In case you missed it on Twitter, we recently announced the location for Hacker Beach #5 in January 2017, and you’re all invited to join:

Good news, everyone: we’re going to Flores! https://t.co/Pao152fxXs — Hacker Beach (@hackerbeach) November 9, 2016

Flores is one of the larger islands in South-East Indonesia. The official Hacker Beach central will be Labuan Bajo, a small town on the far Western end of the island, and a launchpad for hundreds of adventures around the neighboring Komodo archipegalo as well as the interior of Flores itself.

In regards to aquatic activities, contrary to last year’s 10-mile surf break, next Hacker Beach will be all about underwater exploration! The Komodo islands and national park feature some of the richest marine biodiversity on earth, and hence are the perfect playground for snorkeling and diving. How about a swim with 4-meter-wingspan manta rays before or after work?

If you don’t have a diving license yet, you’ll be able to learn this beautiful activity together with other hackers in one of the most stunning underwater environments on the planet, instead of your hometown swimming pool.

Speaking of amazing nature, Komodo island is of course also home to the biggest lizard in the world: the Komodo dragon. Organize a trip to the island with some fellow hackers in order to see actual dragons in the wild!

So let’s get to the logistical part:

Getting there

In good old Hacker Beach tradition, there is no direct way to get to Labuan Bajo. It does have an airport with local flights however: LBJ. There’s also a variety of options for getting in via boat. Check out WikiTravel for details.

Visa

Citizens of almost all countries get a 30-day free entry stamp for Indonesia. It is possible to apply for extended visas at an Indonesian embassy. This should ideally be done before travelling to the country. Source

Accommodation & Cost

You should easily be able to survive on $30 a day (our unofficial price target for a comfortable extended stay).

As Hacker Beach is not an organized event and certainly no pre-packaged vacation, you’re on your own with finding a room or apartment. As always, it’s not a bad idea to find others you can share an apartment with, or to stay at the same hostel/guesthouse/bungalows as other hackers.

Communication

We’re hanging out in #hackerbeach on Freenode. You can usually catch a friendly person on the channel any time of the day. Here’s a Web chat, in case you don’t have an IRC client set up. We also log the channel publicly.

Wiki / Knowledge Base

We finally came around to setting up a wiki this year. Any help with adding and editing content is most appreciated!

RSVP

In case you decide to join, we’d be happy to have your (nick)name on our list of participants. Head over to the wiki page for HB5.

Join us!

Nothing left to do but looking for a plane ticket and coming to Labuan Bajo in January. See you there!