Checked on
Across Flores: Labuan Bajo to Ende, Kelimutu and Maumere
The quick way across Flores is the Wings Air flight from Labuan Bajo to Ende, 55 minutes at 12:55, sold for about Rp 1,089,000 for November 2026. From Ende you go up to Moni, the village below Kelimutu's three crater lakes; hikers leave Moni between 02:00 and 03:00 for sunrise. Maumere, further east, has no direct flight to Bali: connections take about seven hours.
At a glance
| Province | East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) |
|---|---|
| Usual way in | Flight to Labuan Bajo, Ende or Maumere |
| Terminals and ports | Labuan Bajo, Ende and Maumere airports; Moni for Kelimutu |
Labuan Bajo to Ende: the 55-minute flight across Flores
Wings Air flies from Labuan Bajo to Ende at 12:55, landing at 13:50, sold for about Rp 1,089,000 to Rp 1,198,000 for November 2026. It was the only direct flight on sale on the route for November 2026.
| Usual way | Wings Air flight |
|---|---|
| Typical time | 55 min |
| Where it arrives | Ende airport |
From Ende to Kelimutu. Kelimutu National Park is in Ende regency; the nearest village to the lakes is Moni, the base for the night start. The park gate is open 04:30 to 16:00, and foreign visitors pay Rp 150,000 a day.
Bali to Maumere: connecting flights only
Denpasar to Maumere means changing planes: for November 2026, Super Air Jet and Wings Air leave Denpasar at 10:05 and land in Maumere at 16:50, about Rp 3,013,000. Flying into Labuan Bajo and crossing Flores eastward is the alternative.
| Usual way | Connecting flight |
|---|---|
| Typical time | About 6 h 45 min |
| Where it arrives | Maumere airport |
Coming back. Plan the return from Maumere the same way, or fly out of Labuan Bajo, which has direct flights to Denpasar through the day.
Flying into or out of Ende and Maumere
Flying cuts out a long drive across the island. These are the flights that make that possible.
| Flight | Times, November 2026 | Sold for |
|---|---|---|
| Labuan Bajo to Ende, Wings Air | 12:55 to 13:50 | about Rp 1,089,000 |
| Denpasar to Maumere, via a connection | 10:05 to 16:50 | about Rp 3,013,000 |
| Denpasar to Labuan Bajo, direct | 07:05 to 16:45 | from about Rp 915,000 |
Plan it one way. Fly into Labuan Bajo, cross to Ende by air or road, and leave from whichever airport has the flight you need.
Across Flores by road: Gunung Mas buses and shared cars from Maumere
On the ground, Flores moves by bus and by travel: shared Avanzas and other MPVs that run between the regency towns and collect you at your door. Fares from Maumere in June 2026:
Shared car or bus. Gunung Mas is the long-standing bus line between the regencies; the shared cars are quicker and more flexible, and on the long run to Ruteng slightly cheaper. What you pay moves with the distance, the state of the road and whether the car fetches you from your hotel.
Why Flores: Kelimutu's coloured lakes, Moni and Wae Rebo
Most people cross Flores for its volcano lakes and mountain villages. Here is what draws them.
- Kelimutu's three crater lakes sit side by side and can show three different colours at once, changed by microbes and gas; Tiwu Nuwa Muri Kofai is 127 m deep.
- Sunrise at the summit is the classic: be at the gate when it opens at 04:30 to see the lakes at first light.
- One viewpoint is shut for now: since normal hours returned on 16 October 2026, the summit, Garugiwa platform and arboretum are open, but the Ata Polo lake viewpoint stays closed after the August earthquake cracked the crater wall.
- Gate and ticket: foreign visitors pay Rp 150,000 a day, and camping at the summit is not allowed.
- Wae Rebo, a Manggarai village about 1,000 m up in the mountains, is reached on foot; it reopened on 1 September 2026, on a limited basis, after the 15 August earthquake.
Going further
Routes through this hub
Flores: what travellers ask
What is the fastest way across Flores?
The flight: 55 minutes from Labuan Bajo to Ende on Wings Air, leaving at 12:55, about Rp 1,089,000 for November 2026. From Ende, Moni and Kelimutu are the next stop east.
How do I get to Kelimutu?
Base yourself in Moni, the nearest village, and be at the gate when it opens at 04:30 for sunrise; foreign visitors pay Rp 150,000. Since 16 October 2026 the summit viewpoint is open but the Ata Polo lake viewpoint stays closed after cracks in the crater wall.
Can I fly out of Maumere?
Yes, but to Bali you change planes: the November 2026 connection takes about 6 h 45 min. Labuan Bajo has direct flights to Denpasar, 70 to 80 minutes.
Is Wae Rebo open?
It reopened on 1 September 2026 on a limited, trial basis, after closing for almost two weeks because of the 15 August earthquake and landslide risk on the trail. It closes when the weather or the trail is unsafe.
Sources for Flores
- Tribun Flores: bus and shared-car fares from Maumere (23 June 2026)
- RRI Ende: Kelimutu entry tariff from 30 October 2024
- RRI Ende: Kelimutu visiting hours back to normal (19 October 2026)
- RRI Voice of Indonesia: Kelimutu National Park, the three-coloured crater lakes (18 September 2026)
- Metro TV: tourists urged to avoid Mount Kelimutu crater (6 July 2026)
- detikTravel: Wae Rebo reopens after the earthquake (1 September 2026)