Why you should visit Flores instead of Bali
Last updated May 7th, 2025
Think of Indonesia and most likely one of the top places to come to mind is Bali. It’s a popular destination especially for Singaporeans as many flights go there and it is relatively easy and cheap for a weekend getaway – at one point I visited Bali 5 times in the span of 4 years. But the Indonesian archipelago is made up of more than 17,000 islands and there’s so much more to Indonesia than just Bali. I had the chance to visit East Nusa Tenggara, home to the islands of Flores and Komodo, and here’s why you should make Flores your next holiday destination.
Pristine islands galore
Why get stuck in a jam with the rush hour crowd in Bali’s Denpasar when you can have your pick of wild and mostly uninhabited islands around Flores to explore? There are numerous small green and brown islands in East Nusa Tenggara to explore – Padar Island is just over an hour’s ride by boat from Labuan Bajo where you can hike up to this amazing view of three different coloured beaches, or see Komodo Island, home to the legendary Komodo Dragons.
Plan your trip with my 4D3N long weekend Labuan Bajo itinerary
Uncrowded multi-coloured beaches
Skip the touts and hordes of Kuta and Seminyak for the quiet, clean and serene beaches of Flores. Pick from white sandy beaches like Koka Beach, a hidden cove between Ende and Maumere, or watch the sun go down as you stroll across black sand in Labuan Bajo. You can even find yourself on a beautiful Pink Beach in Komodo National Park thanks to the presence of red coral bits in the water.
More about the sights of Ende and Maumere in eastern Flores
Real life dragons
You’ll mostly be dodging thieving monkeys in Ubud and Uluwatu, but Flores is the main base for you to get to Komodo National Park, home to the incredibly rare Komodo Dragons and a must-visit for those looking to tick the boxes on a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a new natural seven world wonder. You can get up close and personal with these lofty lizards on either Komodo or Rinca Island.
Read more about visiting Komodo National Park
Wondrous volcanic activity
Mount Batur in Bali makes for a great sunrise view, but head to Kelimutu National Park in central Flores and watch as the rising sun lights up 3 distinctly coloured lakes that change hue any given day. The tri-coloured lakes are a short 30-minute hike up some stone stairs, a small price to pay for an enchanting vista of rolling clouds over this unusual natural phenomenon.
Learn more about visiting the iconic Kelimutu Crater Lakes
Amazing scuba diving
I’ve logged over 100 dives to date but I have to say that the scuba dive sites that we visited in Komodo National Park have some of the richest marine life that I’ve seen – diving in Batu Bolong is like swimming in an aquarium with the sheer amount of fishes you can see! Thanks to The Blonde Abroad who shot, edited and shared this amazing video clip of our dive adventure – see it on instagram here.
Click here for why you need to go scuba diving in Komodo
Direct flight from Singapore to Labuan Bajo
I had to transit in Bali and Jakarta from Singapore in the past, but now Jetstar has opened up a new direct flight between Singapore and Labuan Bajo that takes just 3 hours~ it’s so much easier to get to than before, and that’s another reason to check out Flores instead!
There are 3 airport options in Flores that you can fly to see the major sights:
- Labuan Bajo – west Flores, close to Komodo National Park
- Ende – close to Kelimutu National Park
- Maumere – slightly closer to Koka Beach and Sikka Weaving Community
If you’re planning a long weekend trip, Labuan Bajo is a great easy option. For anything longer, you may need to do a domestic flight to get to the eastern end of Flores where Ende and Maumere are located.
Go here for more posts on Flores and Komodo, or check out other parts of Indonesia that I’ve visited.
Hiya, I loved your blog about Flores. I am planning a trip to Flores in January and was wondering wheather you can recommend a tour operator for Komodo island trips?
Thank you
Kat
Hi Katrin – check in with my friend Tina at instagram.com/eastrip – her contact details are all there. I met her on this trip to Flores and she as one of the people who helped planned the trip, and she offers planning services for Komodo which she can customise to your needs :)
Hi!
A GREAT info here .. Thanks for it
Now would like to know what do you think about flying to Flores from Bali.
Is is saftly ? I will fly by Nam Air and I am so afraid of it after reading many comments about them .
Well I will do a long trip beeing there and have to fly to Labuan Bajo and back to Bali from Maumere .
Did you hear some bad news about Nam Air?
Hi Elisabeth, I flew via Wings so I’m not sure about NAM Air, so all I know about it is probably whatever you can google which I’m sure you’ve done so already. If it helps, it’s a short flight so it’ll be over quickly :P
Hi Jaclynn,
Amazing pictures and well-written!
Labuan Bajo is a must-go nowadays.
May I know is it good to travel with motorbike? The roads are not developed yet, I reckon?
I like to arrange the trip by myself, not going with tour, or is it better with tour since it’s not yet developed?
Thank you in advance :-)
Thanks Vania! Well the local people get around on motorbike, but you are right in that the roads aren’t always the most well-paved. I’ve not tried it for myself though I do remember reading about other people doing something similar online!
For things like Komodo park you probably need to be in a tour group otherwise renting a boat on your own, park entrance fees etc would be quite expensive! You can probably book a day tour in Labuan Bajo directly. For the rest it’s mostly about arranging your own transport :)
Hi! Can you recommend a tour to go? Im going there alone :)
Hi Kelly – contact my friend Tina! Find her on instagram @eastrip instagram.com/eastrip – her contact details are there, you can whatsapp or email her and she can help you arrange stuff according to your budget! Look at my other Flores posts because I think I included her details in there too :)
Yes, yes, yes Flores over Bali!
Well captured Jaclynn. Flores was just amazing. Let’s plan another outing soon and this time, I will dive with you. :)
Yay more diving! :)
Flores looks so beautiful! definitely adding this to my to-visit list.
definitely go there! :)
Seriously, what an amazing post Jac! Now you put us all to the test, I was expecting a simple article but you went ahead and nailed it! I have to say – Well done! Thanks for featuring me and the clan too and look forward to traveling with you again, hopefully around Indonesia too.
heh you’re too kind David! I look forward to seeing you again on my future travels – let’s dive Komodo again! :)