The village of Wae Rebo is located in the mountains of Flores island, Indonesia, at 1,200 metres above sea level.
As we arrived in Flores from Bali to visit Komodo National Park and see the legendary Komodo Dragons, we heard about Wae Rebo and decided to plan our trip to this unique village.
WHERE IS WAE REBO VILLAGE, FLORES
In order to reach Wae Rebo (also written as Waerebo) you need to venture inland in Flores, one of the large Indonesian islands in the province of East Nusa Tenggara.
The traditional village of Wae Rebo consists of 7 large hut-shaped houses. Up to five or six families live per house, arranged in a semi-circular shape on top of the hill, among the mountains. The view of the village alone when you complete the hike is worth the price and the effort to get there!
Being in a remote area in the southwest of Flores, a visit to Wae Rebo requires at least 2 days and 1 night. You can reach Wae Rebo either by guided tour or independently, but there are several aspects to consider.
In this article we’ll explain it all, so you can organise an unforgettable and safe visit to the village of Wae Rebo.
There’s virtually no phone coverage in the Wae Rebo area, so you need to be prepared to get there. On this map we created, you can find the names of the villages and check-points you’ll touch on the way to Wae Rebo.
When traveling in remote areas and to avoid using up data, we always recommend downloading an app like Maps.me at your hotel and browse in offline mode. You can also get an Airalo e-sim (use code UNLIMITED for 15% off) or a local sim with Telkomsel to travel and stay connected in Indonesia.
HOW TO GET TO WAE REBO
Wae Rebo is 120 km from Labuan Bajo, the main town on the west side of Flores. Bajo is home to the international airport that connects the island with flights from Bali, Jakarta, and more destinations. Most visitors reach Wae Rebo from Labuan Bajo.
Although the distance may seem small, it actually takes about 4 hours by road just to get to the valley at the foot of the climb to Wae Rebo.
The earlier you leave Labuan Bajo in the morning, the better. This is because roads are poorly developed in this remote part of Indonesia, where mountains rise close to a rugged coastline.
ROAD FROM LABUAN BAJO TO WAE REBO
From Labuan Bajo, you go up and down one hill after another, following winding roads busy with cars, buses, trucks, and many scooters. Traffic is the least of the problems, in fact in several spots after Nangalele the road becomes a dirt road with potholes, until it… disappears completely!
We literally forded a small river on the seashore, with the help of some children moving stones under the wheels of our car to allow us to pass a point without bridges. This is also part of the adventure to Wae Rebo!
In addition to the southern seaside road we took, passing by Denge and Dintor (see map), there’s also an alternative to go around the mountains from the east through the town of Redjang. This requires more kilometres and time, but should avoid river fords (hopefully…).
LUNCH AT DINTOR, BASE CAMP
Having booked the car ride, our driver made arrangements to stop at Wae Rebo Lodge in the village of Dintor. Here we had a lunch break before carrying on.
Obviously each tour operator deals with the structure they prefer, and in the same way it’s possible to independently reach the small guest houses in Dintor, where you can also sleep the night before or after the trek to Wae Rebo.
Lunch is based on pork and chicken, rice and vegetables. We had the chance to get changed and use the bathroom and shower before leaving for the hike.
BY MOTORBIKE UP TO THE TRAIL HEAD
From Dintor we set off again briefly by car. Heading uphill we passed the community of Nikeng, where new improvised guest houses are being built. Until we reached the point where the road gets too small to continue by car. From there we hopped on motorbikes!
As for the guest house, your guide makes arrangements with the guys who go up and down with dirt bikes to cover the last kilometres up to the trail head.
Here too, you could technically reach with your own motorbike, even from Labuan Bajo if you want. But the journey would become really long and tiring between all the curves and the ups and downs on every surface.
It’s better to rely on those who have more experience and travel the road every day. At the base of the climb you come to a clearing with a couple of small bars at the trail head.
Remember to get an IDP International Driving Permit online if you plan to drive a car or motorbike in Indonesia and elsewhere abroad. Travel insurance does not cover accidents abroad if you don’t have an IDP driving licence.
HIKING TO WAE REBO
Finally it’s time to get your legs moving and climb up the 4.5 km long trail. The path is quite narrow, but not dangerous. The climb is constant without too much difficulty, but you need to be fit and wear suitable shoes (even though we saw the locals do it in flip-flops…).
The most complicated part is perhaps the descent in certain points, because the ground can be quite slippery. In particular after it rains, the trail can become muddy and some waterfalls invade the path. Your guide will be able to warn you, be careful if you go alone.
Depending on your pace, it’ll take you between 2 to 3 hours to get to Wae Rebo. The forest is humid and muggy, take many breaks to drink and catch your breath. The scenery around is truly enchanting, it feels like being miles away from the outside world, and the spectacle is beautiful.
GETTING TO THE VILLAGE
As you walk, the anticipation keeps growing, until suddenly you’ll see the tip of the houses of Wae Rebo village appear. Such an emotion after the long journey!
If you reach Wae Rebo independently, as well as your guide should tell you, you must wait before taking photos and videos inside the village until you’ve done the welcome ceremony with the village chief.
Wait for one of the Wae Rebo local boys to come towards you before entering the houses or snapping pictures, remember that you are not at Disneyland! We’ll never forget those first few minutes in the village with no phone, simply enjoying the moment and staring at the beauty around us.
WELCOME RITUAL AT WAE REBO
In the village there are a few young men who speak English and work on a rotation basis, being responsible for welcoming tourists, explaining how the village works, and acting as translators between families and visitors.
The residents live according to a tribal system, and receive tourists after accepting them through a short ritual inside the village’s main house. Receiving the welcome from the chief in Wae Rebo is a very emotional and significant step. The head of the village asked us our name and country of origin, reciting some sentences in the local language and symbolically giving us permission to visit and stay overnight in the village.
We’d like to underline how important is to show respect for the people who host you, in Wae Rebo as in the rest of the world! You’ll spend the day and night among the homes of the villagers, momentarily invading their lives.
Of course in 2025, as isolated as Wae Rebo is, conveniences like internet, solar panels, and mobile phones are not unknown. The village boys who speak English have access to solar power and computers to handle the influx of tourists.
Today, families alternate between living in the traditional village and in some new homes built further down the valley, where they do some farming (like growing coffee) and have access to modern customs. When they stay in the hut-houses, they continue to carry on the traditions, teaching them to their children.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO VISIT WAE REBO?
You can get to Wae Rebo independently, but the number of beds available is limited, and there are quite a few Indonesians who travel in large groups.
For this reason, to sleep and enjoy the hospitality in Wae Rebo, which also includes dinner and breakfast, you need to book and pay 325,000 rupiah per person, about €20 (updated to 2025).
In the village of Wae Rebo you can find handcrafted pieces and souvenirs made by the inhabitants, if you want to take home a memory and support the community.
Clearly bring cash for any payments in Wae Rebo and in the isolated areas of south-west Flores. You can find some information and prices on the official Wae Rebo website, which however is only in Indonesian. Alternatively, contact the managers via the Wae Rebo Instagram page.
WAE REBO GUIDED TOURS
To facilitate the organization and transfers, it’s advisable to rely on an agency or tour operator. Tours to Wae Rebo can be booked almost everywhere, even directly from Bali with flights and hotels included. Local agencies in Labuan Bajo will have less costs and more competitive prices.
There are tours of all types, with prices that generally vary from 1 to 3 million rupiah (60-180€) depending on whether you want shared or private transportation, guest-house, meals before and after the trek, etc.
The private tour to Wae Rebo, from 1,950,000 rupiah (110€) per person upwards, includes transportation by car without other guests besides you and at the time you prefer for departure and return, meals and trips by motorbike already organised and included, as well as the arrival and stay in Wae Rebo.
You may request that a guide walks with you during the hike. You can also find tours of two or more nights, for example staying in Dintor after Wae Rebo, or visiting other areas of Flores before returning to Labuan Bajo.
WAE REBO OPEN TOUR
The shared tour is called Wae Rebo Open Tour, simply meaning open to everyone, with prices starting from 50-60€. You won’t know how many people will join the tour, nor decide what time to leave or return.
You could find yourself in a shared car with 4 people, or in a 9-seater minivan for the 4 hours of road, leaving everything to chance as with any group trip.
Finally, you can reach the area independently, and pay individually for meals, the motorbike ride (50-100k rupees), and the night in Wae Rebo (325k per person).
Be mindful that tours for Wae Rebo, being 2-day/1-night trips, usually don’t leave every day (like multi-day tours for Komodo). Our tour had departures on Tuesdays and Fridays, since the driver has to stay overnight in Dintor until the next day while tourists go to and from Wae Rebo.
This is why it’s key to plan your Labuan Bajo tours in advance, from Komodo National Park to the excursion to Wae Rebo.
VISITING WAE REBO VILLAGE
Having said that, your experience in Wae Rebo will be authentic and down to earth. The lack of phone coverage plus curiosity will push you to explore the village.
You can interact with the inhabitants, busy with everyday activities, and also enter the houses silently, which seem small but host over 20 people at night!
Each family has its own small room, used only for resting. Whereas in the middle of the house is the kitchen with its fire, utensils and common areas for everyday things. The large central field is used for ceremonies and for children’s games, you can also play soccer or ball with them!
Explore the village freely, always with respect. There are natural showers outdoors, namely at two waterfalls in separate areas in the forest, one for men and one for women! Climb to the top of the hills for panoramic views from above, and enjoy the scenery in the quietness of the place.
Sunset, night time, sunrise, are all incredible moments to admire Wae Rebo. We had a full moon night, whose brightness illuminated the entire village.
DINNER AND NIGHT IN THE VILLAGE
When evening falls, all visitors gather in the guest house. Here dinner will be served and everyone will sleep in the same room.
Dinner consists of simple dishes of Indonesian culture, cooked on fire by the locals: rice, chicken, vegetables and fruit. With the exception of a few solar-powered lights and sockets to charge phones or cameras, in the evening you live offline. Talk to your travel companions, read, make some new friends!
In the back of the guest house there are some basic cold-water showers and bathrooms.
The beds are next to each other like in a large hostel dormitory, bring earplugs and a mask to cover noise and lights.
In case of greater influx of tourists, a second guest house has been built in the back of the village. Tourists sleep outside the circle of the 7 main houses that can be seen from above.
BREAKFAST AND BACK TO LABUAN
In the morning roosters will ring the alarm, it’s nice to watch the village come to life as the smoke from the fires comes out of the huts roofs. If you feel brave, wake up with a shower in the waterfalls in the forest!
Early morning is also a great time to take pictures and enjoy the panoramic views with fewer tourists around. Some groups can be a bit noisy in this sense, but you’ll be able to find your peaceful corner in this little piece of paradise.
After a small breakfast of eggs and rice, you’ll start the descent to meet your guide or driver at the agreed time, or to return on your own to the vehicle that will take you back to Labuan Bajo.
A long day of walking and moving awaits you, our advice is not to delay your departure from Wae Rebo.
VISITING WAE REBO FROM BALI
For instance, we left the village at 8 in the morning. We were at Wae Rebo Lodge at 11am and got back to Labuan Bajo at 4pm. We planned the excursion with a private car to Wae Rebo in order to return in time the next day and catch the flight to Bali at 5:30pm. Our Wae Rebo trip cost about €115 per person for the entire excursion of 2 days and 1 night.
If you have more time and want to explore the surroundings of Wae Rebo, which offers trails and more hiking opportunities, you could stay two nights in the village, through an agency or independently. It’s always advisable to book in advance to ensure availability.
Travelling from Bali to Wae Rebo, flights land around lunchtime or in the afternoon in Labuan Bajo, so you need to sleep one night in a hotel in Bajo. The same goes for tours to Komodo National Park, which always leave in the morning.
There are daily flights between Bali and Labuan Bajo, usually 2 or 3 per day, operated by Air Asia and Batik Air, but the feeling is that connections will increase in the near future.
For those who love slower and more adventurous travel, another option is travelling by boat from Bali and Lombok to Labuan Bajo, a 3-4 day crossing that stops in the most beautiful places of the Flores Sea.
LABUAN BAJO
Labuan Bajo is a pleasant and developing destination, a perfect base for visiting Komodo National Park and seeing natural wonders such as Padar Island and Pink Beach.
If possible, travel in low or mid season to find good deals and enjoy the area without too many people. Otherwise, Labuan Bajo and its islands are quite crowded in high season.
As mentioned above, multi-day tours to Wae Rebo and to Komodo National Park don’t depart every day of the week. Remember to plan ahead to fit in flight schedules and tours in Labuan Bajo.
In our article Best Months and Seasons in Bali we talk about the ideal times to visit this area of Indonesia.
CONCLUSION AND RELATED POSTS
We definitely recommend the Wae Rebo excursion to anyone visiting Flores who wants to discover something different and unusual.
The trip is ideal to be paired with Komodo National Park. You can spend between 3-5 days in Labuan Bajo with many activities and tours available. Or you could spend a whole week in Flores to explore the rest of the island, which also offers volcanoes and lakes.
It’s absolutely worth dedicating 2 days and 1 night to Wae Rebo. You’ll live an unforgettable adventure in a remote area, meeting people who live a traditional lifestyle, taking a leap of a couple of centuries into the past.
With the hope that the area remains limited in number to preserve its beauty, we wish we’ve made you want to travel consciously and discover this lost corner between the mountains and the sea on the island of Flores, Indonesia.
Have a good adventure in Wae Rebo!
PLAN YOUR TRIP TO INDONESIA HERE:
- Visa to Indonesia costs and how to apply
- Guide to North East Bali
- Sea and islands in Bali: Nusa Penida and Gili Islands
- What to eat in Bali: 10 typical Indonesian dishes
HOTELS – WHERE TO STAY IN WAE REBO/LABUAN BAJO
You can book all your stays in Flores and Indonesia with free cancellation here.
- Manta Manta Guesthouse Labuan Bajo: simple budget rooms, a great base for excursions around Labuan.
- Wae Rebo Lodge, base camp before the hike. If not available try Villa Molas, another guesthouse in the area.
- Seaesta Komodo Hostel & Hotel: a modern property with pool, offering both dorms and private rooms.
- Cool Breeze Hotel Labuan Bajo: beautiful island-style hotel with wooden decoration, overlooking Labuan Bajo bay.
TOURS AND TRANSFERS
- 2 day/1 night Wae Rebo private tour, including all transfers, meals and entry fees.
- Day-tour to Komodo National Park: from morning to afternoon, seeing the Komodo Dragons and touching a few islands.
- 2-day or 3-day tour to Komodo: sail and sleep within Labuan archipelago, enjoying the best places like Padar Island and Pink Beach from sunrise to sunset and with no crowds.
- Bali-Labuan Bajo flights, with Air Asia or Batik Air, about 1h15.
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