LBJ to MOF

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We flew with Wings as part of our trip to Kupang and they were done. OK we have been on cleaner planes but they were totally fine , each one about 15 minutes late leaving , but they made up most of the time.They are better than LionAir but not as good as Garuda.

Sounds like a fun trip , have you been to Komodo Resort before Bill ?

No. Tell me. luko has recommended it. I always go only to places that someone has previously recommended, so that I have someone to blame in case doesn’t work out. :eyebrow:

Bill
 
If it's just for that , for a few more 100kIDR notes you may also ask your Flores driver to wear short red skirts and black stockings, providing you don't mind for his moustache.

That sounds great! Right up my alley. You know me so well, Luko!

Actually I was wondering if you (and maybe others?) Can give me a little bit more detailed review of the 3 - 5 day driving trip. It does sound interesting. We could probably work out the time. Everyone who has done it: please tell me what it was like, Especially the accommodations, driving part, and food.

Bill
 
Actually I was wondering if you (and maybe others?) Can give me a little bit more detailed review of the 3 - 5 day driving trip. It does sound interesting. We could probably work out the time. Everyone who has done it: please tell me what it was like, Especially the accommodations, driving part, and food.
day 1 : LBJ Ruteng, drive 4h may be not the best part, steep start then "cobweb" rice fields, eat mundane food at 6PM, dont get caught by the "hello mister" brigade otherwise you'd have to speak with kids waiting to improve their english for hours, sleep in a monastery at 8PM, clean rooms with aircon, wake up at 4AM with chants
day 2 : Ruteng Bajawa, drive 4-5 hrs, scenery becomes better, volcanoes, tribal villages, Bajawa is a grubby little town otherwise
day 3 : best scenery between Bajawa and Moni, jungle and coffee trees, stop en route to Ende's blue stone beach, arrive to Moni, only one good hotel Kelimutu Eco Lodge the rest of the accoms is really really sub par.
day 4 : wake up at 4AM go and see Mount Kelimutu's colored lakes, drive to Maumere, outstanding rice fields, you can stay one night at Seaworld, some aircon bungalows on a good black sand beach owned by a german missionary.

In a nutshell, lots of driving but great scenery & authentic culture. Probably some of the worst food I had in Indonesia, even the nasi goreng is sometimes unedible. However their coffee is probably the best in indonesia and I love their very liquid jungle honey made from coffee trees.

And there's the driver with short red skirts too...
 
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We did a slightly shorter version of Luko's trip in October 2016 as we had limited time remaining after our Komodo LOB... flew from LBJ to Ende via Garuda.
Hired a driver to take us from Ende to Kelimutu Eco Lodge for two nights... up at 4am next morning to see dawn rise over Mt Kelimutu's tri-coloured lakes then by private car from the Eco Lodge up over the mountains to Maumere.
Then Maumere to Denpasar via Wings Air.
Mt Kelimutu is highly recommended as is the Eco Lodge... but bear in mind outside of LBJ Flores is very undeveloped, roads are poor and there are few transport options. There was a major landslide just before our journey over the mountains from Kelimutu which delayed the trip by a few hours... huge boulders across the road :eek:
Kelimutu
Tri-colored Lakes at Mount Kelimutu, Flores | Indonesia Travel Guide
Can vouch for Luko's assessment of the coffee... but thankfully our driver wore pants!
 
I think we are heading towards Fibonacci's idea of flying LBJ to Ende or MOF and taking a shorter drive just up to Kalimutu, spend two nights, then back to Maumere.

Does anyone know a good guide & car or how to find one?

Thanks,

Bill
 
There will be a stack of taxi drivers hanging around Ende airport, on our flight there was only one other foreign couple so you tend to get immediate attention. Ende is quite a pretty tropical town vs Maumere.

They will be keen for a long term hire deal... make sure you get an AC car and haggle well in Rupiah not USD!
You can arrange for the driver to take you up to the Kelimutu Eco Lodge, and wait there overnight for an early 4am start to go up and see dawn rise over the volcanoes. The Eco lodge has a dorm for itinerant drivers.
Stunning vista and well worth the early start.

Depending on your travel plans the same driver could then take you over the mountains to Maumere, or a different driver could also be organised via the Eco Lodge (which is what we ended up doing). Suggest having a buffer day before your flight out of Maumere as the roads are in poor condition and delays are common.

All in all a fun small adventure at the end of a memorable Komodo LOB trip :)
 
I'd rather ask the Lodge to take care about the driver/guide from Ende to Maumere, otherwise you might be stuck with a driver with poor language/tourism skills. (if you are staying a night in Maumere at Seaworld they can also happily arrange everything)
When we did the LBJ to Maumere crossing we booked the driver from our Hotel in Maumere, our driver Julius was a young witty & talkative guy we appreciated for 4 days, on the other hand when we booked another road trip in South Sulawesi from a driver at the airport, it was more complicated to make him understand what we were looking for.
A driver is like a dive guide, you're not only asking him to take you from a point to another point but also to be a real guide and show you things.
 
Fyi information Lion Air / Wings Air does not give free baggage allowance. You need to buy them online or pay at the airport (more expensive). Lion Air website being sh** i always use traveloka to buy my plane ticket in Indo. Most famous and reliable website locally.
 

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