How to Get from Ruteng to Bajawa by Travel Taxi | Our Experience

Travelling from Ruteng to Bajawa is a popular overland journey for visitors exploring Flores in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The route crosses mountainous terrain, so the journey takes considerably longer than the distance on the map might suggest.

We had originally planned to take a Gunung Mas Travel bus from Ruteng to Bajawa. Unfortunately, the bus was already fully booked for the day we wanted to travel.

With no seats available, we decided to use a ‘Travel’ instead.

In Flores, a Travel is a shared long-distance car service, somewhere between a shared taxi and a small shuttle. It turned out to be a convenient way to travel from Ruteng to Bajawa, although there are a few things worth knowing before booking.

Here is our experience, including the fare, where we found the Travel, how we booked it, the pick-up service, seating and the actual journey time.

🇯🇵 この記事を日本語で読む：RutengからBajawaへの行き方｜Travel（乗り合いタクシー）で移動した実体験

Getting from Ruteng to Bajawa

There are several ways to travel between Ruteng and Bajawa, including buses and Travel services.

Our first choice was the Gunung Mas Travel bus. However, the Bajawa service was fully booked on our preferred travel day.

We therefore started looking for a Travel instead.

Finding a Travel to Bajawa in Ruteng

We had heard that Travel services heading towards Bajawa could be found near Sentosa Raya Swalayan in Ruteng.

So we went there in person and spoke to one of the drivers.

The quoted fare was 150,000 Indonesian rupiah per person for the journey to Bajawa.

This was cheaper than arranging a Travel through our guesthouse.

The problem was that the departure time was not clear.  They leave when they are full up so you dan wait a little or a lot of time!

We did not know exactly when the car would leave, so in the end we decided to ask the owner of our guesthouse to arrange the Travel for us.

Booking a Travel through our guesthouse

Our guesthouse owner was able to arrange a Travel from Ruteng to Bajawa.

The price was 200,000 rupiah per person.

That was 50,000 rupiah more than the price we had been quoted when we found a driver ourselves, but there was an important advantage: the guesthouse could arrange the entire journey for us.

The Travel would pick us up directly from our guesthouse in Ruteng and take us to our accommodation in Bajawa.

For us, this door-to-door service made the higher price worthwhile from a practical point of view.

The pick-up was earlier than expected

We were told that the Travel would leave at around 10:00 am.

However, the driver actually arrived at our guesthouse at around 9:30 am.

So if you are arranging a Travel in Flores, it is worth being ready a little earlier than the stated departure time.

The schedule is not necessarily as fixed as you might expect from public transport in Japan or other countries with highly structured timetables.

The Travel was convenient but quite cramped

One of the biggest advantages of using a Travel was the door-to-door service.

The downside was the seating.

The rear seat was designed for three passengers, and with three adults sitting across the row, it was quite cramped.

If you are booking a Travel, it would be worth asking whether you can reserve the front passenger seat.

We forgot to request one when our guesthouse arranged the car.

Fortunately, Chris ended up sitting in the front, so we were lucky.

Considering that the journey involves several hours on winding mountain roads, having the front seat made the trip considerably more comfortable.

How long does it take from Ruteng to Bajawa?

We were told that the journey from Ruteng to Bajawa would take around four hours.

We left our guesthouse at about 9:30 am and arrived in Bajawa shortly after 2:00 pm.

The journey therefore took longer than four hours, partly because we stopped for lunch along the way.

Interestingly, the lunch stop came when we were only about an hour from Bajawa.

It seemed that our driver was hungry and decided it was time to stop for food.

This was quite different from travelling by a scheduled long-distance bus, where rest stops are normally predetermined.

With a Travel, the journey can be a little more flexible and informal.

The road from Ruteng to Bajawa

The road between Ruteng and Bajawa is very mountainous.

There are plenty of winding sections, particularly as you cross the highland roads between the two towns.

If you are prone to motion sickness, it would be sensible to prepare for the journey.

When we travelled, we also came across several sections where roadworks were taking place.

This was around a month after a big earthquake, and we noticed construction work along parts of the route. We cannot say for certain whether all of the roadworks were related to the earthquake, but they were another factor affecting the journey.

For this reason, it is probably better not to estimate your travel time simply by looking at the distance on a map.

Mountain roads, road conditions, traffic and unexpected stops can all affect the journey.

Arriving in Bajawa

We left Ruteng at around 9:30 am and arrived in Bajawa shortly after 2:00 pm, with a lunch stop along the way.

Despite the cramped rear seating, we found the Travel to be a practical way to travel between the two towns.

The biggest advantage was the door-to-door service.

Rather than having to find a bus station, carry our luggage through town and arrange another transfer at the other end, we were picked up at our guesthouse and taken directly to our accommodation in Bajawa.

For travellers carrying luggage, this can make a big difference.

Tips for taking a Travel from Ruteng to Bajawa

Based on our experience, here are a few things to keep in mind when travelling from Ruteng to Bajawa by Travel.

・A driver near Sentosa Raya Swalayan quoted us 150,000 rupiah per person.

・Our guesthouse arranged a Travel for 200,000 rupiah per person.

・Travel services to Bajawa can be found around the Sentosa Raya Swalayan area.

・Booking through your guesthouse can provide a convenient door-to-door service.

・Departure times may not be completely fixed.

・The rear seat can be quite cramped with three passengers.

・Ask for the front passenger seat when booking if comfort is important to you.

・The journey is often described as taking around four hours, but allow extra time for stops and road conditions.

・The route includes winding mountain roads, so motion sickness can be an issue for some travellers.

Is a Travel a good option for getting from Ruteng to Bajawa?

We ended up using a Travel because the Gunung Mas Travel bus was fully booked on the day we wanted to travel.

Although we paid more by arranging the car through our guesthouse, the convenience of being picked up at our accommodation in Ruteng and taken directly to our accommodation in Bajawa made the journey much easier.

Travel is also a useful option to know about when travelling around Flores, where transport schedules can be more flexible than visitors from countries with highly scheduled public transport may be used to.

If you are planning to travel from Ruteng to Bajawa and your preferred bus is full, asking your guesthouse to arrange a Travel could be a practical alternative.

Just remember to ask about the seating arrangement before you book. If possible, requesting the front passenger seat could make several hours on the winding mountain roads much more comfortable.

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