Bajawa, Flores Indonesia
Bajawa is located in the Ngada regency in Central Flores, Indonesia. Bajawa is a great place to spend a few days while travelling across Flores Island. It is mostly known for the great coffee and as well as many traditional villages. Many travelers decide to come here to escape the more highly touristy Labuan Bajo. Spending time in Bajawa will give the visitor a more since for real local island life. There are many attractions to see in the Bajawa area including, Bena Traditional Village, Luba Traditional Village, Tololela Traditional Village, Wolobobo lookout, Mengeruda Hot Springs (also known as Soa), Malanage hot springs, Wolokoro, Ogi Waterfall and few more places less known. The locals are very friendly and enjoy trying to speak english with traveling that come through. It is very common to be invited for coffee multiple times a day, if you are traveling through. There are many benefits of taking a guided tour you can truly experience local culture and as well as learn about so many different things about local life, traditions, rituals, and over all culture.
Things to do in the Bajawa area.
One of the most relaxing things to do in this area is visit one of the hot springs for a day of relaxation. These are not modern spas, but actually out in nature. Mengeruda (Soa) is a more formal hot springs with two pools, a waterfall, beautiful gardens, and many picnic tables to sit, relax, and eat. There is a small entrance fee to get in, but once you see how well this park is taking care of, you will see that it is worth the small fee. On a typical weekday, you may be joined with a couple of local families there as well. The busier times are on the weekend, so if you prefer to have the place to yourself, it is much more recommended to go on a weekday. The other less well known hot springs is called Manalage. It is actually where a hot springs comes out of the mountains and meets a cold stream. The two merge together so you can go back and forth between cold and hot in the same area. This area is more natural than Mengeruda, but it is also much smaller. To get to the small river, you can just park your car or scooter on the side of the road at a small store, (they may ask for a small donations) and then you walk on a short trail (through someone’s property) and then down to the hot springs. The traditional village of Bena, Luba, Gurusina, and Tololelu.
These traditional villages are a great sight to see for sure. As far as culture, customs, and rituals, they are all very similar as they actually started long ago from the same family trees. Bena Traditional Village is by far the most popular and most visited. This is for a few reasons. It is right off of the main road, as well as it is very large and set up for welcoming tourists better than the other villages. When you arrive to all of these villages, you will be asked to give a small donation. It is highly recommended to tour our local tours because just by visiting the villages, you do not get a full experience to learn about the history and cultures. There are many family stories that are passed down from ancestors and the best way to learn about them is to hear from a real local. Luba Traditional Village is located very close to Bena and is a bit smaller and less visited. Gurusina Traditional Village is also on the main road a bit further on the way to the southern coast. This is also a big village and the houses are all spread out in one big square. Many of the houses in Gurusina burnet down around 2019 and many had to be rebuilt again. Tololelu is harder to get to, as it is much higher in the mountains. There is a semi paved road that goes up to the village, but it is in very bad shape and may be a bit difficult to get to, if you are not an experienced driver. 
Olga Waterfall
Olga Waterfall is about 10-15 drive on the east side of Bajawa. It is located in village known as Faobata. The waterfall is relatively easy to access. You can park in a designated parking area right off of the road and then about do about a 10 minute walk on a paved walkway to get to the waterfall. The walkway to the waterfall is also in the middle of rice fields and makes for a very nice and enjoyable afternoon walk. Wolobobo Wolobobo mountain is a popular lookout that locals enjoy visiting as well. This peak is located about 15 minutes from Bajawa. The road to the top is good for a car or motorbike. Although it can be a small and thin in some areas, it is it still of good quality to drive. There is a small entrance fee when you arrive at the top and after a short walk on paved walkway, you will come to a beautiful view of the south coast of Flores. This is a great sunset spot and on a clear day, you can get a great view of Mount Inerie (volcano) and the south sea. |
Komodo Tour Packages Komodo National Park Tours 1 Day Trips 2 Day / 1 Night 3 Day / 2 Night 4 Day / 3 Night Flores Overland tours
We can visit places such as;
Of all of the traditional Villages to visit, Bena is the most popular.
It is a megalithic Village that is located about 20km south of the town of Bajawa. The locals say that their ancestors lived in the same area over 1000 years ago. There are 38 traditional houses, and many of them still have families living in them. If no one is living in them, the families usually still come to have gatherings or ceremonies on the homes when their families get together. As well all of the traditional villages in the area, there are small huts built in the middle of the fields, which repressed each family. If the are 10 huts, that usually means there are 10 families that live there. The small huts are called Bhaga and Ngadhu. These represent the male and females of the families. They are used during traditional ceremonies. By taking a guided tour, you can learn all about the history, culture, rituals, and traditions that take place in Bena Village. If are interested in a Flores Overland Tour or Komodo Boat Tour please contact us today! We also do diving and snorkeling excursions to Central Komodo and North Komodo National Park.
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