Lombok-Maumere or Labuan Bajo - duration of hoat trip

There are tourist boat trips between Lombok and Labuanbajo, see http://www.peramatour.com/</a> for one company, there are others that operate from the Gili islands off Lombok if you visit there (smaller companies with no websites).

There are also PELNI ferries once every 2 weeks or so between Lombok and Flores, I've not used them myself but you could look at the unofficial website at http://www.worldtrippin.be/pelni/</a> (only 2006 schedule at the moment, but it gives an idea of the ferry routes). The official PELNI website is http://www.pelni.co.id/home.asp</a><BR><BR>Quite cheap to fly around Indonesia, think you can fly Bali (Denpasar) to Ende (Flores) to Maumere (Flores), see this timetable for details: PDF of Transnusa timetable. This is only a guide, as flight schedules change regularly! Best to ask about flights when you arrive in Indonesia.

Its easy to get transport around Flores (say Maumere > Moni / Kelimutu > Ende > Bajawa > Ruteng > Labuanbajo) just be aware the roads are not great, lots of twisting and turning, takes a long time to get around. Great scenery though!

The best way to see Kelimutu is to go to Moni, get a hotel room, then arrange an early morning (4 or 5am) motorcycle taxi or something up the volcano to see sunrise from the top of the volcano. Also hot water springs to bathe in, and traditional villages and interesting scenery around that area.

Thank you for detailed information,

Actually what is best way to see Kelimutu and save my time, I suppose, I have to get fly to Maumere or Ende?

Regards,
Stefan

At the moment there are NO flights between Ende and Denpasar. From/to Denpasar you only can fly from/to Labuan Bajo or Maumere. Maumere is about 3 hours by car/bus from Moni (base for Kelimutu). Again, count in some extra days as flights to/from Maumere are unreliable (cancelled, full for weeks or overbooked)

Anne Mieke

Thank you Anne,

Finlay , What is your suggestion, I can spend a week for flores, what is the best way to jurny there and what is the best sights and places that i have to see. I prefer to start journey from lombok , but in a case i reduce time to trivel to flores i can come back in denpasar, I need of best redused time for journey, but also i know that sometimes there a greater places and views during transportation, My first plan was start from Gili or Lombok by boat directly to Labuan Bajo, from there catch a bus to Ende , after I see Kelimutu I goes to Maumere and i fly back to denpasar.

Thank you

In Flores there is also Bajawa, which has lots of traditional villages and great volcanic scenery, as well as hot springs nearby, it's worth spending a few days there. From Ende it's about a 4 hour trip. A suggestion: if you could afford to pay a little bit extra, I'd suggest using what's called "travel" which are small vans that pick you up and drop you off at your door, more comfortable that the buses.

One week Flores is a bit on the the tight side but can be done
You cannot start from Lombok as there are no flights directly to Flores, you always have to backtrack to Denpasar first. the alternative is a bus-boat-bus-boat trip which takes you across Lombok, cross to Sumbawa, overland toe easterna Sumbawa Sape and then cross by boat to Labuan Bajo. This will take around 24 hours! (and you need a day to recover in Labuan Bajo) If you like to do this you can travel the schedulesuggestion in the opposite direction.

Day 1 Denpasar-Maumere-Moni
Day 2 Moni visit Kelimutu earlymorning and leave around 9 am to Bajawa if you take the shared taxi, indeed teh "travel" likt LGM says you can ask to stop at the bluestonebeach. The journey from Moni to Bajawa via Ende will take around 6 hours if you can travel directly. Otherwise with a change of "travel" in Ende it maybe end in 7 or 8 hours.
Day 3 Bajawa visit traditional villages like Bena, Bela and Luba
Day 4 Bajawa visit Wawo Muda, craterlakes
Day 5 Bajawa-Labuan Bajo via Ruteng. Take a "travel" as well and ask for a stop in the Ruteng area for the nice ricefields
Day 6 Labuan Bajo, visit to Rinca island, komododragons
Day 7 Labuan Bajo-Denpasar

If you can afford more time you can stay one night more in Moni, in Ruteng and Labuan Bajo. Another advantage if you travel by "travel" try to get a seat in the front (more expensive!) as the road on Flores seems to be one bend! So it is not only that your journey is more comfortable but also reduces the motionsickness (which can be awfull sitting in the bus together with vomiting and spitting people)

Anne Mieke

I also think only 7 days to travel to Flores and back to Bali is tight timing - you may end up feeling tired and exhausted, with half your days spent in a car or bus.

If theres a boat sailing at the right time for you from Lombok to Labuanbajo, that trip is great, but usually takes about 3 days. A day or 2 in Labuanbajo, then travelling to Ruteng (4 hours by minibus / 'travel'), then Bajawa > Ende > Moni takes more days.

One option to look into is possibly flying via Kupang, West Timor. There may be flights going Ende > Kupang > Denpasar, may be possible to do this in 1 day.

Anyway, better to have 10 days set aside for travel in Flores in my opinion! Have fun though, an excellent destination!

First I`m very appreciate for advices that were posted all of you.

Actually I think that I have followed that plane.

Finlay My last question is, Is there any other best places and sight except ones that we already disused as follow:

beaches and shnorheling in - Labuan Bajo
traditional villages and great volcanic scenery : Bajawa, Kelimutu

One more thank you all for detailed information.

HALLO!
I NEED INFORMATION ABOUT FLIGHTS FROM FLORES TO JAVA. ARE THERE ANY DIRECT OR INTERMEDIATE-STOP FLIGHT FROM FLORES (FROM WHICH PLACES?) TO JAVA (JAKARTA OR YOGYAKARTA) AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER?

THANKS A LOT!
STEFY