We state
What is checkable
Figures, rules and trade-offs.
- Government fees and quotas, cited by regulation
- Drive times as ranges, dated
- Operator inclusions as published by the operator
- Season effects stated in both directions
Standards · Silo 5
Editorial Standards for Flores Island Travel
How road, transport and cultural information on this site is checked — and the specific claims we decline to make.
Distances on Flores are measured in hours, not kilometres. That is a standard, not a stylistic choice.
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Hours not km
How distance is stated
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30–40 km/h
The average behind that rule
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2026 dated
Every figure carries a year
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0 claims
Beyond what we can show
Distance
Hours, not kilometres
Mountain driving on Flores averages 30–40 km/h. A distance in kilometres therefore tells a reader almost nothing useful about their day, and consistently makes routes look shorter than they are.
So every route on this site states drive hours as a range alongside the distance. Where the two disagree — 71 km from Bajawa to Riung taking three and a half to six hours — the hours are the honest figure and the kilometres are context.
Ranges rather than single times, because weather, roadworks and how often you stop move them more than the road itself does.
Culture and sites
How cultural information is handled
Villages here are lived in, and that changes how they should be written about.
Where we defer:
On customary practice, protocol and permission, we follow what the villages and their guides state rather than what makes a better paragraph. Where we are unsure of a detail, we leave it out rather than guess.
- Living villages are described as places people live, not as attractions with opening hours.
- Access rules — mandatory guides, permission ceremonies, photography limits — are stated as requirements, not as colour.
- Site names use the local form where one exists, with the tourist name alongside if it aids search.
- We do not publish the location of anything a community has asked not to be publicised.
- Photographs show what the caption says they show; nothing is presented as somewhere it is not.
- Where a practice is seasonal or ceremonial, we say so rather than implying it is always available.
The limits
What we do not claim
A short list, and the reason each is on it.
We do not state
What we cannot show
Anything requiring authority we lack.
- Safety certifications for individual vessels
- Star ratings or quality scores for operators
- Guaranteed wildlife sightings or clear weather
- Personal on-the-ground presence we do not have
If a page here needs a claim we cannot support, the page is written without it rather than with a hedge.
Corrections
How an error is fixed
Same process as everywhere else on this site.
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You report it
The page URL and what looks wrong is enough.
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We check the source
Regulation, operator, or agency — whichever the claim rests on.
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The page is edited
Corrected in place rather than annotated at the bottom.
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The date moves
So the next reader can see the page has been revised.
The wider process
Who applies these standards
The editorial desk page covers who drafts and checks the pages, why there are no individual bylines, and what the commercial relationship with the operator is.
Standards questions
About how information is checked
Short answers to the ones that come up.
For the full set, see our FAQ — 135 questions answered.
Why are distances given in hours?
Because mountain roads here average 30–40 km/h. A kilometre figure alone consistently makes a route look shorter than the day actually is.
Why are drive times ranges rather than fixed?
Weather, roadworks and stops move them more than the road does. A single number would be wrong more often than right.
Do you verify individual boats or operators?
No. We publish what to check before you pay — safety equipment, written itineraries, fee transparency — rather than certifying vessels we have not inspected.
How do you handle cultural information?
By following what the villages and their guides state, and by omitting details we are unsure of rather than guessing.
Do you guarantee wildlife sightings?
No, and neither can any operator. Manta season and Kelimutu visibility are stated as odds, not promises.
Are the photographs on this site real?
Yes. Every image shows what its caption says it shows, and AI-generated imagery is not used to depict real places.
What if a village asks not to be featured?
We remove or withhold the detail. Community requests take precedence over completeness.
How do I report an inaccuracy?
Message the desk with the page and the problem. The page is corrected in place and the revision date moves.
Talk to Komodo Luxury
Tell us what looks wrong
Corrections go into the page itself. Booking questions go to Komodo Luxury.
No obligation, and no price here changes because you asked.