The first time I flew into Labuan Bajo, the plane banked over a bay full of wooden boats and small brown islands that looked like crumpled paper. I had come for the dragons and planned to stay four days. I stayed nearly three weeks, partly because the sea kept me, and partly because a driver in the harbour told me, quite seriously, that nobody understands Flores from a boat. He was right. Behind the town the island climbs into cool green mountains, coffee gardens, Catholic churches and villages that still build their houses the old way.
These routes mix the famous days on the water with the slower inland ones. Each has notes on getting there, what to bring and what to watch for, plus some of the history and legends behind the place. Park rules, fees and boat schedules here change often, sometimes from one season to the next, so treat everything as a starting point and check locally before you set off.
