12 Days Ubud Indonesia, Ubud, Flores Island - Moni with Moni - Kelimutu Volcano Nature Vacation Package

Comfortable Hotel 3

Arrive in the cultural heart of Bali, Ubud. Ubud is surrounded by terraced paddy fields, this once small village is now a busy hive of artistic activity with many shops selling locally made bamboo furniture, wood and stone carvings, paintings and other arts and crafts. Traditional Hindu Balinese dance performances take place most evenings. For those arriving on time our Leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 6 pm for the welcome meeting and for those that wish, there is the chance to go out for dinner. There are no other activities planned today, so you are free to arrive in Ubud at any time.

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This morning we make our way to a local project, where we meet the staff who will help us create Balinese temple offerings, typically made up of small palm leaf baskets filled with flowers and rice, which we take with us to Tirta Empul temple. Here we have the opportunity to experience the ritual of entering a temple as a local Balinese would. We change into traditional dress and ask permission to enter by placing our offerings at the entrance. Here we may also bathe in the holy waters. We advise you dress in a white shirt or blouse for this day - you will be loaned a Balinese sarong for the duration of the visit to the temple. From here we continue north to Gunung Kawi, where we walk down towards the Pakarisan River, along around 100 steps, to see beautiful 11th century Royal tombs cut into a sheer cliff face.

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Today we fly to Ende on eastern Flores Island. On arrival we embark on a scenic 3 hour drive. Our journey takes us through a picturesque landscape of rice fields, coffee plantations and olive trees as well as small villages. We wind our way to Moni, our base from where we climb Kelimutu volcano, we drive alongside a river and see a beautiful gorge as we climb through the mountains to our destination.

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We have early start today as we make our way to the base of Kelimutu volcano. We climb to the summit for an unforgettable sunrise panorama. The walk takes around 30 to 40 minutes over a series of steps interspersed with flatter sections, the final 10 to 15 minutes covers 127 relatively steep steps. Our reward at the summit, on a clear day, is the view of three crater lakes; some of the most spectacular in the world. The names of the lakes translate to Lake of Old People, Lake of Young Men and Maidens, and Bewitched or Enchanted Lake. The latter two lakes are in close proximity and share a crater wall, but the most outstanding feature of these lakes is their differing colors, depending on the changing mineral content of the water at any given time. You may see a turquoise lake next to a black one! It is then no surprise that this area of stunning and unusual natural beauty was once an important place for spiritual rituals.

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Today we leave the mountains behind as we head to the south east coast back to Ende, from where we drive along the coast past a stunning green stone beach, before winding our way back uphill to Bajawa, surrounded by lush jungle covered slopes and volcanoes. Bajawa is the spiritual heartland of the Ngada tribal people, who are made up from five tribal groups living in the surrounding area, each with their own customs, language, beliefs and traditional dress.

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This morning we drive to Wolobobo, from where we enjoy magnificent views of Ebulobo and Inerie volcanoes. Continuing on we drive to the foot of Inerie from where we take an easy walk through several small traditional Ngada villages with a local guide. The largest village is Bena, where we find megalithic stones along with offering and meeting places in between rows of stilt houses with steep thatched grass roofs. Walking through the village gives a sense of going back in time.

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We spend the day making our way through a stunning landscape, passing dense jungle, active volcanoes and the rice fields of central Flores as we make our way west across the island. Finally we reach our destination of Ruteng in the district of Mangarai. This mainly Catholic city located at an altitude of 1170 metres above sea level and surrounded by paddy fields enjoys a cooler climate. We overnight here before our boat expedition into the Komodo archipelago.

Simple Boat 3

This morning we make our way to the harbor and board our boat. All our meals for our two day cruise will be prepared and served on board, the first one being a lunch as we head off to our first port of call. We disembark on Rinca Island itself and meet with some of the national park/’s rangers (one ranger per group of five), who will lead us carefully along a trail into Komodo dragon territory to see if we can spot them. Komodo dragons, known locally as ora, are highly dangerous giant lizards reaching up to lengths of over 3.5 metres and weighing up to 150 kilos, more usually though they are around 2.5 metres in length.

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This morning we make our way to Komodo Island itself where we take another safari walk with national park rangers to spot the Komodo dragons, and learn a little more about these imposing beasts. Afterwards we make a short cruise to the beautiful Pink Beach, which take its name from the pink sand created from red coral. The beach itself is small but very picturesque and sees relatively few visitors. There are pockets of shade under some trees to chill out when not taking a dip in the shallow ocean water.

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The morning is free, either to relax at the hotel or perhaps to explore the small town and market of Labuan Bajo. This afternoon we fly back to Bali and drive to the beach at Sanur where we can relax for a day before our tour ends.

Comfortable Hotel 3

The day is free for you to choose how to spend it. You may wish to relax on the golden sand beaches of Sanur or explore the souvenir shops, cozy bars and small restaurants of the village itself. Alternatively, you can take a boat excursion to the nearby island of Lembongan, and spend the day snorkeling, taking a tour of the mangroves by canoe and relaxing on one of the island/’s many sandy beaches. Another option is a tour of East Bali starting with a cultural Barong dance performance, a visit to the bat cave of Goa Lawa, a walk through the traditional village of Tengagan and a visit to the water palace of Tritagangga.

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Sanur. There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart from Sanur at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you need to depart from Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), which is an hour from our hotel.