Mount Kelimutu Without a Guide? You Can Do It Yourself!

Climbing Mount Kelimutu can be easy and problem-free (and cheap!)! For those who are used to hiking or did the Mount Rinjani or, farther away, a hike such as Mount Roraima in Brazil/Venezuela, Mount Kelimutu will be a walk in the park! It does not require great physical effort and it can be done very cheaply! Read on!

Moreover, it is possible to climb up without a guide, without paying and without any headaches of having to deal with some locals (they may try to rip you off!). We did it and now we will write the ultimate guide to climb the Mount Kelimutu without a guide (and cheaply)!

How to go to Mount Kelimutu? Going to Moni

In fact, going to Mount Kelimutu is pretty easy, but first, you must get to Moni. There are several ways to get to Moni, the starting point for Mount Kelimutu. First of all, you have to get to Flores Island. The nearest airport to Moni is Ende Airport.

By plane to Ende

The easiest way to get to Moni is by going to Ende (IATA: ENE). The airport is served by daily flights from Bali (Denpasar), via Labuan Bajo. There are also flights from Kupang (near Timor-Leste). Flights purchased in advance can only cost you $20! So for those who don’t have much time, it’s the best way to travel.

From Ende Airport to Moni

Arriving at Ende Airport, there is the possibility of taking a taxi by IDR400mil (US$25) to Moni. The trip lasts 1:20hrs. There is the possibility of going by bus or hitchhiking. For buses (pretty much the back of a truck), there are no schedules and there are no fixed bus stops. You have to stand by the main road and wait. Not too far from Hitchhiking. If you want to hitchhike, there are a lot of cars going up to Moni from Ende, so it may be a faster way to go as well.

Bus from Labuan Bajo to Ende-Moni

We just got back from there and, believe me, even for those who are there it is difficult to find this information. There are ways to get to Ende, leaving from Labuan Bajo, but the trip can take up to 3 days with several stops. There are buses that are always travelling around the place. They make trips between larger cities, but I could not find information about any direct service. Just in case you’re not in a hurry, that’s an option.

Hitching a Ride to Ende-Moni

Coming from any point on the Island of Flores, you can hitch a ride to Ende/Moni. It requires a little patience and goodwill, but it’s not something impossible to do. If you have time, you can save a lot!

Walking from Ende to Moni

It’s also an option! There are several villages on the way to buy food and sleep. You’ll be able to practice for the ascent! It could take a whole day to get there. If I had more time, I probably would have done it!

Trek to Mount Kelimutu without guide

We decided to write this post about going to Mount Kelimutu without a guide due to a few things we saw there in the village of Moni, and on the “trail”.

Anyone who hires a guide will surely lose their minds when they get to the top of the volcano. First, because the guides charge an eye for the trip, you will have to pay transportation to take you to the parking lot and pay the park fee, which costs IDR150mil (US$10) per person.

When you get to the parking lot, you’ll think you’ll have a super ultra hike to do. Let me honest: you won’t! You will walk on a paved trail for 20 minutes and reach the summit with 0 effort. As this is not funny and hugely disappointing, we decided to go walking from Moni.

Hiking Mount Kelimutu From Moni

Here’s the map you want to make the trail out of Moni. You can use Google Maps to go from Moni to Mount Kelimutu. We’ll detail the trail to the peak, with photos to help them make a safe and smooth trail.

Click here to download the .kml file from the map and access it offline (do this before you travel)!

The National Park Gate opens the 4 am. The trail is dark and it will be freezing cold up there until the sun rises. Then take a head torch, warm clothes and some food. Luckily, there are food vendors who are going up to sell drinks and food near the summit.

Rainbow Cafe and Murundão waterfall

The starting point for Mount Kelimutu is Rainbow Cafe, near the entrance to the Moni. Across the street, there’s a hut and a paved footpath. This footpath will take you to the Murundão Waterfall.

Arriving at the waterfall, there will be a bamboo bridge to cross the river and, on the other side of the bridge, there is a little shop. Behind it, the p trail continues. It’ll take you to the village.

Arriving at the village

The trail from of the waterfall ends at the village. Your arrival will be announced by dogs barking. We didn’t see them, but they saw us! When this path reaches the village, turn right. The paved sidewalk will continue to the top of the village. Then turn left before the paved path finishes. At that point, the ascent begins.

From that point, it will be a 45-minute hike. This path exists in Google Maps, as illustrated on the map here. The path is quite beaten and clear, so it’s hard to get lost. Always follow the most beaten paths. There are some crossroads along the way but always follow the most beaten path.

Back on the asphalt

After 45 minutes, the trail will be paved again. You’ll get to a street. Turn right and then turn right again. From that point on, the road will take you to the main road, which leads to Mount Kelimutu. Coming up on the road, turn left and keep going up.

Main road up to Mount Kelimutu

On the road, you keep going up for another 45 minutes until you reach the gate. There’s only one way, no crossroads.

Arriving at the gate, many lights will be on, including those of the security cabin at the entrance, then you will pay the National Park Fee and continue up. The ascent would continue for another half hour to the parking lot of the base of Mount Kelimutu. Now, you’re almost there!

Arriving in the parking lot, there will be two stairways, with the information board of Mount Kelimutu National Park in the middle. Take the one to the left. From there, it will be 20 minutes to the summit.

The night at the top of Mount Kelimutu is fantastic. Starry skies, with the Milky Way visible to the naked eye. Even during high season, you’ll be alone there for some time. Lie down, turn off any lights you have and enjoy that wonderful view! Unfortunately, I left important things at the hotel and I couldn’t take pictures. Then you’ll have to go and see for yourself!

Important Notice

There is a great possibility that the summit will totally be covered up when the sun starts to rise. In the dry season, from June to August, the afternoons are usually clear. So if you can’t see the sunrise with a clear day, or the lakes, stay there or come back late.

If you return on the same day, the National Park Fee ticket will still be valid!

Why go to Mount Kelimutu?

Mount Kelimutu is a fantastic and impressive place. It is even difficult to believe the place is real.

There are three lakes in the crater of Mount Kelimutu: Lake Alapollo, Lake Kootainuamuri and Lake Abutu. The lakes of Mount Kelimutu are of different colours, even though they are part of the same crater. Even being part of the same mega-crater, each has its own conduit (passage from the Chamber of Magna to the crater), with different rates of volcanic activities. A combination of underground vapours of different chemical compositions, earthquakes and rains make the lakes have different colours.

Alapollo Lake

Of the three, the most interesting is Alapollo Lake. In times of drought and higher volcanic activity, more vapour and lava are expelled from the volcano base, causing faster chemical reactions and more drastic changes to the colour of the lake. Alapollo Lake, according to the locals, is the lake with the most tendency to volcanic activities.

The underground vapours of the Lake are rich in iron. In long periods with relatively high activities, the waters of the Alapollo lake can get saturated in iron, causing the water to become red. In 1982, the lake changed colour, from red to yellow. In conversations with local guides, scientists said that there was a long period without major seismic activities, which caused precipitation in the iron of the waters. As it rained, chemical reactions going on etc, this caused the lake to change colour several times. In the year 2016, the lake changed colour 6 times.

Alapollo Lake in Local culture

The local people call the Alapollo Lake Tiwu Ata Polo, or Enchanted Lake. It is believed that the colour changes of the lake happen due to the belief that it is enchanted (maybe it is!).

Lake Kootainuamuri

Next to Alapollo Lake is Lake Kootainuamuri. This lake has a clear green hue, perhaps the most beautiful lake among the three and certainly the most visible and photographed by tourists, given the location from the summit. The gases expelled in the lake are rich in sulfur, causing a very pungent smell of rotten egg in the air. I’m glad there was a lot of wind! The sulphur makes the liquid of the lake largely composed of sulphuric acid. The green hue, yellow at times, of the lake is due to its chemical composition.

Lake Kootainuamuri in Local culture

The locals call Lake Kootainuamuri de Tiwu Ko ‘ the Fai Nuwa Muri (Lake of young men and women). It is believed that when some local youth dies, their spirit will rest in the waters of this lake.

Lake Abutu

Lake Abutu is the smallest of the lakes, a little away from the other two, but visible from the summit of Mount Kelimutu. Its waters, in the past, were white, now very dark blue. No one knows the reasons why the waters of the lake were white (I will keep looking and trying to explain it!).

Lake Abutu in Local culture

The lake is named after Tiwu Ata Bupu (Lake of the elderly). Like the Tiwu Ko ‘ the Fai Nuwa Muri, it is believed that the spirits of the local elders go to the waters of this lake for their everlasting rest.

All this makes Mount Kelimutu a very special place to be visited. It’s not just a beautiful place, but an extremely important place scientifically and religiously. Enjoy this marvel in the best way you can! Or if possible, in any way!

Other attractions in Moni

In addition to Mount Kelimutu, on the outskirts of Flores, there are some spa/hot springs to bathe in. They’re small and it costs IDR5mil to get in. It is frequented by the local people. It is worth visiting and, once you get there, you decide whether to enter or not. After work, around 4 pm, the springs will be packed, so visit them before this time.

Thank you for your visit!

Posted by Wagner Nogueira

Wagner studied Theoretical Physics (B.Sc) and Climatology (M.Sc) at University College Dublin, in Ireland. He has Ph.D. in Meteorology from the University of Reading the Post-Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Oxford. Today, he teaches physics and maths in Bhutan. He has a passion for history, animation, gardening and has visited 52 countries.