Bali to Flores
Every way across compared: the 90-minute flight, the four-day sail, the ferry.
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Trans-Flores Highway · 6 days
The whole island, west to east
Six days by private vehicle and driver-guide: Ruteng, Bajawa, Riung, Kelimutu at sunrise, then down to Maumere — no backtracking.
Plan the crossingIn short
Labuan Bajo to Maumere is a six-day drive across Flores on the Trans-Flores Highway, staging through Ruteng, Bajawa, Riung and Moni for the Kelimutu sunrise.
- About 605 km over five driving days
- Private Innova IDR 1.500.000 per day
- Riung 17 Islands boat day included
- Wae Rebo extension adds one day
The six stages
1 · Labuan Bajo → Ruteng
- Distance & driving time
- ±130 km, 4–5 hours
- Night
- Ruteng
2 · Ruteng → Bajawa
- Distance & driving time
- ±130 km, 4–5 hours
- Night
- Bajawa
3 · Bajawa → Riung
- Distance & driving time
- ±70 km, 2.5–3 hours
- Night
- Riung
4 · Riung → Moni, via Ende
- Distance & driving time
- ±180 km, 5–5.5 hours
- Night
- Moni
5 · Kelimutu sunrise, Moni → Maumere
- Distance & driving time
- ±95 km, 3 hours
- Night
- Maumere
6 · Maumere
- Distance & driving time
- Departure or dive extension
- Night
- —
Stages are deliberately short. The Trans-Flores Highway is paved but narrow, steep and endlessly winding — four hours here is not four hours on a motorway.
What each day holds
Six days, stage by stage
-
01
Day 1 · To Ruteng
Out of the dry west coast into Manggarai country, with the Cancar spider-web rice fields on the way up.
-
02
Day 2 · To Bajawa
The island's finest ridge scenery, then an afternoon at Bena, the megalithic Ngada village below the volcano.
-
03
Day 3 · To Riung
Down to the north coast, and a private boat day among the islets of the 17 Islands marine park.
-
04
Day 4 · To Moni via Ende
Past the blue-pebble beach at Penggajawa and through Ende to Moni, at the foot of Kelimutu.
-
05
Day 5 · Kelimutu, then Maumere
A pre-dawn drive to the crater car park and the short walk to the viewpoint above the three lakes. Then down to the coast.
-
06
Day 6 · Maumere
Fly out, or stay on for the diving — Maumere Bay and the Pantar Strait toward Alor are just offshore.
What makes it a luxury crossing
The vehicle is private and air-conditioned with one licensed English-speaking driver-guide from first pickup to final drop-off — not a shared minibus working to someone else's clock.
Every night is booked in the best available category and confirmed by name before you travel. Flores does not do large resorts east of Labuan Bajo, so this means the standout small property in each town.
And the Riung 17 Islands boat day, the Kelimutu park entrance and the pre-dawn transfer are all built in rather than sold to you on the road.
Prices & inclusions
Private Toyota Innova with driver-guide
- Basis
- Per day, up to 3 guests
- Rate
- IDR 1.500.000
Private Toyota Hiace with driver
- Basis
- Per day, groups to 10
- Rate
- IDR 2.500.000
Komodo National Park entry
- Basis
- Per person, sea add-on days
- Rate
- USD 40-50
Included: private air-conditioned vehicle with fuel and driver-guide throughout; all five nights in the best available category, confirmed by name; the Riung 17 Islands private boat day with snorkelling equipment; Kelimutu entrance and pre-dawn transfer; daily breakfast, water and fruit in the vehicle; entrance fees and village donations on the published route; and one planning contact on WhatsApp before and during the journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Plan the crossing
Tell us your dates and which direction you want to travel. A planner sends the stage-by-stage itinerary with named hotels and an itemised quote within 24 hours.