KOMODO NATIONAL PARK
for komodo dragons & diving
Komodo National Park is a protected area which covers a huge part between Flores and Sumbawa and is since 1991 a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site. The national park is famous for the komodo dragons, a prehistoric animal that can grow up to
3 meters long and can be seen found only and can be seen on the islands Komodo and Rinca. Keep in my mind that the islands are not a zoo. You will see the dragons in their natural habitat. At the
entrance you can hire a ranger which is usually a local resident. Don't even think about to wander around without one! Although accidents not happen that often, remember that the dragons are
carnivores. So listen to your guide! Besides on the islands Komodo and Rinca there are dragons on other smaller, unhabited islands like Gili Motang and Gili Dasami, however exact information is
still a bit unsure. They also used to live on Padar island (the island which has become an icon for tourism in Indonesia) but they moved to other islands.
Except in Komodo National Park there is also a somewhat smaller specie of komodo dragon living in the north of Flores in the area between Riung and Pota.
The islands of the National Park are dry with little rainfall. Depending on the time of the year the hills are yellow, green or brown. Some people find Rinca more appealing than Komodo
island as there is more variety in landscape and animals.
For the most superb view: leave early morning from the harbour in Labuan Bajo, between 5.30 and 6.00 am. Enjoy the sunrise on your left side while heading for Padar island. Climb the hill and you have an overview of Padar itself and Komodo island.
Magnificent!
The official website of Komodo National
Park
Pink Beach is on the bucketlist of many people. Pink Beach usually refers to the pink beach on Komodo island, however there are
more pink beaches in Komodo NP, and actually also on other islands in Indonesia.
Check also on Wiki for Komodo National Park and komodo dragon
Many people choose for Komodo National Park as a diving destination. The area has a diversity of
hundreds of species of fish and coral and also the manta ray's can be spotted. Manta Point is a popular spot and while other areas require some experience in
particular because of the strong currents this is compatible for first time divers.
In town there are many agents to arrange dives and snorkelingtrips for you. A good source to read about diving is "Flores Diving Around
Komodo" (2011) ISBN 978-3-9523834-1-4. This is a diving special with detailed descriptions
of divingspots between Labuan Bajo and Sumbawa. The books are not easy to find and sometimes available at Periplus shops and the airports of Denpasar and Jakarta.
The website of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry provides good info about Komodo National Park.
Map of Komodo Natonial Park
Boat trips to Komodo National Park
In Labuan Bajo there are numerous boattrips available in particular through agents along the Jalan Soekarno Hatta, the street which is
parallel to the ocean. From one day trips to multi daytrips with a simple wooden boat, speedboats up to luxury phinisi's.
One of the most popular daytrips is Padar-Komodo-Pink Beach-Manta Point. But there are also combinations wit Rinca, Kelor and Menjerite island however the latter
usually with a private boat only. There are also halfday trips available leaving early afternoon visit Rinca, see the bats and sunset ane return to Labuan Bajo early evening.
Labuan Bajo, eg Komodo NP has a serious safetyproblem, see below in this section. Therefore please check safety first. See also the article on the homepage about the recent accidents.
Prices
With the increasing tourism in the last decade prices have gone up but even more since the pandemic and the increase of fuel prices in September 2022.
There are 1-day trips and multiday trips and even halfday trips. To compare you need to do some homework and even then it won't be easy to find the right agent and
the right boat since transparancy sometimes also is an issue.
Day trips
For the cheapest trip Padar-Komodo-Pink Beach-Manta Point, expect to pay a minimum of 800k per person (often more) on seat-in base for a slow boat or 1,2 million for a speedboat which means a boat you will share with other travelers.
Usually this includes a shuttle service hotel-harbour vv, lunch and water and a snorklingset but excludes the entrancefee for Komodo National Park (between 400k and 600k depending on the visitingpoints). The full daytrips start between at 5:30 and 7:00 am and you will be back
in Labuan Bajo around 17:00 pm. There are also halfday trips with a speedboat, departure early afternoon, usually to Rinca island and pulau Koaba (know as "bat" island) to see the flying the foxes and the sunset.
Multiday trips
There are many boats and trips in shapes and sizes private or shared. Early 2024 there were more than 700 boats available in Labuan Bajo for tourism only. Differences in price and quality can be huge. This can be anything between 2,5 and 40 million.
Prices depend on the luxury of the boat; well often, as this isn't always that clear. You also can join a 2, 3 or 4 day trip on seat-in base.
Most
visitors do a 2-day or 3-daytrip. I recommend a 2-day trip rather than a 3-daytrip because of the following reasons. The weather forecast for 2 days is more accurate and reliable than for 3 days,
the 3 day-trips are all back in Labuan Bajo around noon, so this is actually 2,5 days while the 2-day trips are indeed two whole days and I think two days is a good amount of time to see the
area.
Diving in Komodo NP
Many travelers don't know that actually the islands north east of Maumere (Babi Island, Pulau Besar etc) was thé dive destination of Flores long before Komodo NP became popular. Said that be aware that Komodo NP
is infamous for its currents and many of the dive sites require some experience.
Maybe this website helps you to
understand about species, currents and visibility in Komodo NP.
Another good source of info is the book "Flores Diving Around Komodo", ISBN 9783952383414 however difficult to find, sometimes at the
bookstores on airports like Jakarta or Denpasar.
To book: how, when & what?
That is the biggest challenge. There are hundreds of agents (in 2022 more than 300) and boats (2024 more than 700) in Labuan Bajo. Many of them have a website, but not all of
them, plus there are a lot of subagents.
Transparancy, good information and conditions are the keywords!
If you are not visiting Komodo NP during the high season I suggest to do some research before on the internet, then come to Labuan Bajo and shop around so you really can see what you get and from
whom. All trips for Komodo NP need to be booked via an agent who needs to report and register you with a copy of your passport with the harbourmaster. This needs to be arranged around 6 pm at the
latest. Note that regulations change from time to time. That said and since there is accomodation on Komodo island in Komodo villages there are also travelers who take the public boat
(3 times a week) to Kampung Komodo (Komodo village) and apparently without registration.
There are also still tourists who go to the harbour to find a boat (usually a slowboat/fishingboat) themselves to
reduce costs! Please don't do that.
I understand that price can be an issue, however the most important is
Safety!
The sea between
Flores and Sumbawa, eg around Komodo National Park is unpredictable, can be very rough and is prone to whirlpools and currents, in particular near the islands Padar and Komodo. In combination
with strong winds and heavy rain this can become a critical situation. Also the moonphases of new moon and full moon can have a negative effect on the currents and
waves.
A seaworthy boat and a captain who knows the area very well is a must plus many other things. Too much risk is often taken and even
sometimes illegal sailing (=without a permit from the harbour master).
To come to the point: Labuan Bajo
hasn't a good reputation when it comes to safety on water (actually the whole country hasn't).
Despite
stricter measures in the last few years it seems they are unable to get this under control. In concrete terms: there are too many incidents, too many accidents; in the last three
years from January 2023 untill now (January 2026) there were at least 24 (!) accidents, maybe even more. These 24 accidents I have counted myself by active searching and checking news almost every day. It
is difficult to find a database and it is not easy to get reliable and current information.
However one way or the other, the number of accidents is too high.
One of the last accidents on December 26th has shocked both the local and international community because of the loss of four members of a Spanish family.
After a non stop search of two weeks three of the four bodies were found and one is still missing.
See also accidents Komodo NP at the end of 2025
Horror stories? Is this to frighten you? Absolutely not but actually to protect you and encourage you to be more critical and alert.
Boats for Komodo NP get a lot of attention on social media but this is usually about prices and facilities and less about safety.
There are also a lot of scams in Labuan Bajo and sometimes big money is involved. In case of any issue, remember that you are not protected by law in
Indonesia.
The latest big scam in Labuan Bajo was in June 2025 when 20 tourists including foreign nationals showed up in the harbour but the captain refused to sail because of the fraudulant travel agent. This
was about more than 100 million Rupiah! This is not the first and also won't be the last time since authorities not seem to be able to manage these serious crimes.
Komodo National Park is a wonderful place, one of the most beautiful areas of Indonesia. However like mentioned before, booking a boattrip can be a challenge as business is often not transparant regarding prices, information about the boat and
safety.
So again:
Safety first!
Check all details before taking off.
BASARNAS > since 2017 BNPP (Badan Nasional Pencarian dan Pertolongan)
in English and short SAR (Search & Rescue), emergency call 115
https://basarnas.go.id/
Also check communications from the harbour authorities of the KSOP (Kantor Kesyahbandaran dan Otoritas Pelabuhan = Harbormaster and Port
Authority Office) in Labuan Bajo
Do:
- check weather the day before (remember the currents and whirlpools which are strongest during new moon and full moon - and one day plus/minus)
- check KSOP (harbourmaster)
- weather forecast Labuan
Bajo
- shop around to compare boats, conditions and prices
- ask what is included and what isn't
-
check safety =
-at least 2 engines for smaller boats
-registration and configuration of the boat
-registration of the agent
-permit from the officials to leave the harbour
-lifevests
-lifeboat
-radio on board (small wooden boats often don't have radio)
-crew of at least 3 people or more who speak English
Be careful with
- booking via the internet (good communication and transparancy is the key)
- descriptions and pictures (as often these are not as claimed)
See also stories "this could be heaven or this could be hell"
Useful links
http://indonesian-liveaboard-association.com/
There used to be information about boat- and agent registrations in Labuan Bajo, however these aren't usable anymore.
Tourism Authority Labuan Bajo
If you need a reliable agent, please contact me and let me know what kind of boattrip you want, facilities, budget etc.
ENTRANCE TICKET
You need to book your entrance ticket through the Siora website
DRONES
Check out the link below for law in Indonesia for using a drone. Drones in Komodo National Park and Kelimutu National Park are only allowed with a special permit.
https://drone-laws.com/drone-laws-in-indonesia/
Happy dronetravels on Flores.
To use a drone in Komodo NP you need to register first via https://siora.id
Requirements are:
-application letter for Komodo NP
-copy of passport
-copy of drone license from your country
-statement letter which can be downloaded from the previous website
In case you need help you can contact them via tel. +62 81138290000 (WhatsApp) but probably best to call them since
they are very slow with responding.
For parkrules you can
check this website however in Bahasa Indonesia only
Boat trips from Lombok to Labuan Bajo
Before the pandemic boattrips from Lombok to Labuan Bajo including visiting Komodo National Park were very popular.
In March 2020 all of the companies suspended these trips and since the summer of 2022 they have been operational again. However not all of them and also new agents are on the
market.
These trips are usually 4 days/3 nights. Bear in mind that 4 days can be a long time regarding the weather forecast!
Actually this is the same story as with trips from Labuan Bajo when it comes to safety.
There have been accidents reported with the most tragic one in August 2014 when a touristboat on the way to Labuan Bajo ran into a reef and sank near Sangeang island north of Sumbawa and lives
were lost.
So for safety I refer to the chapter here above.