Title: Indigenous Tour Report
Date: Saturday, March 28, 2026
Location: Ruteng & Wakos
Trip Duration: 3 Days/2 Nights
Guide: Mr. Irwan
Driver: Mr. Fandro
Hey guys! This is the English version of my travel story you might have been waiting for, translated by Irwan. This story is about my very first tour as an escort guide during my internship for six months at Flores Traveler office. I accompanied a solo traveler from Hong Kong named Leong, whose trip was organized by Flores Traveler tour company based in Ruteng.
This tour is very typical for travelers who want to do live-in tours where you can see off-the beaten track places to meet indigenous people, live in the locals’ house, share food with them, go farming with locals, visit schools and a lot more. We love to call this tour as Flores Indigenous Tour, which we like to open twice a year and if we get more inquiry for this tour, we will swift the destination so that the place we visit remains unspoiled and well-preserved
We began this tour from Ruteng on March 28, 2026, at 8 AM. We drove about five minutes from the office to pick up Leong at Ara Garden Inn. In less than a ten minute wait, we hit the road toward Wakos Village, the highlight of the total 6-day to explore Flores.
The Journey to the Hidden Valley
Wakos is located in the valley of Mount Poco Konde. Administratively, It’s part of Poco Ri’i sub-district, Borong District, East Manggarai Regency. We planned to spend three days just soaking up the village life and blended into the locals life who were there getting ready for holy Easter week.
When I first met Leong, I introduced myself and asked him about his name, nationality, and age.
“I’m Leong, I’m from Hong Kong, and I’m 34,” he said with a smile after Irwan, our tour guide, gave me the chance to speak.
We left Ruteng at 08:30, stopping shortly at a local kiosk to grab some snacks, tempeh, and tahu (tofu) for our snacks and also for “oleh-oleh” (gifts) for the family hosting us in Wakos.
The first 30 minutes were all busy through trans Flores highway but then things got more magical when we passed the road in the Ruteng Nature Park, a massive 32,000 hectare forest. The roads were narrow, flanked by thick green walls of balakacida (Chormolaena odorata) trees and lots of big trees on those mountain ranges . After about one hour and thirty minutes of drive, we made a wonderful stop at Nceang Village to watch kids soaking in the river and took a photo of a grandpa heading home with firewood to cook.
The road eventually turned into a challenge mode of broken asphalt when we arrived at Tilir village ending at the end of the road in a small village called Lamba.
From there, it was a time to rely on our legs to walk. We walked about a kilometer over rocky paths, passing through tiny streams and stunning terraced rice fields. Coffee plantations covered almost the entire valley, it was a total feast for the eyes.
Leong was clearly loving it. He constantly could not hide himself from taking loads of photos, and his face totally lit up whenever we passed local farmers carrying wood or leaves. He’d taken out his phone to capture those authentic moments. We should’ve been a 30-minute walk that took us an hour because we kept stopping to admire the view and the people.
Day One in Wakos
We reached Wakos just before lunch and were welcomed with big smiles by some people in Wakos. We stayed at the home of Bapa Riska (real name: Nimus).
(Fun fact: In Manggarai culture, it’s more polite to call parents by ‘Bapa’ or ‘Mama’ followed by their first child’s name)
We started with a ritual called Wae Lu’u to show respect to the local ancestors, especially those who belong to the family of Bapa Riska who’s a member of clan Lui. Then came the food.
We shared stories over lunch with Bapa Riska’s big family. After having a delicious meal, Leong tried Kopi Pa’it (strong black coffee) and even tried rolling his own traditional cigarette using palm leaves and dry tobacco, known as Rongko Koli. Even though it was his first time smoking, he looked like a natural and didn’t turn down a single offer from the locals.
Later, we trekked to the coffee garden. Even though it started raining, we were ready with our ponchos and boots. We hung out in a small hut, eating boiled taro cooked over a firewood. Once the rain stopped, we began planting some Robusta coffee trees.
But the real adventure started at 7 PM. It’s a Frog Hunting.
We joined Bapa Riska, Ande, and Huber who are the local professional hunters. Usually, they hunt with their dogs for squirrels or frogs to add some extra protein to the family dinner feeding their wives and kids. Bapa Riska only targeted five frogs that night, but in two hours, we caught nine. We ended the night with a “special menu”, fried frogs.
“What a delicious food”, I muttered to myself.
Before going to bed, Irwan informed Leong the rundown for the next day. He taught me a pro-tip to always give a brief info to guest after dinner so that they know exactly what’s going to happen tomorrow.
Day Two in Wakos
That day was Sunday and it was special because it was Palm Sunday. The whole villagers were buzzing for the Holy Week mass at the local chapel that the parish priest led the mass himself unlike the normal Sunday.
Before going to the chapel we trekked 2 km to Gusti’s rice fields to feed the water buffalo, an activity that locals call as Takung Dongkong. This activity usually happens every morning or noontime when the day is about to get dark.
By the time we headed back, the villagers were already dressed up for church, so we had to hurry. But we couldn’t resist one thing, a bath in the outdoor, natural spring shower right next to the house. Imagine showering with a view of rice fields and mountains. Leong thought it was so cool that he grabbed his phone to take photos of us enjoying the fresh water.
It didn’t take long at all to get to the church from Bapa Riska’s house. The whole Wakos community and its neighboring villages came to the chapel, from the little ones to the adults, everyone was there for Mass. It was so crowded that the Easter committee even had to set up tents around the building to fit everyone in.
The service lasted about an hour and half and ended with a Sunday School session led by Irwan and Ibu Nadia, a local pre-school teacher.
We played games, sang songs , and danced along with the kids. We even did a little quiz; those who got the answers right walked away with notebooks, drawing books, and pencils that Leong had prepared. We ended the church activities with a big group photo, and I was lucky enough to be the designated photographer for the day.
After church, we headed back to a local’s home for a lunch invitation at Bapa Dan’s family house. Him and his wife really went all out with the magnificent foods for our lunch by cooking white rice, cassava leaves, chicken soup, kopi pa’it, banana, and even boiled taro for dessert. But before the main meals, Leong was served sirih pinang (betel nuts) as a welcoming gesture and a sign of gratitudes for visiting. Leong also got to try some rongko koli while hanging out with the older men after lunch.
Looking back, my time in Wakos was such a precious experience. The local wisdom is still so alive there, and for me, it was truly an unforgettable trip.
(Photos courtesy of Leong. Huge thanks to him for letting Irwan and me share these through this travel story. Leong, Can’t wait to see you back to Flores again one day!)
