5 reasons why I loved Flores island in Indonesia

Indonesia is one of the most diverse and interesting countries, in my opinion. Consisting of 17 thousand island, inhabited by 300 ethnic groups that speak 700 languages makes it truly impressive culturally, historically or with natural wonders. During my trip I explored Bali, Lombok, some parts of Java and a little bit of Flores. Every island is different and seduces with its own charm and beauty. I liked something on every island, but I have been most captivated by Flores and the small islands to get to from Labuan Bajo. Actually we have only discover Labuan Bajo area and took a few water trips…and that’s what stole my heart. Most pictures in this post are in fact not from Flores itself, but from the trips we took.

5 reasons to visit Flores island

1. It is not commercialized yet

I have only visited small area of Flores due to lack of time, but it was evident from the beginning that even though it is a popular place as a base to go to Komodo or Padar islands, it is still a virgin island. There is some hotels and restaurants that aim for tourists, however many places will let you soak into the island atmosphere with the locals.

2. It has some most beautiful beaches nearby

Like seriously! Some of the beaches are breathtaking and I cannot even begin describing their beauty. You want to know a secret? The pink beaches were my absolute favourite, but it’s pretty obvious. We got a local guide, that took us to a pink beach with no a single soul on sight. Apparently there are many pink beaches in the area with the waters of the most beautiful shade of blue.

See also: Punta del Este, the most sexy. Its 5 secrets.

3. Easy to travel to Komodo Island to see the dragons

An idea of seeing dragons alive is kind of thrilling. It is one of a kind experience and for me it was a must. I did not expect tough to be so amazed by the surroundings more than by dragons themselves. To be honest, I think it was a set up for tourists. I’m not saying that the Komodo dragons are not there, they probably are somewhere where the tourists don’t go. And it’s fine, let them be. We saw one a very sleepy dragon and to my impression, he/she seemed to be there all the time just ready to pose for photos. How a wild animals would do that? We can only speculate.

 

4. It’s peaceful and the natural beauty of Flores island is incredible

After Bali and Java, this place is like heaven. There are so many places in Indonesia overcrowded by disrespectful tourists, that I just wanted to escape. Flores was just perfect to get some space and quietness. It is a place to just be.

5. The underwater world

The beauty of Flores does not end on land, actually what’s under the water it’s even better. I am never very confident in water (you might have read the shark article from Galapagos), but I fight my fears to be able to discover the beauty otherwise invisible. The area of Komodo is perfect for people like me as the water is calm and warm.

 

How to get to Flores Island

To move between the islands it’s best by air, it saves a lot of time and some flights as as cheap as $10. I would however, advice to choose wisely the airlines as the servicing of some planes seems not to be the best and I witnessed many cancellations and delays of flights in a few places in Indonesia.

There are quite a few options. We chose Garuda Indonesia since it belongs to SkyTeam. From my experience airlines that are members and partners of  big companies with good reputation need to follow some standards, such as plane servicing and quality. Even though flying with Garuda was more expensive than, for example, with LionAir, we felt much more comfortable and safe and our flights were always on time.

• Bali to Flores: From Denpasar to Labuan Bajo by plane is the best and fastest way to go to Flores. There are a few flights daily, so you can pick and choose the most convenient for you.
• Take a ferry from Bali to Flores.
• Fly from Lombok.

Where to stay in Flores

To be totally honest with you, accommodation in Labuan Bajo was not the best. After doing quite a lot of research, I came to to this conclusion: most places are expensive for the quality they offer. As anywhere, you can find anything according to your needs and budget, but it was harder to find a nice place in Labuan Bajo than in order places during the trip.

We spent some time in a beautiful hotel Plataran Komodo Beach Resort with a lovely beach and hammocks to relax in, places to go for a walk and watch the sunset and a restaurant with stunning views and lovely food. It was a gem and I highly recommend it.

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