The further east you go through Indonesia, the less developed everything becomes. You go Java → Bali → Lombok → Komodo… and then suddenly you’re properly off the beaten track.
The vast majority of people haven’t heard of the likes of Western Nusa Tengara, Flores (Eastern Nusa Tengara), Sumba or the Alor Archipelago that continue far to the east … which of course makes it all that much more appealing for a real adventure.
In March 2025 we hired a driver and headed from Komodo along the Trans Flores highway seeing volcanos, lush jungle, empty roads, traditional villages and the extraordinary Seventeen Islands Marine Park along the way
But the real highlight was just how unspoilt it all felt. Travelling through South East Asia can feel like a tourism conveyor belt at times, but this was proper travelling again.
