Maumere is the largest town in Flores and is a port in the north of the region. Its equidistant location between Ende and Larantuka make it an excellent stop over location with an interesting and different attraction from most of the areas. Firstly Maumere has been for a long time the center for divers in the area and offers some excellent diving and snorkeling particular within the Maumere bay. here there area corals and fish that attract all manner of divers, snorkelers and other people interested in marine life and conservation. true to be said the the close by region of Flores offers much more diverse and incredible diving in terms of exclusive and large creatures but Maumere offers much safer conditions and beautiful seabed scrapes of colors and texture that make for some very pleasing and enjoyable diving.

Unfortunately, due to the disaster of the 1992 earthquake and tsunami destroyed some of the best diving in the area leaving areas of greatly stunted reef life that will take centuries to re-grow and perhaps longer to reach its former glory. It is certainly not just underwater that this disaster as left lasting scars, large areas of the city remain in damaged conditions, some areas resemble a war-zone scene with crumbled and destroyed buildings still left standing. There has however been some recovery and certainly more than enough to deem the area visitable, safe and enjoyable. The lasting scars act as a symbol of the disaster and provide some kind of idea of the horrendous event that this town endured only 14 years ago. This alone is a sobering and worthwhile experience to witness the natural instability of Indonesia and also the unique way in which the culture can pull through ban situations with a positive outlook.

Maumere is also famous for its particular style of Ikat cloth and fabrics, the style here is the distinctive patterns of maroon, white and blue geometric patterns in horizontal rows over either a dark blue of black background. like many of the villages and towns of Flores, weaving and fabric making is a rich part of the culture. There area a number of conservation projects going on at the moment in Maumere as well as research under the sea. Active attempts to stop dynamite fishing and other destructive practices that are damaging this particular area and many others in the world. It is these local battles that actually make stand to make differences to the current methods and provide answers to many of today's problems effecting the global biosphere. Maumere is a place that you are likely to pas through if you are traveling the classic route o if you are diving and is worth a stop off to experience the diving, culture and impact of the area.