Alternative to Ferry from Ende/Flores to Timor???
 

We arrived in Ende today and went hunting for information on the ferry schedule to Kupang...

Bad news: we found out that the ferry is broken and currently in the dock, and there is no alternative boat apart from the passenger ferry. We asked them but they said that they cannot take the motorcycles.
When we asked when the car ferry will be rapaired the answer was: Maybe (!!!) in July...
:confused1:

So we are kind of stuck here in Flores. Our visa for Indonesia are running out and the next ferry is "maybe" in about 2 weeks.....

Any alternative ideas how we can get the bikes to Timor???

Edit: There are also ferries from Aimere and Larantuka - but no way to check whether they are running or not if you are not there.... we will probably try Larantuka now (280 km)... But if you have other tipps, they are highly welcome!!!

:helpsmilie:

Any help appreciated!!!

Heike - It occurs to me that, for the moment at least, you have no other choice but to try and leave Flores from Larantuka. There are two ferry sailing a week to Kupang (Bolok) from Larantuka that depart on Sundays and Thursdays at 14:00 hours. I suggest you get to the ticket office early to secure your place on the ferry, especially as there will likely be more demand for passage because the Ende-Kupang ferry situation.

Overnight accommodation in Larantuka?
If you need to spend a night or two in Larantuka, then there is a reasonable place, the Fortuna Hotel, costing around Rp 250,000 per room /night. You can't miss it, just look for the Telkom tower on the east side of town. The Fortuna is just (maybe 100m or so) back towards the town from that tower.

All the best

Keith

The Ende ferry seems to be broken for years now, at least it was when we passed 1 year ago. We had to go via Larantuka as well. Good idea is to go first to the ferry terminal to ask when the boat goes, they told us when we arrived one afternoon: "Yes we have a extra one going in 30 minutes..." and off we went. It was the worst trip we took during our two years, boat made for 300 and loaded with 700, every inch was occupied, the toilet not useable after 30 minutes... but a good story to tell...

if you need a good place to stay in Darwin (if you go that way) contact me and I can send you a contact where you can put your tent in the garden... we had to stay 3 weeks in Darwin to get our bike out of the customs area, Perkins, Toll is a nightmare. This guy where we stayed rescued us, rooms at that time 300AUD and more, camping sites over booked etc...

Good luck!

Cheers and have a safe trip!


PS.: Keith where are you now, when we have another beer? Still own you one or two :thumbup1:

We heard from several other travellers that they recently left from Ende - that's why we were focussed to go there...

We are now in Larantuka. We arrived yesterday and immediately started to hunt for the ferry. We got the information from several people that there will be a ferry on Friday.... hope that's true - because we couldn't find any officals so far, and the dock and offices were completely desserted.
(btw: the ferry terminal is NOT in the city centre, but about 4 km before...)

We are staying at the Hotel Lestari, pretty much at the centre, just opposite the Tourist Information (which is deserted as well)... good value rooms, internet cafe on the other side of the road, and sometimes you can even use the Wifi from next door's restaurant...

Time to do some more research on Australia now.... :)

@RTWbyBike ... would be nice if you could share the contact in Darwin with us!
info (at) 2livethedream.com

Thanks!!!!

ok, you got a mail. One Contact for Darwin and one for Kupang. Don´t miss them, they have been a big help for us... GRTS to them and tell them that we miss them....:( WANT TO GO BAAAACCCCKKKK :(

Good luck!

We made it!

We took the ferry from Larantuka - they leave twice a week - Tuesday and Friday, at 13 h. It's a roll-on-roll-off-ferry - very chaotic and a mess, but apart from that uncomplicated. You can buy the tickets right at the ferry, but you have to be early - otherwise you won't find a place to sit down or sleep - go to the upper most deck - you can rent a matress. The corner next to the water tank is perfect! In our opinion it's the best place on the boat - the rest is just a mess and every centimetre is covered with luggage, people, animals, boxes....

Tickets are cheap 170 000 for the bike, + 10 000 for insurance, plus 4 000 harbour fees....

The boat took only 15 hours - we arrived at 4 in the night. The unloading was a even bigger mess... but we arrived now....

Good luck to the others that are following us! It's a unique experience - just stay relaxed... :)

haha yeah its a laugh... i slept, well tried to, squeezed between my bike and a truck with other people at either end of me. i reckon i slept maybe 2 hours tops and that was from just pure exhaustion.
But it is a fun experience :)

As long as no giant cockroaches jump on me this time!!!