Flores (Indonesia) In October

Want to see the relatively remote and sparsely populated side of Indonesia, and Flores has been on my bucket list for sometime.

Traveller profile: Couple in early thirties

Origin: Singapore

Activities preferred: Beach, some water sports, snorkeling, discovery scuba (don't have license)

And also, beautiful natural spots, some hiking etc. especially kind of spots that are hard to find outside that part of the world, like volcanoes etc.

We are coming from Singapore and seems Labuan bajo is the only airport that got some connectivity. But the island itself seems quite big, and two main attractions for us are seeing the Komodo dragon as well as Kelimutu. So the main questions are

1. Safe to go around as a non-local couple (without being part of a group)? We don't even speak Indonesian.

2. The island seems quite long, are there local transports within the island (train, bus etc.)? Or, is it necessary to rent a car to drive ourself?

3. What would be a good 5-7 days itinerary covering the dragon, some beach, and the natural landscape?

4. What popular ride hailing apps work around there, at least the towns and cities? Something like Gojek, Grab, Uber etc.?

5. Is October a generally good time to travel in the region?

In 2015 I hired a car and driver, arranged through a hotel in Maumere, to drive me around Flores. The cost was reasonable, as it is in much of Indonesia. From Maumere I went to Kewapante, Larantuka, back to Maumere, then to Jalan Moni, Kelimutu, Kota Ende, Bajawa, Ruteng, Rinca, Komodo National Park (by boat from Labuan Bajo). I flew from Denpasar to Maumere and from Labuan Bajo back to Denpasar (on my way to Dili, Timor-Leste). But those flights are no more, according to Google Flights.

The people of Flores are mostly Christian, primarily Roman Catholic. At one stop I stayed in a guesthouse run by a convent. I did not encounter any problems on Flores and enjoyed my visit, including the hike to see Kelimutu's crater lakes.