Surface tension breaks under a morning sun as a narrow wooden boat pushes off from Labuan Bajo, the town shrinking behind a ribbon of palms. Within an hour the landscape shifts—steep limestone ridges, scrubby hills and a blue so clear it counts every pebble. Rangko Cave opens to an underground chamber where a bright, cold pool dares you to swim; farther along, Cunca Wulang drops through a short canyon into a fern-lined plunge pool. A quick climb to Sylvia Hill and Puncak Watu Api delivers a wide, wind-polished panorama of islands and reef.