You can hire an ojek from Bajawa for around 70,000Rp. With guides and hired cars, it's common to visit both Bena and Luba in one trip.
Tolo Lela
A mere 4km walk from Bena (about 90 minutes) brings you to this seldom-visited Ngada settlement which consists of three linked traditional villages. Residents love receiving visitors (donate at least 20,000Rp per person) and you can sip simple refreshments while everyone satisfies their mutual curiosity. A highlight is watching an elderly villager making traditional gongs.
DONATE DIRECTLY
It's customary to make a donation to the head of traditional villages you visit. It's better to do this directly rather than through a guide, so as to ensure the money is received in full.
Belaragi
Most visitors to the Bajawa area rely on hired vehicles to whisk them between traditional villages. But it's much more fulfilling to trek through the rainforest to villages such as Belaragi, accessible only by trail. Your trek will begin in Pauleni Village, approximately 45km (90 minutes) from Bajawa by car. From there it's a steep 90-minute hike to the village itself. Here are more than a dozen traditional homes and welcoming villagers. It can be done in a day trip, but you'll be tired by now, so you may as well stay the night. The Kepala Kampung (village head) offers a bed and meals for 250,000Rp per person. You can't find the village on your own, but most Bajawa area guides can arrange the trip.
THE NGADA
Over 60,000 Ngada people inhabit the upland Bajawa plateau and the slopes around Gunung Inerie. Most practise a fusion of animism and Christianity, worshipping Gae Dewa, a god who unites Dewa Zeta (the heavens) and Nitu Sale (the earth).
The most evident symbols of continuing Ngada tradition are pairs of ngadhu and bhaga. The ngadhu is a parasol-like structure about 3m high, consisting of a carved wooden pole and thatched ‘roof’, and the bhaga is a miniature thatched-roof house.
The ngadhu is ‘male’ and the bhaga is ‘female’. Each pair is associated with a particular family group within a village. Some were built over 100 years ago to commemorate ancestors killed in long-past battles.
Agricultural fertility rites continue (sometimes involving gory buffalo sacrifices), as well as ceremonies marking birth, marriage, death and house building – always a communal event. The major annual festival is the six-day Reba ceremony at Bena, held in late December or early January. Villagers wear specially made all-black ikat, sacrifice buffalo, and sing and dance through the night.
Although the Ngada are not matriarchal (the village elders are men), they are matrilineal, which means that property passes down through women.
Wawo Muda
Wawo Muda (1753m) is the latest volcano to emerge in Flores, exploding in 2001 and leaving behind a mini-Kelimutu, complete with several small crater lakes coloured variously burnt-orange, yellow and green. Pine trees charred by the eruption stand in isolated patches, and there are spectacular views of Gunung Inerie.
The area is best visited in the wet season from November to March, if the trails are not too muddy. The lakes usually evaporate in the dry season.
8Getting There & Away
To reach Wawo Muda, take one of the regular bemos from Bajawa (10,000Rp, 50 minutes) or an ojek to the village of Ngoranale, near Menge, then walk an hour up an easy-to-follow trail. Some ojek drivers may offer to take you the whole way up, as the path is doable on a motorbike. A car and driver will cost 600,000Rp round trip.
Gunung Inerie
One of the gorgeous volcanoes looming above Bajawa, Gunung Inerie (2245m), 19km from town, beckons all would-be climbers. Or does she taunt them? The journey is difficult, but then this spectacularly jagged cone is worth sweating and suffering for. You can do it as a 10-hour round trip but it's also possible to camp by the lake. You'll need a guide, and remember to bring extra water even if your guide says he has that covered; you'll require more hydration than any local guide can possibly imagine.
8Getting There & Away
With an English-speaking guide and transport from Bajawa, expect to pay about 800,000Rp for one and 1,000,000Rp for two people.
Riung
Riung is a wonderful little town, lush and isolated, stitched with rice fields, stilted with fishers' shacks and framed with coconut palms. Coming from Ende you'll drive along a parched and arid coastline that skirts a spectacularly blasted volcano before a sudden burst of foliage swallows the road as it winds into town. The effect makes Riung – a classic 'end-of-the-road' destination, feel like an island unto itself, part of some whole other time and place.
Guesthouses are homey, the quiet streets are made for walking, and the waterfront is a gateway to a marine park. Only its relative inaccessibility (read: challenging roads) keep it from profound development.
The closest beach to Riung is a 1km walk. There is no local dive shop.
1Sights & Activities
The main Riung attraction is the Seventeen Islands Marine Park. There are actually 23 islands, all uninhabited, but government authorities decided on the number as a convenient tie-in with Indonesia’s Independence Day (17 August).
Three or four islands are usually included in a boat trip, and the first is almost always Pulau Ontoloe, a mangrove isle where a massive colony of flying foxes roost and mewl (these huge fruit bats blacken the sky around Riung at sunset). There are also a few resident Komodo dragons. Pulau Rutong is popular for its lovely wide white-sand beach. Pulau Temba is another slender slice of white sand, tucked against a rugged hillside – picturesque and wild, it tends to escape the crowds. Pulau Tiga is likewise not to be missed. The sea is a glassy turquoise, the hard corals off the east coast nourish schools of tropical fish, and the long sweep of white sand is perfect for barefoot strolls. An offshore site called Laingjawa has excellent snorkelling. Mingling among the hard corals are schools of bumpheads, some colourful cuttlefish, an occasional blacktip shark and at least two resident turtles. Pulau Bakau has above-average coral.
Be aware that the park's coral was impacted by the El Nino bleaching in 2002. While visibility is quite good – frequently at least 10m to 15m – don't expect colourful corals. Still, the number and variety of fish here is special.
VISITING SEVENTEEN ISLANDS MARINE PARK
Guides will appear at your hotel offering to organise boat trips to the islands. We recommend Al Itchan, owner of Del Mar Cafe; Al is one of Riung’s most experienced guides and has a team of colleagues. They have excellent knowledge of the snorkelling spots.
Before going to the islands you must sign in and pay 100,000Rp per person at a separate booth by the dock. Your captain or guide should pay the anchorage fees for your boat.
Tour options include the following:
A boat-only day trip without a guide for four to six people costs 500,000Rp to 600,000Rp. However captains often don't know the best spots to take the plunge.
A boat day trip with at least four snorkelling stops, a guide and a beach barbecue for four people is organised by Itchan for 1,500,000Rp.
Overnight camping on Palau Rutong, organised by Itchan, costs 3,000,000Rp for two people and includes boat rides, snorkelling and meals.
4Sleeping & Eating
oEco EdenGUESTHOUSE$
(%0852 3751 4582; Watulagar; r 250,000Rp )
Some 16km east of Riung and 2.5km off the main road, this new thatched Robinson Crusoe fantasy has a 3km-long beach to itself (although perhaps not for long). The nine bungalows are simply built of bamboo (any sound you make will be enjoyed by all, unless the surf drowns it out) with a bathroom behind.
Seafood barbecues are the night-time fare; mains cost from 20,000Rp to 40,000Rp. Snorkelling trips can be arranged.
Pondok SVDGUESTHOUSE$
(%0813 3934 1572; www.pondoksvdriung.com; r 200,000-400,000Rp; a)
Here are 21 clean rooms with desks, reading lights and Western toilets, set down a gravel road from the port. However, it is right next door to the town generator. The cheapest rooms are fan-only.
Del Mar CafeGUESTHOUSE$$
; (%0812 4659 8232, 0813 8759 0964; r 300,000-400,000Rp)
The hippest warung (mains 30,000Rp to 50,000Rp; open 7am to 10 pm) in Riung, this tiki bar, strung with shell strands and Christmas lights, rumbles with rock and roll, and grills a fresh catch over smouldering coconut husks. Owned by the area's top guide, Al Itchan, it has four large and clean fan-only rooms, plus a few watchful monkeys wandering about.
NirwanaBUNGALOW$$
(%0813 3852 8529; bungalows 375,000-450,000Rp; a)
Eight fun, detached hippy shacks with thatched roofs, private patios and outdoor baths set in a quiet garden surrounded by coco palms near the port. There's no cafe. The engaging owner offers guided trips to the islands.
Rumah Makan Murah MuriahINDONESIAN$$
(%0813 3717 2918; mains 25,000-50,000Rp; h7am-10pm)
The house speciality here is the sop ikan asam pedas, Nusa Tenggara Timor's endemic spicy-and-sour tamarind fish soup. This one is as good as it gets. It also does grilled fish, fried squid and veggies, chicken sate, fried noodles and much more.
8Information
There’s a BRI ATM but it doesn't accept foreign cards, and there's no official currency exchange facilities in Riung; come with ample rupiah.
There's no useful internet access but there is 3G data.
8Getting There & Away
Riung is 75km (about two hours) over rough roads from the turn-off the Trans-Flores Hwy at Boawae. There is a much worse 79km road to Riung from Bajawa that takes about four hours by bus (40,000Rp, one daily), slightly quicker by car (600,000Rp). Ende is also four hours by bus (60,000Rp, one daily).
If you can't bear the Trans-Flores Hwy for another second, consider chartering a boat from Riung all the way to Labuanbajo (2,800,000Rp, seven to 10 hours). It's a bit pricey, but you'll enjoy a coastline most visitors never see, stopping in virgin coves and snorkelling along the way. Just bring headphones or earplugs. Those outboard motors are loud!
Ende
%0381 / Pop 65,000
The most obvious merit of this muggy port town is its spectacular setting. The eye-catching cones of Gunung Meja (661m) and Gunung Iya (637m) loom over the city and the nearby black-sand and cobblestone coastline. The views get even better just northeast of Ende as the road to Kelimutu rises along a ridge opposite misty peaks, overlooking a roaring river and gushing with ribbons of waterfalls in the wet season. Throw in the jade rice terraces and you have some of Flores’ most jaw-dropping scenery.
Ende itself is worth more than a pause at its traffic circles. It has a compact and atmospheric centre, and an intriguing grittiness.
Ende
1Sights
1Ikat MarketA3
2Musium Bung KarnoA2
3PasarA3
4Sleeping
4Grand WisataD2
5Guesthouse AlhidayahB2
6Hotel MentariB1
5Eating
7Pasar MalamA2
8Rumah Makan Istana BambuB3
9Sari RasaD3
1Sights
The black-sand beach at the waterfront won't win any tidy town awards, but the views are dramatic and there's always something of interest tied up at the pier.
PasarMARKET
(Market; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Pasar; h7am-6pm)
Meander through the aromatic waterfront market with the requisite fruit pyramids and an astonishing fish section. The adjacent ikat market ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Jls Pabean & Pasar; h9am-5pm) sells hand-woven tapestries from across Flores and Sumba.
Musium Bung KarnoMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Perwira; admission by donation; h7am-noon Mon-Sat)
History buffs can visit Sukarno’s wood-shuttered house of exile (1934–38). Most of the original period furnishings remain. This is where the beloved revolutionary penned the Frankenstein knock-off, Doctor Satan.
4Sleeping
Accommodation is spread around town. Although many people blow through Ende on their way east to Moni, you can spend a night here enjoying the good sleeping and eating options, and then hit the sights of Moni in the morning.
Guesthouse AlhidayahGUESTHOUSE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0381-23707; Jl Yos Sudarso; r 150,000-250,000Rp; a)
This spot offers seven sparkling, but otherwise basic, tiled rooms with high ceilings and a private porch area. Priciest rooms have air-con and hot water, and are decent value. It's a solid budget choice.
oDasi Guest HouseGUESTHOUSE$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0381-262 7049; [email protected]; Jl Durian Atas 2; s/d from 200,000/225,000Rp; aW)
This excellent family-run guesthouse has 15 rooms in a new building. Some are dark, some are bright, but all have air-con and TV. There's a pleasant common room with views south. It's located about 3km east of the centre in a residential neighbourhood.
Hotel MentariHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0381-21802; Jl Pahlawan 19; r 250,000-400,000Rp; aW)
Well-run Mentari has 11 clean rooms with high ceilings; some have garden views and catch a bit of breeze. The priciest have air-con.
Grand WisataHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0381-22974; www.grandwisatahotel-ende.com; Jl Kelimutu 32; r 500,000-700,000Rp; aWs)
Be warned, some rooms here can be dark and cramped, and the price category doesn't necessarily correlate with room size, so have a look around. Rooms on the 2nd floor have views of the 15m lap pool with the epic Gunung Meja looming beyond. It's walking distance to the airport.
5Eating
oSari RasaINDONESIAN$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Ahmad Yani; mains 13,000-26,000Rp; h6pm-midnight)
One of the best restaurants not just in Ende, but in all of Nusa Tenggara. Looks are deceiving: just a few plastic stools at fluorescent-lit metal tables. But once the food arrives, you'll understand. The menu is short but shows the incredible care of the family in the kitchen.
The ayam goreng (fried chicken) uses special 'village' chickens known for their rich flavour, the mie ayam special is a savoury bowl of homemade noodles in broth that is cooked each day for hours, and the bakso cinta (love meatballs) has heart-shaped meatballs in an amazing sauce. The genial owner delights in explaining his food to patrons.
Roda BaruPADANG$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0381-24135; Jl Kelimutu; mains 20,000-30,000Rp; h9am-midnight)
You can trust the cleanliness and care of this spotless pick-and-mix Padang diner. The fish, chicken and shrimp are all fried or grilled and sauced five ways, the beef rendang is locally beloved, and the tasty sambal brings everything to life.
Pasar MalamSEAFOOD$
(Night Market; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Bakti; mains from 15,000Rp; h5pm-midnight)
At sunset the smell of grilled fish fills the air at this beachside market. Browse the many stalls and feast on what looks best.
Rumah Makan Istana BambuSEAFOOD$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0381-21921; Jl Kemakmuran 30A; mains 25,000-50,000Rp; h8am-10pm)
Here’s a classic, funkified Chinese fish house. It’s old-fashioned and dark but the fresh fish, squid, prawns and lobster, and the spicy sambal (which they bottle and sell), are all tops.
8Information
ATMs and banks dot the centre.
Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION
( GOOGLE MAP ; www.florestourism.com; Jl Bakti; h8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat)
The enthusiastic staff here dispense up-to-date transport information.
8Getting There & Away
Air and ferry schedules in East Nusa Tenggara are historically fluid, and it's best to confirm all times and carriers prior to planning your trip. Wings Air and Transnusa serve Ende Airport ( GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Ahmad Yani), which is right in the centre.
Pelni has boats every two weeks to Waingapu, Benoa and Surabaya, then east to Kupang and Sabu. Visit the helpful Pelni office ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0381-21043; Jl Kathedral 2; h8am-noon & 2-4pm Mon-Sat).
There's a ferry to Kupang (149,000Rp, 19 hours, twice weekly) and Waingapu (115,000Rp, 13 hours, weekly).
East-bound buses leave from the
Wolowana terminal, 5km from town. Buses heading west leave from the Ndao terminal, 2km north of town on the beach road.
TRANSPORT FROM ENDE
AIR
Destination Company Frequency
Bali Wings Air daily
Kupang Transnusa daily
Tambolaka Transnusa daily
BUS & CAR
Destination Type Price (Rp) Duration (hr) Frequency
Bajawa bus 60,000 5 several daily
Labuanbajo bus 180,000 15 1-2 daily
Maumere bus 80,000 5 regularly, 7am-4pm
Maumere car 100,000 4½ regularly, 7am-4pm
Moni car 30,000 2 hourly, 6am-4pm
8Getting Around
Airport taxis to most hotels cost around 60,000Rp.
Bemos run frequently to just about everywhere for a flat rate of 3000Rp.
Kelimutu
There aren’t many better reasons to wake up before dawn than to witness the sun cresting Kelimutu’s western rim, filtering mist into the sky and revealing three deep, volcanic lakes – nicknamed the tri-coloured lakes because for years each one was a different striking shade.
Kelimutu National Park (%0381-23405; Jl El Tari 16; admission per person Mon-Sat/Sun 150,000/225,000Rp, per ojek/car 5000/10,000Rp; hticket office 5am-5pm) is a Nusa Tenggara must. The lakes' colours are spectacular, shifting between turquoise, olive green and rust. The colours are so dense that the lakes' waters seem to have the thickness of paint. It’s thought that dissolving minerals (a process that can accelerate in the rainy season) account for the chameleonic colour scheme – although the colour of one of the turquoise lakes never changes.
Lonely Planet Indonesia Page 71