sail back to Labuan Bajo, where you’ll be dropped off at your hotel or the airport.
Flores is also known for its beautiful overland tours through the lush, volcanic landscape via off-the-beaten-paths. Popular tours are the 2D1N Kelimutu Tour and 2D1N/3D2N Wae Rebo Tour. But the most beautiful and recommended tour is the 4D3N Flores Overland Tour during which you visit both Kelimutu, Wae Rebo, and other traditional villages, and beautiful nature and rice fields.
Below is the day-to-day itinerary for our 4D3N Flores Overland Tour. You can find the day-to-day itineraries of all other Flores Overland Tours on our Komodo & Flores Overland Tour page (click on the tab “Overland Tours” above the image slider).
4D3N Flores Overland Tour Itinerary
This tour starts in Labuan Bajo and ends in Maumere or Ende. The reverse itinerary is also possible.
DAY 1: LABUAN BAJO – RUTENG
Pickup at your hotel in Labuan Bajo around 8 am (or at the airport as long as you land before 9 am). As we drive towards Ruteng, we make stops at Melo village for a panorama of Labuan Bajo, at Lembor to see a large rice terrace and at Cara Village to see the beautiful Spire Web Rice Terrace Field. In Ruteng we stop at Ruteng Pu’u to visit the traditional houses of the Manggarai tribe, before we check-in at our hotel.
DAY 2: RUTENG – BAJAWA
After breakfast we continue the tour with the first top at Tepo Rakot, where we can enjoy a panorama of the rice terrace. Next we visit the Rana Mese Lake in the rain forest, and then visit Aimere village and learn about the process of making palm wine. The next village Bena is located in the slope of Mount Inerie and is the traditional village of Bajawa people. In the afternoon, we will relax in the Hot Spring at So’a. Then we check-in at the hotel in Bajawa.
DAY 3: BAJAWA – MONI
We continue the journey after breakfast and drive to the hot spring where we can swim and relax. The next stop is at Nanga Penda, where walk along the Blue Stone Beach [picture] and where we have lunch. We continue towards Ende and stop at the Museum of Bung Karno and visit the traditional villages in Saga [picture] and Wolo Gai [picture]. Finally, we arrive in Moni where we stay overnight in a hotel.
DAY 4: MONI – KELIMUTU – MAUMERE
We start the trip at 4 am and drive for an hour for the starting point of the mountain trek. The hike to the top of Mt Kelimutu takes about 45 minutes.
Here we will witness a beautiful sunrise, relax and enjoy the magnificent view of the Kelimutu lake. We drive back to the hotel for breakfast and check-out, and then we continue either to Ende or Maumere, depending on where you are flying from. If you fly from Ende, we will drive you directly to Ende; if you fly from Maumere, we will drive to Maumere and make stops at Koka Beach, Old church and Waring traditional village.
How to get to Labuan Bajo
Fly. The gateway to Flores is Bali. There are frequent flights from Denpassar (Bali) to Labuan Bajo and it takes ± 1 hour. You can book both your international flight to Bali as well as domestic flights to Labuan Bajo via Skyscanner. Consider booking a window seat to enjoy the beautiful view when approaching Flores.
Since recently there is also a direct flight connection between Labuan Bajo and Makassar, Sulawesi! So this tour can be perfectly combined with a Tana Toraja Tour (known for its world famous funeral ceremonies and treks in breath-taking landscapes off-the-beaten-path).
Boat from Gili Island. An adventurous way to get to Labuan Bajo from Gili island is by boat, and the standard tour is 4 Days / 3 Nights. We only recommend this option for low budget travellers that have plenty of time, because the facilities onboard are very basic. Most travellers prefer to fly from Gili to Labuan Bajo via Denpassar (there are no direct flights).
Where to stay in Labuan Bajo
The recommended accommodation in the top segment (especially for families or for a peaceful stay) is Villa Domanik. While on a walking distance from the city centre, this peaceful resort is far from the city buzz and is located on a hill with a beautiful panorama of the mountains and the sea.
Recommended accommodations in the budget and mid-budget segments are Wae Molas Hotel, and Ciao Hostel, respectively.
What is the best period to visit Flores
The dry season is the best and most popular season to visit Flores. In the Western part of Flores, the dry season is in the period mid April – mid October, while in the Eastern side the dry season starts a weeks earlier and ends a few weeks later. During this period the humidity is low and there is little rain.
Another good period to visit Flores is in the shoulder months October-December and March-April. In this period it only rains occasionally in Labuan Bajo and Maumere, and when it rains it is also for a short period. There are still enough sunny days to even visit the beaches and there will be much less crowd in this period compared to in the dry season. However in the mountains it will rain daily, typically in the late afternoon. Overland tours are still recommended as we expect only few limitations during this period that we can accommodate by having shelter or relaxing a little bit during the short rain fall.
The rain season is at its worst in January and February. It is expected to rain daily in most regions, especially at the end of the day, and there could be storms and high waves. These months can be very stormy and cause high waves. It is the best time to dive on the south side of the Komodo National Park. We do not recommend Flores Overland Tours in this period, and it is possible that the tour itineraries for the Komodo Tours will be adjusted depending on sea/weather conditions.
What are the entrance fees to Komodo National Park?
Entrance tickets are needed to enter the Komodo National Park. The tickets are valid for 1 day, and there are no discounts for children or KITAS/KIPAS holders. For Indonesian citizens, the entrance fees to the National Park is 5000 IDR and 7500 IDR per person during weekdays and weekends, respectively. The prices tend to increase annually.
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Komodo Entrance weekdays | 150.000 IDR per person |
| Komodo Entrance weekends | 255.000 per person |
| Padar Entrance | 150.000 per person |
| Komodo/Padar Tourism Tax | 100.000 per person |
| Komodo/Padar Ranger Fee | 80.000 per group of 5 pax |
What to Bring to your Komodo Tour
- Long pants
- Long sleeves
- Swimming suits
- Comfortable shoes for the trekking
- Small backpack for the trekking
- Towel
- Insect repellent (DEET 40%)
- Sun lotion
- Flash light
- Rain coat
Where to go after Flores?
The gateway to Flores and Komodo National Park is Bali. Travellers usually break their stay in Bali to explore Flores and then return back to Bali.
Since recently, there is a direct flight connection between Labuan Bajo and Makassar. Therefore, it is now also possible to combine Flores with visiting Tana Toraja, which is known for its funeral ceremonies, and has among the most scenic hiking treks through bamboo forests, coffee & cacao plantations and rice terraces.
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