A view of Ende from the plane, spotted a lake

Rumah Pengasingan Bung Karnoe (Exile House of Bung Karnoe, the 1st President of Indonesia) in Ende, Flores

Bedroom of Soekarno’s In-Law mother

 

The house from in front

 

What to prepare

• Bring your jacket, since the wind makes it very cold. You don’t wanna get distracted with the cold and just focus on enjoying the moment.
• Bring your own mineral water too, since we have to climb the stairs to get to the lake
• A flashlight for walking up the train

How to get there from Moni

• If you’re in a larger group, you can use a rented car (just like me)
• You can ride an Ojek (local motorcycle bike) by asking your homestay host, the standard usually cost 150,000 – 200.000/person for depart and return.
• You can take one way ojek ride to Kelimutu and walk back to Moni down by taking a steep shortcut down the mountain. The trail begins near the entrance gate to Kelimutu. They said that the walk can pass a waterfall and favorite swimming spot for locals.

Getting there

1. We plan to see the sunrise there, so we departed from our homestay in Desa Moni around 4.00 AM using our rent car. You can also ask for homestay services to find you a service that can take to Kelimutu National Park. It needs around 45 minutes to arrive at Kelimutu basement.
2. After arriving at Kelimutu National Park, we pay for entry fee cost. Rp 3,000 on the weekdays and Rp 5,000 on the weekends (Price per August 2015)
3. To get to the top, we’ll have to hike for around 1 hour. It’s not a difficult walk though, as the trail already has decent stairs.

4. When we made it to the top, I just couldn’t BELIEVE what my eyes had seen! I really recommend you to go see sunrise in Kelimutu lake by hiking from this early as it is one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve seen! The view of sunrise came from behind the lake.

   It also depends on when you’re coming whether it’s cloudy or not. If it’s cloudy, the sunrise view can be covered by the clouds, so it’s best for you to not come during rainy season. During the afternoon, a heavy fog often surround the lakes too. And NO, I didn’t edit my photos that much for this!!

   Here are my shots on a lot of process of the sunrise; (P.S go immediately take some photos before it gets crowded! :p)

    

   

   Dawn in Kelimutu, this is the view when we’re walking up the stairs

   

   There is a fence that restrict the edge of lake. You can go behind the fence so your photos won’t be included inside the frame. But just go further a little! Because the steps can be slippery and the lake itself is dangerous since it’s very hot.

The rays of sun peaking through

5. Enjoy some hot tea, coffee or instant noodles (Pop Mie) that are sold by the locals in the peak of Kelimutu Lake sightseeing spot. A pleasure to enjoy it in the midst of cold!

The story of Kelimutu Lake

Did you know that the colour of Kelimutu Lake can change for up to 44 colours? It periodically and unpredictably change due to a chemical reaction happening inside the volcano. Scientist are usually left baffled because of this. Locals believed that the lake is the home of dead ancestors. The name of three lakes: