Pulau Flores Transportation

This is actually not in Sano Nggoang only. Transportation in villages in Flores is actually modified truck, with additional wooden bench to accommodate passengers. The cost varies between Rp 2,000 to Rp 10,000 or depending on the distance and what the passenger's luggage. Goat, chicken, pigs are often join the ride in this truck. The trip with this truck is actually fun, although I found the blaring sound of music from loud speaker of the truck was too loud. What I like is the smiles and friendliness of fellow passengers.

The picture here is village transportation from Wae Sano village (the village near Sano Nggoang volcanic lake) to Bambor with the cost of Rp 10,000.

I did not use Ferry overland from Sumbawa to Labuan Bajo, but I hope you may find the piece of information useful.

Other cheaper option to travel to Labuan Bajo from Bali by using ferry. You can hop into the ferry from Benoa, Bali to Labuan Bajo that takes one day overnight travel. (September 2012 )
The price is Rp 184,000 for economy class to Rp 700,000 (one room sharing)

Traveler can also use the overnight bus Labuan Bajo to Bali. The trip takes two days with the cost of Rp 170,000. Or, another option is Lombok-Labuan Bajo bus with the cost of Rp 200,000. It takes one day overnight that includes 6 hours crossing Selat Sape that connecting Sumbawa and Flores island.

Hotline Pelni : 021 79 80 606
http://www.pelni.co.id/

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Most of the flights flying to Flores are coming from Jakarta via Denpasar, Bali. Mostly, visitors prefer to fly directly from Denpasar, Bali. The flight destination in Flores is Labuan Bajo, Ende and Maumere. Small aircraft offers service to Ruteng and Bajawa, but they are rarely reliable.

The flights from Bali are Transnusa, Merpati and Wings Air. Flights from Jakarta are Garuda and Lion Air with destination Jakarta-Maumere.

High season is June, July and December, where you can expect higher flight cost.

I enclose here schedule of Transnusa flight (Septermber 2012)

Ende - Denpasar (stopover in Labuan Bajo)
Monday, Wednesday and Saturday departure Denpasar 15.12 – arrival ini Ende 17.35
Tuesday, Friday and Sunday departure Denpasar 15.00 - arrival in Ende 17.16

Transnusa Kupang, Phone. +62 380 822 555 (Hunting)

Transnusa Denpasar, +62 361 8477 395 (Hunting)

Email: info@transnusa.co.id, dpsreservasi@transnusa.co.id
http://www.transnusa.co.id/

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More comfortable option to explore Flores is by renting a car with the driver. This is considered as most comfortable, but most expensive as well. With the rental car, you can plan your own itinerary, stop where you want to stop and also get lot of insight, if you are lucky to have a great driver. (My driver, Donatus from Flores Exotic Tour was very resourceful, knowledgeable and helpful). The cost for car is Rp 400,000 to 600,000 (with driver and gas)/day.

Other cheaper option to travel from one town to another is using travel service. In later years, there are travel companies offering service for route from Labuan Bajo to Maumere.

Labuan Bajo –Ruteng (4 hour), Ruteng-Ende (7 hour), Ruteng-Bajawa (4 hour) and Labuan Bajo – Maumere (12 hour, but usually stay over in Ruteng). The cost is between Rp 60,000 hingga Rp 200,000 (this excludes overnight stay in Ruteng for Labuan Bajo-Maumere).

Bensa Ekspress : 08129738591, 081288093692
Benteng Travel : 085238417777
Gunung Mas Travel : 081339380830 , 085239322000

Car Rental:
Flores Exotic Tour, Jalan Kakatua 8 Ngencung Ruteng 86511 Flores
Tel + 62 385 270 50 22 , + 628123662110
E-mail :info@floresexotictours.com
Branch Office :
Jalan Wae Bo,Lancang,Kel.Wae Kelambu,Labuanbajo
Mobile .+6285253811110

The minibus, with 20 seats, is the popular mode of transportation for the local people. The bus is overloaded with people and crops, although in frequent occasions you will see even motorbike tied with the rope also enjoy the ride at its roof. When you are lucky, sometimes you can share the trip with chickens, goat or pigs sometimes. The cost is between Rp 15,000 to 25,000 depending on the destination. Sometimes the passenger asked the driver to drop them in the village.

Traveling with bemo the minibis can be adventure itself. The squeezed of other passengers, the blaring sound of music... I found it was too much to handle for me. The road in Flores is rarely straight. It is endless with curves and bend. The ride is for strong stomach only.

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The ferries between Bali and Lombok as well as those between Lombok and Sumbawa depart every hour around the clock. But only once a day a ferry connects Sumbawa and Flores in both directions. The scheduled departure time is 8 am both from Sape and from Labuan Bajo. The crossing past Banta, Komodo and Rinca Islands takes about 8 hours. Around midday the two ferry boats in the opposite directions pass each other.

When we travelled to Flores, the ferry left an hour late. Still, if you bring a car you are told to report early in order to be certain of a place on board. We got a number at a booth that opened by 6:15am, for which we paid a fee of Rp 10,000. Then we had to wait for the ticket office to open at 7am, where we paid the rate for a passenger car, Rp 834,000 (July 2011). After paying we could board immediately. The rate for a car includes the people travelling in it.

One way to be at the harbour early is to leave Bima at 4 am for the two hour drive of 65 km. But we did not want to drive in the dark, so we stayed the previous night at Sape. When you call from Bima for a room in Losmen Mutiara (which lies next to the harbour entrance), at your request the owner - mr. Long - will put your car number on the list for the following day. His mobile number: 0813.5369 7649.

Returning from Flores to Sumbawa, we did not have to pay for a number and the ferry departed at 8am sharp.

If you want to cross without a vehicle, you don't have to come early. Even when the boarding ramp had been drawn up we saw latecomers climbing on board over the railing.

There were many Travel agent who run a Cruise from Bali island, Lombok Island or From Labuan Bajo. Sailing across the blue sea during 3 to 4 nights or even in a week, hip hop from island to island exploring the beautiful Panorama of Eastern Island. Sleeping on board and enjoy the cuisine on the ship is a different experience.
Boats and ships from anywhere else then throw the anchor in a bay of Komodo island , spend one, two or more nights on the sea, enjoy the the beauty of sunset, the sunrise and Flores islands mountain range

Aviastar TRans Nusa Airline now depart from Bali island Ngurah Rai Airport would take 55 minutes to Flores island Labuan Bajo Komodo Airport . Scheduled twice a day, firstly in the morning at about 07.00 am from Denpasar and arrive at about 09.00 at Labuan Bajo Komodo Airport, the second flight is about 01.00 pm from Denpasar and arrive at about 02.00 pm at Labuan Bajo Komodo Airport.
Aviastar flight from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo vise verse twice a day on the daily basis.
Another Airlines were: Batavia Air, Trans Nusa Air and Wings Air

You can fly to Flores from Sumba, Timor or Bali but you can't fly between towns on the Flores island. Here you can travel only by buses or cars. The roads are very-very-very bad, landsliding near Ruteng occurs in rainy season and even the main road from Labuan Bajo to Maumere can be blocked. Public buses between towns are always late for 2 hours and sometimes don't go at all if not enough passengers. All buses are full of chicken, pigs, rice bags, wooden boxes and smoking men. Some guys love to travel on the roof of the bus wrapped in sarongs and this picture you can see only in Flores island. You never find a timetable on the bus station or any English speaking person who can help you. Usually buses leave at 7 am and sometimes they have night buses around 4 or 5 pm. The easisest way to plan your departure is ask people in the reception about the schedule. Sometimes they can offer you to skip public bus and opt for a travel bus or so called "travel car". Actually it's a mini-bus for 11 passengers with air-con. You must book it one day in advance (somebody from hotel should call and book it), and it costs around 50000-70000 rp (par example the public bus costs 35000 rp). But it worths its money - no chicken, no villages, no smoking, and only local business people use it. But local "travel buses" don't operate as a network (as Perama in Bali) - they operate independently in every city and sometimes you can't book it because not so many bussiness people travel at weekends. Another option - renting a car with a driver - costs 500000 rp per day and it's impossible to persuade anybody to do it cheaper - roads are so afwul that drivers aren't interested.

Denpasar is a main transport hub for Nusa Tenggara region. There're 3 avia companies which fly to Flores island now (in May of 2007).
1) Merpati flies Denpasar-Maumere for 772000 rp. (It doesn't fly to Labaun Bajo anymore)
Merpati has only one flight to Maumere from Denpasar at 13:10
2) Transnusa flies Denpasar-Labuan Bajo for 651000-761000 rp. and Denpasar-Ende for 849000 rp. Transnusa has also only morning flights from Denpasar: to Ende at 10:10 and at 12:40; to Labuan Bajo at 10:30 and at 13:00
3) IAT (ex-GT Air) flies Denpasar-Labuan Bajo for 650000 rp.
Indonesia Air Transport (IAT) has only one flight Denpasar-Labuanbajo at 10:15
The only way to buy a ticket to Flores is shopping around Denpasar airport - all 3 companies have offices in Denpasar airport and open at 8 am. Usually they have seats before departure. But they cancel flights quite often because there's not enough passengers so sometimes you have to spend 1 night in Bali. Just be prepared to it, don't panic. The domestic airlines are awful, the delays and cancellations are normal thing. Actually on my way to Ende I stuck in Sumba for two days becuse the Transnusa plane was broken and we even saw the smoking engine. And they cannot manage a new plane for two days! In Labuan Bajo you can find Transnusa and IAT offices in town center. And Merpati has offices in Ende and Maumere.