Legends of Komodo - Overland Trip

Itineraries

Arrive and make your way to the hotel in Seminyak Beach. The rest of the day is free and tonight you will meet your Imaginative Traveller tour leader who will brief you on the days to come.

We begin our adventure by transferring to Denpasar airport for a flight to Maumere on the northern coast of Flores Island. (B)

Journey through beautiful scenery on route to the remote hilltop Catholic Mission outpost of Detusoko. We spend the night with a community of Franciscan nuns, enjoying the warm hospitality of the sisters and meeting the orphans in their care. (B)

Before dawn we travel to the Keli Mutu volcano in order to enjoy a beautiful sunrise. We then walk to Moni, before continuing on to Riung. (B)

A chance to relax on the tranquil beaches of the Pulau Tujuhbelas National Park or snorkel at the coral reef with its amazingly colourful fish. Depending on the tide we can visit the coast of the island Ontoloe where we may see ‘flying dogs’ or kalongs (huge bats). Thousands escape from the mangroves every day at sunset. (B)

We travel from Riung to Bajawa, a journey through beautiful scenery and tranquil local villages. (B)

Today we start to hike through traditional villages at the foot of the Inerie Volcano with our local guide, who will explain the traditions and culture of this place where the lifestyle has remained relatively unchanged for hundreds of years. We visit Bena with its megalithic stones, still used by the head of the village to make decisions that affect the relationship between his people and the supernatural forces. We have time to wander through the village and admire the traditional houses, with their steep, high grass roofs, or climb to a nearby hill top, with great views of the town, the volcano and the blue Sawu Sea. (B)

The barren landscape of Western Flores becomes greener as we approach Ruteng, a small Catholic city with a lively store and market district. Because of its location, Ruteng has an extremely cool and pleasant climate. The city is also the centre of the Manggarai minority group. (B)

We arrive in Labuhanbajo, the ‘Harbour of the Bajaus’, the minority Muslim fishermen who ply their trade in colourful trimarans with multi coloured sails. Sixteenth century Portuguese traders named this island ‘the cape of flowers’, and it is easy to see why as you wander this city full of houses covered in bougainvillaea, where lilies and sunflowers grow from the cracks in the dusty streets. Later we enjoy the great sunset views and contemplate tomorrow’s encounter with the Komodo Dragons. (B)

Today is perhaps the high point of our tour as we begin our boat trip to the islands of the Komodo Archipelago. We sleep on the boat and all meals will be prepared and served on board. Our first stop will be Rinca Island, where we will trek for 2 to 3 hours, trying to spot one of the dragons, or ‘ora’ as they are known locally. These monsters can reach 12 feet long and weigh up to 330 pounds. (BLD)

Our second day on board begins with a two to three hour hike on Komodo Island, hoping to see more of these magnificent creatures. Then we continue to Sape, a harbour village on east Sumbawa and transfer to Bima, the capital city of this area. Later you can visit the Sultan of Bima’s palace, or the Pasar Malam, a pleasant evening market. (BL)

We take a flight back to Bali and transfer to Seminyak Beach. Tour ends on arrival. (B)