Lighthouses of Indonesia: Flores

The Republic of Indonesia has been independent since 1945, after having been the Dutch East Indies for more than 350 years. It is a huge country, stretching along both sides of the Equator for more than 46 degrees of longitude (roughly 5100 km or 3200 miles). Comprised of some 17,000 islands (more than 6000 inhabited islands), it has hundreds of major aids to navigation.

The island arc that begins in the west with the major islands of Sumatra and Java continues eastward through a chain of smaller islands known in English as the Lesser Sunda Islands and in Indonesian as the Nusa Tenggara ("Southeastern Islands"). From west to east, the major Lesser Sunda Islands are Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores, and Timor.

Indonesia is divided into 38 provinces (provinsi) and the provinces are subdivided into county units called regencies (kabupaten). This page includes lighthouses of the islands of Komodo and Flores in East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur) Province. Flores is a long and narrow island, about 360 km (225 mi) long. Komodo and Sumbawa lie to the west across the Sape Strait. The island's colonial history is complicated. Eastern Flores was a Portuguese colony until 1851, and western Flores was long held by the Sultanate of Bima on eastern Sumbawa. The Dutch did not establish full control of the island until the early 1900s. Today Flores has a population of more than 1.9 million.

More than 700 languages are spoken in Indonesia. The official national language, Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), was standardized from a form of Malay that served as a lingua franca across the archipelago. In Indonesian a lighthouse is a mercusuar or a menara suar. Tanjung is a cape, ujung is a headland or point of land, bukit is a hill, sungai is a river, kuala or muara is an estuary or river mouth, pulau is an island, karang is a reef, batu is a rock, laut is a sea, selat is a strait, teluk is a bay, pelabuhan is a harbor, and labuhan is a port. It's also worth knowing that the word for an island is nusa in Balinese and gili in the Sasak language spoken on Lombok and in western Sumbawa.

Aids to navigation in Indonesia are operated and maintained by the Directorate of Marine Navigation within the Directorate General of Sea Transportation

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume Q of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
World of Lighthouses - Indonesia
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Online List of Lights - Indonesia - Lesser Sunda Islands
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.

Labuan Bajo Pier Light, Labuan Bajo, March 2024
Google Maps photo by Мария М

Komodo Lighthouses

West Manggarai Regency: Komodo Lighthouses
Famous as a home of the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard, Komodo is a rather small, very rugged island between Sumbawa and Flores. The human population is quite small, about 2000 (roughly equal to the number of dragons). The island is protected as the Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Komodo (Tanjung Langkai) (3?)
Date unknown (2020?). Active; focal plane 80 m (262 ft); two quick white flashes every 5 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. The Admiralty reported this lighthouse as "temporarily destroyed" in 2010, so it was probably being replaced at that time. In 2020 a new listing raised the focal plane by 10 m, suggesting that a third lighthouse may have been constructed. Located on a steep promontory at the southwestern tip of Komodo, marking the entrance to the Sape Strait. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1315; NGA 25626.
Gililawa Laut
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white flash every 3 s. Described only as a white beacon. No photo available but Google's satellite view. Located on the northeastern tip of Gililawa Laut, an island off the northeastern tip of Komodo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1315.5; NGA 25628.3.

Flores West and North Coast Lighthouses

The eight regencies of Flores all span the narrow island, with lighthouses on both the north and south coast.

West Manggarai Regency (Labuan Bajo Area) Lighthouses
* Labuan Bajo Pier (2)
2020. Active; focal plane about 35 m (115 ft); two white flashes every 3 s. Approx. 30 m (98 ft) octagonal white concrete tower with lantern and two galleries. A 2024 photo is at the top of this page, Al Amin Auzu has a 2023 photo, Bache Bara has an April 2022 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Jacek Postawa has a 2019 street view of the lighthouse under construction. This lighthouse replaced a 16 m (52 ft) round barbell-shaped fiberglass tower colored blue. The earlier lighthouse is near the right of M. Yusuf's 2017 photo of the harbor and Google has a 2017 street view. Labuhan Bajo is the principal ferry port for western Flores. The new lighthouse is part of a major redevopment of the waterfront. Located on the waterfront at Labuan Bajo, the principal port at the west end of Flores. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1329.2.
Labuhan (Labuan) Bajo North (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 2.5 s. 10 m (33 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. The lighthouse is seen at the right (south) end of a large hotel under construction in an aerial view, it peeks over the end of the new building in Neil Belder's 2022 photo, M. Yusuf has a 2017 photo, the light is centered in Restanto Eko's 2017 view of the waterfront, and Bing has a fuzzy satellite view. Located near the northern end of the Labuan Bajo waterfront. Site open, tower closed. ID-4286; Admiralty Q1329.3.
Pulau Sabolon (Saboloh, Sabolan) Kecil (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); white flash every 1.5 s. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) square white skeletal tower. M. Syarifudin has a drone video and a closeup photo of the lighthouse and Google has a satellite view. Located on an islet about 15 km (9 mi) northwest of Labuan Bajo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1329; NGA 25628.5.
Waikelambu
2021. Active; focal plane about 28 m (92 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) octagonal white concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Simon Riley's 2024 photo is at right, Rusdi Hen has a photo and a view from the sea and Google has a satellite view and a distant street view. This lighthouse guides ships to a new port that faces north on Teluk Rangkoh about 8 km (5 mi) northeast of Labuan Bajo. The new port will handle commercial traffic including containerships, freeing the traditional port for ferries and cruise ships. Site and tower closed. Site manager: Pelindo (Terminal Multipurpose Wae Kelambu). Not listed by the Admiralty.

Manggarai Regency Lighthouses
Toro Besi (Tanjung Besi)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) round fiberglass tower with a flared top colored white. No closeup photo available but Google has a satellite view. and a distant 2023 street view. Located on the northernmost point of Flores, about 10 km (6 mi) northwest of Reo. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1329.5; NGA 25629.

Waikelambu Light, Labuan Bajo, August 2024
Google Maps photo by Simon Riley
Reo Depot Pertamina
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 14 m (46 ft) square skeletal tower at least partially enclosed by white panels. A 2023 sunset photo is available and this light is below left of center in Perwira Dinata's aerial photo. Google has a satellite view. NGA has this light confused with a smaller light. Located in the Pertamina oil terminal on the northwest side of Reo. Site and tower closed. Admiralty Q1330.25; NGA 25629.4.
* Reo (1)
Date unknown. Inactive since 2017. 11 m (36 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery. Google has a 2023 street view showing the old and new Reo lights. Located close to the new light (next rentry).
* Reo (2)
2017. Active; focal plane about 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 16 m (52 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery. A good 2019 photo is available, Saferius Desantos has a 2018 photo, Ib San has a 2021 view from a pier, Perwira Dinata has a 2019 aerial photo, and Google has a 2023 street view and a satellite view. The light is listed with focal plane 12 m (39 ft); that data was for the old light. Located on the waterfront at Reo. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1330; NGA 25629.2.

Nagekeo Regency Lighthouse
* Marapokot (3)
2021. Active; focal plane about 26 m (85 ft); white flash every 3 s). Approx. 24 m (79 ft) octagonal white concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lantern roof is red. The second lighthouse was an approx. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower. Alfanzha Lagranaldi has the June 2021 photo at right showing both towers and Arif Taha Uji has a July 2020 photo of the new lighthouse under construction. Patrix Djaga has a distant 2016 view of the original tower and Google has a 2023 street view and a satellite view showing that the old tower has been removed. NGA misspells the name as Marapoko. Located on the quay at Marapokot. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1331.5; NGA 25630.

Ende Regency Lighthouse
Tanjung Karterbileh
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 127 m (417 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square white skeletal tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a very prominent cape in northeastern Flores, about 5 km (3 mi) northwest of Waka. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1332; NGA 25631.

New and old Marapokot Lights, Marapokot, June 2021
Google Maps photo by Alfanzha Lagranaldi

Sikka Regency (Maumere Area) Lighthouses
Maumere, in northeastern Flores, is the largest town on the island and the capital of Sikka Regency. It has a population of about 80,000.
Gosong Unjuran
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); green flash every 5 s. 15 m (49 ft) square green skeletal tower mounted on a square platform supported by piles. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. The approach to Maumere is between this light and the next one. Located on the east end of a shoal about 18 km (11 mi) northwest of Maumere. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1334.5; NGA 25639.
Gosong Boni
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); red flash every 6 s. 15 m (49 ft) square red skeletal tower mounted on a square platform supported by piles. Trabas has a distant photo by Günther Hess and Google has a satellite view. Located on the southwest side of a reef about 10 km (6 mi) southwest of Pulau Pamana Besar. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1334; NGA 25639.5.
* Pelabuhan Wuring
2015 (?). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); six white flashes every 15 s. 20 m (66 ft) square white skeletal tower. A March 2017 photo is available and Google has a 2024 street view and a satellite view. Located on the quay at Wuring, a port on the north side of Maumere. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1334.6.
* Maumere Pierhead (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); continuous red light. 9 m (30 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white. Lightphotos.net has a closeup photo, Trabas has a view from the sea by Günther Hess, Nar Sunbanu has a 2021 photo, Anita Sawaluddin has a 2017 photo, and Google has a satellite view and a distant street view. A closeup partial photo shows the base of the lighthouse after the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 12 December 1992, which killed 1490 people in Maumere. Located on the ferry pier at Maumere (ferries from here sail for Kupang, Timor). Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1334.7.
Teluk Maumere
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 110 m (361 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 40 m (131 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Lantern painted red. Google has the 2024 street view seen at right and a satellite view. Located behind a hillside cemetery in Maumere. Site status unknown although the tower is easy to see from a distance. ARLHS IDO-338; Admiralty Q1335; NGA 25639.3.
Maumere Fuel Depot
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 3 s. 10 m (33 ft) square white skeletal tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located at an oil terminal about 5 km (3 mi) east of Maumere. Site and tower closed. Admiralty Q1335.5.

Teluk Maumere Light, Maumere, March 2024
Google Maps street view
* Kewa Pante (Runut)
Date unknown (around 2020). Active; focal plane about 16 m (52 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) square white skeletal tower. Burhanuddin Athaya has a 2023 photo, a 2022 photo is available, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located at a ferry terminal in Runut, about 20 km (13 mi) east of Maumere. Site open, tower closed. Not listed by the Admiralty.

Flores East and South Coast Lighthouses

East Flores Regency (Flores Strait) Lighthouses
The East Flores Regency includes the east end of Flores and also the islands of Solor and Adonara. Lighthouses of Solor and Adonara are described on the Solor and Alor Islands page. The Flores Strait begins in the north with a very narrow passage, called the Larantuka Narrows, separating Flores and Adonara. At the southern end a somewhat wider passage separates Flores from Solor.
Pulau Sarbete (Tanjung Mas)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 5 s. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower mounted atop a building. No photo available, but Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located on an island embedded in a large complex of reefs about 15 km (9 mi) north of the entrance to the Flores Strait. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1341.6 NGA 25650.
* Tanjung Sarbete (2)
Date unknown (2009?). Active; focal plane 32 m (102 ft); white flash every 5 s. 30 m (98 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white. Google has an indistinct satellite view and a street view through trees. This light guides vessels approaching Larantuka through the Narrows; the Narrows here is about 600 m (3/8 mi) wide. The earlier tower was only 15 m (49 ft) high. Located about 6 km (3.5 mi) northeast of the Larantuka waterfront. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1341; NGA 25648.
* [Amagarapati (2 lights)]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 12 m (39 ft); yellow flash every 3 s. Two approx. 10 m (33 ft) yellow posts, one at each end of the Amagarapati dock. Arqi Eka Pradana has a video showing both lights, the north light at the start of the video and the south light at the end, and Didit Putra has a closeup of the north light. Google has a satellite view of the dock. Located about 500 m (0.3 mi) northeast of the main Larantuka port. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open. Admiralty Q1340.3.
* Larantuka (1)
Date unknown. Inactive. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower; lantern and gallery removed. Hotma Hutapea has a view from the sea and Google has a 2016 street view and a satellite view. This tower is also seen in Janet Joko's May 2019 photo and Simon Nany's 2022 photo at right; it may eventually be removed. A city of about 40,000 residents, Larantuka is the regency capital; it was a Portuguese colony until the Dutch purchased it in 1851. Located on the waterfront in Larantuka. Site open, tower closed.
* Larantuka (2)
2019. Active; focal plane about 27 m (89 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Simon Nany's 2022 photo is at right, Janet Joko has a 2019 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the waterfront in Larantuka. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1340; NGA 25640.
Larantuka Fuel Terminal
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 16 m (52 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) square white skeletal tower. The light is at the right edge of Maximiano Kumanireng's 2023 photo and Bing has a satellite view. Located at a fuel terminal on Teluk Oka (Oka Bay) about 9 km (6 mi) east of Larantuka. Site and tower closed. Admiralty Q1340.5; NGA 25644.


Larantuka Light, East Flores, July 2022
Google Maps photo by Simon Nany

Pulau Lobetobi (Nusa Lobetobi)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); one quick white flash every 1 s. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. Alfah Maulana has a distant view from the sea and Google has a satellite view. Located on a tiny island in the center of the southern entrance to the Flores Strait, off the southeastern tip of Flores. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1339; NGA 25642.

Ende Regency Lighthouses
* Ipi (IPPI Port) (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 22 m (72 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. Bojhand Bhanda's 2019 photo is at right, Isterina Adu has a 2024 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the quay at the newer Ipi port on the east side of Ende. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1337.8.
* Ende
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 43 m (141 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 38 m (125 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Juan Carlos Marín has a 2011 photo, Yusron Efendi has a 2017 evening photo, Decky Novian Saputra has a 2020 photo, Rowan Castle has a view from the sea, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. The regency capital of Ende is the second largest town of Flores; it has about 90,000 residents and a port facing the Savu Sea on the southern coast of the island. Located at the main, T-shaped quay on the Ende waterfront. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1337; NGA 25632.
Pulau Ende (2?)
2019. Active; focal plane unknown; six white flashes every 15 s). Approx. 30 m (98 ft) square white skeletal tower. Arah Man has a December 2023 photo, Airull Rahmat has a distant 2021 view and Bing has a satellite view. The light is not shown in Google's earlier satellite view. C-Map charts a light with a focal plane of only 10 m (33 ft). Pulau Ende is an island about 5 km (3 mi) long in the center of Ende Bay about 16 km (10 mi) west southwest of the city of Ende. Admiralty Q1337.7.

Ipi Light, Ende, February 2019
Google Maps photo by Bojhand Bhanda

Ngada Regency Lighthouse
* Maumbawa
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 25 m (82 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 18 m (59 ft) square white skeletal tower mounted on a 1-story concrete base. Maksimilianus Sole has a 2022 photo and Google has a 2024 street view and a satellite view. A 2016 street view shows the light was present by that time. Located on a headland sheltering the harbor of Maumbawa, a small port about 50 km (30 mi) east of Teluk Aimere. Site open, tower closed. Not listed by the Admiralty.

East Manggarai Regency Lighthouses
* Pelabuhan Aimere
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) square white skeletal tower. Devdatta Mulay has a 2023 photo, a 2021 photo is available, Sylvester Dueloke has a distant view, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located on the waterfront at Aimere, a ferry terminal on the east side of Aimere Bay. Site open, tower closed. Not listed by the Admiralty.
* Teluk Aimere (Waiwole)
2017. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); six quick white flashes every 15 s. 30 m (98 ft) square white skeletal tower. No photo available but Google has a 2023 a street view and a satellite view. A 2016 street view shows the tower under construction. Located on the waterfront at Waiwole, a new harbor at the northwest corner of Aimere Bay. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1331.
Mberung (Mborong) (2)
Around 2020. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 1.5 s. 10 m (33 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery. Google has a 2023 street view and a satellite view. This light replaced a much shorter tower; Jho Ikal's 2021 photo shows both towers and Bing's satellite view shows the older tower. Located just off the beach at Mborong. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1330.4; NGA 25629.7.

Manggarai Regency Lighthouse
Pulau Gelinta (Pulau Mules)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); quick-flashing white light. 20 m (66 ft) octagonal white concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Fauzan Janfo's photo is at right, Roi Hosnan has a photo, a 2015 photo (2/3 the way down the page) is available, Dewi Fransiska has an extreme 2024 closeup, and Google has a satellite view. This light and the Tanjung Sasar Light on Sumba frame the narrowest passage of the Sumba Strait. Located on the south side of Pulau Mules, a small island just off the southwestern coast of Flores. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1330.3.

Pulau Gelinta Light, Manggarai Regency, July 2020
Google Maps photo by Fauzan Janfo

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Southern Sulawesi | Northeast: Southern Maluku | East: Solor and Alor Islands | South: Sumba and Savu | West: Sumbawa

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Posted January 10, 2009. Checked and revised November 12, 2024. Lighthouses: 33. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill12