Lombok to Flores - The Wanua Adventure Experience

For my last adventure in Indonesia, I wanted to do something a bit unique and out there. A girl I had met in Vietnam suggested I do a 4-day 3-night boat trip from Lombok island (the island just east of Bali) to the island of Flores. I wanted to visit Lombok anyways, so I thought I'd go for it and booked the trip through a company called Wanua Adventure.

I arrived in Lombok a night earlier than my two friends who were joining me from the Gili Islands. Lombok is the last stop on the boat you take from Padangbai, so it takes about 2-3 hours. This time the boat trip wasn't smooth sailing. We had to wait hours in the baking sun to board and when we did set off, there was no AC and the ride was like a rollercoaster. Good luck if you get seasick! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. You just have to go with the flow with these sorts of things. Especially in Indonesia. Getting upset and frustrated will only make you want to throw up even more.

I decided to book a ride from the dock in Lombok to my hostel ahead of time to avoid being scammed upon arrival. I messaged the guy who had helped me book my boat ticket from Padangbai to Lombok to ask if he could also book me a ride to my hostel. He replied saying no problem and sent me the number of a driver who would pick me up. Sure enough, as I arrived, I saw a driver standing at the dock holding a sign with my name. What VIP service, I thought. I hopped on the back of his moped and he drove me to my hostel. I paid the price, then went to the front desk to check-in.

The hostel owner asked me how much I had paid the driver. I told him the price and he said "Oh my gosh, that's way too much, you just got completely ripped off... f***cking mafia!" Something along those lines anyway. I laughed nervously as he explained I should have called the hostel to arrange transportation. Well, whoops. I thought I was being smart booking transport ahead of time, but it turns out even the guy from the boat company wasn't trustworthy! Then again, it worked out to be a difference of about £5. Not worth crying over. But every little helps whilst travelling. As I said before, the locals will try to make as much money as they can off of you because they know you're not clued up about prices. Oh well, you live and you learn.

I was the only one in this hostel for the first night. The owner was my only friend and turned out to be an absolute legend. He drove me to see all the beaches and even invited me to eat and drink beer with him and his friends. Lombok is extremely underdeveloped compared to Bali and, like the Gili islands, is mostly Muslim. The locals in Lombok are less used to seeing tourists. Nevertheless, I think I preferred Lombok to Bali. Because it is less developed, the beaches are more pristine. I also felt more connected to the locals, which was a really great and authentic experience. Wow, I couldn't sound more like a gap year snob if I tried!

My friends arrived the next day and we were picked up to embark on our boat adventure the following morning. I think we all have mixed feelings about this boat adventure. I absolutely loved it! But I'm not sure my friends felt the same. Granted, one of them was feeling really ill with a bad cold the whole time, so I understood.

We purchased the cheapest ticket, cabin class. This meant we were sleeping on mats lined up side by side on the sheltered deck level. I mean, it wasn't the most comfortable of sleeping arrangements, but for 3 nights I think we'd survive. The boat sort of felt like a pirate ship. All wooden, open doors, and only 2 toilets between everyone (one of which was just a hole in the floor). Oh, and obviously no shower! The ocean sufficed.

We set off on our adventure and within the first half-hour it started bucketing with rain. Our hearts sank a bit. The rain was flooding into our luxurious deck level bedroom, soaking our beds. What if it rained the whole time? Of course the worst-case scenario always runs through your head. We sat there in our damp raincoats and prayed for the heavens to close. I wasn't prepared to sleep on a soggy mattress for 3 nights. Our prayers worked, because after that storm passed, we didn't encounter any more rain.

Highlights

Living on a boat for 4 days, cruising from island to island across the Flores sea, surrounded by interesting people from all over the world was heartwarming, surreal, and unforgettable. There's something about waking up in the middle of the night and stepping outside to realise you're in the middle of the ocean beneath a blazing sky full of stars. It makes you feel small. It makes you feel as though you are, as my wonderful friend Anna Lisa writes, 'nothing but a gracious element of everything'.

Click here to check out her blog and feel some things!

Kenawa Island

This is a tiny little island with a hill you can climb up to get a stunning view of the sunset. There are some really interesting structures and buildings, made entirely from plastic waste found on the island.

Moyo Island

You spend most of the days cruising, drinking beers, and sunbathing on deck. There are also lots of places you stop to swim and snorkel. On Moyo Island, we did a small hike to a waterfall where you can climb and dive into the lake. There's also incredible snorkeling and you can jump off the top of the boat into the water.

Komodo Island

I didn't think we'd be lucky enough to actually see the Komodo dragons, but we did! Honestly it felt like we were on the set of Jurassic Park. They’re exquisitely terrifying but oddly cute. Before we started the tour, we heard a story about how a German girl once got bitten by one and died because her leg got so infected. Their saliva is poisonous apparently! They’re also drawn in by the smell of blood, so if a woman is on her period she must inform the rangers. Apparently this German girl didn’t inform the rangers it was her time of the month and wandered too far behind the group until it was too late. Yikes!

When we first saw one coming towards the group, my heart definitely raced a bit. I had that story in my head and lacked confidence that the rangers would be able to protect us with the stick they were all holding. Komodo dragons are the heaviest lizards on earth. To see them in their natural habitat was surreal. We even saw two of them fight! We all survived and no one got eaten. Thrilling scenes.

Pink Beach

I don’t know if I’m losing my eyesight a bit, but this beach didn’t look pink to me at all. I think you have to be lucky with the time of day and tide level in order to see it in all of its pinkness, but it was paradise nonetheless. We did some great snorkeling and saw lots of tropical fish!

Padar Island

To watch the sunset, we hiked up to the viewpoint on Padar Island. This was probably one of the sweatiest hikes I’ve ever done. It was boiling. But the hike was worth it. The view from the top is absolutely breathtaking. You can see the iconic 3 different coloured beaches: pink, white and black. The sunset from this spot was probably one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. We hiked back down before it got dark and enjoyed our last meal all together on the boat, followed by plenty of beers, singing, and dancing.

Rinca Island

Our last day on the boat consisted of more snorkeling, tanning, and swimming. We also visited Rinca Island, where we saw more Komodo dragons and other interesting wildlife. We did a small hike to the top and took in all the beautiful scenery of our last day.

Last Thoughts

If you don’t mind not showering for 4 days, sharing one small toilet between over 15 people, sleeping on basically a wooden floor, and living like a true pirate, then I’d highly recommend doing this tour! It really is the best way to experience Lombok, Flores and all the Indonesian islands between. The hot shower, comfy bed and flushing toilet waiting for you at the end makes it all worth it. You’ll remember to appreciate the little things!

That’s it for this post! This also wraps up all my posts about travelling. It’s been great to reflect back and write about all of my experiences, but I’m ready to move on and start writing about other stuff now. I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who has read my blog so far. Your support means everything and your kind comments, positive (or negative) feedback, and general interest in what I have to say motivates me to carry on sharing my journey and connecting with you all!

More to come very soon.

Big love,

Belle x