Islands around Labuanbajo - Flores - Indonesia

 Bidadari Island

Pulau Bidadari, which means ‘angel island’ in Indonesian, is a small, charming island located northwest of Labuan Bajo. This island is a water lover’s paradise. Its excellent white-sand beaches seem to have come from paradise, and its crystal clear and calm waters make it an ideal spot for swimming, snorkeling, and especially learning how to dive. Bidadari Island, reachable by way of a short 15–20 minute boat trip, is a tiny island. Its 14–15 hectares are covered with hills and trees, and it is almost completely surrounded by beautiful beaches.

Seraya Kecil island

Only 10km from Labuan Bajo lies the small but charming Seraya Island (official name: Seraya Kecil) – a place where chilling out on white sandy beaches, swimming in the clear, calm and turquoise water or exploring the colorful underwater world with just some goggles and a snorkel make up your daily routine. Around the small fishing village that is located on the southern tip of the island, you can get an impression of the bagan style of traditional fishing with its bamboo structures erected over the open sea.

Kanawa island

 

Kanawa Island, located approximately 15 kilometers from Labuan Bajo at the border of Komodo National Park, is considered to be one of Southeast Asia’s most idyllic islands, fully surrounded by a spectacular reef with thousands of fish species, turtles, corals, reef sharks, and mantas. A small hill in the middle of this untouched island guarantees a spectacular view over the national park and to Labuan Bajo Bay. From here, you can enjoy the most breathtaking sunrises and sunsets.
Facilities

On all of these small islands, you will find accommodation in the form of basic bungalows which are located almost directly on the beach. There are also a number of small restaurants.
However, equipment for snorkeling cannot be rented on every island. On Bidadari you should have your own snorkeling gear which can be obtained from a dive rental place in Labuan Bajo; whereas on Kanawa and Seraya you can rent the equipment directly on the islands.
If you’re up for diving, you should check before departing whether either renting the equipment is possible on the island or whether you should first arrange it from Labuan Bajo.
Bidadari Island is managed by Reefseekers for dive resorts; however for diving activities with them, you need to make an arrangement in their Labuan Bajo office, not on the island. Kanawa island is developed by an Italian company, where diving is possible without any arrangements in Labuan Bajo.
There are further more stunning islets around Labuan Bajo, as such as Kalong and Monkey islands, easily reachable and both offer good opportunities to explore Flores’ exotic fauna. As there is no accommodation on these islands yet, visits are limited to day trips. However, the islands are so close to Rinca and Komodo islands that some local tour operators offer overnight stays in villages on both islands.

Kalong Island (Pulau Kalong) is a place where you can enjoy the bustling activities of thousands of flying foxes every evening. It is located only 16km from Labuan Bajo.  

Monkey Island (Pulau Monyet) is a spot where plenty of smart monkeys will entertain you with their amusing behavior. It is located only 800 meters from Labuan Bajo.

Text by: http://www.florestourism.com/where-to-go/islands-around-labuan-bajo-0

Photography by Leonardus Nyoman

www.FloresExoticTours.com 

LAMALERA WHALE HUNTING

The Whale Hunting Ritual

In 1996,  Oxford University researcher, R.H. Barnes  wrote the “Sea Hunters of Indonesia: Fishers and Weavers of Lamalera”, describing this communal hunt for sperm whales (Physeter macrocepalus)  by the villagers in Lamalera, on Lembata Island.  

The village of Lamalera is surrounded by rocky hills and barren land, facing the wild sea of Savu.

 

When whaling season arrives, the boats are released. Crowds cheer as more boats, locally called peledang, glide out from the najeng, the boat houses. Tale leo, the rope made out of local vegetation, is hoisted to raise the sail. Another tale leo is fastened to the spiky harpoon. The whale hunt can take hours, and in some instances, it can take lives. The villagers catch only sperm whales as the tradition holds. Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) occasionally pass by the surrounding waters. However, these villagers would lead the approaching blue whales to the open sea and give them a warm good bye. Blue whales are considered taboo to hunt as they are believed to be the keepers of the Lamalera. They consider the blue whale as their mother, and hunting them is thus a sin.

When a whale approaches, the lamafa, the harpoonist jumps off the boat and stabs the cetaceans with a tempuling, a handmade harpoon. The heart-stopping action of a lamafa is one of the anticipated moments in the world of visual documentation. The curious visitors would wait for days to come along with the groups of matros, boatmen led by a lamafa. They would stay with the fishermen and the families to understand the fishermen’s unique lives. Baleo! Baleo! The villagers shout out as the awaited whale surfaces in the distance.

There are more taboos for the Lamaleras when it comes to whale hunting. It is also forbidden to hunt pregnant whales, young whales, and mating whales. This capacity to recognize these specific taboos can only be learnt through extensive periods of experience. Unfortunately, some elders worry that the tradition is vanishing as youngsters tend to separate tradition from convenient modernity, so that future generations will no longer adhere to such precious traditional values.

In response to the impending threat of disappearance, elders of Lamalera have transformed the seasonal practice into a festival called the Baleo Festival, which was started in 2009 and held annually until now. During the festival, traditional costumes are donned, and those who were born and raised in Lamalera congregate to make the festival not just a success, but also a legacy for the descendants of Lamalera.  The message of the ancestors must be passed down, which is to keep the tradition and local wisdom alive. 

Prior to the kotoklema hunt, a lefa, a ritual led by the village elder or a church priest, is held to invite the anticipated whales. One boat can accommodate 7 to 12 matros, led by a lamafa or also called balafaing. When a lamafa springs into the water and thrusts the harpoon to the heart of the sea giant, the matros must be ready to handle the potential danger caused by the injured whale, which will often swim under and drag the boat with it. Three to four stabs are needed to paralyze the targeted whale, so the boat can tow the catch back to the village, and share it with the rest of the people ashore.

East Nusatenggara is truly an awe-inspiring destination for those who define adventure from different points of view. You can find bau nyale, the sea worm catching festival, pasola, the horse riding and javelin hurling festival, and the fascinating caci, whip battle dance here. Stop by the city of Kupang or Maumere, and explore the rest of the island at Ngada and other villages to learn some of the magnificent early traditions. (http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/623/the-traditional-whale-hunt-of-lamalera-on-flores)

FLORES - KOMODO PHOTO TOURS

FLORES – KOMODO PHOTO TOURS

This exploration of  Indonesia’s Flores and Komodo island has been created to provide you with the best opportunities to photograph the islands’ unique culture, wonderful scenery and extraordinary wildlife.

Visit Sikka and observe traditional ikat-weaving, and Wologai with its unuque Ende Lionese-architecture. See the turquoise, blue and green-black crater lakes of Kelimutu and capture the spectacular scenery of Wolobobo, see the spider-web circular rice field of Lodok in Manggarai before visiting Komodo National Park in search of the awe-inspiring Komodo Dragon

Flores: Hidden flower of the East

Flores: Hidden flower of the East
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 09/04/2005

Christina Schott, Contributor, Jakarta

Flores. For years we wanted to go Cabo da Flores (Cape of Flowers), as the Portuguese called the island in today's East Nusa Tenggara when they first arrived in 1512. Whether they chose this name because of the beautiful vegetation or because of the colorful underwater gardens is not clear. Both are overwhelming in the right season; just after the rain is over, when the mud has dried but the dust has not yet risen.

That was the moment, as we sat on a flight to Maumere, we had the idea to roll east to west along the Trans-Flores highway. From the air, we got the first impression of the breathtaking landscape waiting for us: Flores, 375 kilometers long but extremely slim, presents dramatic mountain scenery up to 2,400 meters above sea level and 14 active volcanoes. And even from high up we could see the clear turquoise water around the northern coast, with its coral reefs that promised to fulfill every diver's dream.

As an important junction, Maumere is a good place to start in, although the town was mostly destroyed by a devastating tsunami in 1992. Since there was not even a fraction of the international attention last year's tsunami drew, the thousands of victims had to rebuild their homes with few donors in a rather unattractive way. However, some quiet bungalow resorts on the way to Larantuka -- once the headquarters of the Portuguese Dominicans -- provide pristine, white sandy beaches and access to snorkeling and diving spots.

Very soon, however, we learned that transport on Flores not only needs time but it also has its price: Either you pay in U.S. dollars for a private car or you bump your body around chicken cages and other loads piled up in the middle of a public bus. We chose the second option, hoping to get some travel originality. We got it. With three goats and a pig screaming on top of our heads and the finest selection of East Nusa Tenggara hits of the Eighties. All at full volume, of course.

We also understood quickly, why every passenger on the bus was greeted with the distribution of plastic bags. The ""Trans-Flores-Highway"" is, indeed, the biggest road on the island but that doesn't mean much, since it is often the only asphalted one. It is an ever-winding mountain pass road that hardly provides enough space for two buses passing each other, let alone the potholes. ""Nothing compared to 40 years ago,"" reassured a retired missionary who had first arrived on Flores in the 1960s. ""At that time, the trip to Ende took us a whole day on dusty earth.""

Nevertheless, the stomach- and buttock-torturing journey was worth every kilometer for its gorgeous panoramic views. We needed four hours to our first stop at Moni, the gateway for a visit to Mount Kelimutu, whose three-colored crater lakes are one of Flores most famous tourist attractions. Early in the morning, two hired motorbikes took us to the freezing dark on top of the volcano. Every story the villagers told us the night before about ghosts and other mysteries suddenly seemed very real.

From the parking still half-an-hour-climb through the fog, we reached the platform on the top just in time to imagine the sunrise behind the impenetrable clouds. Thanks to our sarongs and thermos bottle with hot tea we could stand the cold a little longer than the disappointed Dutch travel group that arrived with us so that we were on our own to witness the sun breaking through and turning the three dark water holes around us into the bubbling crater lakes we were hoping for. Because of unexplored chemical reactions the color of the lakes have changed several times in the last decades, leaving them now in a shimmering black, sparkling turquoise and rusty dark brown. The souls of the dead are said to live here and we could imagine them dancing in the steam rising up the steep slopes.

After a two-hour bus ride and a 15 degree Celsius difference in temperature we reached Ende. The capital of Flores doesn't offer much as a tourist attraction except a dirty harbor and one of the island's three public Internet cafes; the others are in Maumere and Ruteng. It is also a good place to buy famous ikat (traditional weaving) made all over the island and to prepare oneself for the freezing nights at the next stop in the mountains: Bajawa.

The main town of the Ngada region is -- beside Labuanbajo -- probably the best-prepared for travelers. Everything is organized by local guides and the bemo (three-wheeled motor taxi) mafia, and even their tour prizes are fixed. But you need them: We probably would never have found our way to the traditional villages of the Ngada people alone. A few kilometers can become a long winding way through an unknown forest. Another problem is the language: not all of the indigenous people speak Indonesian. As different as the climate on Flores is, as different are the peoples, their features and their languages.

The Ngada normally live in matriarchal communities with strict sacred rules. Although they were converted to Catholicism -- the graves in front of their towering wooden houses show crosses -- they still follow many animist traditions. Among the crosses, there are megalithic altars and a lot of other symbols like the ngadhu and bhaga, reminding us of the female and male ancestors of every clan living in the village. On top of these open graveyards play the children along with cats and pigs, as the mothers weave the traditional black-and-white ikat. But behind their brown stained smiles -- what the sirih (betel) addiction left of their teeth -- lurk symbols of modernity; Coca-Cola boxes in the back of their houses.

After a soothing bath in the nearby hot springs of Soa, we are ready for our last bone-shaking bus trip next morning. It starts with an impressing tour around Mount Inerie, and offers direct views to the sea from the top of the peaks before reaching the Manggarai capital Ruteng. From there it is still another four-hour-drive to Labuanbajo. This bustling harbor town is mainly inhabited by Muslim immigrants from Sulawesi and is the starting point for all kinds of boat trips to the innumerable islands between Flores and Sumbawa -- before all go to Komodo National Park.

We need a break after all the bumpy streets and the shouting bus drivers. So we head straight away to Seraya, one of small islands around Labuanbajo; islands which are rented from the government by hotels. Seraya Kecil looks like it was arranged for a travel advertisement: surrounded by white sandy beaches, transparent water and beautiful coral reefs. The island accommodates a small fishing village and -- at the other end -- a dozen simple but clean bamboo bungalows. The only permanent inhabitants there are a couple of deer, a family of dogs and a herd of goats. The rest is all yours.

How to get there:

Flights from Denpasar starting from Rp 500,000 by Merpati or Pelita (to Ende, Maumere, Labuanbajo) and GT Air (to Labuanbajo). PELNI ships go on different routes from Surabaya to Ende, Maumere and Labuanbajo. The trip by public bus and ferry takes around three days from Bali.

Where to stay:

Maumere: Sea World Club, Waiara (13 km from Maumere), Phone: +62-382-21570, www.sea-world-club.com

Ende: Hotel Ikhlas, Jl. Ahmad Yani, Phone: +62-381-21695. Upscale traveler hotel, clean and organized.

Labuanbajo: Those who don't want to stay in the busy immigrant town, should take the Gardena boat to Seraya island and find Robinson's paradise; Seraya Island Bungalows, c/o Gardena Hotel, Labuanbajo. Phone: +62-385-41258, www.serayaisland.com

Transport:

Those who don't want to rely on the uncomfortable public transport or see places off the beaten track, should arrange a car and a guide. Warmly recommended: Leonardus Nyoman, experienced guide, speaks English and German, phone: +62-812-366 2110, Email: leonardus_nym@yahoo.com

Reba, Thanksgiving Celebrations and Hopes for a Better Year

Reba, Thanksgiving Celebrations and Hopes for a Better Year

Ngadha or Ngada, is a famous region of Flores’ indigenous cultural richness and famed for its preservation of ancient rites, physical and non-physical artifacts that is searched for, observed and enjoyed by travelers coming to the island.
Bena, a village approximately 13km from Bajawa on the southern mountainous landscape, Ngada’s capital city, has been exposed by many travel guidebooks including the traveler’s bible “The Lonely Planet” as “the” place to experience the amazing Florinese tradition and culture. The existence of Bena can be traced down to the Megalithic remains found in most areas of the village. Lying at the feet of Mount Inerie, Bena offers not only a scenic view of the blue-colored mountain but also a hiking trip along its winding hilly path. For the art lovers, Florinese Ikat weaving is an inseparable artistic feature of Bena.
December is an important month for the community of Bena who holds an annual celebration called Reba. Reba is the festival similar to Thanksgiving, paying respect to the Almighty for the blessing of the great harvest and the people’s wealth. The three-day festival consists of communal ceremonies where rituals involving a huge amount of crops and livestock collected. Historically, Reba tells the story of the community’s ancestors who traveled from time to time to different places in search of better livestock and crops, especially yam, as well as seeking farmland in the neighborhood.
It is amazing to see that the villagers still hold up their traditional way of life with a strong commitment inherited and inspired by their ancestors. The role of the ancestors is not only admitted but respect of their existence is also shown in every part of their lives.
For religious reason and based on communal consensus, the yearly ceremony of Reba is held on 27th of December annually. Bena is being considered as the eldest village compared to surrounding related sibling villages, which makes it the first place to hold Reba, followed by other villages after a certain number of days.
Animal offerings are part of the sacred rituals during the festive days. A series of ceremonies will be held in the Kisanatha, the village’s yard, where all the rites and meals will be held and served. Nga’dhu, a tall wooden trunk with carvings and a conical thatched-roof on top, representing the first male ancestor and Bhaga, a miniature of a traditional house representing the first female ancestor will be at the center of the rituals.
Rites related to Reba actually already started one week before the actual festival. Some pre-ceremonial rituals as the initiation of Reba, like Paki Sobhi (comb making), a thirteen-rowed comb made of thin bamboo believed to prevent the village from wind or storm, and Bui Loka, a ceremony meant to clean the Loka or Lanu--structured stones where the blood of the offered animals is spilled on, both rituals are held at the outskirts of the village.
In general, Reba in Bena is performed in the following stages:
Dheke Reba is the initial stage where materials or ceremonial instruments including animals to offer such as pigs, dogs and chicken are collected. The collection process called Ngapa is done by the members of the clans (Woe). At this stage, Kobe Dheke is the gathering where all attending participants discuss about the work to be done, problems, and observations to each member of the family. The discussion is usually held in Teda One, the main house of the Ngadanese. The night will be closed with a communal dinner called ‘Ka Maki Reba’.
Sedo Uwi is the day when all members of the village proudly dress up in their best traditional costume and dance together. Songs telling stories adoring the yam, a typical staple food in their olden days, accompany the dancing. ‘O Uwi’ meaning “oh yam” is sung many times during the song. The ceremonial dancing is commonly done the day after the first night of Reba. In this special occasion, the cheers are shared to all including any visitors who are encouraged to participate in the amusing dance.
Kobe Dho’I is claimed to be the most expressive part of the ongoing Reba ceremony when people of the village invite relatives from other villages or any outside traveler to enjoy meals served in the house.
Su’i Uwi is the most sacred ritual in Reba where the Tua Adat (the elderly chief) cuts a yam and recite poetic verses telling an ancient story of their ancestor’s journey from a land called ‘One Sina’ that has long been interpreted by some anthropologists as China. They had sailed across oceans and hiked mountains, then migrated through Java, Bima, Sumba and then on to the north until they arrive in Ngadha. Yam is adorned in many lines of the verses as their ancestors’ staple food.
Rora Wuki Uwi or throwing out the yam peels at the village’s backyard closes the festival of Reba.
If you wish to experience this inspiring and rich-of-Florinese culture festival, Reba, please circle these important dates:
• 1 January 2011, in Gurusina, 4 km South of Bena, (Lat: 8°53'44.18"S, Long: 120°59'24.68"E)
• 15 January 2011, in Langa, 8 km North of Bena (Lat: 8°49'34.91"S, Long: 120°57'49.19"E)
Other villages such as Nage in Jerebu’u, Wogo in Golewa, and Beiposo in Bajawa will also hold Reba in January, while Deru in Jerebu’u, Ruto in Aimere, Turekisa in will do Reba in February. It is recommended to dress up politely if you wish to participate. Even though not obligatory, it is advisable to wear Ngada traditional costume especially during the sacred ritual procession.
Source: http://www.florestourism.com/newsletter/

Flores Island

F L O R E S ISLAND

Flores island, the exotic place least visited by the foreigner. It is worth to visit the destination.
It has strong ethnic touch with typical tribal work of civilization, more people still influenced by the animistic beliefs. The nature settings are so beautiful, there are soaring volcanoes, colored crater lakes, forests, beautiful sea gardens with white sands beaches, and prehistoric Giant animals too.
Flores is a big, rugged remarkably beautiful island .Dominated by a string of volcanes, the long impenetrable terrain has divided the island into many distinct ethnic groups. There are interesting cultures here, with layers of traditional beliefs beneath the prevalent Christianity.

History
Flores owes its name to the Portuguese, who called its eastern most Cape Cabo Das Flores, meaning Cape of Flowers. The island diverse cultures have enough similarities to suggest that they developed from common ancestry, differentialed by geographical isolation and varying influence of outsiders. Long before Europeans arrived in the 16 century, much of coastal Flores was firmly in the hands of the Makasarnese and Bugis from southern Celebes ( Sulawesi ).
As early 1512, Flores was sighted by the Portuguese navigator Antonio de Abreu and Europeans had probably landed by 1550. The Portuguese involved in the lucrative Sandalwood trade with Timor, built Fortresses on Pulau Solor ( Solor island ) eastern of flores island .and at Pulau Ende ( Ende island ) south coast of central of Flores. In 1561 Dominican Priests established a mission on Pulau Solor. Christianity was a successful import and today a church is the centerpiece of almost every village.In the 17 century, the Dutch kicked the Portuguese out of flores. Ternate and Gowa ( a part of Molluceas island ) also ceded all their rights on Solor, Flores and eastern Sumbawa to the Dutch, giving them nominal control, but it was too complex and isolated to rule effectively. Around 1850 the Dutch purchased Portugal’s remaining enclaves in the area, including Larantuka , Sikka and Paga. Even into the first decade of the 20th century, the Dutch were constantly confronted with rebellions and inter – tribal wars. Unrest continued until a major military campaign in 1907 subdued most of the tribes of central and western Flores. Missionaries moved into the isolated western hills in the 1920’s.
Flores is holding its breath for provincial statues . This will be a huge development for the island, as it is currently under the jurisdiction of Kupang and the Nusa Tenggara Timor ( NTT ) government and has only limited control over its affairs.


Geography
The island’s turbulent volcanic past has left a complicated relief of V – shaped valleys, knife edged ridges, and a collection of active and extinct volcanoes.
One of the finest volcanoes is the caldera of Kelimutu in Central Flores, with its three colored lakes. There are 14 active volcanoes in Flores. Only Java and Sumatera have more. The central mountains slope gently to the volcanoes plunge steeply into the sea.
In the island is part of one of the worlds most geologically unstable zones, and earthquakes and tremors hit every year. In December 1992 an earthquake measuring 6,8 on the Richter scale, and then massive tidal wave that followed it, killed around 3000 people in eastern Flores and Flattened much of Maumere.The rugged terrain makes road construction difficult, although Flores is only about 375 km long, its main east – west roads winds, twists, ascends and descends for nearly 710 km – that is almost 2 – for – 1.

Climate
The rainy season ( November to March ) is more intense in western Flores, which receives the brunt of the north – Flores highest peak ( The 2400mGunung Ranaka ), gets an average of 3350mm of rain every year. But Ende , Maumere, have only 1140mm and Larantuka recevest 770mm.

Batu Cermin Cave is five kilometers from the town of Labuanbajo. It can be reached partly by car, and partly on foot. The grotto is 75 by 75 meters large, and contains stalactites and stalagmites. Some tunnels are narrow and dark but in others sunlight falls.

Religion
Around 85% of the people are Catholic but in rural areas particularly, Christianity is divided onto traditional beliefs. Animistic rituals are still important here for a variety of Occasions, ranging from birth, marriage, and death to the building of new houses, or to mark important points in the agricultural cycle. Even educated, English – speaking Florinese still admit to the odd chicken, pig ,or buffalo sacrifice to keep their ancestors happy when rice is planted or a new field opened up. In former times, it took more then animal blood to keep the Gods and spirits friendly, there are persistent tales of children or virgin girls being sacrificed. Muslims tend to congregate in the coastal towns such as Ende where they make up half population.

Administration
Flores is part of the East Nusa Tenggara province. The island is split into eight regencies (local government districts); from west to east these are: West Manggarai,Manggarai,east Manggarai, Ngada, Nagekeo, Ende, Sikka and Flores Timur.

Tourism
The most famous tourist attraction in Flores is Kelimutu; three coloured lakes in the district of Ende. These coloured lakes change colours on a regular basis. The latest colours (late 2004) were said to be turquoise, brown and black.
There is good snorkelling and diving on several locations along the north coast of Flores, most notably Maumere and Riung. However, due to the destructive practice of local fishermen using bombs to fish, and locals selling shells to tourists, the reefs are slowly being destroyed.
West Flores is also the best place for eco tours, trekking, hiking, and birds watching.
(More info and tours Package)