{"id":30306,"date":"2018-10-22T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-21T21:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=30306&preview=true&preview_id=30306"},"modified":"2025-04-22T13:54:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T03:54:43","slug":"flores-indonesia-travel-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/flores-indonesia-travel-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Heading to Indonesia? Here’s why you should skip Bali and explore Flores instead"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re a habitual reader of Alex Garland\u2019s \u2018The Beach\u2019 like I am, taking a dog-eared, saltwater-soaked copy with you on every adventure you participate in, then you\u2019ll be familiar with the main character Richard, whose pursuit of paradise leads him to a secret island in the tropical waters of South East Asia<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

His dilemma is that everything <\/em>is overrun and overcrowded, and hot on the backpacker trail of the mid-nineties, is a rumour about an island that is the antithesis to mass tourism. Fast-forward 20 years later, and the desire to outrun the crowds and find solace in relatively undisturbed beauty still rings as true as ever.<\/p>\n

This is where Flores comes in.<\/p>\n

Indonesia<\/a> is undeniably famous for Bali<\/a> \u2013 but if you want greener nature, white, sandy beaches and the chance to mingle with tribes, all the while having a whole lot of space to yourself, then Flores (which is Portuguese for \u2018Flower\u2019) is definitely the place to be.<\/p>\n

The easiest and fastest way to get here is to fly from Bali\u2019s Denpasar airport. If you\u2019ve just left Bali and find yourself in Lombok though, you can take a scenic boat trip (if you have a few spare days up your sleeve to make the journey) which has a couple of noteworthy stops along the way, including Komodo Island \u2014 home to the famous Komodo Dragon reptile and, believe it or not, a pink beach.<\/p>\n

\"Pink

Photo by Pocholo Calapre.<\/p><\/div>\n

Komodo Dragons and pink beaches? No, this isn\u2019t Avatar, <\/em>but it certainly could be!<\/p>\n

A visit to Flores\u2019 Cancar Village will allow you to view spider-web rice fields which, from the right vantage point, resemble a spider\u2019s web, fractured glass, or a green kaleidoscope (take your pick). The way the rice fields have been laid out and subdivided by the native Manggarai people is a sight to behold, and is actually a communal harvesting method steeped in both practicality (the bigger the family, the bigger the assigned crop) and ancient ceremonial traditions.<\/p>\n

VIEW OUR FULL RANGE OF SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES IN INDONESIA NOW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Spider

Photo by Peter Wollinga.<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019re the type of traveller who loves learning about cultures old and new, then a visit to Ngada Village should be high on your list as well, as you\u2019ll have the chance to mingle with friendly villagers, while learning about the local way of life, how they manage to live off the land, and the structural details which have gone into their iconic houses.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re searching for solitude in nature with fresh mountain air and the setting of a bygone era which has survived the ages, Ngada Village is the answer. Life here appears simpler. After you\u2019ve taken a few photos (or about 50, in my case), switch off your phone, bask in the serenity, and imagine what it\u2019d be like to live away from the Big Smoke for a while.<\/p>\n

RELATED: 15 PHOTOS THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU TO VISIT INDONESIA, TAKEN BY AN INTREPID LEADER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Traditional

Photo by Matej Hudovernik.<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019re sensing a theme of ancient culture and adventure here, then you\u2019re right: Flores has enough history, mystery, and jade-shaded experiences to rival Jurassic Park<\/em>. I highly recommend heading to the west of the island, where you\u2019ll cut through a foggy cloud forest to the Manggarai village of Wae Rebo (just north of Mules Island). Here, the mountains encase a village of cone-shaped houses, thick jungle with trodden, red-tinged pathways used by the tribe to hunt wild animals, and for the fitness fanatics, several difficult trekking paths leading into \u2014 and out of \u2014 the village.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re lucky, you might also receive a traditional welcome ceremony by the village elders as a way of initiating you into Wae Rebo\u2019s tight-knit community.<\/p>\n

SUBSCRIBE TO INTREPID\u2019S NEWSLETTER FOR TRAVEL TIPS, COMPETITIONS, GIVEAWAYS & MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Wae

Photo by RossiAgung.<\/p><\/div>\n

Although you could spend days or even weeks in the mountains of Flores, eventually the beach comes calling. And, if you\u2019ve made it as far as here, it\u2019s worth continuing west to the fishing village of Labuan Bajo, where an underwater paradise awaits you.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Divers, snorkellers, beachcombers and backpackers I\u2019ve met along the road often cite this village as one of their all-time favourites. The sea water radiates blue hues, while jagged, rustic mountains poke towards the sky in the background. Before you run down to the sea (and depending on the time of year and subsequent heat, you\u2019ll pine for those cool waters), hike around for the perfect viewpoint to get a true sense of how wonderful it all looks. It is enormous, and the way the sea scoops into the side of the land to create fingers (think Halkidiki, <\/em>Greece) is, for lack of a better word, awesome. Really awesome.<\/p>\n

\"Padar

Photo by Donnchans.<\/p><\/div>\n

Indonesia, in a lot of ways, still feels undiscovered despite the global appeal of Bali (a place that is many things to many people, which is why it\u2019s so popular). But next time you\u2019re thinking of heading there, it\u2019s worth adding Flores to your itinerary to get a true representation of what Indonesia has to offer, and why the country is fast becoming known as \u201cThe travel gift that keeps on giving<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Explore Flores on a small group adventure with Intrepid now. View our trips here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feature image by\u00a0nelzajamal.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Komodo dragons? Pink beaches? Rice paddies that resemble enormous spider webs? Welcome to Flores, the flower of Indonesia. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16100,"featured_media":30313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[455],"tags":[180,61,385],"class_list":["post-30306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-asia","tag-indonesia","tag-south-east-asia","ipf_region-indonesia"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIndonesia: Why You Should Skip Bali and Explore Flores Instead | Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Indonesia is famous for Bali, but if you want greener nature, sandier beaches and have a whole lot of space to yourself, Flores is definitely the place to be.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/flores-indonesia-travel-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Heading to Indonesia? 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