Komodo National Park – Flores

The key points

Home to the famous Komodo dragons.
Located in the small Sunda islands, between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, a unique natural park classified as a World Heritage by UNESCO.
The marine life is of exceptional biodiversity, and is ranked among the most beautiful in the world.
Magnificent landscapes, white sandy beaches, incredible bays and crystal clear waters.

Diving and snorkelling

One of the best diving destinations in the world.
In general dives are with current, on seamounts, pinnacles, walls and gently sloping sandy depths.
Good visibility and water temperatures between 22°C (in the south only) and 29°C.
Pelagic and macro dives, there is something for everyone.
Very beautiful intact hard and soft coral reefs.

From: 1350 Euro / Person for a 5 day cruise.

See our departure calendar for availability and prices

See Prices and Availability

Other key information

Departure

Labuan Bajo - Flores

Arrival

Labuan Bajo - Flores

Duration

From 5 to 10 days

Period

The best period is from March to November.

Climate

Hot and Dry during the operating period.

Number of dives

7 D / 6 N cruise : from 16 and 20 dives, 6 D / 5 N cruise: from 12 and 16 dives and the 5 D / 4 N cruise: from 9 to 13 dives.

How to get there

Labuan Bajo Airport is served by the main Indonesian airlines from Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya.

Destination Komodo

The fabulous Komodo National Park is situated between Asia and Oceania. Located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, the park offers you the opportunity to visit a seabed among the most beautiful in the world which will delight underwater explorers, young or old, equipped with diving tanks or a simple mask and snorkel.

Typical 5 days cruise itinerary in the Komodo National Park

Itinerary map
Day 1 – Arrival and Pulau Sebayur
Overview
Pick up Guests at Labuan Bajo airport or Hotel in the morning then board Jakare in the port of Labuan Bajo. Sail to Pulau Sebayur Kecil for beach and snorkelling then sail to Pulau Kaaba / Rinca for bats watching. Anchor / overnight at Pulau Kaaba.
Activities
Welcomed drinks and snacks will be served while Cruise Director will brief the guests on the safety, onboard organization, overall itinerary and present the crew.
Guests will then be shown their cabins to settle in, refresh and get ready for the start of the Cruise.
Jakaré will sail toward Pulau Sebayur, approximately 10NM. This sailing time is usually a good time for resting and briefing on the cruise and activities.
The guests will enjoy the nice snorkelling in the coral garden or discover the beautiful nearby beaches in Kayak and SUP and get familiar with the equipment.
Jakare will then sail southward to Pulau Kaaba (10NM) after lunch and anchor just close to the small island. We will then propose a visit of Rinca Village nearby or snorkel and swim around the Jakare. Bats watching will start at sunset and will last couple of hours. Guests will be able to enjoy the sundeck and watch the stars if the sky is clear.
Diver option: a refresh dive at Sebayur Kecil, easy dive for everyone to test the equipment, refresh the dive skills and get familiar with the facilities.
Day 2 - Komodo Dragon and Pulau Padar
Overview
Visit Komodo Dragons (Varanus Komodoensis) at Loh Buaya / Rinca. Then Sail to Pulau Padar and beach, snorkelling and trekking activities. Anchoring and overnight in Pulau Padar.
Activities
Jakare will sail toward nearby Pulau Kambing early morning to arrive at mooring area around 7:30, early enough to start at dawn our walk to avoid the heat.
Transport from Vessel to shore at Loh Buaya will be done via Dinghy and guests will be welcomed by the rangers at the little pier and brought to the national park office where the rangers will give us instructions. Guided by one of the rangers, the amazing walk in the rinca savannah will last between 30min to 2 hours depending on the circuit chosen. Komodo dragons and wild animals like wild boar or deer are commonly observed closed to the rangers station and in the wild.
After the walk, guest will get back to Jakare where they will enjoy a nice refreshing swim around the boat before taking their breakfast.
Jakare will then heads for Pulau Padar (12NM). Upon arrival, we will propose activities like snorkelling, beach discovery or a Kayak / SUP ride along beautiful and untouched Padar coastline.
For the most active guests, Climb Padar view point at sunset will be organised and then return for dinner on board Jakare.
Diver Options:
• dive at Pulau Tengah (for advanced only), this is a dynamic dive, a pinnacle well exposed in the middle of the main Komodo current stream. The walls are full of soft and hard corals and depending on the conditions, big schools of fishes can be spotted there. Turtle, sharks, jacks and other pelagic fiches play on the edge of the current
• Dive at Three Sisters: located south east of Padar, the dive site consists of 3 main big submerged rocks ranging from 3 to 30m water depth. Well known for the nudibranchs and critters diversity but also for schools of yellow and blue fusiliers, coral fishes and as well as some pelagic fishes.
• Alternatively, dive Padar Wreck just north of Padar Kecil with lots of sealife and kritters.
Day 3 – Pulau Padar and Pink Beach Area
Overview
Trekking in Pulau Padar in the early morning then head North and stopover in Namo for snorkelling and dive. Then sail to Loh Liang / Pink Beach for beach/trekking and anchor / overnight.
Activities
Wake up early morning and climb Padar for a fantastic sunrise over the Komodo archipelago. Return to Jakare and enjoy a rich breakfast and jump, swim around the boat to cool down. Or alternatively and depending on the conditions, snorkelling will be organised after the breakfast.
Jakare will then leave and head north. We will stop at Namo for diving and snorkelling. One or two dives will be organised there. Namo is an easy snorkelling and diving location away from the beaten track, which has a lot to offer.
After Namo, Jakare will stop in one of the most visited sites in Komodo: pantai merah or pink beach. Visit of the beautiful beach, snorkelling and diving.
From the Jakare moored at location, various activities around the nearby islands, beach, walk or snorkelling will be organised.
Guests will be able to enjoy sunset on the beach and getting back to Jakare where dinner will be served.
Diver Option:
• Padar: Pilarsteen, a nice wall covered with colourful corals and sponges and full of marine life like large schools of fusiliers. The landscape is really interesting with caves and swimthroughs at different depths.
• Dive Namo: often with great visibility, lots of marine life, soft and hard coral. Sharks and turtles can be spotted there.
• Dive pantai merah or Pink Drift: this colorfull and easy dive has a lot to offer, nice coral, school of fusiliers and a good selection of critters.
Day 4 - Central Komodo
Overview
Wake up early and sail to Central Komodo, snorkel and dive Karang Makassar, sail and snorkel and dive in Batu Bolong or Pulau Tatawa/Siaba and sail up to Gili Lawa for overnight.
Activities:
After an early start, Guest will be able to enjoy their breakfast en route toward Komodo Central. Jakare will take a mooring or anchor at Pulau Siabah or thereabout.
Divers will leave with the dinghy for Karang Makassar, the famous manta rays cleaning and feeding station.
Karang Makassar: access will be done via dinghy. This is a rewarding snorkelling site where manta rays or eagle rays may be spotted from the surface. The site is located in 8-15m water depth and manta rays are coming from all over to get cleaned by small fishes and feed from the rich nutrient filled waters. A unique spectacle offered by these majestic fishes that should not be missed.
After a good break and good lunch onboard, Jakare will then move to Pulau Tatawa where snorkelling can be organised if the conditions are favourable. Another current site offering very healthy hard and soft corals and a lot of marine life. Turtles are usually spotted there.
Jakare will then sail up north to Pulau Gili Lawa and anchor in a peaceful bay (10NM). With a little bit of luck, guest may spot wild animals like wild boar or local deer on the beaches or savannah of Pulau Komodo.
Diving option : :
• Karang Makassar or Mawan to see the Manta rays
• Batu Bolong for a colourful explosion: Batu Bolong is an emerging pinnacle in the middle of the channel and offers current dive on this dynamic reef facing directly the current. The soft and hard corals are really colourful and healthy, the all food chain is on open display there, from reef fishes feeding on rich waters full of nutrients to big pelagic including black tip and white tip sharks and giant trevally. Schools of yellow fins barracudas, yellow snappers, silver trevally are very common as well as dogtooth tunas. A must not to be missed.
Day 5 – North Komodo, Gili Lawa and return to Labuan Bajo
Overview
Trekking, snorkelling, beach and Kayak/SUP in Gili Lawa. Return to Labuan Bajo.
Activities
After an early morning wake up and climbing of Gili Lawa main view point, guests will enjoy the sunrise over the Komodo archipelago (subject to the island re open for trekking).
Snorkelling at Golden Passage: both sites of the passage are exposed to current as located in the passage between Gili Lawa Darat island and Komodo Island. Both sites offer beautiful and healthy soft and hard corals as well as plentiful marine life, including turtles and sometime pelagic hunting fishes.
Jakare will then make her way to East side of Gili Lawa in a nice bay at the passage between Gili Lawa Darat and Gili Lawa Laut.
If the conditions are favourable, we will then propose a snorkelling session at the entry or exit locations of the Coldron dive as these locations offers spectacular snorkelling due to their specific locations. Pelagic fishes, Mantas and turtle are often encountered there.
Early afternoon, Jakare will sail eastward toward Labuan Bajo (16NM).
Guests will have the opportunity to review and exchange their photos or films from the wonderful time spent together. A small ceremony and good-byes from the Crew will be organised on board the Jakare before leaving the boat to the airport or hotel at around 4PM.
Diving option :
• Golden Passage: see above.
• Crystal Rock: named for its usual crystal clear waters, this dive site is an exposed pinnacle directly facing current and attracting a lot of marine life including reef fishes themselves attracting pelagic such as reef sharks, grey sharks and giant trevally. The dive site is large enough to accommodate all diving levels, with also a large number of small creatures to be found into the less exposed gentle slopes corals.
• Coldron: the Coldron is one of the most spectacular dive of Komodo. The dive site is actually a passage between Gili Lawa Darat and Gili Lawa Laut creating an interesting topography and strong current that attracts a lot of sea life and have stunning hard coral gardens on each side of the path. Eagle ray and manta rays can be spotted there as well as lots of pelagic fishes like trevally, tunas and other. The Coldron is also home of a lot of tiny critters such as frogfishes and nudibranchs.

Indonesia

//