LOMBOK TO FLORES – 4 DAY BOAT TRIP

BOOKING THE BOAT TRIP FROM LOMBOK TO FLORES

After spending a week on Gili Air we were heading to Flores and what better way to get there than spend 4 days on a boat!

There were plenty of places on Gili Air where you could book such a trip, so we shopped around and bartered as best we could.

The boat trip is a 4 day, 3 night affair and there are two options to choose from:

1. Stay on deck with all the other travellers, lying next to each other in close quarters
2. Book a private cabin

We opted for the private cabin option as, although maybe a little less sociable, if you’re going to be on the boat for 3 nights you might want a bit more comfort and privacy.

The costs between the two aren’t wildly different either.

The place we booked from advertised the deck option at 1.8m Rupiah per person (approx. £105) and the private cabin for 2.5m Rupiah per person (approx. £145).

Also, the information they showed us mentioned that the entrance fees to the national parks that we would visit wouldn’t be included.

After some ‘grade-A’ haggling I managed to negotiate a cabin for 2.2m each and have the entrance fees included. Boom!

TIPS!

If you’re looking to book this trip, then there’s a few things you should bear in mind:

• If you suffer from travel sickness, make sure you have medication to help. It can get really, really rocky.
• There’s 3 meals a day included, but it helps to have some snacks. Sometimes I was too seasick to eat. Make sure you buy or order some up in Lombok, before boarding the boat as there will be no other chances.
• Book a cabin if you can afford it. You’ll thank me for it.
• Bring wetwipes. There’s no showering or washing facilities.
• Plenty of sun tan lotion required. You’ll want to spend a lot of time on deck under the blazing sun.
• Bring a towel.
• Bring your own snorkelling gear if you can. There’s equipment on board, but it’s limited and of varying degrees of quality!

Ok now that’s covered, how was the trip? Here goes…

SETTING OFF

We packed up our things and headed to the dock on Gili Air, where we got a boat back over to Lombok.

Once at Lombok we waited at a cafe until our transport came to pick us up. While there we were given the chance to purchase food and booze which would delivered onto the boat for us. There’s not really any other chance to get hold of booze (apart from the occasional small boat which will row over to you to try and sell some of their wares when you’re at some of the more touristy stops), so I’d suggest stocking up!

We jumped into our minibus, which took a couple of hours to arrive port on the East side of the island, where we would meet our home for the next 4 days.

The boat was loaded up and we jumped on board and settled into our cabin.

The cabin was pretty basic – a mattress, a few pillows, a fan, and an LED light.

It was decidedly more comfortable than the alternative though.

DAY 1 – “WE ARE SAILING…”

We didn’t set sail until early afternoon and the first day was pretty much all sailing, as we travelled East towards Moyo Island. There was one stop to jump off the boat and take a swim in the beautiful waters though, which we made the most of.

Throughout the day, the views from the boat were fantastic and watching the sunset from the deck as we sailed along was amazing.

Here’s some pics from day 1 on the boat:

The waters were relatively calm on the first night and lying in bed while the boat was sailing along was a unique experience and it was surprisingly easy to fall asleep.

DAY 2 – MOYO WATERFALL, MORE SAILING, CHOPPY WATERS

I awoke; the boat was still sailing. I got up and dragged myself out of the cabin to see the sunrise over the ocean, which was an incredibly peaceful sight.

After a couple of hours more sailing we reached Moyo Island. A perfectly peaceful spot, with calm, clear waters.

We jumped off the boat and swam to the shore, enjoying the cool calm waters for a few minutes.

We were here to do a short jungle hike to a waterfall which we could climb, to a cool freshwater pool at the top.

The climb was quite daunting and I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to manage it unscathed, but the rocks surprisingly had a lot of grip.

At the top was a large pool, which ran off down to the waterfall, which we spent a while swimming in. Much needed after the climb.

There was also a rope-swing here and most got involved swinging into the water; some even jumping out of surrounding trees into the pool.

I didn’t have my camera for this part, but here’s a couple of snaps from the GoPro:

The climb down was even more difficult and there were a lot of anxious faces on show. We all made it back to the boat in one piece though!

Back on the boat, we had lunch and sailed onwards.

We’d be sailing for the rest of the day and this was prime time to catch some sun and sink a few Bintangs on the deck!

Here’s a few more shots from day 2 on the boat:

Although this looks really peaceful, during the second night we experienced some ridiculously choppy waters. Having dinner was almost impossible, as the boat rocked relentlessly back and forth and I fought hard not to be sick.

Not the best night’s sleep either as the storm got even more ferocious as the night went on, but it was quite exhilarating to be on deck in these conditions.

All’s well that ends well though. We all survived, and onto day 3!

DAY 3 – GILI LABA, MANTA POINT, PINK BEACH

After a choppy night, we awoke to much calmer waters and bright blue sky.

GILI LABA ISLAND

After breakfast we dropped anchor at Gili Laba island and boarded the small boat which took us to shore here.

There was a beautiful bay area here, but to really take in its beauty there was a steep hike up!

It might look deceiving from the photo, but this hike was intense, even under the early morning sun.

The hike took 20-30 minutes and it was so worth it. The views were spectacular.

Here’s a few shots from the hike up.

Once at the top, there were more breathtaking views.

After sitting up here for a few minutes and taking in the stunning views, we took the long meandering hike back down towards the bay. You can see the path we took back up and around on the left side of the picture below.

Here’s a load more from the hike down towards the bay. You may get bored of too many snaps here, but I certainly didn’t get bored taking them.

MANTA POINT

Upon leaving Gili Laba, we got back onto the boat and made our way to ‘Manta Point’ where we could snorkel with the hope of seeing Manta Rays.

When the boat arrived at the spot, everyone was eagle-eyed, looking out for these creatures below the water so that we could jump in and catch a glimpse.

We saw a couple after a few minutes and jumped in hoping to swim near them.

Unfortunately I was one of the last to the snorkelling equipment and ended up with a horrendous mask and snorkel.

Seconds after jumping in the water my snorkel had disappeared, so I was forced to hunt manta rays with only a leaky mask.

I did manage to spot some though. These things were massive!

I obviously didn’t have my camera with me, but I did manage to capture some footage which you can see on the later video.

Quite a sight! Just a shame I couldn’t breathe.

PINK BEACH

The final stop on this epic day was ‘Pink Beach’, named so because the sand has a pink tinge to it, due to the red coral in the water, which when eroded gets mixed in with the sand, creating a pink hue.

This was also another great snorkelling spot and once again I had an appalling mask and snorkel, so I didn’t get to see too much. What I did see was pretty impressive though!

After snorkelling for a while I relaxed on the beach until our small passenger boat came and took us back to the main boat.

We sailed for another few hours until we reached Kalong Island, where we stopped for the night.

The sky was incredibly clear and I sat out on deck, drinking a few Bintangs and looking at the stars. More stars than I’d ever seen before. Enchanting!

Onto the final day…

DAY 4 – KOMODO DRAGONS AND ARRIVING IN LABUAN BAJO

Now this is what I was looking forward to; seeing Komodo dragons up close and personal in the only area of the world that these critters exist.

We got up, had breakfast and set sail for Komodo island.

KOMODO ISLAND

Once we arrived at the docking point of Komodo island, we disembarked and made our way to the entrance of the park. It felt like visiting Jurassic park.

Holly couldn’t contain her excitement

We had a briefing from one of the tour guides here, before we set off to try and find the dragons.

We were told that we certainly weren’t guaranteed to see them and that as it was mating season for them, they do tend to hide away.

Fortunately for us though, they came out to play.

Komodo dragons are cold-blooded, so they were really lethargic in the early morning, soaking up the sun before you’d see them prowl around.

Incredible looking creatures. A sort of cross between a lizard and a crocodile.

They look slow, but apparently they run at up to 20kph. They also have a unique bacteria in their mouth which, if they bite, will slowly kill you over a period of a couple of weeks. The only chance of survival is amputation of the affected limb. Better hope you don’t get bitten in the face!

Lovely creatures.

Given this information I shouldn’t have gotten too close, but I needed to take some pics of these guys, so I got as close as I could while remaining on the back foot.

We also came across this cobra which had captured a gecko and was squeezing it to death. Apparently it was a very poisonous snake, but as it was distracted with its prey I thought I’d get close for a snap!

Moving on we were lucky enough to see a few more dragons and they were waking up a little more this time. Check out that forked tongue!

RINCA ISLAND

We left Komodo Island and sailed a little further to another island – Rinca Island, where we would have a chance to see more Komodo dragons.

When we got close to the island, we took the small boat to the docking area.

This island had much less dense forestry and even felt a bit like a desert wasteland.

None more so than when we were greeted by this collection of buffalo skulls!

We didn’t see so many dragons here, but we did bump into this family of them.

On Rinca island we were also able to hike up into the savannah, overlooking the bay area.

Some quite epic sights.

The all-important stick to ward off troublesome dragons

HEADING TO DRY LAND

Rinca Island was the last stop on the trip. We boarded the boat and set sail for Labuan Bajo, Flores.

After an hour or so we arrived and, jelly-legged, we stumbled off the boat and onto dry land.

The trip overall had been nothing short of spectacular, but it’s not all ‘plain sailing’.

We suffered a fair amount of cabin fever, being confined to the boat for 4 days and the choppy waters and lack of cleaning facilities did take its toll.

I’d recommend the trip though. The sense of adventure was immense, but I’m not sure I’d hurry back to spend 4 days on a boat!

I can’t imagine a better way of seeing some of the highlights of Indonesia though and I’m so glad that I did this.

VIDEO DIARY

FLORES

Now that we’d arrived in Flores, we had ten days here, before we’d be jetting off again.

Follow the journey with the next post from Flores!

Any thoughts / comments / questions, please post them in the comments section below!