Komodo Island Boat Tour, Indonesia🏝️

What is Komodo Island
Komodo Island is one of the top 3 things I have done in Indonesia. It is a 4 day, 3 night boat trip from Lombok to Flores (Labuan Bajo) or vice versa and this blog will explain what the tour is, who we booked with and what to expect! 

The best time to do this trip is from April to June (we did it in May). During the 4 days, you will get the opportunity to swim with Whale Sharks, Manta Rays, Turtles, Baby Sharks and see some amazing islands for sunrise and sunset, such as Kanawa, Padar Island and Pink Beach. I will go into further detail about each stop shortly.

How to get to Lombok
To get to Lombok you can fly or get a ferry from Bali, which is what we did. However if you are coming from Jakarta or Java, I would recommend flying to Lombok first, do Komodo Island then fly from Flores to Bali and then finish with Gili Islands & Nusa Penida etc!

What company to choose?
We had heard a few horror stories of boats not looking like the pictures, no places to lounge on during the 4 days and the sleeping arrangements being awful. So make sure you do your research and get confirmation from your tour guide that you are going to get what you are expecting.

As a backpacker sticking to a budget, Kareem the Explorer may be the boat for you. The set up on the Kareem is very bare bones, think of a large open air space with mattresses on the floor and this is your sleeping, eating and socialising area for 4 days and 3 nights. However, this has made Kareem the Explorer one of the cheapest options for the Komodo Island tour. This budget factor tends to draw a younger backpacker crowd, which makes it a very fun and social experience, compared to some of the more expensive options which can attract an older crowd and families.

When we did the Komodo tour, we had a large group of friends so we decided the social aspect of the Kareem was not enticing enough to sacrifice our comfort. So we ended up booking with Komodo Perfect Cruise, which was a more expensive boat. However, we wanted to get the best experience for the four days so were happy to pay a little extra! We paid for a private shared, four bed cabin with AC and the boat had three different decks that we could chill and lie on throughout the day.

Below is the PDF brochure of the tour we booked. If you are interested in booking this tour, please message John Chili, he was our tour guide and gave me permission to share his number! +62 859-3194-9619.

What is included in the price
For the price you pay, your accommodation, transport to the ferry, the boat and all meals and water are included in the price (you can bring your own snacks, soft drinks/alchohol on board). The only thing not included is your flight back to Bali from Flores and accommodation in Labuan Bajo, which you need to book yourself. Do not book your flight to Bali on the same day you arrive to Flores!!! Even if you are not delayed like we were, I’d recommend staying a few days in Flores at Seaesta Hotel and Hostel so you can explore the island. Book Seaesta once you know your dates as it sells out very quickly!

Our Itinerary
If you book with Komodo Perfect Cruise, I would recommend staying at Karcof Hostel the night before because the pick up point for the boat is literally opposite to the hostel. This is where everyone meets to get checked in, have an itinerary debrief and a morning snack. After the debrief, we were driven 3 hours to the port, where we got on the boat and settled in.

Snorkel & walk up the hill for sunset
Our first stop was to Kanawa Island where we could swim, snorkel and chill on the beach before walking 15/20 minutes up the hill to watch the sunset. Afterwards, we went back to boat to have dinner and socialise!

Swimming with Whale Sharks at sunrise
We then sailed over night to the Whale Shark point. We woke up nice and early for sunrise swimming with these beautiful creatures. However, when we first got in the water, we were quite disappointed with the experience for a few reasons. Firstly there was only one Whale Shark present, and it was being fed by another boat to unnaturally keep it close to the tour groups, which felt pretty unethical - not as bad as the Philippines though! Secondly, when we turned up there were already two other boats with 40 plus people each, so you can imagine that 120 people swimming, pushing and crowding around one Whale Shark was a pretty unpleasant experience. However, this was all quickly forgotten once the other boats had left, as multiple other Whale Sharks suddenly turned up and were swimming around in their natural habitat interacting with us and each other. It was a pretty amazing experience!

After swimming with Whale Sharks we continued to sail to our next spot, which were stopping off at different snorkelling locations and beaches. You then sail over night again to see Manta Rays in the morning. Unfortunately, our boat’s engine sadly broke down during the night, which caused us to become delayed by a few hours. This meant we sadly missed the opportunity to see Manta Rays, as they normally swim early in the morning. You are meant to see them at 5am but we didn’t make it to the snorkelling point till 9am.

Some tours, don’t stop off at Manta Point, so if you are interested in seeing them, make sure to double check with the tour you are doing. If you don’t manage to see Manta Rays during Komodo, Nusa Penida also has an amazing day trip to swim with them, where sometimes you are lucky enough to see 20+ Manta Rays swimming around!

Komodo Island Tour
After Manta Ray Point, you sail to Komodo Island where you spend a couple hours learning about Komodo Dragons and exploring the island. Be aware that they are very dangerous and venomous, so make sure to listen to the guides when you do your tour.

Padar Island
As we were delayed, we didn’t get to visit Padar Island or Pink Beach on the same day as Komodo Island without rushing everything. Normally on day three you see Padar Island for sunset, as the sun sets perfectly behind the island, but because we missed it, we hiked up for sunrise the following morning instead.

Padar Island is where you get to see the three white, pink and black sand beaches. It takes around 30-40 minutes to walk up and it is a pretty incredible view.

Pink Beach
We then went to Pink Beach after Padar Island and spent the morning snorkelling and soaking up the panoramic views, the blue waters and the pink sand.

Snorkelling with Turtles & Baby Sharks
Our last stop was to two different snorkelling spots where we got the chance to swim with turtles and baby sharks! Afterwards, we headed towards Labuan Bajo, which was the finishing point of the tour.

The Komodo Island trip was a once in a lifetime experience and if you book the tour, I hope you have the best time on your trip as well!🫶🏼