Flores Tourism Service
January 9, 2025
The Regency of Ende is geographically rugged mountainous. Nevertheless Ende promises adventurous trip you will never obtain anywhere. Traveling through extreme rugged mountains and v-shape canyons will give you different sensations. But you will be satisfied while the trip takes you up to the paramount of Volcano. You will just silent in great gratitude for being there to find the three volcanic craters filled with different color of water – Kelimutu Three Colored Lakes. The color of the water in each crater continues to change from time to time in line with volcanic turmoil.
The three-color Kelimutu lakes is the main attraction for foreign and domestic travelers. The reason nearly all travelers decide to visit the island of Flores is to see the three-color lakes and the ancient creature Komodo, in addition to experiencing the culture and life of the local people. One of the two main natural tourist attractions on the island of Flores is this; the three-color Kelimutu lakes located in Ende. Inside the Kelimutu National Park area, in addition to visiting its three lakes visitors can also see a variety of unique and rare vegetations. There, visitors can also find a variety of rare animals such as gerugiwa or the whistler (Pachycephala nudigula nudigula) with their 12 tones of voice, the Flores hawk-eagle, and the Flores giant rat (Papagomys armandvillei). Not only that, Ende has diverse tourist attractions, both natural and man-made.
There is the Lio ethnic communities who are spread across the Ende regency and around the Kelimutu area with unique cultural wealth, ancient sites and traditional houses that are still well preserved, and ways of life that still very strongly adhere to the culture and traditions handed down from generation to generation. They can be found in Wolotopo, Ndona, Saga, Ndito, Wologai, Nggela and many others. Some traditional communities in the south continue to produce woven fabrics from organic materials to produce varied motifs and colors such as in Ndona, Wolotopo, Nggela, Jopu, Ranggase, Tendawena, Mbulilo’o, and Pemo
There are various natural attractions that are very interesting and have been visited by many tourists such as Muru Ndao Waterfall which is located just a stone’s throw from Moni. It only takes 15 minutes to climb from Moni to get to the 15-meter high waterfall.
The Liasembe hot spring is also a choice for travelers where they can take a dip and warm up while being in a cold highland. The combination of cold air and warm water has a refreshing effect. The natural hot spring which is only about 2 km away from the tourist village of Moni is easy to find because of its strategic location near the path to Kelimutu. Not far from Liasembe, there isalso the Kolorongo hot spring which is usually used by the local residents of the Waturaka tourist village to bathe to regain fitness and vitality after a day of working in the fields. Waturaka Tourist Village is especially famous for its local music and dance as well as its homestay services. From Waturaka Village, travelers can travel through an agro tourism field and track the trails for 30 minutes across the hillside to the southwest, getting immersed in the tranquility of the nature for a moment, before arriving at the Murukeba waterfall to enjoy the natural choir of birdsong and the murmur of the waterfall. Murukeba Waterfall has clear water that looks like it is being poured down from a height of 25 meters. Detusoko’s plantation and rice fields present a panoramic view that invites visitors to stop for a while for a breath of fresh air by the rice fields. Detusoko’s rice fields show a strong influence of the agricultural sector on the region. The cold weather and fertile soil make the land suitable for agricultural cultivation. The Ekoleta organic rice produced in the region has a distinctive flavor and is famous for its delicious taste. Not far from the rice fields, in the Nuaone – Wolondopo village, the people keep the Kakimore mummies which are preserved by traditional means by their offspring.
There are also hot springs that contain sulfur, namely Ae Oka in Detusoko and Ae Wau in Wolojita with temperatures of 25-45 °C. It is said that the sulfuric hot springs have a healing effect on various skin diseases. Many locals visit these hot springs in the afternoon when the weather has gone cold. From Nggela, travelers can ride a motorbike for 5 km to Ae Wau which can be reached within 15 minutes. Nggela Village has also begun to develop agro-tourism and is famous for its tie weaving and dances. Unfortunately, the traditional village of Nggela with its rows of traditional houses were destroyed in a fire in 2016; but it has been rebuilt with the same construction and structure patterns.
The bursts of hot water in Lesugolo are also a unique phenomenon. Lesugolo is a geyser, a spring that ejects hot water turbulently like a fountain. In the areas along a river with small rocks, hot water with a temperature of approximately 100°C gushes out above the surface of the earth. The track leading to Lesugolo is accessible only during the dry season. Lesugolo can be reached in 2 hours on foot through the protected forest area of Kaju Ndara. The trip to Lesugolo itself is quite challenging and requires careful attention of the visitors. Lesugolo can be reached from Wologai through Detukeli and Nida Village.
In addition to the waterfall mentioned above, there are many more waterfalls that spread out within the Ende region with varying heights and different scenery, including Kedebodu Waterfall in East Ende, Muru Mera Waterfall near the Saga village, and Muru Esi Waterfall in the traditional village of Ndito. The local people usually visit these places to relax, swim, and enjoy the nature.
Ende has a lot of beautiful beaches. One most interesting beach is the Penggajawa beach in Nangapanda. The beach has black sand, but the interesting thing is that the black sand is covered in blue, green, purple, and cream-colored coral rocks. This is a unique natural tourist attraction. Penggajawa is the only beach in the world that has this kind of appearance. The local residents make a living by collecting and sorting the coral rocks according to their shape and color. These rocks are then sold and later sent to Java and Bali to be used as construction and decorative mosaic art materials. Where these rocks come from is not clear. Some people say that they come from the sea floor. Others claim that the rocks are carried by the waves from the cliffs along the coast, and this can be seen when one drives along the coast.
There are still many other beaches in Ende that are suitable for family recreation and for swimming, fishing, or just relaxing with a drink of fresh coconut water. Mbu’u Beach in the south, for example, is a great place for recreation where visitors can enjoy the scenic view of Meja Mountain and Koa Island. Mbu’u Beach is a great place to see the sunrise. This beach is very easy to reach because it is only 5 km away from downtown Ende. The white sandy Ena Bara beach with clear sea water that is greenish blue to blue in color is a great place to relax and swim. Ena Bara Beach is situated in the north. From this beach, we can see the beautiful view of Mount Rokatenda which is located far away on Palu’e Island off the Flores Sea in the north. This is a great place to watch the sunset. Jaga Po Beach with natural white sand is another good choice for relaxing and swimming. This beach is located close to the village of Kobaleba in Maukaro in the north and can be reached via Nangapanda or Wewaria Sub-regency. Across the beach is a small island that can be reached by boat in just 15 minutes.
The men and culture as well as the ways of life of the Ende and Lio ethnic communities are strong attractions for travelers in addition to the region’s diverse natural attractions. In their life, the Ende and Lio people are still very strongly influenced by the cultural values and traditions passed down by their ancestors. Their everyday activities are still centered in their traditional houses and various places of worship of “Dua Lulu Wula, Gae Ghale Wena Tana”, the worship of whom is expressed in various rites with a series of celebrations and art performances.
Besides its natural beauty and the culture of the Lio ethnic community, Ende is also known and listed in the history of the Indonesian independence movement where Soekarno, the founder of this nation, was once exiled to Ende. Records of the history of Soekarno’s life can still be seen in his exile house and the historical breadfruit tree – the place where he contemplated and formulated the five basic principles (Pancasila). Other historical sites is Soekarno’s veranda within the Ende Cathedral Church, the place where Soekarno often exchanged ideas with the Catholic priests. From the priests he often exchanged reading material. He had discussions and exchanged ideas with the pastors, such as Pastor Gerardus Henricus Huijtink, SVD and Pastor Jan Bouma, SVD.
As a political prisoner, it was not possible for Soekarno to carry out political activities or have in-depth discussions about politics. There were two things he could do, namely discussing religions with educated people (the Catholic Priests) and performing theater with the ordinary people who were mostly illiterate. Soekarno wrote and performed at least twelve plays in Ende with the Kelimutu theater group.
Under the supervision of the Dutch government, Soekarno was able to travel up until the football field and the banks of the Wolowona river, which was 3.5km from his residence. On these occasions, Soekarno often took the opportunity to give political discernment and enlightenment to the people he met. The furthest trip that Soekarno made was traveling to and meditating in Lake Kelimutu. His trip to the three-color Kelimutu lakes was the most pleasant moment for him.
Upon his return to Java, his memories of the beauty of Flores did not fade so that on July 29, 1956 he expressed his admiration for the three-colored Kelimutu lake. Soekarno said,
“I am not saying that the Grand Canyon is not beautiful. But I say the three lakes in Flores are more beautiful than the Grand Canyon”.
Yes…, The three lakes in Flores are Lake Kelimutu in Kelimutu National Park, where Soekarno once meditated before his contemplation to find the five principles of state life, namely Pancasila.
Kelimutu is one of the two main tourist attractions in the Flores destination besides Komodo National Park. It is not complete to talk about holiday in Flores, if you only visit and experience a little part of totality of the extraordinaries without seeing the natural wonders stretch from west to the east. GPS Wisata always designs a complete tour and leads each customers get total experience. Come on, explore Flores and Komodo with GPS Wisata! (Adh)
CV. Gema Pariwisata Svarga
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