Traveling across the islands of Indonesia from Bali to Flores and back on a motorcycle

Author: Anna Shvartsman.

Journey across the islands of Indonesia from Bali to Flores and back on a motorcycle. How it was. Route.

The journey turned out to be amazing. Of course, traveling by bike is extreme. Someone said it's easier by plane. Most likely, that's true. And we were not riding to get to Flores, but for the sake of the journey itself! ☺

Ferry departure from Padang Bay port to Pelabuhan Lembar port - every hour, travel time approximately 6 hours. Fare for a bike with two passengers 121,000 IDR

We didn't stop in Lombok, headed straight to the other end of the island to Pelabuhan Lubuhan Lombok port (88 km, approximately 2.5 hours by bike)

Headed to Sumbawa. Ferry departure from Pelabuhan Lubuhan Lombok port to Pelabuhan Poto Tano port every hour, travel time approximately 2 hours. Fare for a bike with two passengers 54,000 IDR

Arrived in Sumbawa at 2 AM, stayed at Kencana Beach Cottages hotel, located on the way to Sumbawa Besar town. Cost 300,000 IDR (standard double room with air conditioning, no hot water, but Wi-Fi on the hotel premises, breakfast included). As it turned out, finding a hotel with Wi-Fi on the islands isn't that easy, so we used 3G - the signal was good, even in the ocean. I caught it within an hour after leaving the port. The hotel premises also have a large pool, garden, and a restaurant.

In the morning, we headed to Pelabuhan Sape port - a port on the other side of the island, 300 km, travel time approximately 6 hours, longer with stops. Arrived in the evening. Since the ferry operates once a day, we stayed at the port.

There are 3 hotels right in the port, we stayed at Mutiara Hotel - right at the entrance to the port area. Cost 350,000 IDR - VIP ☺ (double room with air conditioning, no hot water, no Wi-Fi, and no breakfast)

There are no restaurants with good food on Sumbawa, only warungs with extremely low-quality food, so we stocked up on fruits. Therefore, there's nothing to write about regarding food and cafes))) 

From Sape port to Pelabuhan Labuhan Bajo port on Flores, the ferry only operates once a day. Departure is at 8 in the morning (in reality, it left at 11:20 - until fully loaded, but it's better to arrive early to secure seats under the air conditioning; extra charge for seats in the first-class hall is 25,000 IDR per person).

The ferry ticket costs 180,000 IDR for a bike with a driver and 60,000 IDR for a passenger. The journey takes approximately 6 hours.

Arrived at Labuhan Bajo port by sunset, a charming port town with many tourists, streets lined with dive centers and restaurants for every taste. Civilization. 

Stayed at the recently opened Spring Hill hotel - Cost 350,000 IDR, but if staying for more than one night, they offer a discount down to 300,000 IDR (double room with air conditioning, large bed, crisp white sheets and towels, European-style bathroom, no hot water, no Wi-Fi, breakfast included).

Only the most positive emotions from the hotel! Spent several days in Labuan Bajo, three of which were at this hotel. Wooden charming houses - very simple, yet cozy and clean, something we've only encountered in expensive hotels in Asia. Everything is done to European standards, and the price-quality ratio is more than satisfactory!

A DECENT breakfast is included, and you can choose according to your taste. The staff is very friendly. My partner got sick, and the owner helped me throughout the evening, inquiring about our well-being. Like family, really))) They even gave us a discount for the two nights!

We stayed at other hotels in Labuan Bajo as well, but for this money, there's no comparison. The only downside is the lack of internet, but 3G reception is excellent for those in need! I recommend it. 

We purchased a two-day boat tour to the islands of Rinca, Komodo, and Kanawa, including snorkeling, three meals a day, tea, coffee, with no restrictions. Overnight stay on the boat. However, we brought a tent with us and camped on an uninhabited island, on the shore (they took us to the shore on another small boat for 100,000 IDR, and brought us back in the morning).

We saw flying foxes, a huge flock of them! We found a giant (80 cm) bivalve shell and took it back to Flores, and gave it as a gift to the locals ☺

The cost of the boat was 850,000 IDR per person (later we found a cheaper option). Tickets to the Komodo National Park are paid separately - 250,000 IDR per person.

On the first day, we visited the islands of Rinca and Komodo, saw the Komodo dragons, and walked on the islands, which were parched from the heat ☺

On the second day, we had a trip to the manta point. Snorkeling, we saw mantas, but since you need to be particularly agile and swim fast, I only saw them from the boat. However, I made up for it with diving. We also saw other amazing fish and coral.

Next was Kanawa Island. A charming place. Silence and tranquility, very beautiful seabed, you can snorkel right by the shore. There's a complex with bungalows, costing 550,000 per cabin (the price includes transfer from Labuan Bajo and back).

By evening, we returned to Labuan Bajo.

On this day, we were re-energizing. I was working, Vova was planning routes, and finding out about diving.

Dive center SSI Divers Paradise Komodo. The cost of diving for me was 1,200,000 IDR for 2 dives with an instructor (for beginners), and 1,080,000 IDR for Vova for 3 dives (since the instructor was PADI certified).

The price for 1 day of diving by boat includes diving equipment, a guide, briefing, and lunch.

Separately, entrance tickets to the Komodo National Park were paid - 250,000 IDR per person (as one dive was at a dive site within the national park's territory).

To say that we were thrilled is an understatement. We saw mantas! It was an indescribable sight. Underwater giants of enormous size!!! It was absolutely worth it!

You can watch a video of the dive on my page, as well as find detailed information about each day of the trip! ☺

We returned closer to the evening, filled with impressions!

We decided that Flores deserves a separate trip. The island is extraordinary, but it's better to visit in May after the rainy season, as it's very dry now, but still beautiful!!!

We followed the well-known route in reverse. The ferry to Sumbawa also departs once a day – at 8 in the morning (in reality, it departed at 9:20).

In the second half of the day, we arrived on Sumbawa. On the way from the port to the city of Dompu, we were involved in an accident. We bumped into a scooter ahead of us carrying three passengers (traveling at a slower speed on the left side of the road, the scooter turned right without using indicators). We came away with minor scratches, settled without tips or other expenses.

We stayed in Dompu - 120 km from the ferry to the city (I don't remember the hotel name, 250,000 IDR for a VIP room with air conditioning).

In the morning, we left Dompu and headed to the ferry for Lombok, to the Poto Tano port (270 km) - approximately 4.5 hours. The ferry operates every hour, with a travel time of 2 hours.

By sunset, we arrived in Lombok at the Pelabuhan Lubuhan Lombok port and headed towards Senggigi Beach for the overnight stay, about 100 km away, taking around 3 hours. The road passes through the center of the island, through all the settlements. There's traffic, and I recommend taking a different route along the coast, which might be a little longer but more picturesque.

We stayed in a guesthouse, but I didn't note down the name. The cost was 200,000 IDR (double room with air conditioning, no hot water, no Wi-Fi, no breakfast). There are plenty of hotels along the entire coast, catering to all tastes and budgets.

The beach itself didn't impress me. In my opinion, Kuta Beach in Lombok is much more beautiful, cleaner, and picturesque, as well as quieter. But to each their own, I couldn't understand why Senggigi Beach is such a popular place ☺

After lunch, we headed home. From Senggigi Beach to the Pelabuhan Lembar port, it's about 40 km, roughly an hour's drive. The ferry operates every hour, with a travel time of about 6 hours.

Hooray, we're home!!!

The roads on all the islands are of good quality, new, and empty! Approximately half the way consists of mountainous switchbacks. The average speed on them is 55 km/h, and on straight sections, we managed to speed up to 126 km/h. However, the average speed on such sections is around 90 km/h, due to chickens, villages, and "traffic police" ☺)))))

At the beginning of the journey, we were concerned about possible fuel problems, but Petramina gas stations are available in sufficient numbers on all the islands, so there's no need to worry about that. Although not all of them have Petramax.

Throughout the journey, we used Google Maps for navigation and 3G connectivity from Telcomcel (SimPati).

I hope our report will be useful for you!!!