Maika Komodo Tour
Komodo Island tours Guide Interview #2Interview from a Komodo tour Guide that work in Komodo National Park and Flores Overland Tours |
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Komodo Tour guide Interview #2 Interviewer: Thank you for joining me again, I know last time we did not have much time and you said you wanted to talk about some other great experiences you have had as a Komodo Tour Guide.
Guide: Yes I have not spoke about the town of Bajawa yet. As I said before, although I have always loved sailing Komodo National Park and spending time on the ocean, I also enjoy going around the mainland of Flores. On many of our tours from Labuan Bajo to Ende, for our Kelimutu tours, we would spend about two to three day in the town of Bajawa. It is a relatively small town but there are some good tourist attractions that many people do not know about. There some great hot springs in the area as well as some very nice traditional villages to visit. I am not sure which one is may favorite because they are all a bit unique in their own way. The most popular megalithic village is known as Bena Traditional Village, I think there are a few reasons for this. The first being, that the location is right off of the main road, so it is very easy to get to. It is about 15 kilometres to the south of Bajawa. For anyone coming straight form Labuan Bajo, it is about a 7 or 8 hour drive. As well as it is probably the most advertised village and the small visitors center is nice and provides some great detailed information for anyone who visits there. Once you arrive at the village you will also notice a massive volcano called Inerie Volcano. Many of the locals believe that this volcano watches over and protects the village. There are over 40 traditional homes and nine original tribes in this village. Considering I was guide there for a while I had to memorise the original tribes, they were; Deru Lalulewa tribe, Dizi Tribe, Ngada tribe, Solamae tribe, Wahto tribe, Khopa Tribe, and the Ago tribe. As well, all of the traditional villages have many things in common. Many of the homes look the same and are all built around the center which is a traditional kitchen. These kitchens are very unique as they all have family carvings inside them and if you are not family, you are only allowed in the kitchen after a traditional ceremony. In the center of all of the traditional villages, there are large megalithic stones that represent the ancestors graves. The bigger the stone represents the higher class of person. For example, when I chief dies, they will have the largest ceremony with and the largest stones are placed in the center to represent the death. The other villages that many visitors do not get to are; Luba Traditional Village, Tololela Traditional Village, and Gurisina Traditional Village. They are all great to visit and each one has a bit different feel to it. The local residents are always very welcoming, which makes it a much more enjoyable experience. Gurisina and Luba Villages are quite easy to get to, as they are both on the main road. Tololela is bit more difficult because you have to drive up high in the mountains and the road is not very good. Interviewer: Great information, that really makes me want to do a full Flores Overland Trip and experience all of that in person. You said there are some hot springs in the Bajawa area as well. Can you talk about that for a bit. Guide: Sure. There are two hot springs to visit. Mengeruda Hot Springs and Malanage hot springs. My favorite would have to be Mengeruda. Many people just call it Soa Hot Springs, considering that is the area where it is. Over the years, this has actually become a park. The local government has added to it over the years and they do a good job of maintaining it. There are actually two different pools to soak in and the is a waterfall as well. The waterfall is great because you can sit in it and it is like you are getting a massage with hot water. After those long motorbike trips, this is one of my favorite things to do for sure. The hot springs are pretty popular among the locals and on the weekends the place can become pretty busy. When I take my guests, we try to go on the week days and sometime we can have the place to ourselves. I also enjoy going to Malanage hot springs, but it is much smaller and not a park like the Soa is. They are both nice and unique in their own ways, but I prefer Soa for sure. I would say those are my two favorite places to go while visiting Bajawa. There is also a few places with live music at night time, so that makes it a nice place to relax for a few days. Interviewer: oh wow, thank you. Great information, that I did not know. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today, I know you are buy, so I really appreciate it! Guide: You’re welcome Contact us for any questions:
WhatsApp: 62 812-3855-3678 Email: info@maikakomodotour.com
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Tours Packages with Maika Komodo Tours Tours and locations to visit in Flores and Komodo National Park We can visit places such as;
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Contact Maika Komodo Tours for any questions you may have about this tour or any of our Komodo Island Tours.
This website is operated by Maika Komodo Tour.
Address: Jl. Soekarno Hatta, Labuan Bajo, Komodo, Kabupaten Manggarai Barat, Nusa Tenggara Tim. 86763, Indonesia
Phone: 62 812-3855-3678
Address: Jl. Soekarno Hatta, Labuan Bajo, Komodo, Kabupaten Manggarai Barat, Nusa Tenggara Tim. 86763, Indonesia
Phone: 62 812-3855-3678
