Maumere

Introducing Maumere

The seaport of Maumere is a pretty forlorn place, but as it’s one of the main gateways to Flores, and well connected with Bali and Timor, you may well end up here for a night. Its crumbling concrete buildings and air of decay brutally betray its recent history – in 1992 an earthquake and resulting 20m tsunami killed thousands here. The city authorities appear to have done little to help the town’s recovery, however: mounds of rubbish line the streets, nibbled by marauding pigs and goats, which only compounds the postapocalyptic air that lingers on.

The town is the major centre of the Sikkanese language and culture, which extends east between central Flores and Larantuka. This area has been one of the chief centres of Catholic activity and missions in Flores since Portuguese Dominicans arrived some 400 years ago.

Some interesting trips can be made out of town to ikat-weaving villages and east to the once-legendary Maumere sea gardens, coral reefs which are steadily recovering after the tsunami. A string of beach bungalow resorts also line this coast, offering a temptingly accessible alternative to staying in town.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009

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Our favourite Maumere Blogs (beta)

The Lamalera Whale Hunters

Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 7 February 2012

Dolphin heads on the beach When do indigenous hunting rights become a danger to the environment? Do we want whale hunting to become a tourist attraction? Should we eat in a restaurant that primarily serves dolphin meat? So many questions. As we, along with our friends Elma and Marnix, approached the remote island of Lembata, [...]

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Staring for Success

Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 2 February 2012

Third-world visas are the bane of our existence. Here in Indonesia, many regional immigration offices have a reputation for bureaucracy, corruption, incompetence, and downright meanness. The office here in Maumere is among the worst. For weeks, I’ve been dreading the thought of trying to extend our visa here, but to continue on to the end [...]

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Muck Diving in Maumere

Blog: ContemporaryNomad - 29 January 2012

Warning: This post contains cool footage of the spectacular mimic octopus If you see something swimming by in the video above which looks like an underwater Far Side cartoon creature wearing horn-rimmed glasses, that would be the mimic octopus. Mimic octopus? If you are wondering where you heard that name before, it might be that [...]

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