East of Flores, the smallish island of LEMBATA (also known as Lomblen) is a captivating place, frustrating to travel around but full of friendly people, beautiful landscapes and intriguing culture. Very little English is spoken, and in some places people barely speak Bahasa Indonesian, and there is no Western-standard accommodation. Visitors arrive at the largest town of Lewoleba on the west coast, from where there's a weekly boat to the unmissable subsistence whaling village of Lamalera on the south coast. The island is also the home of one of the most renowned weaving traditions in Indonesia. The best cloths are fashioned in the remote villages on the northern coastal slopes of Ile Api , the volcano that looms over Lewoleba. The cloths are an essential part of "the bride price" used by a young man to secure his partner's hand. The island is notoriously malarial , so come prepared.

Daily motorboats run between Larantuka in Flores and Lewoleba (8am & 4pm; 4hr; Rp4000), and there's also a weekly boat from Larantuka to Lamalera (every Fri morning; 8hr; Rp7500). In theory, flights to Kupang and Larantuka leave once a week from Lembata; in practice these flights rarely, if ever, run.