Category Archives: Flores

kelimutu mountain

Kelimutu Mountain, Indonesia

Leave a reply

Are you a great hiker? Or are you a traveler who interested in adventuring mountains? If you are both of them, then you should not miss this great mountain in Indonesia, Kelimutu Mountain. This Mountain is located in province of Nusa Tenggara Timur. Kelimutu Mountain is one of the active volcanoes in Indonesia that lies in Pemo Village, Ende Regency, Flores Island. The mountain that has the height of more than 1600 meters is well popular for its three lakes located on its top. The lakes are unique as they came in different colors; red, blue and white. These three lakes are well known as Danau Tiga Warna, which means the three colors lake. However, the three lakes do not appear in the colors of red, blue, and white only, they can also appear in any other colors as the time goes by.

Kelimutu Mountain is the main volcano in Flores Island that is full of uniqueness and splendid views. Besides it has the spectacular beauty of the three lakes of Danau Tiga Warna, the mountain that is also called Kelimutu Tiwu Telu by the local villagers is considered sacred and has received a blessing from the God that gives fertility to the surrounding regions. Moreover, Kelimutu Mountain has also become a national park surrounded by lush forest with many kinds of rare plants such as Kayu Merah and Edelweis, rare fauna such as giant rat and some kinds of birds.

To get to the Kelimutu Mountain, you can take a 2-hour riding by car from Ende to Moni Village. You can use a rented car from there. Most visitors who want to climb Kelimutu stay in Moni Village. Do not worry, there are many hotels built in this village, so you can stay here for a while before continuing your journey to the top of Kelimutu Mountain. If you are a sunrise hunter, then you have to wake up at 4 am in the next morning, to continue climbing to the top of the mountain. Climbing Kelimutu Mountain will not be as hard as climbing Mountain Rinjani in Lombok. However, the cold air will be a challenge for those who love natural sights. Besides that, the distance between the village and the top of the mountain is about 13 km, which will definitely increase the challenge of climbing the mountain. Therefore, make sure you are well prepared with perfect stamina before climbing to the top. At dawn, the amazing beauty of Danau Tiga Warna blends with the spectacular view of the sun rising. The mist and the cold air give another exclusive experience to the tourist arriving at the top of Kelimutu Mountain. It takes some hours until the sun exalts to get a perfect view of the beautiful three lakes of Kelimutu.

Kelimutu is definitely an amazing mountain in Eastern part of Indonesia. The different three colors of Danau Tiga Warna become a special attraction there. Besides that, to support the attraction, the local villagers around Kelimutu have built a number of hotels, handicraft centers, culinary tourism centers, and many other attractive places. If you are a true hiker, visiting Kelimutu Mountain and enjoying the great views of sunrise as well as Danau Tiga Warna are good challenges to accept. Are you brave enough?

image source: http://www.travelyourassoff.com/2011/08/kelimutu-national-park-flores-indonesia.html

komodo island

Travel to Komodo Island

Leave a reply

Komodo is an Indonesian island home to approximately 2,000 people who are mostly descendants of former convicts once exiled here. The island which covers an area of 390km² is part of Komodo National Park and is especially known for its native Komodo dragon – the world’s largest living lizard! For centuries, a local tradition required feeding the dragons by leaving deer parts behind after a hunt or by sacrificing goats. In the past, the practice maintained a friendly relationship with the animals, which can live for more than 50 years and recognize individual humans. Ancient taboos strictly forbid harming the komodo, which is why they survived here but became extinct elsewhere. Are you ready to travel to Komodo Island?

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is an endangered species which can only be found in the Komodo National Park (KNP) in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). Because of the unique and rare nature of this animal, KNP was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986—no wonder you are so excited to travel to the Komodo island, are you?

The Park includes three major islands, Komodo, Rinca and Padar, and numerous smaller islands together totaling 603 km2 of land. The total size of Komodo National Park is presently 1,817 km2. Proposed extensions of 25 km2 of land (Banta Island) and 479 km2 of marine waters would bring the total surface area up to 2,321 km2 where At least 2500 Komodos live in this area.

Travel to Komodo island means you can see and do many things here. It is amazing to see Komodo dragons up close in their native habitat. On Rinca Island, you can see Komodos lying down outside the homes of national park rangers, or “parking” near the officials’ homes. Previously, to find one, you had to “offer” a goat to attract the Komodo, but now this practice is no longer allowed. If you don’t see a dragon, Rinca and Komodo have beautiful sceneries with white beaches, mangroves, savannas and blue waters.  During the dry season, these savannas and hills have dried grasses. In this area, you can also find horses, wild buffalo, deer, wild boar, snakes, monkeys, and various types of birds.

KNP has a rich and amazing underwater sea biotical. Divers claim that Komodo waters are one of the best diving sites in the world. It has fascinating underwater scenery. You can find 385 species of beautiful corals, mangrove forests, and seaweeds as a home for thousands of fish species, 70 types of sponges, 10 types of dolphins, 6 types of whales, green turtles and various types of sharks and stingrays. You can also engage in other activities such as take a cruise ship or fishermen’s boat in the pursuit of these activities. There are diving points highly recommended to visit which include Merah Beach, and Batu Bolong and Tatawa islands. If you want to see thousands of bats, you can stay overnight in a motorboat on Kalong Island waters (near Rinca Island). Enjoy!