How To Get To Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park is considered one of the New 7 Wonders of the world (although also on this new list is Jeju Island which in my opinion doesn’t deserve to be in the top 100, so make of that what you will).

However this place is truly one of the most awesome places I’ve been to and I was definitely impressed with the experience.

There are two ways to visit Komodo National Park, and that is by liveaboard boat departing from multiple locations, or speedboat/slowboat day trips departing from Labuan Bajo.

What is Labuan Bajo?

Labuan Bajo is considered The Gateway To Komodo, and is located on Flores island. It used to be a sleepy fishing village, but now the primary economy is tourism to Komodo National Park.

Whether you plan to do a liveaboard or a day trip, flying into Labuan Bajo is the best choice to make. We flew direct from Bali Ngurah Rai, which took about one hour.

To be honest there really isn’t anything that the city offers (other than the tours) so you shouldn’t book accommodations longer than you need to.

Komodo National Park By Liveaboard

If you take the liveaboard boat you can join from Labuan Bajo, or many places around Lombok, including the Gili islands.

The liveaboard boats have a huge range in prices, from one night two day tours for about $50 per person, to week long trips aboard semi-luxury yachts for about $10,000 a week.

I personally didn’t do the liveaboard since I didn’t feel like we needed to spend so much time to see the islands, and after doing a fantastic one day excursion I don’t regret my decision at all.

The liveaboard price usually includes all food and drink, but make sure you know what type of boat you’ll be on. Some have cabins, but some only have deck space which means sleeping out in the open surrounded by other people. Kind of like a floating hostel in a way.

Many travel bloggers have said to book tours online in advance, which may hold true if you go during the busy season. But if you go during off season (December – March) you can get much better prices directly in the offices.

The other way is to take a boat from Labuan Bajo to visit the national park in one day. The best way to do this is to fly into Labuan Bajo airport, check into your accomodations, and then walk down the main Street looking at the multitude of tour operators.

From Labuan Bajo you can take a speedboat, or a slow boat. I recommend the speedboat because even though it is more expensive, you can see more things in a shorter amount of time.

Komdo National Park By Speedboat

We booked our fantastic boat tour through FloresXP which I think is one of the best operators available. All it took was a simple five minute walk to their office, an explanation from the office tour operator, and payment. I was happy they took credit card, which many operators do not.

While most people go to see the dragons, there are other stops included in the tour and they are well worth your interest.

We Had A Six Stop Itinerary Which Included (in order):

• Hiking To The Top Of Padar Island
• Pink Beach
• Komodo National Park Trek
• Taka Makassar Island
• Manta Point
• Turtle Bay

The total price for the tour was 1,150,000 (Tour Price) + (300,000) National Park Entrance Fee plus other government fees.

Most tours do similar stops, but not all of them are good, so if you book with a different tour company make sure you know which spots you will be going to.