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
SITUATION VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS & TRANSPORT
The Lewotobi Laki2 volcano in East Flores is active since December last year but it became more serious in the last couple of weeks. There have been many eruptions and the no go area is getting bigger. Two week ago 10 people lost their lives, villages are burnt down and people are homeless. There is a lot of help from all parts of Flores, also from neighbouring islands and the government.
FLIGHTS
Due to the eruptions there are no flights to/from Maumere since early July. Wings has decided to extend cancellations to/from Maumere until December 1st.
Flights to/from Labuan Bajo and Bajawa are operational again, but not yet to/from Ende.
Last week also many other domestic flights for example to Jakarta, Sumbawa and Sumba were canceled. Plus many international flights to/from Australia, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore have been canceled.
Please be alert, check the news, with your airline and on sosmed.
Furthermore the Iya volcano, just south of Ende has become status level III but no eruptions yet. Also the Rokatenda volcano on Palu’e island (north of central Flores) has become level II.
The volcano seems to be relatively quiet at the moment and I really hope travelers still will come to Flores.
However in case of other eruptions which will affect transportaion: 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 daily ferry from Labuan Bajo to Sape on Sumbawa which will take 6 to 8 hours. 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 need to 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 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.
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 to Waingapu on Sumba.
Finally: don’t shoot the messenger, and ….I don’t have a crystal ball 😉
Updated:
Wednesday November 18th 15:30 CET-22:30 WITA (Central Indonesian Time = Flores, Bali etc)
Source: FlightRadar24
Situation Monday November 18th, 15:30 CET (22:30 WITA, Central Indonesian Time)
The areas with volcanis ashes is becoming smaller.
Black line: current ash zone, yellow line: forecast 12 hours.
A new and heavy eruption of the Lewotobi volcano
PRAY FOR LEWOTOBI!
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.
Updated:
November 5th 2024
WINGS AIR and NAM AIR FLIGHTS to
MAUMERE suspended up and untill December 1st
Dear guests,
A new eruption of the Lewotobi volcano on November 4th has caused a lot of panic, at
the time of writing 10 people lost their lives. Due to the eruption on November 4th all airports on Flores were closed but in the meantime most of them operational
again.
However, there are still no flights to/from Maumere up and untill December 1st;
this is for flights to/from both Labuan Bajo and Kupang.
The alternative for Maumere airport is Ende airport or Larantuka airport (for those who come to Flores for diving near Maumere/Wairterang.
However, since there are still new eruptions and in combination with east (or south east) wind sometimes there are also no flights to/from Ende and even Bajawa airport. So please check with
your ticketprovider or the airlines.
For those who have already a ticket to Maumere I advise to contact Wings Air (Lion Air Group), NAM Air or your
ticketprovider. Wings sometimes adds an extra flight to Bajawa and Larantuka.
Updated:
November 18th 2024
KOMODO NATIONAL PARK- NEW ENTRANCE FEES?
On October 25th 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:
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
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 ;-)
Quick to
- Car with driver (halfway the page)
- FAQ'S/Q&A'S
- Routes on Flores
- What to see & do on Flores
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 and comments are welcome.
Anne Mieke -AM PHOTONESIA©-