Getting to Komodo was fairly straightforward, although booking with Air Asia meant 2 flights from Lombok via Bali. The main thing we were looking forward to in the national park was diving with Scuba Junky, but before that we wanted to explore the islands from the launchpad town of Labuan Bajo, situated on the west coast of Flores and about an hours boat ride to the national park. We’d booked into La Cecile Hotel, overlooking the Harbour, and boasting the best view you’ll find in the town. We got picked up from the airport by our accommodation, and decided to have an early night and plan our day tour around the island the following day to give us more time and headspace.

The following day we wandered around the high street to Enquire about the day tours to the nearby beaches and treks. We quickly realised there was only really one day tour that they all offer (unless you opt for an expensive live aboard) so we went with D Tours (reputable and recommended by XP Explorers). The tour consists of a 6-stop boat trip stopping at various tourists hotspots, all for a fairly reasonable 1,200,000 IDR (about £70 each) including drinks and lunch. We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool, and had another great sunset meal overlooking the harbour.

Komodo Day Trip

After a tasty breakfast at La Cecile we were picked up at 7am and taken to the pier to board our boat. To our surprise we had a really nice speedboat, with only about 6 people in our group - this was really lucky as you can end up with 30 people tours in much less comfortable boats which can feel a bit crowded. The first stop was the famous view point on Padar Island. Although it’s a really hot and gruelling 800-step hike uphill to the top with very little shade, it is well worth it. With panoramic views of the iconic Padar island and surrounding islands, with crystal clear waters, it’s a truly breathtaking view. We could see why it attracts so many tourists each year.

The next stop was a trip to Pink beach, a quiet and pretty stretch of sand famous for its pink colour due to the red coral mixed with white sand. We were surprised to see how pink it actually was, as we’d expected most of the photos online had cranked the saturation up for effect! We spent an hour or so snorkelling amongst tropical fish and even a turtle!

Komodo Island was stop 3 - best known for the resident Komodo dragons that make the national park so famous! We were really excited to see these amazing (and terrifying!) animals up close, but had heard that they were rarely sighted on Komodo these days except by the restaurant. Nevertheless, we were looking forward to seeing the island habitat and the chance to see the worlds biggest lizard. We met our guide at the ranger station, who explained a bit about the history of the island. We set off on the short trek, though the land was dry and incredibly hot after a long dry season.

The guide explained that the Komodo dragons weren’t the only dangerous thing on the island - spitting cobras, the Russian viper and the green viper lurked in the surrounding trees. This didn’t exactly put us at ease as we continued around the hot and dusty paths surrounded by scorched trees and brush. We spotted many of the Komodo’s food sources as we went - deer, wild boar and even some monkeys.

After about 20 minutes we managed to spot a baby Komodo by the waterhole but didn’t get a good look as the poor thing was chased by a member of our tour with a go pro. It was very frustrating that our guide didn’t intervene. The tour ended at the restaurant, where we found 2 huge Komodo dragons asleep in the shade. We were told they are there most of the time, naturally being attracted by the smell of the restaurant food. It was amazing to see them so close, although we were a little disappointed not to see them more active and mobile in their natural habitat.

We boarded the boat once more and were given a simple but generous lunch (rice, noodles, chicken, salad) before heading onwards. Our next stop on the tour was Taka Makassar, a beautiful crescent of sand raised just above the shallow surrounding crystal clear water. It was an amazing spot, and we enjoyed lounging in the cool, perfect water.

The penultimate stop was Manta Point, famous for its resident manta rays that frequent the area due to the nutrient rich waters. Neither of us had managed to see mantas before (not through lack of trying!) so we’re excited although had our expectations managed. As we approached our guide told us to quickly get our snorkels on as they had spotted a manta below! We dived in and swam towards a nearby group who were following 2 large mantas gliding beneath us! We attempted to dive down and swim next to them, although proved difficult to hold our breath for long enough! Even so, it was our first real manta sighting, and were so glad to see these majestic and often illusive animals during a fairly whistle-stop tour.

The last stop was Kanawa island, where we got off at the jetty and arrived at stretch of yellow beach and nearby restaurant (pretty much aimed for Bintang sales, but we weren’t complaining!). We chilled for a while, grabbed a beer and did a final bit of snorkelling amongst the many tropical fish before getting the boat back to Labuan Baja and ending the tour. We were dropped back at La Cecile and were greeted by a fantastic sun set overlooking the harbour. Although initially apprehensive about the day tour, it definitely surpassed our expectations and was an amazing introduction to the Komodo national park.