Step on Flores land, it’s not only about the Komodo Dragon. The hidden treasures of Lesser Sunda Island can be found in the Nusa Nipa or Snake Island, the original name of Flores Island. From the amazing underwater, the serpentine road awaits to be explored. The best advice to start the journey is prepare the anti-nausea pill.

Let’s begin from the west. After taste Labuan Bajo’s heat, cool it down by the trip to Ruteng, the town of Manggarai people. Pamper your eyes with the greeny scenery, the flowery town, Ruteng is the contrary of West Flores’s Coast.

It is the Ruteng Natural Park’s turn to be visited. For the birders, it’s the Aves Paradise. 17 endemic birds can be watched along with more than 50 bird species on this 32,245.60 Km² area.Put these endemic birds’ name on your notebook as the reminder to be found : Flores Scops Owl (Atus alfredi), Flores Hanging Parrot (Loriculus flosculus),  Flores myna (Gracula religiosa mertensi), Sunda/ Flores Hawk Eagle (Nisaetus floris, formerly Spizaetus floris), and Bare Throated Whistler (Pachycephala nudigula).

The 3 observation spots had been mapped by the authority i.e Ranamese, Ranaka, and Golo Lusang. The 3 Km Ranamese spot surrounds the 5 Km² Ranamese Lake. Ranamese Lake located at 1200 m asl and 43 m in depth, formerly was a steep crater created by vulcanic activity.

Put the binoculars on your eyes and listen up, then the pygmy owl (burung hantu kerdil), sunbird (burung madu), white-eyes (burung kacamata), noisy friar-bird (cikukua lantang), glittering kingfisher (Cekakak tunggir putih), wallacean drongo (srigunting sikek),the hardhead (itik gunung), the whistling duck (belibis), and junglefowl (ayam hutan) can be seen/heard.

The 9 Km Ranaka spot towards Ranaka Mount’s top is the home for sunbird, white-eyes, noisy friar-bird, glittering kingfisher, junglefowl, chestnut-capped Thrush (anis kembang/ Zoothera intrpres), chestnut-backed Thrush (anis nusa tenggara/ Zoothera dohertyi), and Sunda Hawk Eagle (elang flores). Ranaka Mount is the second highest top in Manggarai and East Manggarai Regency.

The seven summits in this park are Ranamese (1,790 m), Golo Coronumbeng (1,800 m), Ponte Nao (1,920 m), Poco Leda (1,990 m), Poco Nembu (2,030 m), Poco Ranaka (2,140 m), and Poco Mondosawu (2,400 m). In 1987, Mount Ranaka erupted then produced the new volcano, was called by Anak Ranaka.

Meet some springs at Gololusang spot, this is the place to find sunbird, white-eyes, noisy friar-bird, short-tailed Starling, junglefowl, chestnut-capped Thrush, chestnut-backed Thrush, and lesser coucal (bubut alang-alang). From this place we can have a sightseeing of Flores’s Southern Coastal and Sumba Island. Ruteng Natural Park also home for wild boar (babi hutan/ Sus vitatus), hedgehog (landak/ Hystrix bracyura), Asian palm civet (musang/ Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), long-tailed Macaque (kera ekor panjang/ Macaca fascicularis), cave nectar bat (kelelawar/ Eonycteris spelaea), Hainald’s rat (Rattus hainaldi), Flores giant rat (Papagomys armandvillei), and snakes.

While observe the fauna, explore the nature of this park. Around the Ranamese Lake, there are waterfalls. The popular ones are Cunca Rede and Cunca Ruar. Both are separated by 100m distance. This park is water catchment area for Manggarai Regency to East Manggarai Regency. It has the wettest ecosystem in East Nusa Tenggara. The primary forest on 1,000 m asl and the slope over 40% results temperature from 9 to 28°C.

This climate is suitable for epiphit especially orchids. The authority has identified 12 species, and the study still continues. Based on the note by a priest (Jilis Aj Verheijen SVD), there are 252 species of anthophyta, 69 of them are used as traditional cure by local people.

Ruteng Nature Park in the heart of Manggarai Land, promises the distinct journey from Flores Exploration Take a deep breath, inhales...exhales...let the oxygen purifies your soul trough your blood circulation. It is cold or mild, but it makes us calmer than before, even the nausea by the winding road.

©Dewi Indriasari-BBKSDA NTT