Just went up today. I also agree that Kelimutu is nowhere near as good as the volcanoes on Java, Bali or Lombok. Against the recommendation here, I went off the track up the side of the southern lake. From there I had an alternative view of the 2 turquoise lakes. Certainly dangerous if you go too close to the edge (but less risky I think than climbing way up the mast on Kelilepumbusu)!

just got back from a interesting trip with dan. after visiting kelimutu for the second time it is fair to say i was underwhelmed.i feel sorry for people who make the trip to ende solely on seeing kelimutu as their are far more impressive places to see. as dan metions above, iya and egon are more impressive.

I was a little disappointed with Kelimutu actually. It probably would have been great decades ago when it was wilder. If you build a road and cement path to the top of a natural beauty it kind of takes away from the experience. It’s definitely worth a visit but I agree with Andy that it’s over-rated, especially if you compare it to Iya or even Egon.

hi sonja

dans the man to figure out flights.i got lucky when i went to flores.i just showed up at bali domestic airport and they happened to have a flight going to labuanbajo(flores) within the hour.
my trip, i started from labuanbajo in the west and finished in lembata in the east and it took around ten days.but i did spend about three days around komodo island area.( which was great ). but if you dont fancy overgrown lizards then i think it is possible to do most of flores in five days. i would suggest two options. one would be is to go from labuan and finish in maumere or ende depending on flights.you would have enough time to do kelimutu and easliy another ribu. either inierie or ebulobo are both baggable. bajawa is a nice town to hang out.
the other option would be is to start in the east like lembata( you can fly there via kupang timor) and work your way back to ende.this part of nusa is my favourite with stunning volcanos.check out ill boleng and lewotolo.you could bag them as well.
good luck

Hi Chris, hi to all the others,

I want to go to Kelimutu in August. But I still don´t know what is the best way to get to Flores. I just heard from Trans Nusa and that they have flights to Ende. But how can I book? Can you recommend a travel agency? And is it easier to start in Ende or maybe better Maumere? I will have about 5 days for this trip. Would this even be enough for a flores round trip?

Thanks for your advice,

Sonja

Hi Sonja
I’ll be in Flores the first week of August actually. Arranging tickets in advance is a real pain! However, Batavia fly from Denpasar to Maumere and back (usually via Timor I think) and that’s the way we’re coming back. You can book those in advance. For Transnusa, you can only book one month in advance, and even then not online. Merpati is the other option but they don’t exactly have the finest safety record and I’ve heard plenty of reports of flights cancelled if there aren’t enough passengers. So I’d say stick to Transnusa and Batavia.

this is a very easy 10 minute hike to the top assuming you get a local to give you a ride to the park entrance.great views of the three lakes but the colours are not what they used to be.but still worth it.if you have come this far into flores i urge you to make the effort to go on the east coast an take a ferry to the island of lembata. crystal clear water and volcanos galore around there.stay at ille ille.theres a dutch guy called jim.he has a more dvds than the whole of thailand put together and has great advice about what to do.