​What is the difference between Komodo Tours and Flores Tours?

​What is the difference between Komodo Tours and Flores Tours? 

Komodo and Flores are actually different places.   The town of Labuan Bajo is considered the gateway to Komodo National Park.   Labuan Bajo is actually located on Flores Island.  Flores is an island that is considered the mainland and Komodo National Park is composed of 29 different Islands and covers and area of about 1,733 square kms.  Flores is to the east of Komodo and is one large island. 

Flores Island.
Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Island, which is a group of islands located in the eastern half of Indonesia.  The population is about 1,897,550 according to the 2021 census.  The entire area of Flores and Komodo national park covers about 15,530 square kms.  The largest and most popular towns in Flores are Maumere, Ende, and Labuan Bajo.  Labuan Bajo is the main tourist area for the entire island.  Tourists do visit all of the entire island, but much less than Labuan Bajo.   The name “Flores” comes from the Portugueses word for “Flowers.”    

Tourism in Flores.  
Obviously Labuan Bajo is the most popular location that tourists visit because that is where tourists take boats to reach Komodo National Park.  Besides visiting Komodo, there are also things to do in Labuan Bajo.  In the resent last few years, many new hotels and restaurants have opened up.  There are many more choices for western food then just a few years ago and also more options for much nicer hotels for the more luxury traveler.   A few attractions that are less than an hour or two away are; Cucan Wulang waterfall, Cucan Wulang waterfall, Rangko Cave,  Tado Spiderweb Rice Field and a few local beaches.  When you travel further east, you can visit Wae Rebo Traditional Village, which is up high in the mountains. By going even further east you can visit towns such as Ruteng and Bajawa, which offers attractions such as Bena Traditional Village, Luba Traditional Village, Wolobobo Lookout, Cancar Spiderweb Rice Feld and more.  Another popular attraction even further east and is Called Kelimutu Volcano lakes.  Kelimutu is located about 1 hours Northeast of Ende.   At the north is Maumere and further east is Luah and Werangdetoeng. 


Komodo Island Tourism
Komodo National Park is very popular among tourists.  The main 3 larger islands are called Komodo Island, Rinca Island, and Padar Island.   You can find Komodo Dragons on Komodo Island and Rinca Island.  Each one of the these islands require a fee to visit, and recently Rinca Island has had some changes that where built to accommodate more tourists.  Padar Island is another very famous location with four large beach bays the you can see from the top.  To hike to the top takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how fast you hike.  The view is very beautiful and also very popular among tourists.   Not only in Komodo National Park famous for the Komodo Dragons, it is also famous for scuba diving.  Many scuba divers consider it to be one of the top 5 scuba diving locations in the world.   You can see many different kinds of fish, aquatic wildlife, and a healthy mix of coral gardens all over the National Park.  Many divers come here to see the manta rays.  

Some of the most popular areas to visit in Komodo National Park are; Komodo Island, Rinca Island, Pink Beach, Taka Makassar, Batu Bolong, Siaba Besar, Taka Makassar, Manta Point, Gili Lawa, and more.  The only way see these beautiful locations is with a Komodo Boat trip.  You can choose between a one day trip, 2 day trips, or 3 days trips.  There are companies that also offer longer liveaboard trips if you are interested.  If you have any questions about a Komodo Island Tour of any length, please contact Maika Komodo Tour, and we would be happy to help you with any questions you may have about booking for yourself our you friends and family

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