FLORES Island

General Overview

Fascinating, mountainous and remarkably beautiful. Its Three Water-filled craters of KELIMUTU, "the Wonder of the World“ provide an almost surreal sights... 

There a saying: “Ulu Gheta Leja Geju, Eko Ghale Bajo Bima”, which means the head faces the sunrise (in the east) in East Flores, and the tail towards the sunset (in the west) in Labuan Bajo, West Flores. This metaphor symbolizes a dragon, lying with its head at the Eastern end of Flores, and its tail in the West Manggarai, or Nusa Nipa (=Snake Island), the name before the arrival of Portuguese. 

Its official name is "Flores". Around 1566 this island was baptized by the Portuguese as Cabo da Flora which means Cape of Flower.

Snakes reincarnated into flowers? Not in this sense, anyway. Louise Figo’s--El Real footballer—ancestors had in fact christened it Cabo da Flores for it was blessed with beauty—and it still is! From end to end 360 kilometers length you will find the constantly changing scenery; barren and grey hills, ravines flanking the rivers, seascape interrupted by single island or cluster of islets, lush and green forest, undulating range of mountains and majestic-cone volcanoes.

Flores has a volcanic topography that has long shaped its destiny. A chain of cones stretches the length of this verdant island, provoking a complicated relief of V-shaped valleys and knife-edged ridges—terrain that was near impenetrable until recent years and that has separated the island into many distinct ethnic groups. Today although Flores is overwhelmingly Catholic, rich indigenous cultures continue to thrive alongside mainstream religious beliefs. 

Among them reigns the Kelimutu three different colored crater lakes and traditional houses which are still the best shelter for indigenous Floriansin some villages. So rugged and exotic it is that French tourists often refer it pay sauvage et magnifique. Once again, it is Flores, the beautiful island and blooming heart of friendly people—not snake of bestiality. And it proudly bears this very name till today. 

A starling recent find near Ruteng appears to indicate that a unique species of dwarf hominid lived in Flores until around 12,000 years ago, though the evidence for the existence of a unique species of ‘Flores man’ has not yet been accepted by all scientists…it is, the “Flores HOBBIT” is now still under researched!

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