While millions of visitors crowd Bali's beaches each year, just a short flight east lies Flores—an island of smoking volcanoes, technicolor crater lakes, and traditional villages where ancient animist beliefs still blend with Catholicism brought by Portuguese traders.
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The boat cuts through water so clear it seems an optical illusion. My guide, Johannes, points suddenly to our left.
"Manta," he says quietly.
Within seconds, a massive shadow passes beneath us, its wingspan stretching wider than our small wooden vessel. Here in the protected waters between Flores and Komodo National Park, these gentle giants gather in numbers rarely seen elsewhere in Asia.
Flores exists in that perfect moment of travel development — accessible enough to reach comfortably yet still operating on its own terms rather than those designed to attract throngs of tourists.
The island takes its name from Portuguese traders who, upon seeing the lush landscape, called it "Cabo de Flores" (Cape of Flowers). Yet despite this centuries-old contact with outside worlds, distinct cultural identities remain powerfully intact across its mountainous spine.
In the hillside village of Wae Rebo, accessible only by a three-hour hike through cloud forest, seven massive conical houses with soaring thatched roofs stand in a perfect circle.
These mbaru niang homes—looking somewhere between mushrooms and spacecraft—house multiple families under shared roofs that reach five stories high.
"The bottom level is for people, the middle for food storage, and the top for spirits," explains elder Marselinus Ardi, who welcomes visitors to stay overnight in the ancestral home his community has rebuilt using the same techniques their ancestors used centuries ago.
The island's most famous attraction remains the tri-colored crater lakes of Kelimutu—three deep pools sitting side by side atop a volcano, each a different vivid color that changes unpredictably throughout the year.
Local belief holds that these lakes contain the souls of the dead—black for elders, turquoise for the young, and currently reddish-brown for the troubled souls. We arrive at dawn, when first light reveals not just the lakes but a panorama stretching to the sea. Unlike Bali's crowded sunset points, I share this spectacular daybreak with just four other travelers.
About
Ayana
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Nestled amongst lush trees on the remote island of Flores in Indonesia, Ayana is a homegrown brand on a mission to bring you authentic travel experiences in rarely seen, rarely heard of places across Indonesia. Founded in 2008, Ayana's luxurious accommodation provides you the perfect launching point to start your off-the-beaten path journey in the tropics.
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