We pick you up at your hotel in Labuan Bajo around 8 am and start our journey to Ruteng. The landscape between Labuan Bajo and Ruteng is famous for its rice fields.
We visit the mountain village Todo, where we find traditional reed-hatched houses in a beautiful green landscape and meet the friendly villagers.
Then we visit Cancar to see the Spider Web rice field, and we make a stop at Golo Curu that is a viewpoint for a beautiful terraced rice field. We check in at our accommodation in Ruteng and have time to relax and enjoy the serene area. We have dinner at a restaurant of choice.
We get up around 4:30 am and embark on a sunrise trek in the rice fields in Ruteng. This is a shared trek through a mesmerising landscape of terraced rice fields. We find a spot to sit and enjoy the serenity of the area as we wait for sunrise. We return to our hotel and have breakfast.
Our next destination is the breathtaking Ranamese Lake. Located in the Flores jungle, we need to walk down a small jungle path to see the “sacred lake” and then we continue the hike via the waterfall through the dense jungle.
We have lunch at the panorama restaurant Siquarra, and we continue our drive – via the traditional palm wine distillery Aimere – through a scenic mountainous area to arrive at our destination for the day: Belaraghi. This remote, traditional village is surrounded by lush green forest, and cacao- and coconut palm trees.
Upon our arrival at Belaraghi, we’re greeted by warm smiles and the hospitality of the family that will host us for tonight. We have diner here, and can join the locals with farming, play with the dogs and the cheerful children, or just wander around. We stay overnight in a traditional house for an authentic experience.
After breakfast, we say goodbye to our new friends at Belaraghi and we embark on a trek for ca 2 hours through the forest and green highlands with a panorama of the mountains and the sea. We are picked up by our driver, and we continue the journey with several short drives.
First, we visit Wolobobo where we can enjoy the picturesque view of mount Inerie. Then, we treat ourselves with a swim at the natural Malanage hot spring, located at the confluence of a hot and cold river. Located nearby, we visit the traditional village Bena, famous for its architecture and cultural heritage. Bena is nestled in a valley surrounded by a lush green forest, giving it a serene and peaceful ambiance.
From here we can either trek for ca 30 minutes to our accommodation at Manulalu or we have a short drive. Manulalu is notorious for the colourful decoration of its restaurant and the spectacular panorama views of mount Inerie.
If Manulalu is fully booked, we will sleep in an accommodation in Bajawa instead.
We have breakfast and then we visit the traditional Luba village, just a walking distance away from Manulalu.
We continue the journey to Blue stone beach – named after the different shades of blue that the pebbles have – where we have lunch. At Detusoko we enjoy the panorama of ricefield terraces.
Then we arrive at the traditional village Wologai, famous for its cone-shaped architecture. Because the village is considered sacred, with the ghosts of their ancestors still present, visitors get a sarong from the locals which they must wear. The majority of the people living here are farmers, cultivating rice, corn, sweet potatoes, taro, cassava and coffee.
After only a short drive from Wologai, we arrive at the small mountain village Moni, which is the getaway to Kelimutu National Park. We check in at our hotel and sleep early as a vibrant journey awaits us tomorrow.
At around 4-5 am we leave for Kelimutu with its three turquoise coloured crater lakes. After a trek of ca 25 minutes we arrive at the top to witness the mesmerising sunrise, and the most amazing natural phenomenon in East Nusa Tenggara. Enjoy the view, immerse with nature and find your inner peace.
Then we return at our hotel for breakfast. Depending on where your flight leaves, we either drop you off at Ende or at Maumere. In case it is the latter, we will also visit the Koka beach, which is known for its bright turquoise water. We have lunch at this tropical white sandy beach, before we continue to a place of choice in Maumere.
Notice: It can be foggy at mount Kelimutu, and the extent to which we can see the crater is beyond control. The fog is local and can change any minute, so there is no way to anticipate from Moni how good the sight will be in mount Kelimutu. Subject to your flight schedule, we could also visit mount Kelimutu after breakfast.
Accommodations
Sky Flores is a good value hotel with clean ensuite double and twin bedroom. Strategically located in Ruteng, it is on a walking distance to many restaurants. There are several comparable hotels in the area that shall be booked in case Sky Flores is not available.
