Maumere

Maumere is in Flores, Indonesia.

Get in
Maumere is a small town both in geography and population.

By plane
An ojek from the airport to anywhere shouldn't be more than Rp 5,000. If you walk the 500 m to the main road there are plenty of bemos to take you into town, but it's doubtful you will get that far before a reasonably priced private transport provider offers a low price you can't say no to.

By boat
Pelni has ships to Makassar and Kupang every 2 weeks. The schedule keeps changing and even the local Pelni office has given up planning more than 2 weeks ahead. Tickets can be bought from the local Pelni office near the port on the road to Wailiti and Gading Beach Hotels.

By bus
Buses to Ende, stopping in Moni start from the west bus terminal a fair way out of town. Have your hotel arrange the transport for you, and they will come and pick you up. As always, the bus will circle the town until full. You can get as far as Bajawa in a single day, but that is a 15-hr drive. Buses to Labuanbajo will stop in Bajawa for 1 night.

Buses from Moni to Ende sometimes stop in the centre of Maumere - not at the terminals - and some might even take you to your hotel, if you already know where you want to stay.

Get around
It seems everyone is an Ojek, and will take you anywhere for around Rp 5,000. Gading Beach Hotel 10 km from the centre will cost you 5,000 Rp. Bemos charge Rp 1,000 around town and Rp 3,000 outside.

Renting a scooter for one day will cost you approximately Rp 100,000.

See
There are rumours about caves and hot springs, but this remains to be seen. The beaches outside of town are nice enough to spend a day or two on, but it's better to simply choose one and stay there instead of the town.

Buy
There are tons of ATMs in Maumere accepting international credit cards.


 * Pasar Alok. Weekly market happening on Tuesdays. Stalls with fruit, vegetables, second hand clothes, traditional textiles (Tanon Ikat). Locals from the mountains and other villages come to sell their goods.
 * Pasar Wairkoja. Weekly market happening on Fridays.
 * Toko Daur Ulang (part of Pantai Paris Homestay). Shop selling various recycled and upcycled products made by the local community and disabled people.

Eat
There are plenty of Warungs around the centre, offering all the usual suspects. Restaurants of the kind you would associate with candle light dinners does not exist. Outside the town you are at the mercy of the restaurants at your hotel, so check them out before checking in.



Drink
Maumere is a port town. Port towns mean sailors, and sailors mean alcohol and prostitution. The karaoke bars outside of town make up the venues that often combine the two. However, regardless of your intentions, there is much fun to have while loudly reading random Indonesian words from a TV monitor into a microphone while music is playing - also known as karaoke.



East of town
Buses to Larantuka (Rp 5,000-10,000) or the omnipotent bemos (Rp 3,000-5,000) or Ojeks (5,000-30,000) will take you to any of these places. Just let the driver know which hotel you want. As always, bemos and buses circle the town picking up passengers, leaving only when full.



Go next

 * Bali, air services
 * Kupang, air services
 * Lombok island, via Bali or Labuanbajo
 * Sumbawa island, by sea or via Bali or Labuanbajo
 * Makassar, a Pelni service on a classic Indonesian inter-island ship.
 * Ende in Flores, by road
 * Moni in Flores, by road
 * Labuanbajo and Komodo National Park in Flores, by air or sea

A taxi to the airport costs Rp50,000. An ojek costs Rp10,000 and a bemo costs Rp4000 and may take you closer than the route actually goes. The domestic departure tax is Rp10,000.