Komodo & Flores

Labuan Bajo has transformed from a sleepy fishing village to a booming tourist center in less than a decade. The small town at the western tip of Flores is the starting point for all Komodo tours and now has surprisingly good infrastructure: boutique hotels, trendy cafes, dive schools, and restaurants with sea views.

The harbor is the heart of the town: From here, day boats and multi-day liveaboards depart to the Komodo Islands. The sunsets over the offshore islands are among the most spectacular in Indonesia — best viewed from Sylvia Hill or one of the rooftop cafes.

In Labuan Bajo, there are several dive schools offering courses and day trips. The waters around Komodo are among the most current-rich diving areas in the world — manta rays, reef sharks, and sea turtles are common. Snorkelers also get their money's worth: Day tours to the surrounding islands offer crystal-clear water and intact reefs.

The Batu Cermin (Mirror Cave), a cave with natural light play, is only 15 minutes from the center and is a worthwhile morning excursion (30,000 IDR / 1.80 €).

The Komodo National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991) includes three large islands — Komodo, Rinca, and Padar — as well as numerous smaller islands. It protects the last habitat of the Komodo dragons, the largest living lizards in the world, and one of the planet's most species-rich underwater worlds.

Komodo Dragons — The Last Dragons

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) reaches up to three meters in length and over 70 kilograms in weight. With its forked tongue, it senses prey from kilometers away. Its bite is venomous — a cocktail of toxins lowers the victim's blood pressure and prevents blood clotting. A bitten animal dies within days, and the dragon patiently follows it. There are about 3,000 specimens in the wild.

The animals appear sluggish but are capable of explosive sprints — up to 20 km/h. On the hiking trails of the islands, visitors are always accompanied by rangers who carry long wooden sticks (the only defense). The dragons are accustomed to humans but are not harmless.

The Islands

• Komodo Island: The largest island, home to most dragons. Several trekking routes (short, medium, long) where you are almost guaranteed to see dragons — often right at the ranger post, where deer carcasses attract the animals. The long hike leads through savanna and monsoon forest.
• Rinca: Smaller, less touristy, but the dragons are often more visible. The trek leads through dry hilly landscapes with panoramic views. Many consider Rinca to be the more authentic experience.
• Padar Island: No dragons, but the most iconic viewpoint in Indonesia: After a 20-minute steep climb, you reach the summit with a 360-degree view over three bays in different colors — white, pink, and black. THE Instagram photo of Komodo.

There are only a handful of beaches worldwide with pink sand — and one of the most beautiful is in Komodo National Park. The Pink Beach (Pantai Merah) owes its color to the Foraminifera — tiny marine organisms with reddish calcium shells that mix with the white coral sand, giving the beach its characteristic pink hue.

The color is most intense at the water's edge, where the wet sand shines. In the morning, when the sun is still low, the effect is strongest. The color varies from delicate pink to almost salmon depending on the light conditions.

In front of the beach begins an excellent snorkeling area: Directly from the shore, the reef drops steeply, and you swim over hard corals, giant clams, and schools of colorful reef fish. Turtles and small reef sharks are common. You should bring snorkeling equipment or rent it in Labuan Bajo — there is nothing on-site.

Pink Beach is only accessible by boat and is part of most Komodo boat tours. There is no infrastructure or shade — bring sunscreen and enough water!

The Kelimutu is an extinct volcano (1,639 m) in the center of Flores with a phenomenon found nowhere else on Earth: three crater lakes in different colors, right next to each other, that change color independently.

The three lakes are named in the language of the Lio:

• Tiwu Ata Mbupu (Lake of the Old People): usually deep blue to black
• Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai (Lake of Young Men and Maidens): usually turquoise to light green
• Tiwu Ata Polo (Lake of Evil Spirits): usually reddish-brown to olive green

The colors are created by different concentrations of minerals (sulfur, iron, manganese) and microorganisms in the lakes, which change depending on volcanic activity and oxygen content. Over the decades, the lakes have gone through colors from white to turquoise, green, blue, red to black — sometimes changing within a few weeks.

The locals believe that the souls of the deceased rest in the lakes — separated by age and character. Kelimutu is a sacred place, and the population regularly conducts ceremonies at the crater's edge.

The ascent begins at the parking lot (about a 30-minute walk to the crater's edge) — most come for the sunrise, when the mists clear and the colors of the lakes glow in the first sun. The starting point is the small town of Moni, 14 kilometers downhill from the summit.

The Trans-Flores Road from Labuan Bajo in the west to Maumere (or Ende) in the east is one of the most spectacular and challenging roads in Southeast Asia. Around 700 kilometers through breathtaking landscapes: volcanoes, spider-web-shaped rice fields, bamboo forests, traditional villages, and views of turquoise bays.

The Route (5–7 days recommended)

• Labuan Bajo → Ruteng (4–5 h): Switchbacks through mountains, rice fields in the famous Lingko spider-web shape near Cancar
• Ruteng → Bajawa (4–5 h): Through Manggarai land with traditional villages. Bajawa is the center of Ngada culture
• Bajawa → Ende/Moni (5–6 h): Past the hot springs of Soa, Ende is the gateway to Kelimutu
• Moni → Kelimutu → Maumere (4–5 h): Sunrise at Kelimutu, then descent to Maumere on the north coast

The roads are narrow, winding, and often in poor condition. Landslides in the rainy season, livestock on the roadway, and missing guardrails on steep slopes are part of it. But that's exactly what makes it appealing: This is travel as it was 30 years ago throughout Southeast Asia — slow, unpredictable, and exciting.

The people of Flores are predominantly Catholic (a legacy of Portuguese missionaries) and possess a warmth that is exceptional even by Indonesian standards. Everywhere you will be invited: for coffee, for meals, to linger.

Wae Rebo is a traditional Manggarai village at an altitude of 1,200 meters in the jungle of West Flores — and one of the most authentic cultural experiences in Indonesia. The village consists of seven cone-shaped Mbaru-Niang houses with high, pointed grass roofs that look like giant beehives. In 2012, Wae Rebo was awarded the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

The journey to Wae Rebo is a pilgrimage: From the road in Denge, you hike three to four hours through dense rainforest — past waterfalls, spider webs as large as wagon wheels, and orchid-covered trees. The path is steep and slippery, a local guide is mandatory and included.

At the top, a clearing opens above the clouds. The seven Mbaru Niang stand in a circle around a ceremonial site. Each house accommodates several families on up to five floors — at the top, the sacred ancestral relics are stored. The villagers welcome guests with coffee and roasted sweet potatoes, in the evening, cooking and storytelling are shared.

The overnight stay in the village (350,000 IDR / ~21 € per person including meals and guide) is not only possible but recommended: In the evening, when the clouds envelop the village and the stars appear above the roofs, Wae Rebo feels like a journey back in time. In the morning, when the sun breaks through the mist, you know why you made the ascent.