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| view of Labuan Bajo town |
What’s also highly fascinating
is that the Komodo Dragon is one of the very, very few surviving representatives of
the Pleistocene era, where creatures and fauna were of gigantic proportions.
And now these beautiful lizards are endangered – currently there are only more
or less 4,200 dragons left! Their endangerment is highly due to the diminishing fauna
and food available to them on the islands they inhabit plus the changes their
environments are going through.
A little bit about Flores
Flores is in the Timor Nusa Tenggara” or extreme east of
Indonesia, just after Sumbawa island and before Timor island. Its name is
Portuguese and Spanish for “flowers”, because when the Portuguese explorers
came they thought the island possessed many exotic and beautiful flora and
fauna.
The main island and its minor islands are divided into 8 regencies (government districts). Labuan Bajo, the main tourist destination and launching point for the Komodo and Rinca islands, belongs to West Manggarai Regency.
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| map c/o www.starfish.ch |
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| a colorful paper star |
Flores is majorly Catholic so it was a delightful change to see churches and crosses everywhere. And since it was Christmas time, there were various Christmas decor and streamings in the town.
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| a cute nativity display made from plastic bottles |
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| a big tree made from plastic bottles |
Local population is at almost 2 million and there is an increase in foreign tourism and businesses in the recent decade which provide employment for the locals therefore keeping them within the island instead of moving to the more popular and stable islands of Indonesia.
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| the beautiful dragons |
Flores boasts of their Unesco rated World Heritage Komodo
National Park, caves, snorkeling and diving waters, and exotic cultural
traditions among many things.
It is true that there’s many things to do in Flores. Too many
that a week stay isn’t even enough.
What we did and How we did it:
This topic is quite lengthy so I’ve decided to talk about what we did in town in this article. For our other Flores Adventures (tours and hike) as well as HOW TO book your tours and which agencies are good in a separate article.
Flight Info:
So, we got on Lion Air from Jakarta (we were there for an event) to Labuan Bajo – the main town on west Flores. The fair was ~Rp 1,000,000+ (~$100) per person for a One-way trip.
Most domestic airlines fly to LB everyday. Once a day from Jakarta and multiple times a day from Denpasar/Bali. However, there is no direct flight from Jakarta. Most airlines stop over in Denpasar on the way to Labuan Bajo.
The flight from Jakarta (JKT) to Denpasar (DPS) takes about 2 hours, the lay-over at DPS airport is about 2 hours, then the flight from DPS to Labuan Bajo (LB) is about 1 hour and 30 minutes. So you're looking at a full morning or half-day travel if you're coming from Jakarta. It is wise to get the earliest flight available so you'll still get the rest of the day to enjoy.
For our return to Bali, we took TRANS NUSA AIR ~Rp 800,000 /person (~$80). We were delighted by how organized and professional their crew and team were. They even offered snacks during the short trip.
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| Raining in Bali upon arrival. |
ARRIVING AT LABUAN BAJO
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| the newly-renovated Labuan Bajo Airport |
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| very clean inside |
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| guy outside the airport with a funny shirt |
From the airport, the town proper is roughly a 10 minute ride along the hillside. On your way down, you will witness a gorgeous view of the harbor – the boats, the restaurants, the mosque, huts, the nearby islands, and especially the beautiful bay itself.
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| view of the harbor |
Labuan Bajo is a small fishing town on the west coast of
the main island. It used to just be a harbor for ships and boats and fishermen.
Now, it is very popular for all the trips and activities regarding Flores, Komodo,
Rinca, and the other surrounding islands.
On its main strip (Jl. Soekarno-Hatta) is where you’ll
find the restaurants, hotels, shops, tour/activity agencies, and scooter
rentals. It is parallel to the harbor which is very convenient since with most
of the tours, you need to wake up early!
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| the main street: JL. Soekarno-Hatta |
It is important to note that LB has become a very
touristy town so prices have gone up and continue to go up in recent years.
Tours, activities, and adventures are not cheap. It’s difficult to budget
especially during the off-season.
What to do in town?
The town functions as a place to book trips, sleep, and eat. It is also the jumping point for your dragon, diving, and snorkeling tours. For other non-water related adventures, you can go up from the town to hike the mountains, view the waterfalls, and visit the caves.
Where to stay?
Loads of hotels and guesthouses are located on the strip
and on the hilltop. It all depends on your budget and plans. If you plan for a
big R&R by a pool with scenic views and good food, hotels more on the
hilltop are for you. Prices are often in the ~$45-100 range.
But if you simply need a place to store your stuff as
you’ll mostly be out and about during the day, there are affordable hostels or
guesthouses on the main strip. They cost an average of ~$10 (fan room) - $25
(a/c room). Don’t expect much for these rooms. It’s very basic, sometimes with
hot water and breakfast. Don’t expect much from the breakfast either. It’s just
your standard Flores coffee and toast with margarine and jam.
Michael and I stayed at Hotel Bajo. Nothing fancy. Basic
Room with a/c, hot water was broken and the breakfast toast… well, let’s just
say, we enjoyed the coffee more.
Where to eat?
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| good way to start your adventure breakfast at Bajo Bakery |
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| delicious fresh flores brew |
We ate at various restaurants on the strip and we have a few favorites:
For awesome breakfast to start your busy day there is
Bajo Bakery. This little local joint is just wonderful. They make their own
breads and pastries (the brownies are so good!) and they serve the best coffee
in town. Their breakfast selections are amazing as well. Definitely a good way
to start the day!
Price Range: ~$1 to $7
Open: 7AM – 9PM
Because of recent Italian migration to the island, the
town is full of good Italian restaurants to dine at for breakfast, lunch, or
dinner. We went to several but found that Meditteraneo Restaurant had the
best food and preparation.
Price Range: ~$5-30
We loved: the
Greco pizza, tuna tartare, and chocolate carpaccio
You like local food?
Walk towards the west and you will hit the town Pasar
(public market) and wharf, which is even confidently called the Culinary Center
of the town! Though the pasar is open very early for the first morning catch,
the wharf is only open from 4pm to 10pm.
Most of the warungs sell fish and seafood and cook most general Indonesian food.
Price Range: cheap
if no fish.
With fish: ~$5-10
(always haggle for a good price and choose the fish well)
Where to get Transportation?
Where to get Transportation?
Perama is a good place to rent bikes from. They're easy to speak to and are honest. Book early and soon as they run out of bikes especially in the high season.
Price: ~$70 a day.
Avoid: Subinama
The guys working here are jerks who don't go by the rates they advertise. We went in late afternoon just to rent a bike for just a couple of hours and they were charging us a whole day's rate!
It was already 4pm and we just needed a bike to do errands with and return in probably even just an hour. They insisted on a day's rate and if we were even just minutes late that they'd charge us for half-day more!
They wouldn't even give a receipt so it was obvious they were doing deals under the table. There were 2 other foreigners there arguing with them for getting over-charged as well. Apparently they had agreed to a rate with them previously and has now changed and were charging them more!
This place is definitely a SCAMMER so for your safety and avoidance of any hassle, AVOID it as much as you can. Don't even bother getting tour adventures with them!!
The guys working here are jerks who don't go by the rates they advertise. We went in late afternoon just to rent a bike for just a couple of hours and they were charging us a whole day's rate!
It was already 4pm and we just needed a bike to do errands with and return in probably even just an hour. They insisted on a day's rate and if we were even just minutes late that they'd charge us for half-day more!
They wouldn't even give a receipt so it was obvious they were doing deals under the table. There were 2 other foreigners there arguing with them for getting over-charged as well. Apparently they had agreed to a rate with them previously and has now changed and were charging them more!
This place is definitely a SCAMMER so for your safety and avoidance of any hassle, AVOID it as much as you can. Don't even bother getting tour adventures with them!!
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For helpful tips on booking your tours and which agencies we recommend, go to:
Or if you want to read on about our adventures, click any of the links:
Soon...
1-Day Amazing Snorkeling Experience
1-Day Amazing Snorkeling Experience
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