Ultimate Labuan Bajo Guide: Everything You Need to Know [2024]

Planning a visit to the small fishing town of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia? Congratulations! You’re in for a visual feast. Read on to learn everything you need to know about Labuan Bajo and Komodo Island National Park.

Padar Island

Labuan Bajo used to be a sleepy, laid-back fishing village in the Nusa Tenggara region of Indonesia. While it certainly has retained its laidback charm, it’s definitely not as slow-paced or off-the-radar as it used to be.

Nowadays, Labuan Bajo is used as a transit hub and jumping point to see the magical Komodo National Park – one of the only places you can get up close and personal to the revered and rare Komodo Dragon.

You can get up close and personal with the Komodo dragon in the Komodo National Park

Is Komodo Island National Park closing?

In January 2019, rumours began surfacing that the Indonesian government would close Komodo National Park for a year, starting from January 2020. This was no doubt in response to the rising number of tourists visiting the national park. Like Maya Bay and Boracay before it, the Indonesian government might be seeking to conserve and protect these beautiful islands.

We took the long boat option and highly enjoyed it

Presently, the park is still open and there have been no official plans to close the park, but there is a likelihood that it may close in the beginning half of 2020. In saying this, there have been reports that the government may only close Komodo Island itself, as opposed to the entire national park.

What’s the solution? Don’t risk it, and book your trip now before you have to wait a whole year to see Komodo Island!

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How do I get to Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park?

Luckily, Labuan Bajo is very accessible. If you’re flying internationally, you should seek to touch down in either Jakarta, Denpasar (Bali) or Lombok, as daily flights are available from those cities.

When visiting Labuan Bajo, you’ll have to decide whether you want to take a speedboat or a long tail slow boat

From Labuan Bajo, Komodo National Park is usually accessed in two ways:

1. Either on a multi-night boat trip starting from Labuan Bajo, where you will sleep a few nights on a large boat; or

2. Or by multiple day trips from Labuan Bajo, by boat (either by slow longtail boat or speedboat).

If I’m taking option (2), should I take a speedboat or long boat?

Of course, the speedboat is faster and allows you to see more things in a day. In fact, we saw a few tour companies advertising tours to take visitors to all the places we saw across two days on a long tail boat - but in one day!

Being on a big, spacious boat was a liberating experience

But like with everything, there are pros and cons. It is likely that any given long tail slow boat tour is cheaper than a speedboat tour. Plus, we enjoyed lazing around on the long boat and taking naps in between seeing places. There was something about being on a spacious, big boat that felt very ‘Robinson Crusoe’-esque.

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When should I visit Komodo Island National Park?

As soon as possible is the answer, given the rumours of the park possibly being closed in 2020.

With rumours that it’s temporarily closing, you should visit Komodo National Park now!

Komodo National Park is gorgeous all year round, but does get a little rainier between the months of January to March, and gets busy with tourists during the peak season of July to August.

If you’re someone who would love to see manta rays, consider visiting between September to December, as these creatures come out to play then.

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Things to do in Komodo National Park

Alright, so you’ve decided to go – let’s check out all the stunning things to see in Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park.

1. Padar Island

Padar Island is absolutely breathtaking. It honestly was one of the most scenic places we’ve ever been to.

During your visit here, you might get to see some Komodo Dragons, but the island’s main drawcard is an amazing viewpoint where you can see three different beaches with different coloured sands. At this viewpoint, you’ll see white, pink and black sand beaches.

To get to this viewpoint, you’ll need to trek up a bit and embark on a 20-30 minute hike up.

Take in the gorgeous sight before hiking down for another 15-25 minutes.

The island can get extremely hot so please – wear sunscreen and a hat!

2. Komodo Island

This is the most popular attraction in Komodo National Park and probably one of the main reasons tourists visit the area.

For your best chances of seeing a wild komodo dragon, visit Komodo Island. At Komodo Island, you follow a knowledgeable guide who takes you on a light walk through the forest in search of the majestic dragons.

On your guided walk, you can hand your phone to the guide to take closer pictures of the dragons if you’re a bit too scared to take them yourself (no shame - this is what I did). Your guide may also get you to pose with the komodo dragons and create the illusion that you’re touching the dragons, which is a bit of fun.

During our visit, we spotted 3 dragons after walking for about 5-10 minutes. We probably would have seen many more if we kept walking, but we turned back after witnessing these creatures to move on to our next destination. On our way back to the boat, we spotted another massive dragon strolling around the beach! I guess dragons need their beach time too, huh?

Rinca Island is another island where you can see the komodo dragons. Out of Rinca and Komodo Island, we heard that Rinca Island is more scenic but that there are less chances of seeing a dragon on the island. We didn’t want to take that chance, so we opted for Komodo Island instead and were not disappointed.

IMPORTANT – do not, ever, under any circumstances, go exploring Komodo Island on your own without a guide. While not generally violent, Komodo Dragons are the largest lizards on earth and can sometimes attack you. So please, exercise your common sense and precautions.

3. Pink Beach

This small, picturesque beach is famous for pink sediments contained in its sand.

If you come at a certain time of the day when the sun is peaking, the sands can look really pink. This location is also great for some drone shots.

We caught Pink Beach when the sun was setting. The sand wasn’t as pink as we had imagined, but the beach was still super beautiful.

4. Kanawa Island

Kanawa Island is one of the more underrated attractions of Komodo National Park. If you’re looking for white, sandy beaches, turquoise water, a scenic jetty, and excellent snorkelling opportunities, then Kanawa is your place.

5. Taka Makassar Island

Taka Makassar is an incredibly cute little sandbank in the middle of stunning, turquoise waters. This is definitely a highlight of any Labuan Bajo trip.

Make sure to time your trip accordingly, because the visibility of the sand varies depending on the tide. Interestingly, the sand here looks similar to the sand on Pink beach.

Unfortunately, on the day we visited, Taka Makassar was quite crowded and our big boat couldn’t find a place to dock near the sandbank. Instead, we parked our boat on the neighbouring island and I flew the drone to take shots of Taka Makassar.

6. Kelor Island

Kelor Island was another highlight on our trip. This island is a tiny islet with a tall hill. This tall hill also happens to be a stunning viewpoint, offering vistas of the national park.

The hike up is about a 10-15 minute hike but can be a bit steep, so wear proper footwear. Going down takes about 5-10 minutes.

7. Angel Island/Bididari Island

Bididari Island (also called Angel Island, because of Angel Island Resort) is another incredibly beautiful small island offering sandy beaches and pretty greenery.

We caped off a perfect day of sightseeing by swimming here during sunset.

8. Cunca Wulang Waterfall

Cunca Wulang Waterfall is about an hour’s drive from Labuan Bajo and offers something a little bit different to the usual island hopping.

You have to pay an entrance fee apparently… although we didn’t. Truthfully, we just tipped the local guide 50,000 Rp to help us reach the waterfall.

The waterfall is definitely unique. You can choose to swim or jump into the water, and if you do, you’ll find the waterfall actually looks better the further you swim along.

9. Rangko Cave

The Labuan Bajo area is full of beautiful surprises and Rangko Cave was another one.

Rangko Cave is an inland cave that features a small pool of blue water. I swam around this enchanting lagoon for about half an hour, just taking in how unique the cave was.

10. Bukit Cinta (Love Hill)

Bukit Cinta (English translation: Love Hill) is an easy viewpoint to access, close to Labuan Bajo town. From Bukit Cinta, you’ll see a panorama of Labuan Bajo and several islets.

No hiking is required as your vehicle can drive straight up to the hill.

11. AYANA Komodo Resort

AYANA is a successful hotel group based in Indonesia with several lavish hotels to their name. The AYANA Resort and Spa in Bali is particularly famous.

With its classic, luxurious touch, AYANA is one of the most recognisable hotel brand names in the country, so it comes as no surprise that AYANA Komodo Resort is equally as stunning as all their other properties.

We had a delicious lunch with a view here, as well as drinks overlooking the beautiful ocean. The resort was well worth a visit.

12. Fish Market

The Labuan Bajo Fish Market is in the center of Labuan Bajo town and was a fun way to spend a night. Lots of sights and smells to take in here.

13. Eco Tree ‘Otel View

Eco Tree ‘Otel is the hotel we stayed at, and we were so impressed with the view at their restaurant. We visited every day to take the views in over drinks and food.

14. Labuan Bajo Sunsets

Alright, this one is a bit of a cheat, and isn’t a location... but you still shouldn’t miss seeing a Labuan Bajo sunset!

The sunsets in Labuan Bajo were truly some of the best in the world. So whether it’s seeing the sunset from your hotel, a restaurant, by the water or on a boat... do not miss it! We were in Labuan Bajo for 3 nights and the sunset was amazing every single night.

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Things we didn’t have time to see

• Kalong (Flying Foxes Island) - An island with lots of flying foxes. Perfect during sunset.

• Batu Cermin Cave - A cave with interesting rock formations – really close to Labuan Bajo town.

• Rinca Island - Another island where you can see komodo dragons.

• Gili Laba - An amazing island, but damaged by fires and temporarily closed.

So there you go – we hope we’ve convinced you to visit Labuan Bajo and Komodo Island National Park before it closes!

We hope we’ve convinced you to visit Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park!

Visited, or planning to visit Labuan Bajo or Komodo National Park? Let us know in the comments below!