Over there it is possible to see both the dragons and an amazing sea life.
The easyest way to visit Komodo National park is organizing the tour from Labuan Bajo.
The city is quite small and most of the activities on the main road are travel agencies, diving centers, minimarkets and massage centers.
Batik air offer new flights fron Jakarta to Labuan Bajo, but as usual it is better to book it quite in advance, expecially in August as it is high season over there.
It is possible to fly there fron Denpasar - Bali- too with more companies.
A taxy from the airpor to the city center cost about 100.000IDR and anywhere in the city 50.000IDR. It seems they are fixed rates but you can still try to bargain (expecially with moto taxy).
Travel agencies offer different tours to visit few island in komodo national park. Most of these islands are unabited so it is not possible to overnight there, but you can still overnight on board and I think it is just an amazing experience.
1 Day tour just to visit the two islands of Komodo and Rinca and having a nice sunbath at pink beach (on the boat they usually borrow you fins and mask for snorkel, but water there is quite chilly, the reef is not one of the best of the area and the beach is so inviting that it worth to be a bit lazy and just
relax under the sun).
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| Pink Beach |
You can also take a 2 days 1 night or 3 days 2 night tour that will allow you to visit more islands after Komodo and Rica, snorkeilng at Manta point (if you are luky you can see reef mantas!!!) and hiking on Padar island just before sunset and more.
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| Fun Diving at Manta Point |
Unless you don't want to pay a fortune for a private cabin, be prepared to sleep on the boat deck. Boat staff will provide with matress, blankets and pillow.
Food on the boat is quite good and is cooked daily by the boat chef.
Coffee, tea and water are always available and the staff will do its best to make your saty as comfortable as possible.
Of course if you had a pleasant cruise it is always good to leave them a tip at the end of the trip.
In high season (August) the 2 day tour should cost about 800.000 IDR but depending on how posh is the boat and which kind of accomodation you require it can be much higher (1.500.000 IDR for private cabin with air cond).
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| Sunset in Padar Island |
1 Day tour should be cheaper, about 400.000IDR in high season.
I recommend you to ask for the price to different travel agency and ask them also to show you a picture of the boat and services provided.
Some of them include hotel pick up, cinemas on the boat and more...it all depends on your budget, what you want and how good you are to bargain.
If you are a diver, you can't absolutely miss to dive into the Komodo park, and of course can't miss to have at least one dive at the Manta Point.
The site itself is not that nice as most of the coral there is died, but watching mantas swimming at few meters from you is just amazing.
Again I recommend you to ask the price to different diving center and to book with the company that seems more professional as safety while diving is the most important thing. Ask them to let you have a look at the equipment before booking your dive and if they have a first emergency kit on the boat.
Speak with the dive master if he/her is there and let him know if it is long time you don't dive so that he can decide if it is better for you to have a "refresh" or not.
1 day 3 dive with lunch and sometimes breakfast should cost about 1.400.000IDR per person...of course depending on the service given: it could be a bit more or a bit less.
I decided to dive with Divers Paradise (just next door with Komodo Tours & Travel) and I think they are quite professional and the equipment is well kept.
An other options for divers is a few days diving cruise. Some diving center organize it, so you basically have the opportunity to dive on the most of the dive sites in the Komodo marine park (depending on the number of days you book and the level of your diving license).
They usually make 3 dives per day, but some days you will make 2 so that you have time to make some hiking too or watching the dragons in Komodo or Rinca.
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| Komodo Dragon |
Rinca is less expensive 25.000IDR during the week and with more opportunities to see the dragons as the island is smaller tan Komodo one.
On both islands you can choose the kind of hike you want to do with the guide. They have 3 different level: small, medium and long, depending on how much
time you have and how fit you are and most of all how much hot it is.
The longest one is not so long at the end but stepping up hills under the equatorial sun without any vegetation to shade can be quite hard if you are not
used to hot temperatures.
I booked my 2 days and 1 night cruise with Komodo Explorer Tour & Travel -JlnSoekarno Hatta No.84.
The boat was not one of the best but food was good and the staff was very nice thought they could not speak much of english.
The travel agency is connected with the Gardena hotel next door that owns few huts on the Serya island at 35 minutes by boat from Labuan Bajo.
The island is not into the national Park and huts at Seraya Sunset Beach are very basics, but it is one of the cheapest places I've found on a nearby island and is managed by Mr Paul, an indonesian lad that is very kind and helpful.
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Basic huts at Seraya Sunset Beach
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Over there electricity is available just from 6.30 pm up to 10 pm. I stayed there 4 nights and nobody has come to clean my room, though it was not really necessary.
The place is very quiet, you can enjoy an amazing sunset and food at the restaurant is cheap and tasty though they take ages to cook it after your order and there is very little choice.
On the island there is not much to do except for snorkeling (in August it is better doing it in the morning as in the afternin there is low tide) and sunbathing.
On the other part of the island there are two luxury resorts that can be reached with just few minutes walk.
One of them have a dive center but I would not recommend to dive with them as prices are much more high than what you can pay diving from Labuan Bajo.
Snorkeling on this side of the island is better than doing it from the susnset beach as over there corals are almost all death while in this side of the island they are much more better and there is a bigger variety of fishes.
Staying in Labuan Bajo at a low price is quite easy as it is full of hostel.
The city is not big but they are building up lot of new hotels and resort and at the moment the whole town seems just a big building site.
I chose the One Tree Hill Hostel - JALAN VERHOEVEN PANTAI KLUMPANG, DESA BATU CERMIN, 86754 Labuan Bajo.
The place is beautiful, clean and well kept and the guys working them are kind and friendly.
The view from the balconies and bar terrace is just amazing.
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| View from One Tree Hill Hostel's bunk bed |
or pay a taxy (100.000,00 IDR each way to the city center).
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