The island of Komodo, in Indonesia, is famous for being home to the beastly Komodo dragons (the world’s biggest lizard), and it’s also an incredibly scenic place with lots of other ‘bucket list’ travel experiences.
Komodo National Park is UNESCO designated, with dozens of exotic islands, white and pink sand beaches, coral reefs for diving, and it’s the only place in the world where you can see Komodo dragons up close in the wild and get your picture taken with them!
Since Indonesia is my second home, I’ve visited the Komodo islands a bunch of times over the years and it’s always a thrill. One of the great things about the gateway town, Labuan Bajo, is that it’s not far from Bali and it’s easy to reach with a short flight from there.
This travel guide for Komodo will explain how to get there, where to stay, what to do in the islands, and everything else you need to know before you go!
Where Is Komodo Island?
Komodo island is part of the Komodo National Park, a group of tropical islands located just off the coast of Flores, in east Indonesia.
The park’s three main islands are Komodo, Rinca, and Padar, but there are lots of smaller ones too, so it’s the perfect place for island hopping!
The closest city is the fishing town of Labuan Bajo in Flores, which has its own airport and plenty of hotels and restaurants to enjoy in between visits to the park.
How To Get To Komodo National Park
The only way to visit Komodo island and the rest of the national park is on a boat tour from Labuan Bajo, where the airport is located. You can’t fly to Komodo island directly.
There are a bunch of flights to Labuan Bajo airport (LBJ) every day from Bali, with a 1 hour flight time and several airlines offering ticket prices as low as 1 juta ($70 USD).
Getting to Komodo island from Bali is easier than ever now that AirAsia flies between them several times per week. There are also flights to the Labuan Bajo airport from Jakarta, Surabaya, Ende, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore. You can shop for flights on Skyscanner.
Once you get to Labuan Bajo, it’s possible to book a boat tour to Komodo island at the harbor, or you can book a day tour online (more on that later).
The Komodo islands are located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Labuan Bajo as the crow flies, and the journey normally takes 3 hours with a slow boat, or less than half that with a speedboat.
It’s possible to knock out all the top sights of Komodo National Park (including the dragons) in one full day tour, or you can stay in a liveaboard boat and spend several days sightseeing!
How To Get Around The Komodo Islands
The three boat types for exploring the Komodo islands are slow boat, speedboat, or liveaboard boat.
Slow boat is the cheapest option, and it’s commonly used for day tours, but you do waste a lot of time in transit because it’s just so dang slow. Speedboat is much faster and more efficient, but it’s quite a bit more expensive.
Liveaboard tours can also be pricey, but it’s a unique experience where you get to sleep in a cabin and spend several days sightseeing and enjoying more of the sights in the park.
Where To Stay In Komodo
There are no hotels in Komodo island. All of the hotels and accommodation are in the nearby town of Labuan Bajo.
You can find hotels and accommodation here to suit all budgets, from backpacker to luxury. However, it’s a little bit more pricey than Bali on average, because the development in Labuan Bajo hasn’t quite caught up to the number of tourists coming here.
Best Things To Do In Komodo National Park
• Padar Island
One of the most scenic places in Indonesia is on the small island of Padar. It’s a short 30 minute hike to the top, and you’re rewarded with probably one of the best views in all of Southeast Asia.
This is like a Jurassic Park landscape. The island has a giant X shape, with three bays where you can see a white beach, black beach, and pink beach.
Each of those sand colors is pretty special in itself, but to see all of them in one place is crazy. This is probably the only place in the world where you can witness that!
Even though Padar is one of the smallest islands in the Komodo National Park, this scenic viewpoint has become a famous natural landmark of Indonesia, and it’s even been featured on the 50,000 Rupiah cash note.
• Pink Beach
The Komodo islands are home to several pink sand beaches! The color comes from tiny organisms in the coral called foraminifera.
Pink beaches are very rare, and there are only a handful of them worldwide. The one with the brightest color is hidden in a bay on the northwest side of Padar island.
These unique beaches are a must see when you’re visiting Komodo National Park.
