Most cruises that cover the Alor or Flores area start or end at the post of Maumere, on the northern coast of east Flores island. Maumere is roughly 430 nautical miles east of Bali in East Nusa Tenggara province (Nusa Tenggara Timur) – in the Lesser Sunda Islands. This region is home to a world record, established when a scientific expedition recorded 1,200 species of fish, including some new to science, all found in Maumere Bay alone!

Take time out of diving for some land excursions here; trekking through the park to find ‘Varanus Riungensis’ – another giant lizard, slightly smaller and brighter than its cousin on Komodo). Another unmissable land tour is our visit to the traditional village of Bena, where the population has maintained their original way of life – preserving their buildings (such as megalithic tombs) in keeping with their ancient customs. Marvel at the pairs of Ngadhu and Bhaga buildings made solely from wood and cane, (Ngadhus being 3m tall umbrella-shaped structures, representing male ancestors, Bhagas being miniature houses, representing the female ancestors), which together symbolise the continuous presence of the ancestors of every family in the village.