点评:What an incredible trip. Despite the 7.7 Flores earthquake having taken place the day before our scheduled start they found a way to make our magical trip work with a few adjustments. Given their houses were damaged and families were living in makeshift tents we were taken aback by their kindness at accommodating us at such a difficult time.
I can't recommend Flores Traveler enough, Irwan who organized our trip, Avelino our kind, highly knowledgeable expert guide, and Andot our brilliant (and very sweet) driver navigating difficult roads damaged by the quake with expert precision. We felt very safe with him as our driver. He is also a musician and we'd love come back to hear him play guitar at one of his gigs.
Avelino had incredible knowledge, perfect English and we learnt a lot about the history, culture and nature of Flores island also known as East Nusa Tenggara. He was also a very thoughtful person and we thoroughly enjoyed our conversations with him.
It was a 3 day trip and the hotels they organized were all of a high quality (one was a bit simple but they did well changing it last minute as it was too dangerous to travel on the original route). We visited a traditional village met the chief and learnt all about the fascinating traditions of the Manggarai people who live in this part of the island. We also visited and learned the history of the "spider web" shaped rice fields on a beautiful walk with swallows flying all around us, chatting with the farmers via Avelino, and meeting the water buffalo too!
We visited local markets trying local fruits and food and achieved a goal of the trip to visit the caves where Homo Floriensis had been found. The museum had the replica moulded bones, it was simple but had good level of detail and the guide at the caves was also extremely knowledgeable. At the cave itself we could see the wide entrance and look inside from the gate but due to the earthquake we couldn't go inside. We finished the trip with a beautiful viewing point for sunset drinks on the way back before returning to Labuan Bajo.
I'd recommend giving them a rough idea of what you want to do/ dates and get their excellent advice on where to go and what to see in order to give you a bespoke trip. There may also be particular events or festivals taking place that you can visit.
Another example of them going above and beyond is the fundraising that Flores Traveler is organising to help victims of the earthquake to rebuild their lives.
Irwan chairs the local tourism association that helps to raise quality and environmental standards of tourism in Flores and Avelino is also a leading member too so they are very well placed to give you a phenomenal trip. One piece of advice is to give yourself as much time as possible to visit the island. I think a longer trip across the whole island would be fascinating and you get off the usual tourist trail.
翻译:真是一次不可思议的旅行。虽然在我们原定出发的前一天发生了7.7级弗洛雷斯地震,但他们通过一些调整,依然让我们的旅程得以顺利进行。由于许多房屋受损,当地居民都住在临时搭建的帐篷里,能在如此艰难的时刻热情地接待我们,实在令我们深深感动。
我极力推荐弗洛雷斯旅行社——为我们安排行程的伊尔万,以及那位友善且知识渊博的向导阿韦利诺。还有Andot,我们出色又温柔的司机,他以高超的技艺精准地驾驶着车辆,穿行在因地震而受损的崎岖道路上。有他在驾驶,我们感到无比安心。他还是一名音乐家,我们真希望能再回来,听他在现场演奏吉他。
Avelino知识渊博,英语说得极好,通过他我们深入了解了东努沙登加拉省——也就是弗洛雷斯岛的历史、文化和自然风貌。他也是个非常体贴周到的人,我们非常享受与他的谈话。
这是一次为期三天的旅行,他们安排的酒店质量都很高(有一家酒店略显简陋,但由于原定路线太过危险无法通行,他们在最后一刻更换了酒店,做得相当出色)。我们参观了一个传统村落,见到了村长,还深入了解了居住在岛这一区域的芒加赖人那些极为有趣的传统文化。我们还在燕群环绕的优美环境中漫步,了解了呈“蜘蛛网”形状的稻田的历史;通过阿韦利诺与当地农民交谈,甚至还见到了水牛!
我们游览了当地的集市,品尝了各种地方水果与美食,并且实现了此行的一个重要目标——参观发现弗洛勒斯人化石的洞穴。博物馆里陈列着那些骨骼的复制品,虽然陈列方式简单,但细节呈现得相当出色;而带领我们参观洞穴的讲解员也学识渊博。在洞穴入口处,我们能够看到宽阔的入口并从外面往里瞧,但由于地震的影响,我们无法进入内部。返程途中,我们在一处绝佳的观景点欣赏了日落并小酌一番,随后便回到了拉布安巴焦。
我建议事先大致告知他们你的出行计划与日期,这样他们就能根据你的需求给出专业建议,帮你规划出一条量身定制的旅行路线。或许还有一些特别的活动或节日可以参加。
他们尽心尽力的另一个例证就是Flores Traveler正在组织的募捐活动,旨在帮助地震灾民重建生活。
Irwan担任当地旅游协会的主席,致力于提升弗洛雷斯地区的旅游品质与环保标准;Avelino也是该协会的核心成员。因此,他们完全有能力为您安排一次无比难忘的旅行。一个建议就是给自己尽可能多的时间来游览这座岛屿。我觉得花更多时间环游整个岛屿会非常有趣,还能避开常规的旅游路线。