A Flores tour is bound with awesomeness, and Some of the best moments happened just before sunrise. A transition between night to day, from darkness to light. Sunrise always feel so magical. When you watch it in a beautiful place like Komodo National Park, the whole experience will feel almost magical. The tumultuous landscape of Flores and the National Park gives a lot of places for sunrise watching. Here are three top spots to catch the magical moment during your Flores island tour.
Sunrise at Mount Kelimutu
If you think watching sunrise from mountain summit is a common thing to do, wait until you reach Kelimutu. With three colored lake that keep changing almost whimsically, sunrise here is definitely out of ordinary. Take time for a short hike to Kelimutu on your Flores tour before going to the National Park. Get there when the sky is still dark and start hiking.
The track is quite short and easy compared to most of mountain climbing. It only takes 20 to 30 minutes to reach the summit. Even inexperienced climber will have no difficulty to reach the summit. Everything will looks dark before the sun begin to ascend. Once the sun rose, each crates begin to show its color.
Sunrise at Padar Hilltop
Padar is one of the must-visit places on a Flores tour that’s just plain awesome. The hilltop is famous for giving a spectacular panoramic view of the National Park. Trekking to the summit is relatively easy and takes around 1.5 hours. It can be scorching hot in the mid-day, so sunrise trekking is a good idea.
From your liveaboard, get here before dawn. Wear your comfy running shoes or trekking shoes, as the hill features rocky path along the way. When you reach the hilltop, take your moment to absorb the view. Magic happens in the first rays of light. As the sky start to change colors, the dark sea starts turning blue. The lights unveil lines of beaches and tumultuous islands that were non-existent in the darkness. Finally, the whole island glows as the rolling hills catch the rays of golden light.
Gili Lawa Darat
Your Flores tour will most likely involves island hopping, and Gili Lawa should be listed in your itinerary. Instead of spending your morning sleeping in the liveaboard, dock to this small island and start climbing. Then get your best sunrise of the year. When the sun rises from the horizon, everything little details will leave you breathless. The vast horizon is bright with soft purplish sky that simultaneously shift into pinkish hue. And down from the sky, you got an unobstructed view of the cerulean bay and reddish, rocky terrain. It’s one of the sunrise that you’ll never wish to end.
Just like any other trek around the Flores and Komodo, the trek in Gili Lawa is also considerably short and easy. Right from the shore, you only need around fifteen minutes to reach the peak. Resembling a similar topography with Padar, the trek is steep and rocky. With a pair of good shoes, though, everything can be tackled.
Adventure on Flores tour never lack of surprises. From dawn to dusk, the nature will keep you dumbfounded with plenty of pleasant wonders.
