Wae Rebo
Seven cone-roofed houses at 1,100 m, reachable only on foot.
Orientation · Nusa Tenggara Timur
An island that keeps going east
Komodo sits off the western tip. Behind it lie 600 kilometres of volcanoes, crater lakes, weaving villages and a coast almost nobody sails.
Plan your routeIn short
Flores is a long volcanic island in eastern Indonesia, roughly 600 km west to east, with Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park at its western end.
- Bali to Labuan Bajo: about 1 h 10 m by air
- Seven regions, each worth 1–4 days
- Komodo dragons live only here and on Rinca
- Ten to fourteen days covers the whole island
The regions, west to east
Labuan Bajo · far west
- Signature experience
- Komodo National Park, boat journeys, the resort coast
- Days worth giving
- 2–4
Ruteng · western highlands
- Signature experience
- Spider-web rice fields, gateway to Wae Rebo
- Days worth giving
- 1–2
Bajawa · central highlands
- Signature experience
- Ngada megalithic villages, Inerie volcano
- Days worth giving
- 1–2
Riung · north coast
- Signature experience
- 17 Islands Marine Park sailing
- Days worth giving
- 1–2
Ende & Kelimutu · south-central
- Signature experience
- Tri-coloured crater lakes at dawn
- Days worth giving
- 1–2
Maumere · east
- Signature experience
- Bay diving, the eastern sea routes
- Days worth giving
- 1–2
Larantuka · eastern cape
- Signature experience
- Portuguese Catholic heritage, Semana Santa
- Days worth giving
- 1
Almost every visitor lands in Labuan Bajo. Each region east of it adds a day of driving and subtracts a degree of tourism.
Getting the geography right
Flores is not near Bali in the way maps suggest — it is a separate island chain entirely, about 1 h 10 m by air from Denpasar and a four-day sail from Lombok.
Komodo National Park lies off the western tip, which is why Labuan Bajo is the gateway for almost everyone. The dragons live on Komodo and Rinca and nowhere else on earth.
The Trans-Flores Highway runs the length of the island. It is sealed for nearly all of it, and narrow, steep and slow for nearly all of it too.
Two halves: the sea and the land
The sea side is Komodo National Park and the coasts either side of it — sailing, diving and island hopping from a boat that moves overnight while you sleep.
The land side is the highlands: villages still lived in rather than preserved, three crater lakes that change colour, hot springs, rice terraces cut in spider-web rings.
Most travellers pick one. The island rewards those who take both, in that order — sail first while your legs are fresh, then drive east as the trip slows down.
Destinations
Four places worth the detour
Each has its own guide with access, timing and what it actually costs.
Kelimutu
Three summit crater lakes that change colour, best met at sunrise.
Riung 17 Islands
A quiet north-coast marine park: empty islets, sandbars and flying foxes.
Maumere to Alor
The wild east by liveaboard — muck bays, walls and the Pantar Strait.
How many days do you need
3
- What fits
- Komodo National Park essentials from Labuan Bajo
- Shape
- Sea only
4–5
- What fits
- The park in depth plus the Labuan Bajo coast, or the park plus Wae Rebo
- Shape
- Sea, or sea + one highland stop
7
- What fits
- Sea days plus one highland chapter — Wae Rebo or Kelimutu
- Shape
- Sea + land
10–14
- What fits
- The full island: Komodo sailing plus Trans-Flores overland, west to east
- Shape
- The whole arc
If you can decide only one thing before writing to us, decide your day count. Everything else can be shaped around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shape the trip around your days
Tell us how long you have and whether you lean to sea or land. A planner sends a route and an itemised quote within 24 hours.