Mirror Cave – Indonesia's Hidden Treasure

I would like to thank the Tourism Ministry of Indonesia and VITO – India for giving me this wonderful opportunity to explore some hidden treasures of Indonesia. As my Indonesia excursion took me to several incredible places, it is not feasible for me to write about all of them in a single post. So, expect a number of posts on my Indonesia journey.

How many of you have really explored a cave with full of darkness inside? Well, I just did.

Gua Batu Cermin (Stone Mirror Cave) is one of the major tourist spots of Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara.

Gua means cave

Batu means stone

Cermin means mirror

Discovered by Dutch man Theodore Verhoven in 1951, the limestone cave has many shape of stalagmites and stalactites.

One has to crawl to enter inside the cave. You can spot bats, insects and spiders in the cave.

And there is a reason why it is called Mirror Cave. When sunshine passes through a hole in the tunnel and bounces on the stone walls it reflects small lights to other areas inside the cave like a mirror.

If you want to witness this magnificent visual trick, try to be there at the right time. According to local guides, the sunrays only hit the hole between 9 and 10am.

The cave is surrounded by thick forests where you can find many wild animals, birds and a lot of bamboo trees. It is believed that the cave was under water million years ago.

How to reach the place: It will take just 10 minutes to reach Batu Cermin village from central Labuan Bajo. You can also hire a “motorbike taxi” to reach the place. Alternatively, your hotel can arrange a short trip to this place.