Beach on Pulau Padar and our boat

Flores, Indonesia

We decided that after a week of relaxing in Bali, we needed some more relaxing with a bit of adventure.  Flores Island is a quick flight from Bali, and offers both.  Flores Island is the gateway to Komodo National Park (island) where you can see these incredible creatures up close!

 

How We Got There and Around

We took LionAir from Bali to Flores.  After quite a delay, we arrived safely on Flores.  The airplane we took was an older model, ATR-72 Turbo Prop.  We are learning through our travels that budget airlines are the way to go, as long as you are not one to demand a lot of services, or the latest airplane.

On the island of Flores, we went to the taxi stand and were able to order a taxi and prepay upfront.  While waiting for the car, we were hounded by local “guides” trying to sell us tours, massages, and more.  The man orchestrating our taxi ride told us to ignore them because they are all crooks.  Once we got into our actual taxi, the same man who has been hounding us hopped in the front seat to ask us questions about our stay and where we are from.  He got the hint early on that Steve wasn’t interested and eventually asked the driver to let him out.

Around the island, we walked and if far, we took a taxi.  There are no metered taxis, so all rates were negotiated beforehand.

 

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Bintang Flores Resort.  For a cheap rate of less than $40/night, we had the luxuries of a resort – pool, poolside bar, fine dining, and beach access.  The resort also helped us plan our trip to Komodo Island.  I was afraid it would cost more, but the price we paid was exactly what I had researched online.  We met several nice people at the resort, including a family from Canada who currently live in Malaysia.  We had such a nice time with them at the pool and hearing of their travels gave us some inspiration.  We had dinner at the resort every night and got to know the staff and they got to know us well.  Our waitress knew I would order a banana juice every night – I could get used to that!  On our last night we had dinner with Thomas from Germany, who was traveling with his school.  He was full of great stories and tips for our upcoming travel to Java.

Hotel Pool
Hotel Pool
Hotel Beach
Hotel Beach

 

What We Did

We did plenty of laying by the pool, drinking fresh juice or beer.  The highlight of our trip was the excursion to Komodo Island.

We woke up at 4:45 for our 5:10 pickup time early in the morning.  When we woke up, we weren’t sure if our trip would be cancelled – we were in the middle of a storm and it didn’t look good.  Our friend Thomas was waiting for his pickup on a different boat and he left on time.  We wished him good luck, as it looked like the weather was getting worse.  As 5:10 came and went, we weren’t sure what was going to happen.  At 5:45 we had the front desk call them, and they said they were waiting out the storm and will call us back.  At 6:10, the taxi finally came and whisked us off to the dock.  We were quickly fitted with our snorkel gear and driven to the boat.  The boat was fully loaded with 8 other people.  To be honest, the boat didn’t look good, but I figured maybe it was a gem on the inside and not to be quick to judge.  Immediately after our departure I realized that my initial thoughts were correct, this boat was not a gem.  Our first leg of the trip was a few hours to Pulau Padar island.  At one point, the rain was so bad and the clouds so thick, the captain (who looked like he was maybe 17 years old) asked Nelson, a traveler from Java, if he could use his phone for navigation.  Borrowed Google maps is apparently as advanced as Indonesian naval navigations gets.  I was a bit worried at this point.  Many people were trying hard not to get sea sick.

We arrived at Pulau Padar Island and were told we had about an hour to hike up and down the main hill.  The hike, although there were no animals, gave us spectacular views of a few of Indonesia’s many islands.  The hike wasn’t demanding, but gave us a good sweat in the muggy heat.

Beach on Pulau Padar and our boat
Beach on Pulau Padar and our boat
View from the hike on Pulau Padar
View from the hike on Pulau Padar
View from the hike on Pulau Padar
View from the hike on Pulau Padar

When we got back on the boat, we were told we were heading to Komodo Island.  It took another few hours to get there (a total of four from Flores).  When we arrived, we were ushered to an office to pay the National Park fee of $245,000 IDR (~$18 USD).  We were not allowed to walk/hike the island without a guide.  Our guide told us he had seen Komodo Dragons earlier on his hikes, and was sure we will see some.  Sure enough, ten minutes into our hike, we saw a group of 5.  Nothing can prepare you to see these creatures up close. They are huge.  They make these funny sounds if one gets too close.  Our guide told us that they are solitary beings.  In fact, they were all there waiting by the watering hole in hopes of getting a deer.  When one gets too close to another, they make a hissing sound.  Komodo Dragons are extremely fast, which is odd considering their size.  They can take down deer, even cows (if given the chance).  They often get in fights in mating season, and have been known to eat injured Komodo Dragons as a result of these fights.  In fact, male Komodo Dragons will eat the eggs and baby Komodo Dragons.  The guide said it was hard to predict how the colony was doing as far as size, and wasn’t sure if there really is a way to determine an accurate count.  While on the island, we saw deer and a few birds, but Komodo Dragons was the big attraction.

Komodo Dragon
Komodo Dragon
Komodo Dragon Tongue
Komodo Dragon Tongue
Komodo Dragon on the Beach
Komodo Dragon on the Beach
Timor Rusa Deer
Timor Rusa Deer

We left Komodo Island, heading back towards Flores Island.  We still had two more stops before reaching home, but the Captain was worried about the weather and told us the stops would be shortened so we didn’t get stuck in bad winds.  At this time, we got our lunch as well, chicken and rice.  What comes after lunch, nap time.  I woke up to see that we arrived the Pink Sand beach.  We were only here for 15 minutes, so could snorkel and swim to the sand, or relax on the boat.  Steve jumped in to instantly cool, while I relaxed on the boat.  The pink sand wasn’t quite as impressive as it sounds.  The sand only has a slightly pink tinge to it.

The last stop was Manta Ray point.  It is an area quite a bit off shore that manta rays are often seen swimming.  Our boat never really set up anchor, instead we hopped off into the ocean and snorkeled, while the boat circled us.  The waves and currents were much stronger than I anticipated, which made it challenging to stay in one spot to snorkel.  Steve and I were excited to see manta rays, in fact, one swam directly below Steve.  We watched for about 10-15 minutes, they are magnificent creatures, simply beautiful.  I kept thinking about Steve Erwin, and every time I saw one, there was 80% excitement and marvel, and 20% pure fear.  Climbing on the boat in the waves was quite the feat, but once we got back safely on, all of us were excited to share our stories, videos and pictures.  One thing about doing this tours, although it can be a bit of a pain when it comes to timing, Steve hates being rushed, we end up meeting the best people.  We laughed through intense situations on the boat, joked about it too, and really enjoyed each other’s company.

Manta Ray, with human for size
Manta Ray, with human for size

Overall, our trip to Flores was well worth it.  We enjoyed pool time, and adventure time in the boat.

 

What’s Next

Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia

 

Andrea

Loves adventures with Steven, family & friends. If not adventuring with loved ones, I am usually running half marathons, reading books, trying new food, cuddling with Sparky, Brady or Tachy, hiking, playing ice hockey, or rooting for a local bay area sports team. “...when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

2 thoughts to “Flores, Indonesia”

    1. Thanks, it was an amazing place. Hard not to get good photos when the scenery is so amazing!

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