The Climate, Diving Season and Best Time to Visit
You can dive in Flores and Alor all year round, but the best conditions are the drier period of March to December when visibility is at its best. October and November are the months when current is most prevalent, particularly in Alor. Generally speaking the weather is more settled here than other parts of Indonesia.
Water temperatures are quite constant, varying very little during the year from around 25°C and a high of around 31°C. Both Alor and Flores are known for their macro diving and the seasonal movement of small animals is not really a factor. Alor has a great chance of providing you with big pelagic encounters with mola mola, particularly in September and, if you are extremely lucky, killer whales might put in an appearance.
Liveaboard Ports of Departure and How to Get There
Flores & Alor liveaboard cruises use the port of Maumere on Flores. You can fly to Maumere direct from Surabaya, Bali and Kupang. Banda Sea trips that also include either or both of Flores and Alor will use the ports of Maumere as well as Ambon. You can reach Ambon from Jakarta, Bali (often via Ujung Pandang) and Manado. Those safaris including Raja Ampat will use the port of Sorong. You can fly to Sorong direct from Bali, Jakarta, or via Ujung Pandang or Manado. We will provide you with all the 'how to get there' information you need for your chosen cruise.
You can view which ports the various boats use on their trips in the 'Departures & Prices' section of each boat's webpage. We will send you full departure details during the booking process. Whichever ports your boat uses, normally the boat operator provides a transfer to the boat from the local airport or hotels (if you overnight beforehand).
Most people fly into Indonesia to Jakarta (Java), Manado (Sulawesi) or Denpasar (Bali). More information on: how to get to Indonesia.
We recommend you take out insurance to cover diving and travel activities, including trip cancellation. See our insurance programme for a competitive quotation:

Places to Stay
If you plan on staying in Indonesia before or after your Flores and Alor liveaboard diving safari, you can find a large range of accommodation options at hotelscombined.com, our affiliated hotel reservation specialists. Browse their website, use their on-line chat to ask questions, then simply use your credit card to make your booking:

All bookings carry a 'Low Price Guarantee' to ensure you get top-dollar value for money.