Riung is a small fishing village in the north of Flores approximately 3.5 hours from Bajawa in central Flores. In summary, it is a (very) small brother of Labuan Bajo and its Komodo boat tours. Here you will enjoy a similar boat tour experience but without the tens or hundreds of other tourists within your eyesight (or your boat). You might be the only tourist on an island listening to the waves and the proverbial “sound of silence”. And you will probably enjoy the freshest fish barbecue ever on this deserted beach, which has just been caught a few minutes ago on the way by your boat captain.
17 Island Marine Park
Officially, Riung on Flores has 17 islands and hence its name “17 Pulau”. In reality, there are more but on a day boat tour will likely visit 3 or 4 of them.
So what will you do here?
Yes, there are some dragons on the Ontoloe island, but they are well hidden in the thick vegetation. Contrary to the Komodo island, there are no rangers to guide you to them so you are unlikely to spot them. We we told there is an option to bring some chicken meat, and wait and camp on the island for a day or two. Unfortunately, we did not do it. It would be probably the ultimate Robinson Crusoe experience to overnight on an uninhabited Indonesian island, while waiting for the dragons to show up next to your tent.
You will definitely see the flying foxes or the giant bats with an individual wingspan of 20-30cm. During the day they are sleeping on the trees in the mangroves. However, you will see the mayhem of them flying and screeching around.
Contrary to Labuan Bajo and the Komodo tours, you will find no diving schools in Riung. If this is an absolute must for you, you might reconsider Riung.
However, the biggest draw of Riung is to just take it easy and enjoy it. Sit in your boat while looking at all those marvellous small islands. Take a break and snorkel in the transparent waters. Walk on the deserted beaches and climb a low hill with overarching views. No pressure to see another dragon. No peer pressure to spot this giant manta ray first. No pressure to dive faster, deeper or longer. Nobody to look at you or judge you.
How often does it happen in our lives?
How to get there
Riung is located in the central north of Flores. It is relatively isolated but the upside is no crowds and a supremely peaceful visit. There are three main options to get there. (1) Bajawa – Riung, (2) Ende-Riung (probably after your Moni / Kelimutu trip), and (3) Labuan Bajo – Riung.
(1) Bajawa – Riung
Contrary to the Lonely Planet outdated information, the Bajawa – Riung road was renovated in 2020. It is still in excellent condition when compared with other Flores roads. There are no longer miles of washed out sections with teeth-clattering potholes and 5km/h average speeds.
Overall, 3.5-4 hours on the local bus, currently no Gunung Mas scheduled shuttles.
Book the local bus with your hotel or homestay in Bajawa, Ruteng or Ende. It will probably come to your accommodation so you don’t have to go to the bus station. Secondly, you might be the first to board and get the best front seat on the bus.
(2) Ende – Riung
Ah, this is a more arduous alternative. The road is passable but not as good as (1). It will take 4 hours to reach Riung on the Damri bus from the Ndao bus station in Ende. Add another 1.5 hours for Moni-Ende if you are starting in Moni.
The direct connection from Ende to Riung is the government-run Damri bus. It was large, modern and with a powerful engine.
However, please check the exact departure time from Ndao. It usually departs between 1 and 4pm. You do not want to wait for that for a few hours as Ndao is just a few small local shop stands along a busy road with noisy scooters, bemos and trucks.
(3) Riung-Labuan Bajo
No Gunung Mas shuttle or local buses going to Labuan Bajo, only private taxis at approximately IDR 1,000,000 ($67) per car. We did not take it and were told “the road is not good” (unverified).
All Flores taxi, shuttle and local bus prices are here: Labuan Bajo Taxi Prices.
What to do in Riung
A boat-only day tour to 3-4 islands is IDR 500,000 plus IDR 100,000 the national park ticket and IDR 100,000 for the excellent lunch (freshly caught fish barbecue on the beach on one of the island stops).
In terms of our boat tour experience, we were lucky to go with Luki. Fluent in English with full flexibility to adjust to your requests. Moreover, he owns the boat, which is always a good sign. It was a slow wooden boat with a good engine and spotlessly clean. In addition to the outstanding fish barbecue, his wife had cooked amazing eggplant, vegetables and rice for the trip rounded up with fresh mango. Highly recommended.
Where to stay
We stayed at the Riung Guest House. Large attached bungalow, spotlessly clean, free water, coffee and tea. Owner Paul and his staff are friendly, speak excellent English and will advise you on the boats, buses, restaurants and any other questions we had. Highly recommended.
Where to eat
Pato Resto is the standard tourist restaurant in Riung.
We also liked Warung Ragil Kediri, which is located immediately next to Pato Resto on the same side in the opposite direction of the port. In addition to the good gado gado, excellent barbecue snapper or grouper there.
Where to go next
Bajawa with the authentic Ngada Bena Traditional Village (Flores), Ruteng with the Manggarai traditional villages of Wae Rebo and Todo, and the Kelimutu volcano near Moni are all excellent choices for your next stop.
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