Komodo Island Travel Tips

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In this page you will find practical information to plan a scuba diving trip to Komodo Island:

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Komodo Island Photos

The Komodo National Park is one of the pure jewels of Indonesia. Its specific landscape and fauna makes it a unique destination for adventurous travellers and nature lovers. It is a marine reserve with dozens of wild islands inhabited by the world famous Komodo Dragon! Komodo Dragon on Rinca Island near Labuan Bajo Komodo Dragon on Rinca Island (Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachdian/5418187901/) Diving in Komodo National Park is considered by some as the best diving location in Indonesia and even one of the best spots in the world by many people for big fishes and amazing underwater life. Crystal clear water, a lack of pollution, huge schools of fishes, pelagic fishes everywhere, sharks galore and the wonderful manta ray all year round make it a dream diving destination! Also this part of Indonesia is a bit off the touristic track (the banana pancake trail!) but is still easily accessible from Bali.

Activities and excursions in Komodo Island

Komodo National Park is mostly a diving destination with not a lot of tourist infrastructure. The attraction here is the incredible nature, so it is possible to do other things during your stay or for the non divers such as:

  • Go trekking the Islands hills and the Kelimutu Volcano
  • Go to see the world famous Komodo dragons
  • Explore the typical flores Island (eg Python cave)
  • Go Snorkelling on a day trip cruise

There are a few travel agencies in Labuan Bajo which can organize all your excursions.

Kelimutu Volcano Lake Flores

Kelimutu’s blue and dark lakes (© Amre Ghiba)

Best time to visit

It is possible to enjoy the Komodo marine reserve all year round.

  • Dry season from April to December, average temperature of 26°C.
  • Rainy season from January to March, average temperature of 28°C.

The best time to visit Komodo National Park is between April and December during the dry season. The weather is very nice, not too hot with very little to no rain. The rainy season sometimes starts early in December, so if you don’t like getting wet plan your trip before.

You can spot the Komodo dragon all year round. However, the mating season runs from July to August and the nesting season from September to November and spotting the dragons is not as easy during these periods.

Where is Komodo Island?

Exploring the Komodo National Park is very easy but you need to go to Bali first to get a plane or a boat.

There are 4 ways to discover the park:

  1. Fly from Bali airport to Labuan Bajo located on Flores Island. Labuan Bajo is the best base to explore the Komodo National Park. From there you can go diving with one of the local dive centre during daytrips in the marine reserve.
  2. From Labuan Bajo you can get a diving Liveaboard to take a tour of the Komodo islands and the best diving sites.
  3. You can charter a boat in Labuan Bajo and make your own private cruise around the Komodo Islands, perfect for discovering the archipelago and for snorkelling.
  4. From Bali, you can take a Liveaboard which will take you to a splendid diving cruise around Lombok Island and the Komodo marine reserve.

Flores Beach near Labuan BajoFishermen Village in Flores (© Amre Ghiba)

Hot Tips

  • Flights from Bali to Labuan Bajo are operated by small companies with small planes. The flight is very scenic so be sure to get a window seat to get a glimpse of the spectacular views!
  • Small planes are often full so it is better to book your seat in advance. Otherwise, for the more adventurous and the ones who are travelling on a tight budget you can take the public ferry from Bali to Labuan Bajo. It will take about 3 days and the journey is an adventure in itself.


Getting Around

Once you are in Labuan Bajo, you can discover the wild Flores Island by local bus but the journey can be rough and it is better if you can speak some Indonesian language. The best way is to hire a car with a driver for a very fair price in one of the local travel agencies.

If you want to discover the Komodo marine reserve, you can:

  • Go scuba diving and snorkelling with local dive centers. The boat ride to the diving sites can be quite long, up to 3 hours but very scenic.
  • Get a liveboard for a few days to cruise around the Komodo Islands and dive the best spots.
  • Arrange your own cruise in Labuan Bajo. Everything can be easily arranged by local travel agencies. You will have your own boat and your own crew for a very fair price! Enjoy ;-)

Going to check out the huge Komodo dragons is a must do for anybody travelling in the area. The best places to spot them are on Rinca and Komodo Islands. It is easily possible to go there during a day trip from Labuan Bajo or during a diving trip between two dives. Great surface time!

Komodo Island

Komodo Island during dry season(© Amre Ghiba)

Scuba diving

You will find all information about sea life, best time to visit, top dive spots, etc. in our review: Komodo Island Diving

Dive spots in Komodo Island

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Manta Alley

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This is one of the best dive sites in Komodo national park. It is the best place to find manta rays. From September to J...
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GPS Point

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This is one of the best dive spot of Komodo Islands national park! Not to be missed! This seabanks is full of fish with ...
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The Passage

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The Passage dive site is between the two islands of Gili Lawa Laut and Gili Lawa Darat. The current in the channel betwe...
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Lighthouse

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Lighthouse is a great dive site! Located in the North of Komodo Island National Park not far from castle rock and crysta...
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Red Beach

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Red beach is the best place in the Komodo National park for Snorkeling. All the species from the marine park can be foun...
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Batu Bolong

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Batu bolong is a world class dive site! At the surface, we can just see a small rock with hole in it, but underwater it ...
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Three sisters

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Three Sisters dive site in the Komodo Islands seems to be pure with an incredible coral cover and a great fish life. The...
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Tatawa Besar

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Tatawa Besar dive site is an easy drift in shallow waters. It can be very rewarding with many manta rays in the rainy se...
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Cannibal Rock

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Cannibal Rock is THE dive site for macro and is a delight for macro photographers and critter hunters. This sea mound is...
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Langkoi Rock

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This dive site is maybe the most extreme of the Komodo National Park! It is a submerged pinnacle located southeast of La...
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Pillaarsteen

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Pillaarsteen dive site is really interesting due to its unusual reefscape. However this dive site is actually affected b...
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Castle Rock

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Castle Rock is an amazing dive site in the Komodo Islands! It is a huge pinnacle underwater with a top at 4 m deep. As t...
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Tatawa Kecil

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Tatawa Kecil is a small island and is a magical world class dive site for a drifting! Be careful the current there can b...
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Yellow Wall

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The dive site Yellow Wall is located in the south of the Komodo National Park. It is famous for its wall covered with h...
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End of the world

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End of the World dive site in Komodo Islands is a big wall of rocks with small caves and overhangs. The wall is going de...
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Crystal Rock

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Crystal Rock is one of the best dive sites of Komodo national park. It is sea mound covered with nice soft coral. The fi...

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