Larantuka Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Land

Bus

The main bus terminal is 5km west of the town, about 1km from Waibalun, but buses also pick up in the centre of town – speak to your hotel staff about this. Coming into town, buses sometimes drop you at or near your hotel.

The touts at the ferry terminal and bus terminal are pushy. Buses to/from Maumere cost 32, 000Rp and take almost four hours. You’ll also find Kijangs waiting at the terminal; these speedy shared taxis cost 60, 000Rp per person for an air-con three-hour ride to Maumere. Transport to Maumere is regular until around 5pm.

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Boat

Boats leave from two piers in Larantuka, one in the centre of town and the other at Waibalun Port (4km south of town, 1500Rp by bemo). Double-check departure times in advance, especially in the rainy season, when schedules are more like suggestions. All boats get very crowded, so board early to get a seat. Bring some food and water.

Wooden boats to Lewoleba on Lembata (15, 500Rp, four hours), all via Waiwerang (Adonara, 8000Rp) and Solor (Lamakera, 9000Rp), depart from the pier in the centre of town at 7.30am and 12pm.

Ferries leave Waibalun Port for Lembata on Friday and Monday at 2pm and continue to Baranusa (Pantar) and Kalabahi (42, 500Rp, 20 hours). Sit on the upper deck unless you want to be soaked in sea spray. Heading to Kupang (39, 500Rp, around 13 hours), ferries depart Monday and Wednesday at 1pm from Waibalun. Going the other way, ferries to Larantuka leave Kupang on Thursday and Sunday at around 4pm.

Several useful Pelni services call on Larantuka. Awu serves Kalabahi, Kupang, Lembar, Benoa and Makassar. Sirimau also goes to Kupang, Kalabahi and Makassar. Kelimutu connects direct with Kupang, while Tatamailau calls in at Larantuka on its way to West Papua. The Pelni office (21155; Jl Diponegoro) has details on all Pelni services, or try the harbour master’s office (Jl Niaga) for other options.

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Air

At the time of research Merpati had three flights a week between Larantuka and Kupang. There’s no office in Larantuka, just a counter at the airport where you can buy tickets. To check the latest schedules, call its Kupang office on 0380833833.

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