Labuan Bajo: Authentic Culinary Experience & Melo Village
ID: GYG1560458-2381498
Category:
Country: Indonesia
Duration:
07:00 hours
Description
Visit Melo Village for a welcome ceremony, then cook a Manggarai wood-fire meal at Dapur Tara and share lunch. Hotel pick-up in Labuan Bajo included.
Labuan Bajo: Manggarai Cultural Tour with Cooking Experience & Melo Village
THE BEST STORIES OF FLORES AREN'T FOUND AT SEA. THEY'RE SHARED AROUND THE TABLE.
Beyond Labuan Bajo’s beautiful islands lies another side of Flores: its rich traditions, local flavors, and the people who keep Manggarai culture alive. Join this cultural journey into the highlands and experience Flores through its food, community, and heritage.
FROM THE COAST TO THE HIGHLANDS
Your experience begins with a hotel pickup in Labuan Bajo, followed by a scenic drive of approximately 40 minutes through green hills, rice fields, and local villages.
DISCOVER DAPUR TARA – COOK WITH LOCAL WOMEN
Step into Dapur Tara, an open-air bamboo kitchen surrounded by greenery and run by local women. Begin with a traditional herbal welcome drink before discovering the flavors of Manggarai through a hands-on cooking experience.
Learn to prepare local dishes using fresh ingredients and traditional techniques. Peel and slice ingredients, grind spices with a stone mortar, and cook over a wood-fired stove. Depending on the day's menu, you may prepare nasi kolo (rice cooked inside bamboo), local chicken or fish, vegetables, and traditional sambal.
More than a cooking class, this is an opportunity to hear the stories behind local ingredients, recipes, and the role food plays in everyday Manggarai life.
SHARE A LOCAL MEAL
After cooking, sit down with your hosts and enjoy the meal you have helped prepare. Share food, stories, and conversations while experiencing the warmth of local hospitality. Halal food is available, and vegetarian or vegan options can be arranged in advance.
EXPLORE MELO VILLAGE – EXPERIENCE MANGGARAI HERITAGE
Continue to Melo Village, a traditional Manggarai village in the hills overlooking Labuan Bajo. Explore the village, learn about local customs and community life, and discover cultural traditions such as Caci, a traditional whip dance symbolizing courage and identity, and Rangkuk Alu, a traditional bamboo dance.
Depending on community availability and prior arrangements, you may also have the opportunity to witness local cultural performances. Enjoy the peaceful highland atmosphere and beautiful views while learning more about the heritage of Manggarai.
MORE THAN JUST A TOUR
Your English-speaking guide will help you understand the stories behind each experience, connect with local hosts, and make the most of your visit. Photo documentation is also provided, with pictures shared after the tour.
Come for the food. Discover the people. Experience the culture. See a different side of Flores beyond its famous islands.
Highlights
- Cook a Manggarai lunch over a wood fire in a women-run bamboo kitchen
- Village entrance, cooking class, lunch and photos included, no cash needed
- Visit hilltop Melo Village and the forest kitchen of Dapur Tara
- Grind spices on stone, tend the fire, then eat your meal on bamboo mats
- Watch, Experience, and Capture the Beauty of Traditional Tenun Weaving.
Guiding languages
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Join a shared cooking experience at Dapur Tara, where you can meet fellow travelers and discover the authentic flavors of Manggarai cuisine. The experience is available with a minimum of 2 guests.
Learn to prepare traditional local dishes with fresh, locally available ingredients, and enjoy the charm of cooking over a traditional open wood fire. Each session offers a unique culinary experience, with dishes varying according to the day's ingredients and seasonal availability.
All meals are halal, and vegetarian or vegan options are available upon request in advance.
Enjoy a scenic 40-minute drive from Labuan Bajo through the beautiful Manggarai hills before arriving at Dapur Tara, an inviting place to connect with local culture, food, and hospitality.
Please note that this experience focuses on cooking and local culinary traditions rather than traditional dance performances. The itinerary may be adjusted depending on weather conditions, road accessibility, and local village activities.
INCLUDED
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off in Labuan Bajo
- Private air-conditioned car
- English-speaking local guide from Manggarai
- Photo documentation during the village visit, cooking class and lunch, sent after the tour
- Entrance and donation for Melo Village
- Hands-on, shared Manggarai cooking class at Dapur Tara over a wood fire
- Herbal welcome drink at Dapur Tara
- Lunch with the dishes you cook, halal, vegetarian and vegan options available
- Bottled water
When should I book?
To guarantee availability book as soon as possible. Early booking is worth consideration especially if you planning the trip during high season like public holidays or weekends.
Cancellations
This excursion you can cancel with no cost up to 24 hours before the start of the trip. If you cancel it after 24 hours or not show up on the excursion you will still be charged the full price of the activity. Being late on pick-up or departure will be considered as not showing up.
