1. RANGKO CAVE

The Goa Rangko Cave is a neatly hidden spot with a natural blue pool near the town of Labuan Bajo in Flores, Indonesia. Labuan Bajo is already known as the gateway to Indonesia’s famous Komodo National Park, and this unique cave (also known as Gua Rangko) is pretty easy to visit with a short drive from town and then a quick boat ride up the coast.

How To Get There

Goa Rangko Cave is accessed by boat, but first, you have to drive to the harbor, which is 30-35 minutes from Labuan Bajo town. The road is mostly paved, with a few steep hills. Overall, it’s a pretty easy drive with low traffic and great views of the coast. Next, you have to take a boat over to Goa Rangko Cave, which is on a small hidden beach surrounded by mountains. There will be boat drivers waiting at the harbor but haggling for a fair price (see above). The boat ride only takes 15-20 minutes or less, and the driver will wait for you while you explore the cave.

5.  Lingko Spiderweb Rice Field in Cancar

THE COLORFUL RICE PADDIES FOUND throughout Asia are commonly laid out in rectangular plots, or sometimes as stepped terraces, adding to their natural beauty. On the island of Flores, however, the rice fields form a delightfully unique shape, one that looks like a giant spider web.This wonderful insect resemblance was not intentional, but rather the result of the traditional communal agriculture of the indigenous Manggarai people. Centuries ago, the cultivated land, known as lingko, was shared by the entire village. The communal fields were circular, with the lodok at the center, where ceremonial rituals were held around the harvest. Each family was allocated a segment of the rice field, radiating from the center outward. (Each was inaugurated by the sacrifice of a water buffalo.) The more resources a family had, the larger their slice of the pie; at the time, the rice fields were shaped like pie charts. Later, the paddies were further subdivided by the decedents of the original owners, leading to the striking, web-like shape of the lingko today. The best examples of spider web fields can be seen in Cancar village, just west of Ruteng. 

6. Wae Rebo

The traditional village of Wae Rebo in the district of Manggarai on the island of Flores, East Nusatenggara, has received the Top Award of Excellence from UNESCO in the 2012 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards, announced in Bangkok on 27 August 2012.

This small and isolated village was recognized for its rebuilding of the traditional Mbaru Niang traditional house based on the spirit of community cooperation towards a sustainable tradition, while at the same time improving its village welfare.

Wae Rebo is a small, very out of the way village. Situated on around 1,100 meters above sea level and approximately 3 - 4 hour travel by foot from Denge Village. Wae Rebo is completely surrounded by panoramic mountains and the dense Todo forest. This tropical forest is rich in vegetation, where you will find orchids, different types of ferns and hear the chirping of many songbirds. There is also no mobile coverage in this village, and the electricity is only available from 6 to 10 pm. The air is relatively cold, especially in the dry season, so don’t forget to bring your jacket if you’re planning to visit the village. Founder of the village and, therefore, their main ancestor who built the village some 100 years ago, was a man called Empu Maro. Today, the inhabitants are his 18th generation descendants.

Wae Rebo’s main characteristics are their unique houses, which they call Mbaru Niang that are tall and conical in shape and are completely covered in lontar thatch from its rooftop down to the ground.  It appears that at one time such kind of houses were quite common to the region. But today, it is only this village that continues to maintain the typical Manggarai traditional house, without which these unique houses would have been completely fazed out. 

The house has five levels, each level designated for a specific purpose. The first level , called lutur or tent, are the living quarters of the extended family. The second level, called lobo, or attic, is set aside to store food and goods, the third level called lentar is to store seeds for the next harvest, the fourth level called lempa rae is reserved for food stocks in case of drought, and the fifth and top level, called hekang kode, which is held most sacred, is to place offerings for the ancestors.

One special ceremonial house is the community building where members of the entire clan gather for ceremonies and rituals. They are predominantly Catholic but still adhere to old beliefs. In this house are stored the sacred heirloom of drums and gongs.

7. Liang Bua

An interesting limestone cave where a series of excavations for archeological research were conducted, especially after the discovery of Homo floresiensis was announced in 2003. The decorative stalagmites and stalactites inside the large 1,300m2 cave create a lasting impression of the natural processes of how the cave was formed, preserved, and inhabited by humans, bringing alive a series of historical events.
How to get there: Liang Bua is located in the northern part of Ruteng, driving towards Reo, turning to Rua road passing Sondeng, Ranggi and ending at the gate of the cave. This is a distance of about ± 14km in total.

8. Batu Cermin, Cave in a Dark Stone Hills

The Batu Cermin Cave, in Labuan Bajo is a limestone tunnel and cave system translated in Indonesian as “Mirror Cave” or “Mirror Rock”. Located not more than 4 kilometers from the town center, the Batu Cermin cave makes a perfect stop on a day trip from Labuan Bajo.

This cave has been made popular by the mirroring light, which seeps through the cave roof and reflects off the several “mirror rock” surfaces, in turn lighting up whole sections of the cave.