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If you’re looking for the best thing to do in Indonesia, look no further than the Komodo Island tour. Indonesia consists of over 17,000 islands and offers a diverse range of flora and fauna waiting to be discovered, and the country offers so much more than just Bali. Within recent years the growing popularity of what is known as the Komodo Island tour has surged across social media… and for good reason. This boat tour takes you through some of Indonesia’s best scenery and boasts some spectacular activities like seeing wild Komodo Dragons, exploring pink beaches, seeing whale sharks and snorkelling with baby sharks.
With such a diverse range of activities and amazing scenery, mixed in with an amazing atmosphere aboard the boat, the Komodo Island tour is an experience you won’t forget anytime soon. In this post I’ll explain everything you need to know about the tour including how to book, the itinerary and all the logistics.
The Komodo Island route
There are a few different route options you can choose from when doing the Komodo Island tour:
- Lombok to Labuan Bajo, Flores
- Labuan Bajo, Flores to Lombok
- Labuan Bajo to Labuan Bajo
The most popular route is to do Lombok to Labuan Bajo, Flores. Generally, people travelling from Bali will first head to the Nusa and Gili islands before getting the boat to Lombok to commence the Komodo Island boat trip. Alternatively, you can start in Flores and work your way back towards Bali. Labuan Bajo has a domestic airport that you can fly into from Lombok or Denpasar (Bali).
There is also an option to do a round trip from Labuan Bajo. This is shorter and works well if you want to spend extra time in Flores, which is known for its amazing scuba diving and free diving! Alternatively you can do a day trip through Komodo National Park that departs from Labaun Bajo.
While all the companies do sail through Komodo National Park, depending on what route you do this will alter your itinerary slightly. If you’re planning on doing Lombok to Labuan Bajo the itinerary will include seeing whale sharks, while if you do the route in reverse or the roundtrip from Labuan Bajo, then the itinerary includes swimming with manta rays rather than whale sharks.
One of the best parts of the Komodo Island trip is the diversity in the itinerary, which is why I think it’s such a favoured addition to everyone’s Indonesia trip. Depending on which company you go with the itinerary will differ slightly, but some of the iconic highlights you will do on the trip include: visiting pink beaches, Padar Island, seeing Komodo Dragons, swimming with whale sharks/manta rays.
Komodo Island Tour companies
With the growing popularity of the Komodo Island tour, more companies are offering their own version of the trip. A lot of them offer very similar itineraries at a similar price point. The main difference usually comes with the type of boat you’ll be living on for those few days and the type of travellers on board.
There are a few stand out companies you can go with. Kareem the Explorer is the classic ‘backpacker’ company my friends and I chose, however, Longlasting Sail and Gili Recommended are two other options to check out.
Longlasting Sail is a company that offers great midrange tours that start and end from Labuan Bajo. They offer a range of bedding options including bunks or private rooms and the trips range from roughly 3.5 million Rupiah (£175) to 4.5 million Rupiah (£225) for 2 night/3 day trips. Longlasting tends to host a slightly older demographic, which is perfect for those who want the adventure but a chilled out atmosphere.
Gili Recommended offers a 3 night/4 day tour from Lombok to Flores. The tour sits at a price range of 4.5 million (£225) and has a range of ages aboard. You can check out their tour here.
There are some great options if you’re short on time and are looking for just a day trip to visit the best spots in Komodo National Park, including Komodo Island, Pink Beach and Padar Island. This tour here is the best day trip and includes all the main sights you want to see in the area, along with snorkel spots too! You can book it here.
Kareem the Explorer
The tour company I booked with was Kareem the Explorer. This is known as the ‘backpacker’ company, which is what really appealed to my friends and I. We really wanted to make sure we had a similar demographic of people on board – people in their 20s looking to socialise and have a good time!
Kareem was just what we were looking for and everyone on board was lovely, and we became friendly really quickly. The other thing we really liked was even though it was a ‘backpacker’ tour, it wasn’t heavily revolved around drinking. On the final night we had a ‘party’ on board, where everyone drank and played games, but other than that it was very chilled.
As I mentioned a lot of the tour companies come in at a similar price range and for our 3 night/4 day tour with Kareem the Explorer I paid 3.5 million Rupiah (£175) for the deck class (I’ll talk about this more later).
Kareem also offers private cabins for 5 million Rupiah (£250) which you can fit up to 2 people. Spliting this cost between two people ends up being cheaper than two spots on the deck class, however we heard it gets pretty hot in the cabins at night. One of my friends stayed in one of the cabins and did confirm – it did get very hot.
To book the trip we WhatsApp the number on their site. Please note that there are scam accounts and numbers trying to imitate the official account. The real Kareem asks you to pay in cash when you arrive at the check in on the first day of the trip, so never pay online if you want to book the same trip as me!
What is included
So what is included when you’re on the Komodo Island tour? Again this ranges from company to company but generally, you can expect (almost) everything to be included during your time on the tour. As an example here is what was included on Kareem and what you can generally expect during the tour. This includes:
- Transport to the boat from the check in point (Bangsal Port in Lombok)
- All meals
- Water, tea, coffee
- Entry fees (Komodo Island, Padar Island)
- Accommodation on the boat
What is not included:
- Alcoholic drinks or soft drinks on the boat
- Onward travel costs after boat docks
Please note that some companies don’t include entry fees into Komodo Island and Padar Island, so this will come as an additional cost when on the tour. Whether the entry price is included or not will be listed on their website before booking.
Accommodation before the tour
Depending on your Indonesia route you may choose to stay in Lombok and Labaun Bajo either side of the Komodo Island tour. If you plan on staying in Lombok then spending a few days in Kuta is definitely a must. The area is lovely the South of Lombok has great beaches to discover. There isn’t much happening in the town of Labuan Bajo, but there are some amazing hostels and of course, some great diving.
If you’re planning on staying in Lombok before the tour starts, there are some lovely accommodation options in Kuta. For a quiet guesthouse then Cewin’s Homestay is a great choice. The staff are very friendly and the location is right down the road from all the main restaurants. The Guesthouse also offers free breakfast daily. Book your stay here.
If you’re looking for a good hostel then you need to stay at Pipes. This hostel is one of the best I’ve stayed in in a long time, although it is a surf hostel so expect to be woken up to a symphony of alarms each morning. The hostel has everything you would need from a kitchen, co-working space, pool, restaurant, bar and even their own skate ring. You can book your stay here.
Whether you start or end in Labuan Bajo then you need to stay at Seaesta. This is one of the most breathtaking hostels, boasting amazing views over the water, a rooftop pool, a restaurant, bar and weekly events. Seaesta has both dorms and private rooms and it’s definitely the best accommodation in town, just remember to book early! Book you stay at Seaesta here.
For more hostel suggestions, check out my Hostel Reviews + Recommendations blog post!
What to bring aboard
A burning question you may be thinking is what happens with all your belongings while on board? For the multiday trips all your luggage is brought onto the boat, however, your big bags are stored under the deck by the engine. This means before the trip it’s best to pack a small bag that has everything you need for your few days onboard. At any point you can go under the deck to grab any additional clothing or anything else you may need from your big bag, but it’s a bit of a struggle to sift through down there so it’s best to have everything ready before you board.
What I would pack in my small bag is:
- Bikinis/swimwear
- Small bag of toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, body wash, face wash)
- Pyjamas
- Hoodie (it got a little cold on the deck at night)
- Book/games/cards
- Gym set for Padar Island
- Few outfits for the evenings
- Turkish Towel (this one from Dock&Bay is my favourite)
what to expect on the Komodo tour
Each boat company has very different boats, ranging from super basic to luxurious… like I mean hot tub on board! Depending on your budget the style of trip will differ massively. Typically smaller boats host 10 – 15 people and the larger boat has 20 – 30 people.
Generally for the more affordable options there will be three types of sleeping options, the deck class, bunk beds or cabins. The deck class is more affordable, with thin mattresses lined up on the upper deck next to each other, sleeping roughly 20 – 30 people per boat. Imagine a massive sleepover, that’s the vibe.
Some companies like Longlasting Sail offer cabins, which come at a midrange option for those who want something a little more comfortable option but don’t mind sharing with others from the boat. As the more expensive option, you can go for a private cabin which can sleep up to two people. These cabins offer more privacy but tend to be a lot hotter with only a small fan and little airflow. Some boats do offer cabins with AC, but this will depend per company!
If you’re worried about sea sickness definitely invest in some ginger tablets. We were lucky with the weather and only had slightly rough seas on the first day of sailing, however it’s not out of the question that you could get rough weather during your time, especially when you’re sailing through the straight from Lombo.
The check in process
The Kareem the Explorer Komodo Island boat departs from Kayangan Sea Port, on the East side of Lombok. Most people who stay in Lombok beforehand, including me, stay in Kuta. For an additional 100k Rupiah (£5) Kareem the Explorer organised a car to collect us from Kuta and take us to the check in point. The drive was 2 and a half hours up to Bangsal Port, where you gather to check in and pay before heading to the boat.
If you’re arriving directly from the Gili or Nusa islands, then you’ll dock in the port right by the check in meeting point for Kareem which makes it nice and easy for you! You can organise a taxi to get to the check in location, which Kareem will tell you via Whatsapp.
It’s at this point you pay in cash for the whole tour. Before you arrive make sure you have enough cash to pay for the boat (3.5 million for deck class or 5 million for cabin class), as well as some additional cash for anything extra like snacks, alcohol and souvenirs. If you want to drink anything like soft drinks or alcohol you can’t bring your own onto the boat, you instead have to prepay for them at the check in point and the staff will load them onto the boat for you to have at any point throughout the trip.
After a short introduction talk it’s time to head off in a minivan to Kayangan Sea Port to embark on the boat, which is another 2 and a half hour drive from Bangsal Port. This drive is included with the cost of the trip.
Komodo Island Tour: Day One
Once you arrive at the boat it’s time to make yourself at home for the next new days. Your bags are brought aboard and you can drop your things to your bed, whatever your bedding option is! During the trip all food is included and it’s always served in a family style. There are also snacks you can have during the day like fruit and biscuits, along with unlimited free tea, coffee and water.
We set sail from Lombok and sailed for a couple of hours before reaching our only stop for the day which was a short swim stop and sunset hike at Gili Kenawa. Kenawa Hill offers amazing views across to Lombok where you can spot Mount Rinjani. The views are spectacular, so definitely bring your camera!
In the evening dinner is served early as it’s an early wake up for tomorrow!
Komodo Island Tour: Day Two
The first full day on the boat starts with one of the absolute highlights, swimming with whale sharks at sunrise. Just as the blue hour starts peaking through you’ll wake up and throw on your bikini before heading down to swim with these majestic creatures. We were told it’s important to keep distance and respect the whale sharks while we watched them swim around us. We were the first boat to arrive and by the end of our swim there were only three boats in total at the spot we stopped.
In terms of how ethical this activity is, I can only go off what I was told by the locals and what I had seen online. Our guide explained that these whale sharks stay in the same bay all year round so the tourism doesn’t impact their migration pattern. They also explained it’s a very controlled process of how many boats are allowed and how you weren’t allowed too close to the whale sharks as you swam.
If you’re planning on doing the Komodo Island tour route from Lombok then be prepared for a long day of sailing. Following the whale sharks the boat straight through the rest of the day and the night with one swim stop in the afternoon. On board the boat there are a few areas to hang out and chill in, along with some beanbags and deck chairs to enjoy, so although its a lot of time onboard it’s not too bad! Just make sure you have a good book ready.
Komodo Island Tour: Day Three
The second full day starts with another early morning and this time you wake up at the iconic Komodo Island. Komodo Island is the only place in the world where you can see wild Komodo Dragons, the largest species of lizard with venom that can kill humans. These reptiles weigh up to 90kg and with land speed of up to 20km/h, they are no joke and on Komodo Island you’ll be shown around by an experienced local guide.
In the afternoon the boat stops off at two of Indonesia’s stunning pink beaches. These beaches are pink due to small red/pink shards of coral that have been broken down over time and now give the sand an illusion of being tinged pink. While the beaches definitely aren’t as shockingly pink as what Instagram might make you believe, they are some of the most pristine and unique parts of Indonesia.
The final activity of the day is visiting Padar Island. Located in Komodo National Park Padar Island is renowned for its unique landscape and panoramic views. The boat drops you off at the ticket office and it’s a pretty steady incline of stairs up to the top that only take 15 – 20 minutes to summit. At the top you can see spectacular 360 degree views over the Island and sea, which is even more sensational as the sun sets.
If you want to fly your drone please note you have to pay an additional 1 million Rupiah (£50) for a drone permit. Unfortunatelty there is no way to get around it and they have security at the top that will tell you to land it if you can’t provide a permit for the drone.
Komodo Island Tour: Day Four
The final day of the Komodo Island tour was the perfect way to wrap up the four day trip. The day started with a short snorkel spot followed by breakfast. There was another short sail before reaching Pulau Kelor Komodo, the final island where you dock up and chill for a few hours. Here is one of the best spots on the trip to snorkel and there’s also an opportunity to spot baby sharks as you swim. Most boat companies offer free snorkel gear for you to use during your time on the boat.
The final sail to Labuan Bajo doesn’t take too long from Pulau Kelor and once docked you can grab your big bags and head off to either the airport or you Labuan Bajo accommodation (I definitely recommend Seaesta if you’re planning on staying). There are plenty of shared taxis waiting at the port for you, so no need to worry!
The Komodo Island boat trip is by far one of the best things to do in Indonesia. The itinerary offers the perfect mix of activities and takes you through some of the most idyllic parts of the country and it was honestly one of the highlights of my time away. If you’re looking for a good, social company to choose, Kareem is a great option, however there are plenty of great operators out there to choose from!
