Flores North Coast & Riung Islands Walk
Walk Flores' north coast from Bajawa through Riung to Maumere — the less-visited north shore of the island has a calmer and more accessible character than the Komodo south, with the Seventeen Islands Marine Park at Riung providing snorkelling and wildlife encounters in a completely undeveloped setting.
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Riung Seventeen Islands Bay
Riung's Seventeen Islands National Marine Park encompasses a group of small coral islands in a protected bay on Flores' north coast — the islands, named for their approximate number (the actual count varies by tide), are surrounded by shallow reef gardens, sea turtle nesting beaches, and the sea grass beds where dugong (sea cows) feed, creating a protected marine area that is dramatically less visited than Komodo despite offering equally interesting wildlife.
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Riung Flying Fox Colony
One of the islands of the Riung park is home to a large colony of flying foxes (fruit bats) — the hundreds of large bats that roost in the trees of this island and depart at dusk in a stream of dark silhouettes against the evening sky is one of Flores' most dramatic wildlife spectacles, accessible by boat from Riung town in a matter of minutes and completely free of the crowd management challenges of the more famous wildlife sites further west.
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Poco Ranaka Volcano
Poco Ranaka volcano near Ruteng in western Flores is visible from the north coast road — the active volcano's cone visible above the clouds on clear days reminds travellers of the volcanic geology that underlies all of Flores, an island created by the subduction of the Australian plate beneath the Eurasian, a tectonic process that has produced the extraordinary volcanic landscape and created the geothermal conditions that make Flores' soils so productive.
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North Coast Fishing Villages
The fishing villages along Flores' north coast between Riung and Maumere maintain a traditional maritime economy largely untouched by tourism — the wooden outrigger fishing boats, the net mending on the beach, the fish drying racks, and the community rhythms of a fishing economy provide the most authentic encounter with everyday Flores life available to visitors who arrive specifically for Komodo but are willing to explore beyond the dragon viewing circuit.
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Maumere Bay Snorkel Site
The recovering reef of Maumere Bay is Flores' most accessible snorkel site from a town centre — the reefs that were devastated by the 1992 earthquake and tsunami have regrown significantly over three decades, and the current reef garden provides surprisingly good snorkelling in water accessible without a boat from the beaches near town, making Maumere a viable overnight stop for anyone interested in the reef recovery story as much as the current dive quality.
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Ende to Maumere Coastal Road
The coastal road from Ende to Maumere on Flores' north coast travels through some of the island's most dramatic scenery — the road hugs cliff edges above the Flores Sea, passes through fishing villages built on narrow terraces between cliff and water, and crosses river deltas where rice fields reach to the sea, creating a driving or cycling route that encompasses the full visual drama of Flores' meeting between volcanic mountain and tropical ocean.