Bali, Flores and Komodo

This trip was all about seeing Komodo Dragons. Except that is not quite true... It was also about an early adulthood fixation with the novels and short stories of Joseph Conrad, still my candidate for the greatest prose writer (although certainly not the easiest) in the English language. Call this my Victory tour. And to a lesser extent, it was about a fascination with volcanoes. Anyway, I decided I wanted to visit S. E. Asia for the first time. So why not go and see what I had always wanted to see, the Komodo Dragons? I could fly to Bali and then arrange a local tour from there to Komodo National Park. I looked some of these up on the web and they seemed (a) very expensive and (b) rather cursory. Instead, therefore, I decided to book another Explore tour as it seemed to proffer a more generous amount of time in Komodo National Park and a thorough examination of the off-the-beaten-track island of Flores. Clearly, I am very conscious of not wanting this website to become “what I did on my holidays” but I think that people may be interested in my observations about the organised tour, while I did have 6 days of independent backpacking at the end of my trip around Bali with, as ever, my trusty walking boots on my feet. (In fact, I intended to cross over to Lombok and climb Mount Rinjani but it erupted while I was in Indonesia!)

Costs. Bali flight £470. Explore tour £1582 (including single room supplement and credit card fees – boo!). Tips (in essence, compulsory because of the organised nature of the tour...) £45. Bedugul hotel (B&B) £32 per night. Munduk guesthouse (B&B) £18 per night. Ubud hotel (B&B) £28 per night. Glasgow–Edinburgh Airport bus (return) £18.60. Sanur–Bedugul Uber £12.50. Bedugul–Munduk private shuttle £12. Munduk–Ubud private shuttle (shared 3 ways) £12. Ubud–Denpasar Airport Uber £9. Typical evening meal with beer £4–£9. Total cost of trip £2500.

Places I stayed and was happy with. CLV Hotel & Villa, Bedugul (Days 14 and 15, Read my review); Geriya Siena, Munduk (Days 16 and 17, Read my review); Puri Padma Hotel, Ubud (Days 18 and 19, Read my review).

Day 1: Travel to Doha, Qatar. Left home at 12.20 pm and caught the bus, first into Glasgow and then on to Edinburgh Airport, arriving 2.20 pm. Boarded flight at 3.30 pm. Left gate at 4.10 pm, 15 min early. This was my first flight on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and I noted that the cabin was very light, thanks to the large windows. Good chicken dinner + white wine + coffee + cognac. Landed about 12.40 am local time (~6 h 30 min flight).

Day 2: Travel to Ubud, Bali. I had a 7-h stopover in Doha and the time somehow passed, if not very comfortably. My Bali flight took off on time at 8.00 am local time. Landed at Denpasar, Bali at 11 pm local time (~10 h flight). My booked private shuttle was late to collect me and I was greatly hassled by the waiting hordes of taxi drivers ("Taxi, boss?"). Reached my very nice hotel in Ubud about 1 am.

Day 3: Day in Ubud. Slept well, somewhat surprisingly. Breakfast about 9.15 am. Walked into Ubud, passing a water monitor lizard in the hotel grounds. Changed £100 for IDR 1,690,000. Went round "Monkey Forest". Bought some provisions and came back to hotel about 1.20 pm. Then it rained very heavily. Went to 6 pm tour meeting but little was said; two or three more people are due to arrive later this evening and we will have another meeting at 7.30 am tomorrow. Then the 9 of us already here, plus our tour guide P, went for dinner in the hotel at 7 pm.

Day 4: Tour around Ubud. Went to the 7.30 am tour meeting and then breakfast. Left hotel at 9.30 am. Changed another £30 for IDR 508,000. Went to a child-free school/orphanage (it was Sunday), watched some religious offerings being made, and had an early lunch. Then we went to some rock-cut tombs dating from what I thought our local guide said was the "elephant century" (= “eleventh century”) and, subsequently, a large temple. Got back to hotel about 4.15 pm. Went out for dinner in the village at 6 pm so that people could drink (the hotel was alcohol free).

Day 5: Fly to Ende, Flores; tour bus to Kelimutu. Got up at 3.40 am. Bus left hotel at 4.30 am and reached Denpasar airport about 5.20 am – far too early; we could have had another hour in bed! Flight left at 7.30 am. The plane (an ATR 72) was brand new and the in-flight service was amazing! Landed at Komodo airport on Flores for, maybe, 20 min and then we continued to Ende, Flores arriving about 10 am. Got on bus and left airport at 10.45 am; waited in queue for roadworks about 30 min. Arrived at basic “eco” hotel near Kelimutu at 1.20 pm. Shower then lunch. Then walked along road for a bit with the others. Snooze, another shower, then dinner at 7 pm. Bed at 8.50 pm.

Day 6: Kelimutu National Park and around. Got up at 3.40 am again... Bus left hotel at 4 am and took us to Kelimutu National Park. Started walking about 5 am and reached volcanic craters about 5.40 am. Good views but, because of cloud, there was no real sunrise. Stayed until 7 am and we started to descend. Then the sun came out and I saw for the first time that the National Park was beautiful. But we could not stop in the National Park as we were returning to the hotel for breakfast!!! Got back to hotel about 8.20 am and had breakfast. I told P that I was very, very disappointed by the trip to the Park. Why did we have to visit in darkness? For "the sunrise experience"? (See Kinabalu, Bromo, Batur, Rinjani, Kilimanjaro, etc., etc.) And why did we have to leave as soon as the sun came out? When will this stupid “experience” nonsense stop? After breakfast, I photo-hunted some dragonflies in the hotel gardens and then had a shower. At 12 noon it was lunch, after which we walked to a rather simple and pleasant village and then on to a waterfall. We got on the bus, which was waiting for us, and it took us to a second waterfall, which we had seen that morning. We walked to that waterfall and then back to the bus which brought us back to the hotel at about 4.30 pm. Shower and then dinner at 7 pm.

Day 7: Tour bus to Bajawa. Today, it was light before I had to get up! Hurrah! Breakfast at 7.30 am and then departure from the hotel at 8.05 am. Looked at vegetable market and saw wonderful red-winged dragonflies in a ditch by the roadside. Reached the roadworks at about 9.40 am and had to wait until 10.05 am before they reopened. Back in Ende, we visited the supermarket, picked up an icebox from the bus garage, collected our sandwiches, and filled up with diesel; yawn. Drove about another hour along the coast to have our "idyllic picnic on the green pebble beach". What a farce! A complete lack of any local knowledge on display. Then we continued until it was nearly 5 pm and we were entering Bajawa, our destination for the night. But... unbelievably, we stopped for more diesel despite the very slow queue of trucks in front of us. I asked why the driver could not drop us at the hotel and then come back to fill up – i.e., prioritise our holiday over his working day. We waited more than 30 min for diesel before we continued to our hotel, arriving about 5.40 pm. "Shower" (there was not any water pressure) then dinner at 7 pm.

Day 8: Around Bajawa. Breakfast at 7.30 am and departure on the bus at 8.30 am. We drove up to a viewpoint along a very narrow road to see the big Inerie volcano but it was mostly cloudy and the views were disappointing. Then we went to a traditional village (pay to enter!) of the Ngada tribe, who mix animism with Catholicism. I thought this was mildly interesting – although some of my co-tourists rated it highly. After that, we went for an expensive lunch at another cloudy viewpoint and then we came back to the hotel about 3 pm. I tried to have a shower but there was no hot water, or even much cold for that matter. I told the hotel front desk and, after about 45 min, it was fixed and I could have my first hot shower at the hotel. Hurrah! Dinner at 7 pm.

Day 9: Tour bus to Ruteng. Breakfast at 7 am then departure at 8 am. Stopped to look at views of Inerie volcano and at a roadside arak distillery. Arrived in Borong about 11.30 am and had early lunch – or just cakes and a coke in my case. I walked down to the river and found some nice dragonflies. We continued at 12.30 pm, arriving in Ruteng and our convent accommodation (complete with nuns) for the night at 3 pm. Nice hot shower. Walked into town but was harassed by boys from local school for tourist guides. Dinner in nice restaurant but then P broke the bad news about our boat to Komodo... It would be late back from its previous trip and our excursion to the islands was going to have to be shortened. Uproar! But P got the message and, a few mobile phone calls later, announced that he might have a solution.

Day 10: Tour bus to Labuan Bajo; sail to Rinca. Breakfast at 7 am and departure at 7.30 am. Brief look at "spider-web" rice fields. Long drive to Labuan Bajo with bus having to be repaired twice (puncture + broken wheel nut). Arrived in Labuan Bajo about 1 pm, bought water, and boarded the smaller “emergency” boat, departing about 1.25 pm. Had somewhat cramped lunch. Arrived at Rinca island at about 3.45 pm and started walking on a short tour at 4 pm. Saw Komodo Dragons, including a good one digging for eggs. Returned to boat about 6 pm and sailed to rendezvous with the bigger boat that we were meant to have originally. Had dinner on bigger boat, anchored up for the night, and tried to sleep, despite great heat and humidity.

Day 11: Sail to Komodo; sail back to Labuan Bajo, Flores. Boat started its diesel engines at 5 am and got underway; that ended any hope of further sleep. Breakfast at 6.30 am. Landed on Komodo island at 7.30 am. Walked around for 1 h 45 min, seeing several Dragons. Left about 10 am and sailed to “Pink Beach”, also on Komodo, where we swam. Saw Brahminy Kite stealing a fish from a heron on our transfer to beach. Left beach about 12.15 pm and we were underway and eating lunch at 12.30 pm. Abandoned trip to second beach as it started to rain. Arrived in Labuan Bajo at 3.45 pm and was at the excellent hotel at 4 pm. Dinner at 7 pm.

Day 12: Travel to Sanur Beach, Bali. Got up at 7.30 am and went for a walk around hotel gardens. Shower then breakfast at 8.40 am. Did some internet stuff then went for another stroll. Shower number two, then checkout and sat in the hotel restaurant area until our 2 pm transfer to the airport. Flight left about 4.40 pm and we were at the nice hotel in Sanur, Bali at about 7.40 pm. Dinner was at 8 pm.

Day 13: Day in Sanur Beach. Went out at 7.30 am and changed £50 for IDR 825,000. Breakfast at 8 am. Presented the group tip to P. Rest of group went off for tour of southern Bali but I stayed at the hotel to plan the rest of my trip. Booked Uber transfer and hotel in Bedugul for 2 nights. Went for short walk down to beach and bought provisions. Booked hotels in Munduk and Ubud for 2 nights each. Went for dinner in hotel about 7 pm, where I was pretty much on my own. But I at least managed to get some slightly spicy food for the first time.

Day 14: Car to Bedugul, Lake Bratan. Breakfast at 8 am. Gradually said goodbye to pretty much everyone in the tour group. Changed $60 and £20 for IDR 1,074,000. My Uber came at 12.15 pm and I arrived at my hotel (pre-booked from Sanur) on Lake Bratan at 2 pm. Weather rubbish. When it stopped raining, I went for a walk around the picturesque lakeside temple. Went out about 6.30 pm and had a pretty horrible dinner at the nearby "de Danau" restaurant.

Day 15: Visit Bali Botanic Garden, Bedugul. Went for breakfast about 8 am. Used Wifi in lobby until about 9 am. Then walked to botanic gardens, arriving about 9.30 am. Walked around these until about 12.30 pm, photographing dragonflies and butterflies. Came back to hotel, having a beer on the way, so arriving back about 2 pm (I had one eye on the weather). Went for good dinner at very inexpensive hotel restaurant.

Day 16: Car to Munduk. Breakfast about 8.45 am. Walked around the hotel grounds and then along the road to the cashpoint. Took out IDR 800,000. Checked out of hotel at 12 noon and waited in reception until my car arrived at 1.05 pm. Arrived at my friendly guesthouse (pre-booked from Sanur) in Munduk at 2 pm. Walked down concrete track to river, then back up and down main road until the "village". Got back to guesthouse just as rain began. Went for dinner in the guesthouse about 6.40 pm. Lights out at 9 pm.

Day 17: Walk around Munduk. Breakfast at 8 am. Left hotel at 9.20 am and walked to the two big waterfalls nearby, eventually emerging onto the main road where I bought water. Then I retraced my steps until I took a path that passed above the second waterfall and stopped in a little bar for a beer. The rain began about 12.15 pm. It seemed to stop and I reached my guesthouse about 1 pm, just as the rain began heavily again. Then it was just a case of a very long dull afternoon, surrounded by damp smelly clothing. At 6.30 pm I went for dinner, which I ate with a bird-watching Aussie ecologist who was also staying at the guesthouse.

Day 18: Car to Ubud. Went for walk about 7.20 am but too annoyed by all the scooters and so returned to hotel. Went for breakfast at 8.20 am. My car, which I shared with two young ladies from Paris and Charleroi, left at 11 am. On the way, there was an amusing "there is a small scorpion in the car" incident (and, indeed, there was). We stopped to photograph the lakes, detoured to some famous rice fields just as it started to rain, and then arrived in Ubud at 2 pm at my nice hotel (pre-booked from Sanur). I went for a walk in the paddy fields at the back of the hotel, had a shower, and then had dinner in the hotel at 6.30 pm.

Day 19: Walk around Ubud. Breakfast at 8 am. Went round back of hotel again to take more photos. Took the 10 am hotel shuttle into town with the Belgian lady, looked at the palace, and then did the Campuhan ridge walk, having a drink in the cafe at the end. We then had lunch (pumpkin soup) in a cafe in Ubud. I walked back to the hotel and had a quick look in the fields behind it again for butterflies and dragonflies. Went for dinner in the hotel at about 6.30 pm.

Days 20-21: Travel home. Went for breakfast at 8.15 am. Took photos round the back of the hotel again. Had quick second shower, packed, paid my bill, and then checked out at 12 noon. Waited in hotel reception until my Uber came at 1.15 pm. Very quick journey, arriving at the airport at 2.30 pm. Flight took off about 7.30 pm; I had two meals and watched Young Frankenstein for the first time in many years. Landed in Doha about 11.20 pm, local time. Edinburgh flight took off about 1.45 am. Had a snack, watched another film, slept, and had breakfast. Landed at 6.45 am, caught my bus at 7.45 am, and was in Glasgow for 9 am. Caught local bus home, arriving about 9.40 am.

Kit notes. Because of the independent backpacking phase of my trip, I took my 65+10 litre rucksack and put it in the aircraft hold, and carried my 20 litre rucksack as hand luggage and for daily use on the tour. My idea was that, after the organised tour finished and if I had to carry all my stuff for a mile or two, I could pack the empty 20 litre rucksack inside the larger one. However, although I would still maintain that this was a decent idea, it did not prove necessary, with all my transfers being by Uber or private shuttle. My packing list was not dissimilar to my typical example, with the addition of a few more clothes. I took my two cameras (my Nikon DSLR + Sigma 18-250 mm travel lens, plus my trusty Panasonic FZ-38), an iPad Mini, chargers for the two cameras and the iPad, and my cheap dual-band mobile phone.

Wildlife seen. Komodo Dragon, Water Monitor, Bali Skink, Brahminy Kite, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Yellow-crested Cockatoo, Great-billed Heron, Indonesian Red-winged Dragonfly, Slender Skimmer, Lesser Green Emperor.

Other useful links. Explore Indonesia tours

Reflections. On the whole, I would rate this trip a great success. The best part was the overnight boat trip out to the islands of Komodo and Rinca. ideally, I would have liked a lot more time on these islands; however, it was ferociously hot on the days we visited and I can see that a longer stay would not have been for everyone. I felt I was lucky with my fellow tour group members; all were experienced travellers and several were very interested in wildlife and photography. Our guide P had clearly never been to Flores before (but would not admit it) and lacked confidence in leading what was supposedly an “adventure tour”. In particular, we did not have enough time in the Kelimutu National Park (see above) and there was no attempt to get us to the Liang Bua cave where the Homo floresiensis remains were discovered. My independent part of the trip was also very successful. I met some interesting people and had the opportunity to explore the quieter (apart from the scooters) and more rural northern part of Bali at my own pace.

© 2017 The Untravelled World