#2 See the 'Hobbits' of Liang Bua from Ruteng
Ruteng is a pleasantly cool town situated up in the western hills, it's also the trailhead for the 2,400m-high, rainforest-covered Gunung Ranaka which looms over Ruteng. It is a four-hour walk to the summit and is a good venue for birdwatching. However, the best thing to do here is to visit Liang Bua, 12km north.
Here, the fossils of Homo floresiensis were found by a joint Indonesia-Australia team. These tiny skeletons, nicknamed ‘Hobbits’, are believed to be a new human species that existed alongside modern humans as recently as 12,000 years ago, yet may have descended from Homo erectus, which arose some 2 million years ago.
#3 Snorkel at Seventeen Islands Nature Reserve
Experience the breathtaking beauty of nature and pristine stretches of white sand by snorkelling in the uninhabited Seventeen Islands Nature Reserve from Riung. Colourful coral and darting schools of tropical fish call these clear, warm waters home.
What's more, this remote fishing village is also one of the few sites where Komodo dragons can be spotted outside Komodo National Park.
#4 Visit the traditional villages of Bajawa
More than any other area of Flores, the Ngada region has retained its traditions and rituals alongside Catholicism. Stop at Bajawa whose cool mountain air, exquisite yellow-on-black supplementary warp sarongs and traditional villages give you a sense of ancient life here. Bena, Luba, Langa, Gurusina and Nage villages offer examples of Ngada’s ancient culture. All have ngadhu shrines, with carved tree-trunk bases, and bhaga – miniature houses – in the village centre. Interesting megalithic stones are easiest to find at Bena and at nearby Wogo Tua (Old Wogo).
Langa and Bena lie in the shadow of a perfectly coned volcano, Gunung Inerie (2,227 metres/7,306ft). It can be climbed in 3–5 hours, depending on your level of physical fitness. Gunung Ebulobo, one of Flores’s most magnificent volcanoes, can be climbed from Mulakoli village, off the main road to Ende.