Kelimutu Lake (the 3 colors lake) is on my travel list since the first time I heard about it. Finally, I got the chance to visit this magnificent lake with Doris last July. It was quite a long journey. We started from Borong, East Manggarai, we went by bus to Ende at 9 a.m. and it took 8 hours to reach Ende with only one stop for lunch. We arrived in Ende at around 5pm and which was not even our final destination. From Ende we had to find transport that could bring us to Moni, the village where the Kelimutu Lake is located.
With the help of the Bus co driver, we got the transport to Moni. But, please beware of the price that they offer. In our experience the driver asked us almost triple of the normal rate and nothing we could do with that since we didn’t know where to find another transport, moreover its dark already.
It only took 1.5 – 2 hours to reach Moni; our driver seemed has no fear. He drove blindly fast. Me and Doris were swearing and mumbling, simply complaining to ourselves.
Finally we arrived at Moni and it’s so damn cold. I hate the fact that I had to take shower. As the bungalow we approached was fully booked, we got a budget room for only IDR 150.000,- , sadly enough there was no hot water in our bathroom. Doris and I had a fight about who should shower first, and yepp the cold water had me at HELLO…
After fought with the ice cold water, we had dinner at Bintang Restaurant. I love the atmosphere of the place. There was a young man which also the staff of the bar playing the guitar and singing some good songs. His great voice made Doris and me deeply in love with him (eh.. his voice I mean). He sang all love songs requested by the customers.
For dinner, Doris ordered spaghetti and I simply picked Fried Rice. Doris face showed me she was unhappy with her spaghetti. It was beyond her expectation. I told her that it’s better to try local food when you are travelling, because basically that’s the best thing they could possibly cook properly. My fried rice was just fine and I just can help Doris with my evil laugh. Hahahah
At the restaurant, we negotiated the transport to Kelimutu with the local guide. We decided to go by ojek. FYI, it’s quite hard to rent a motorbike here. You will be suggested to take ojek. As we wanted to watch the sunrise at the lake (as told was it’s the best time to enjoy the surroundings) the ojek said they will pick us up at 5.30 am (another challenge for us to wake up and fight with the cold weather)
5.30 in the morning, we were waiting in front of the guest house and ready to go. When our arrived the other issue came up, the ojek only had helmet for them. Not much of safety, and to make it worse: after 10 minutes ride, suddenly it was raining. I could feel the icy rain hit my face, I couldn’t feel my toes and fingers as it soooo freaking cold. We had to make at least 2 stops before reaching the trekking point.
As we arrived at the trekking point, it was still dark and foggy. Luckily there were plenty of food stalls and they sell hot drinks. I ordered a cup of tea to warm up my body. We spent 15 minutes in the trekking point, waiting for the rain to stop. We hardly had to say goodbye to the sunrise. All we could see was trees covered by clouds.
To get to the first lake, we walked for 10 to 15 minutes. The first lake named Atapolo lake, is known by the local as the lake for the spirits of the bewitched. The colors are always changing. A long time ago the color was red, and red, the moment I visited the lake the color was turquoise. Although we couldn’t see the first lake clearly due to the heavy clouds but we still have a lil hope in our heart that we will soon see the clear one. Furthermore, I made myself like I was in Europe on the winter day, especially with my crazy Dutch friend beside me.
As we moved to the next lake called Nuwamuri Ko’o Fai Lake, we were happy to see the glimpse of sunlight breaking through the clouds. Afraid of the clouds coming back, we ran to to another spot to see the beautiful turquoise lake. The lake was gorgeous, just like what I saw on postcards, calendars and at our old rupiah. The second lake is the place for the spirits of Young Men and Maiden. We took our time selfies with plenty of angles and expressions.
The third lake was located more higher than the other two lakes. It’s called: Atabupu Lake, or the place for the spirits of old people. The color was green and surrounded by many trees. It was kind of peaceful foggy morning. A few street vendors were selling hot coffee, instant noodles and snacks up in the monument area. Enjoying the stunning view while sipping hot coffee would be fun.
The way back down to the trekking point was hilarious, since we met other tourist who was wearing the same pants as Doris. We were laughing all the way down. What a small world, 2 tourists from different region wore the same pants and both visiting Kelimutu. Back in our homestay, we showered, packed and had lunch at Bintang restaurant and waiting for transport to Ende and then back to Borong. From Ende we directly took a taxi back to Borong.
I also met my best friend Marina in Moni. Together with her cousing she came to enjoy Kelimutu aswell. They were pretty lucky, since no fog was covering the three lakes. They went there by the time Doris and I already reached the homestay again. Although we did not have much luck concerning the weather during this trip, we both were happy since not everyone could enjoy the foggy Kelimutu :)
Keep Wandering!