WELCOME TO FLORES!
welcome to our paradise
lontar palmtree - the source of moke - along the road Mbay to
Riung
SELAMAT DATANG DI FLORES!
selamat datang di surga kita
FLORES, an island in the tropics south of the equator belongs to the lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara Timur) of Indonesia. The original name of Flores is Tandjoeng Bunga, Malay for flowercape. When the Portuguese came to the island they renamed it into Cabo de Flores and the Dutch shortened it into Flores which means flowers.
FLORES is mostly green, partly dry, mountainous and heavenly beautiful. Flores has everything for a wonderful holiday in the tropics.
FLORES has some gorgeous touristic attractions like the prehistorically komodo dragons, the “Spielberg like” Kelimutu lakes, majestic volcanos like Inerie, Ebulobo, Iya and Egon and even a twin volcano laki2 and perempuan (male and female) Lewotobi, traditions we have almost forgotten in this hasty world. And much more.
Come and see the empty beaches, enjoy wonderful diving, adventurous hikes, deserted islands, pristine forests, all colour lakes, hidden waterfalls, impressive
ceremonies, traditional villages, awesome music, interesting ikat (woven cloth) and above all the welcoming people of
Flores.
Superb is the only word which fits them all. You will be surprised by this warm and cool island. People of Flores are awaiting you and will be proud to show you their island. Well, actually me as well ;-)
Lewotobi volcano level 3: please be aware!
The last eruptions was on April 27, 21:15 WITA (Central
Indonesian Time = Flores, Bali etc)
Since early March there were new eruptions again of the Lewotobi volcano and a few serious ones in the second half of March. The last
eruptions were on April 16, in the night of April 20/21, on April 22, April 25, April 26 and April 27.
Apart from the injuries of local people living near the volcano again flights were canceled at several airports on Flores. The most vunerable airport is Maumere, but
in case of a heavy eruptions also flights to/from other airports can be canceled.
Also check www.flightradar24.com
Please note that this can happen at any time and we just don't know when it ends. The Lewotobi volcano is erupting since December 2023 and disturbed flights for 6
months at Maumere airport plus a few times the airports of Ende and Bajawa. Please check your flights regularly and contact the
airline.
Alternatively (for Maumere) you can fly to/from
Ende or Larantuka (for the diving sites east of Maumere) airport but there is always a chance flights to/from other airports do not operate as well.
Updated:
Sunday April 27th 17:20 CET-23:20 WITA (Central Indonesian Time = Flores, Bali etc)
New route Jetstar: Singapore-Labuan Bajo vv
Starting 20 March 2025, Jetstar will fly twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays the route Singapore-Labuan Bajo
Komodo National Park: Close to closure? 🤷🏼♀️
There are a lot of articles, postings, rumours about the closure of (a part of) Komodo National Park in both media and social media.
There are a lot of proposals including one day a week, closure in the months of January and February and many many more.
Please be aware that nothing has been decided yet!
There is no need to postpone your visit to Komodo NP until further notice.
Updated:
March 25th 2025
DRONES
Drones in Komodo National Park and Kelimutu National Park are only allowed with a special permit.
https://drone-laws.com/drone-laws-in-indonesia/
Happy dronetravels on Flores.
To use a drone in Komodo NP you need to register first via https://siora.id then choose for "ijin khusus videografi/drone"
Requirements are:
-application letter for Komodo NP
-copy of passport
-copy of drone license from your country
-statement letter which can be downloaded from the previous website
In case you need help you can contact them via tel. +62 81138290000 (WhatsApp) but probably best to call them since
they are very slow with responding.
For parkrules you can
check this website however in Bahasa Indonesia only
Flightradar24 to check volcanic ashes
Source: FlightRadar24
Black line = current situation
Green, yellow and red the forecast, 6, 12 and 18 hours
ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT in case of cancellation of flights
Updated:
Saturday April 5th 6:00 CET-12:00 WITA (Central Indonesian Time = Flores, Bali etc)
The Lewotobi Laki2 volcano in East Flores is active since December 2023. There have been many eruptions with one of the biggests ones in November 2024 when 10 people lost their lives, villages are burnt down and people are homeless. There has been a lot of help from all parts of Flores, also from neighbouring islands and the government.
FLIGHTS
Due to the eruptions and volcanic ashes there were a lot of troubles with flights in particular in the second half of 2024. There were no flights between July and December to/from Maumere, but also other airports like Larantuka, Ende, Bajawa and even Labuan Bajo and Denpasar had to deal with canceled flights now and then.
On Flightradar24 you can check the impact of volcanic ashes however this doesn't automatically mean flights operate or not.
I advise to be careful with bookings
ahead. Please be alert, check the news, with your airline and on
sosmed.
Furthermore the Iya volcano, just south of Ende and the Ranaka have become status level II. Also the Kelimutu is active now and then.
I hope the volcano situation doesn't mean travelers stay away from Flores and they still will come.
We hope for the best but in case of another eruption eg cancellation of flights below a few tips and alternative possibilities.
Download the Flightradar24 app and set volcano activity (tab “weather”). See example below. www.flightradar24.com
Blackline = current ash area, coloured lines are the predictions (green +6 hrs, yellow +12 hrs, red +18 hrs).
If you are interested in volcano activity, please check this very informative website https://magma.esdm.go.id/ (also for earthquakes, floods and landslides).
BOATS
There is a ferry from Labuan Bajo to Sape on Sumbawa which will take 6 to 8 hours and usually leaves between 9 and 10 am (timetables often change). From there you can take a bus to Bima or Sumbawa Besar and take a flight to Denpasar. In case there are also no flights from there you can continue to Pototano port in west Sumbawa and on by ferry to Lombok, overland to Lembar and by ferry to Padangbai on Bali or flights from Praya (Lombok) to Denpasar, Surabaya or Jakarta.
There are also Pelni boats from Labuan Bajo to Bima and the Dharma Rucitra VIII which sails Surabaya-Labuan Bajo-Ende-Kupang and back again.
However they are not sailing every day. Also bear in mind that you will need a couple of days to get to Bali or Jawa.
For ASDP check here
For Pelni boats check this website
For Dharma Rutrica veryyyyyyyyyyy slow website though :-)
FROM EAST FLORES (BAJAWA AND BEYOND)
If you are on the eastern half of the island there are a few possibilities. Below the most useful ones.
From Ende Pelni boats sail to Kupang (Timor) and the Dharma Rucitra to Kupang and via Labuan Bajo to Surabaya. From Maumere there are Pelni boats to Makassar.
From Aimere (1 hour south fo Bajawa) there is a ferry twice a week on Tuesday and Friday to Waingapu on Sumba.
Finally: don’t shoot the messenger, and ….I don’t have a crystal ball 😉
A new and heavy eruption of the Lewotobi volcano
PRAY FOR LEWOTOBI!
Updated: November 5th
2024
A new and heavy eruption of the Lewotobi volcano on November 3rd/4th has caused a lot of panic, at the time of
writing 10 people lost their lives and destroyed a part of the environment including people's homes.
The Lewotobi volcano is active since December last year but this eruption seemed rather unexpected and caused a lot of damage.
Eruption Lewotobi CNN
See also the message below about Maumere airport.
KOMODO NATIONAL PARK- NEW ENTRANCE FEES?
On October 25th 2024 the entrancefees for Komodo National Park seem to be raised however still not clear since only the basic fee is mentioned.
One of the online newspapers
Antara News already wrote an article, no international of articles in English available yet.
New Route: Air Asia Kuala Lumpur-Labuan Bajo
Starting September 3rd 2024 Air Asia opens a new route from Kuala Lumpur to Labuan Bajo.
They will fly 3 times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
KUL-LBJ 11:10-14:25
LBJ-KUL 14:55-18:35
This means Labuan Bajo will become the status of an international airport.
Kuala Lumpur and Labuan Bajo share the same timezone
Source: Air Asia
Komodo National Park
Please be careful when you book a boattrip!
Most questions and comments on social media are about prices, and yes they have have raised since covid. However since Labuan Bajo has a safety issue every now and then, I strongly advise to pay attention to safety in the first place. See tips in the relevant section for Komodo NP and in the Q&A section
GOOD TO KNOW
This website is filled with information and everything you need to know for your holiday on Flores. Be aware that I am not an agent! My goal is to promote Flores and to generate an income for local people without any profit.
I try to update as much as possible. Prices and schedules mentioned on this website are an indication and sometimes not clear as they are prone to change. So always check and double check.
I think my website is pretty complete and fairly updated including places of interest and practical
information. Have you already seen the Q&A pages?
If you still have questions or you need a car with driver (halfway down the page) please contact me via email floressurgakita@gmail.com
(your mail will be answered within 48 hours).
Tel +62 81284773377 (Indonesian telephone
number) is for short WhatsApp messages which cannot wait, eg for departure within
one week. Please take notion of the possible difference in time with the place you are as I am most of the time in the
Netherlands.
If you are satisfied with the information and/or the result please tell me, preferably via the comment page. If you are not, please let me know as well.
A WELL MEANT ADVISE
Please pay attention to the sections about boat trips to Komodo NP and hiring a car with driver. Or check the relevant information in the Q&A section
Flowers of Flores...
ласкаво просимо до Флореса bienvenue à Flores
bem vindo a Flores
Wilkommen auf Flores
Sveiki atvykę į Floresą
Sugeng
rawuh ing Flores
ยินดีต้อนรับสู่ฟลอเรส bun venit la Flores
dobrodošli u Flores добро пожаловать в Флорес
Vítejte na Floresu
플로레스에 오신 것을 환영합니다
välkommen till Flores wilujeng sumping di Flores
benvenuto a Flores
フローレスへようこそ
wëllkomm zu Flores
welkom op Flores
chào mừng đến với Flores
Flores'e hoş geldiniz
vitajte na Flores Tere tulemast Floresesse
ברוכים הבאים לפלורס
Velkommen til Flores
добродошли у Флорес
tervetuloa Floresiin
bun venit la Flores
به فلورس خوش آمدید
merħba lil Flores
maligayang pagdating sa Flores
welkom by Flores
fàilte gu Flores
欢迎来到弗洛雷斯
Flores मा स्वागत छ
bienvenido
a Flores
witamy w Flores
üdvözöljük Floresben
مرحبا بك في فلوريس
laipni lūdzam Floresā
ласкаво просимо в Флорес
benvinguts a Flores
फ्लोर्स में आपका स्वागत है
fáilte go Flores
witaj w mieście Flores vítejte na Flores
Thank you for your visit. Terima kasih banyak.
This website is made with love and passion.
Colours are well chosen: green (forest & ricefields), blue (sea and rivers) and brown (mountains & traditional villages), the colours of Flores.
You will find here travel information about the island of Flores, which will be updated frequently.
Questions? Please check the Q&A's
Comments are welcome.
Anne Mieke - AM PHOTONESIA©