4 picturesque reasons to visit Maumere in Flores

Most people visit Indonesia’s Flores Island to go to Komodo and see the Komodo Dragons, but if you can spare more time beyond a long weekend getaway, Maumere on the eastern side of the island is definitely another spot worth checking out. Prep your cameras, here’s why you need to visit Maumere:

The brilliantly coloured Kelimutu Crater Lakes

Ende Kelimutu Green Sunrise — Sunrise over Kelimutu

Ende Kelimutu Blue Ridge — The colours are pretty unreal looking

You can fly into Ende to get to the lakes, but Maumere also has an airport, and may be a viable option if you want to head to Sikka Village or other arts of Maumere first – check on Skyscanner how to fly into Maumere.

Read all about my Kelimutu Crater Lake experience.

Beautiful pristine Koka Beach

You know that feeling you get when you unwittingly stumble into the most amazing place ever? That’s a little bit of what I felt when we ended up on Koka Beach. Located about an hour each way between Ende and Maumere, this perfect piece of paradise was surprisingly quiet with only another couple of tourists around. We had the entire place to ourselves most of the time.

Flores Koka Beach Pano — Look at that amazing cove – there’s another cove to the left of this one!

Flores Koka Beach Coconut — Beautiful fine white sand and coconuts = perfect afternoon by the beach

Flores Koka Beach Water Me — Perfect blue and crystal clear waters

Flores Koka Beach Water Clear — Look how clear that water is!

Sikka Village traditional weaving

For something a little more traditional, head over to the Sikka region to see their women do some traditional Ikat weaving. Each piece is individually hand-dyed and painstakingly handwoven, which can take years to complete! Just watching them at work makes you appreciate these handcrafts so much more!

Flores Maumere Sikka Church — The Old Church in Sikka Village. We had to duck in there as it started pouring down – lovely but quaint little church

Flores Maumere Sikka Weaving — She’s got a long, long way to go to complete that piece!

Behold, the Mother of All Nations

Head into the hills of Maumere to visit the Mother of All Nations (Bunda Segala Bangsa) to check out the giant Mother Mary statue on the hill. They hold religious services here on special occasions, but otherwise, it’s usually open to the public to come and visit. Impressive statue aside, you get a great bird’s eye view of surrounding Maumere and Flores below you. You’ll know you’re headed the right way as you will pass by several smaller dioramas of Catholic scenes along the way up! The spot is about an hour’s drive from Sikka Village.

Flores Maumere Mother Mary — The giant Mother Mary statue watching over Maumere

Flores Maumere Mother Mary Wefie — Gotta wefie with Mother Mary thanks to Casio’s super wide angle Exilim FR100

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Where to stay in Maumere

Coconut Garden was an absolutely beautiful resort. A spacious room with a large bed (a mosquito net and air conditioning! Full glass panels lets you admire the view while staying cool) and an open air bathroom in the back.

More about Coconut Garden on booking.com [affiliate link]