Sightseeing tours Komodo. Boat trip to Komodo island

Associated with Bali, because only tourists like to fly in there, who wanted to relax with chic. But not so long ago I visited my husband on Komodo Island, and only then did I see the true beauty of nature. This island is part of the National Park, called the island. You know, it was probably the first time that my husband and I took on a trip a minimum of clothes, and more things that could be needed on the island. Most importantly, there is not a single store on the island, so you need to take care in advance not to need anything on arrival :)

Bali Airport - Denpasar

Almost all tourists who want to get to Komodo must pass through the city of Labuan Bajo, this, I would say, is the second point of departure. Since the first one will be at Bali airport, if you have a desire to get to this island, you first need to buy a ticket for a flight to Bali, and only then it will be possible to get to Labuan Bajo. So, with the dock, we flew to Bali and landed at the airport. You can call it simply and modestly, or you can call Ngurah Rai or Denpasar, the essence of this will not change. It’s best to buy tickets a couple of weeks before your intended departure. As practice has shown, tickets are indecently more expensive in the season and, moreover, they are quickly taken apart, despite the high cost.

If you know when you’re about to fly, then you can start preparing by searching for tickets. When you arrive at the airport, you will be confronted with the fact, they will be told the actual price and the only thing you can do in this situation is to buy tickets at the suggested price. If you look for tickets on a variety of resources where you can purchase them, then there is a chance that you will find something at a discount, or just stumble upon an interesting offer that may allow you to save. There are a lot of sites for searching airlines and tickets, you can easily find them yourself, but you can look and buy tickets for the flight you need :) As I said, after you get to Bali airport, then you will need to get to Labuan Bajo, otherwise alas, no way. So, now I will explain in more detail the procedure that you will have to complete. From the airport, Komodo can be reached by plane or by ferry. However, not everything is so simple, you will have to suffer a little to finally enjoy the beautiful views of the island. I’ll tell you about each method separately so that you can choose what you like best.

How to get to Labuan Bajo by plane

As soon as you arrive at, you will need to immediately buy a plane ticket to Labuan Bajo, it has a small airport that accepts only domestic flights. You can often hear in the media that the authorities plan to make the airport international, so that the path to the island becomes much easier, however, the promises remained promises. The flight lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. Flights are operated daily, but you can find out more about how often flights fly at the airport or on the airport website. When you land at Labuan Bajo airport, then you will need to transfer to a small ship, which will transfer you free of charge to the Komodo National Park.

Flight cost

A flight from the airport to Labuan Bajo will cost $ 170 per person

Where to get tickets

A ticket to Labuan Bajo must be purchased at the ticket office of Bali Airport.

How to get to Labuan Bajo by bus

This option is for those for whom the flight to Labuan Bajo is too expensive, but if you have the finances to buy a plane ticket to reduce travel time, then it is best not to use this option. So, when you arrive at Denpasar Airport, you will need to get to the small Ubung bus station, which is a couple of kilometers from the airport.
You can walk to it, which I do not recommend, or you can take the Blue Bird taxi, which you need to take outside the airport. Just go outside the airport, just walk along the road and there you will see a lot of blue taxis.
When you get to the Ubung bus station, you will need to buy a ticket to Labuan Bajo, fortunately there are direct buses, this is good news, but the fact that you will have to travel for almost two days is so-so news, to say the least. Despite the fact that this is a cheap option, it takes a very long ride, although the buses are, in principle, quite normal, but the idea that you need to spend two days in the bus is scary. The bus will arrive at the seaport in Labuan Bajo, from which it will already be possible to get to Komodo by ship. Buses depart twice a day, at 08:00 and at 15:30.
A ship from the port of Labuan Bajo departs daily, a couple of times a day, about every 4 hours. Travel time takes about 4 hours, so you have to wait a bit. True, I do not know what to do with you, for example, if you suffer from seasickness, because 4 hours may seem like hell to you, but there is no other way to get to Komodo.

Fare

A taxi ride to the Ubung station will cost $ 3;
The cost of a bus ticket to Labuan Bajo will cost $ 20 per person;
The cost of crossing a ship to Komodo will cost about $ 150 if you arrived by bus.

Where to get tickets

A bus ticket to Labuan Bajo must be purchased at the box office of the Ubung bus station;
A ticket for the ship is not required, and the crossing will be free if you arrived by plane.

How to get to Komodo from Labuan Bajo by boat

The ship option will be free if you arrive by plane. But if you arrived by bus, as I described above, then, alas, you just have to get on a small boat, which is scary to board :) No, it won’t sink and nothing will happen, there’s just so little space that you’ll have to sit on the floor if there are no seats, and most likely they will not be. If you arrive at the port and catch the ship, then you can quite get on it, if you are lucky to get on it, and if not, then the boat, but even here there are nuances.
The boat leaves for Komodo only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, once a day. The boat departure time is between 08:00 and 11:00, that is, you need to arrive at 8 in the morning and sit until the passengers are gathered. And the travel time takes up to 5 hours, it all depends on weather conditions and wind, so, you know, time can drag on for a long time. If you will be going back on the same boat, that is, from Komodo to Labuan Bajo, then the boat leaves on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, remember this so that you do not confuse the days later. A boat departs from the port at the place where the fish market is located, on the corner, you will notice it.

Crossing Cost

And here is a big injustice :) For local residents the crossing will cost about $ 150, while for us, foreigners, about $ 350.

Location: Eastern Minor Sundaes, Indonesia
Water area: Indian Ocean
Square: 390 sq. M. Km
Highest point:823 m
Population: 2000 people
Population density: 5,128 people / sq. Km
Year of foundation of the park: 1980
Site: komodonationalpark.org

Between the islands and, in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, lies Komodo Island. He was glorified by the famous lizards - Komodo lizards. But not only the fauna of the island is famous. Let's find out what else attracts many tourists here.

Geography and Population

Komodo is considered the territory of the same name and belongs to the Small Sunda Islands. This is where Komodo Island is located on a world map:

As for the local population, these are mainly the descendants of prisoners who were once landed on this island. Gradually they mingled with the Bugis tribe living on. The entire population of the island (about 2000 people) is concentrated in the large village of Kampong Komodo.

There is a beautiful legend about the indissoluble connection of Aboriginal people with Komodo dragons. She says that at the beginning of all things there were 2 eggs. From the first man hatched - "orang Komodo", and he was called his older brother. And from the second came the dragon - "ora", and began to be called the younger. They were bound by fate itself, and they cannot exist without each other. Whether this is true or fiction is unknown, but the following fact speaks in favor of the legend. When the government tried to relocate people from the national park to the neighboring island of Sumbawa, dragons followed them. And then people had to return.

Flora and fauna

The most famous representative of the fauna of Komodo Island is the Komodo lizard - the largest of the lizards currently existing on Earth. They belong to the family of monitor lizards and grow up to 3 m in length. Adults weigh about 80 kg. These animals are predators and extremely dangerous to humans. Admire the photo of one of Komodo's dragons:

In addition to exploring the terrestrial fauna, tourists are offered to go down under the water. on Komodo gives you the opportunity to see coral reefs and seamounts, admire secluded bays. There are reef sharks, dugongs, sea turtles, dolphins and several species of whales.

Due to its volcanic origin and arid climate, the flora of Komodo Island is quite poor compared to other overgrown jungles. The main interest is mangrove forests.

Visit

Most organized to Komodo depart from. A visit to the park is relatively safe, as it is accompanied by an experienced guide. Tourists will visit the habitats of the monitor lizards and will be able to see from the distance huge dinosaurs that look menacingly at people, often sticking out forked tongues. This tour promises an unforgettable experience!

An entrance ticket to the territory of Komodo National Park costs 150 thousand rupees (on weekdays) or 225 thousand (on weekends). These are $ 11.25 and $ 17 respectively. Additional costs - tracking and guide services, they are not included in the price. Departing to the island on your own, tickets should be purchased at the park’s office in Loch Liang.

Where to stay?

Since the island is a protected area, it is forbidden to build hotels, restaurants and entertainment facilities here. Tourists most often come only for 1 day, but if you wish, you can stay in the village of Kampong Komodo, with local residents. There are several guest houses (homestay).

How to get to Komodo island in Indonesia?

There are two ways to get to the island:

Having bought a sightseeing tour on the island of Bali or in.
Arriving in Labuan Bajo, from where a public boat goes to the island of dragons three times a week. On the island there is, it is most convenient to get here by air.

So, it is time to debunk the stereotypes that rest on Komodo Island is accessible only to well-off layers of our society. No no and one more time no! Anyone can visit this island, you just want to. The prices here practically do not differ from the general Indonesian ones, but the nature is unique! Are there many more places on the planet where you can look at Komodo’s monitor lizards and swim with giant manti?

Organized tour

Most tourists who arrive in Labuan Bajo take an organized tour for 1-2-3 or more nights and do not worry about anything. If you have an extra 100 or more bucks per person per day, then you can go this route. There are a lot of such beautiful boats in Labuan Bajo bay - enough for everyone.

It is on them that such cruises are made. Inside the cabin, all conditions, food and entrance fees to the national park are usually included in the price.

Charter

It all depends on your eloquence and the size of the pasudin. I think the minimum price for a charter on Komodo is 600-800 thousand rupees.

Public boat

It is open to the public by Dina Huseyn-Zade, for which her great gratitude. This boat departs from Labuan Bajo to Komodo on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and on the return trip on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Price for local 20-25 thousand rupees. For foreigners - as agreed, count on 50,000. Travel time depends on the wind and waves, usually 4-5 hours. From Labuan Bajo, a boat sails in the corner of the fish market. Departure time is between 8 and 11 in the morning. A boat of such a plan.

Places are only sitting on the floor.

Where to live

The entire territory of Komodo Island is the ownership of a national park, a UNESCO heritage and a biosphere reserve. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to build hotels, cafes and other objects of tourist infrastructure here. Visitors are allowed to stop at local residents in the village of Kampung Komodo. The most enterprising locals have opened Homestay in their homes. We will consider them.

The cheapest and easiest. Located to the right of the pier, almost on the very edge of the village. Spartan conditions: mattress and mosquito net. Everything.

There are mandi and a toilet.

It looks like this from the outside.

The price is 150,000 rupees per person per day, including 3 meals a day and free tea of \u200b\u200bcoffee throughout the day.

The official homestay from the government. The conditions are noticeably better than the previous one.

There is even a price list for services.

Outside there is no sign, it looks like this, it is located in the center of the village, on the main street.

The price is 180,000 rupees per person per day, including 3 meals a day and free tea of \u200b\u200bcoffee throughout the day.

It is considered the best on the island. Clean, comfortable, but, again, everything is simple.

Here is the most beautiful mandi, you can even take a picture of it without risking shocking the general public.

The view from the outside.

The price is 300,000 rupees per person.

There are also nice, nice rooms.

You can identify by sign, from located near the previous one.

The price is the same 300,000 rupees.

Nameless Homestay

Located next to EcoFlores, it looks like this.

It is also quite civil.

The price of 300 thousand rupees.

In addition to these, there are several other options, but I did not like it there.

If you are ready to help teach children English at school, then you can go and live for free as a volunteer. Join this vK group.

Attention: for each visitor to Komodo Island, the village warden takes a fee of 10,000 rupees. Plus you need to sign up in the guest book.

Where to eat

There is no cafe or even food for the locals.

If you settle in a homestay or at Park Khairul as a volunteer, they will feed you. In addition, in the morning you can get hold of delicious pastries, donuts, pies from grannies. Prices are usually 1000 rupees per gadget. In the village there are several shops, there is also a lot of food. And not only: there are all kinds of shampoos, soap, different small things.

Things to do on Komodo Island

Watch the life of the locals

A very exciting activity. The local people Komodo and Bima live very simply, poorly, but do not lose heart, they smile broadly and laugh out loud. More details about the locals and what they do I wrote in.

Watch the life of the local fauna

It's no secret that the main feature of the island is Komodo lizards. They are so ordinary here that they often go directly to the village, or roam somewhere in the vicinity. I wrote more about the fauna of Komodo Island.

Kayaking

Areda of a single sea kayak for half a day costs 50,000 rupees, for a whole day - 80,000. Gizmo is quite stable, I even circled the island of Lusa on it, although in some places there was such a good wave, I had to rhythmically and strongly row in order not to roll over.

Hire a boat

You can arrange with local fishermen (with the help of an English-speaking local) to go to beautiful beaches with a sand or white sand, to places of snorkeling, an island with flying foxes Pulau Kalong and to Manta Point. I went half day to Pink Beach and Pantai Namo for 300,000 rupees. At Manta Point will come more expensive - to go pretty far. But the impressions will be for life!

Go trekking in the national park

This is now quite an expensive pleasure: an entrance ticket on weekdays costs 150,000 rupees, on the weekend 225,000 rupees. 5,000 rupees for tracking and 50,000 rupees is some kind of tax. For the guide you need to pay an additional 80,000 rupees per group. If you get involved in this adventure, then take the maximum: trekking from Loh Liang to Loh Sebita. It is about 5 hours on foot. Calculate the time to arrive in Cebit during the evening activity of animals at 4-5 o’clock in the evening. You can reach Loh Liang in the morning from the village by boat with rangers or merchants, and don’t forget to arrange to be met at the appointed time in Loh Sebita. The office of the park is located in Loch Liang and all tourists go there. There are not many monitor lizards in the district, and even those lured. But Loch Cebit is a distant Cardon. There is not far the Poreng Valley with huge numbers of wild boars, deer and buffalo. Wild lizards often go there to hunt.

Another option: in the morning will go to Manta Point, and after lunch in Loh Sebita. Just do not forget to pre-buy tickets in Loh Liang, they are not for sale in Sebit. You can drop in front of Manta Point, buy.

1. general description

Komodo National Park includes the territory between the two large islands of Sumbawa and Flores, which are located in eastern Indonesia. Administratively, the national park is part of the province of the Eastern Sunda Islands, the closest city is Labuan Bajo in the Manggaray Barat region. Namely Labuan Bajo is the starting point for Komodo. The national park covers an area of \u200b\u200b1.733 km², it was created to protect Komodo’s monitor lizards and other extinct species (including marine animals), and it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

2. How to get there

90% of visitors to the national park get there through the port city of Labuan Bajo, which is actively developing due to the popularity of Komodo National Park. The city has an airport that serves direct flights from Denpasar, Kupang, Ende and several other cities in Indonesia.

And so, most trips to Komodo begin from the island of Bali. Air travel Denpasar-Labuan Bajo-Denpasar costs from $ 160 and lasts about an hour and a half in one direction. The press voiced plans to make the airport in Labuan Bajo international, but so far from abroad you need to fly with a transfer.

You can also get to Labuan Bajo by overland sea: 2 ferries arrive daily at the port of Labuan Bajo from the port of Sape, on the neighboring island of Sumbawa. From Sape to Labuan Bajo, the ferry takes about 6 hours and a ticket costs $ 5. If you decide to choose an alternative way of air travel to get to Labuan Bajo from Denpasar, the shortest route will look like this: Denpasar- (land) -port Padang Bey- (ferry) -port Lembar island-Lombok- (land) -port Kayangan, east Lombok-ferry -Poto Tano, Sumbawa island-land-port Sape-ferry-port Labuan Bajo.

From Ubung bus station, near Denpasar, there are direct bus services to Labuan Bajo that go along the same route (land port) and spend about 2 days on the way. By choosing this option (bus) you will spend about $ 20 on a ticket and you will not have to deal with logistics issues in each of the ports on the islands. At the same time, if you like to explore or want to drive this way on a mopedemotorcycle, then there’s nothing difficult in sorting it out - ask people for directions to the points I have mentioned and they will be happy to help you. Yes, each of the ferries allows you to load a moped or even a car on board. It will cost significantly more than just a passenger ticket. Unfortunately, I can’t share the prices for transportation of cars and motor vehicles, I can only say that we met a jeep driver who said that he sometimes drives from Maumere (East Flores) to Malang (East Java) and ferry tickets, gasoline Food costs him about $ 500 one way.

3.How to travel around Komodo National Park

There are two alternatives to daily tours or safaris to visit the national park.

Daily Touris a one-day trip to Komodo National Park, which begins early in the morning and ends before sunset. More popular among divers, although acceptable for those who want to walk around small islands and snorkel. The price of such a tour ranges from $ 40 to $ 200 per person per day, depending on the additional services that you order (diving, trekking) and the level of service (quality of the boat, food, etc.).

Safari-This is a multi-day trip of 2 days. As a rule, this involves overnight on a boat (in cabins or on deck), the organizer provides three meals a day. The price of such a tour starts at $ 40 per person per day and can be infinitely high.

On the main street of Labuan Bajo, you can find offices of tour companies that offer such services. The staff at these offices speak English. If you do not speak either English or Indonesian, it will be extremely difficult to communicate with the staff as only a few of them speak German or Spanish. I have not met Russian-speaking tour company workers in Labuan Bajo.

It is also worth remembering that in addition to paying directly for the tour, you will need to pay for an entrance ticket to the national park: $ 15 per day per person on weekdays and $ 20 on Sunday.

4. What to see in Komodo National Park

Finally, you sailed from the port of Labuan Bajo and your ship is heading west. Among the places to visit and options for what to do there I highly recommend:

*** trekking on the islands of Komodo, Rincha, Padar: A) most visitors to the Komodo National Park tend to see Komodo’s monitor lizards, the largest lizards on the planet. Varans can be seen on the islands of Komodo and Rincha. Any one- or many-day tour should include a visit to certain sections of these islands, where the guide accompanies groups during trekking. On Komodo Island, you need to pay about $ 15 per person, $ 5 per person on the Rincha island, for an entrance ticket to the monitor zone and escort of the guide. All tourists visit these places, but there is another way to see the monitor lizards, mooring at the Komodo village, you can take a walk in the vicinity of the village and see the monitor lizards in a more “natural environment”. Since monitor lizards are dangerous to humans, in any case, it is worth paying for escort.

B) trekking on the island of Padar is an opportunity to see the incredible landscapes of the cut coast of the islands of the national park;

*** Snorkeling in the waters of Komodo National Park is no less impressive than meeting with the monitor lizards.

Surprisingly, just putting on a mask and dipping your head into the water, you find yourself in another world: coral gardens of unimaginable beauty, turtles, squids, octopuses, sharks, huge tuna and Napoleon fish, giant manta rays swim under you. The best snorkelling spots on Komodo are located near the islands of Kanawa, Sebayur, pink beaches, namong, and also at Manta Point. If you do not want to engage in diving on Komodo, it does not matter, you still have a chance to see one of the richest underwater worlds in Indonesia. Here is a video that I shot during snorkeling with manti.

Swiming with manta

Komodo National Park, manta point november 2015.

More than 20 dive centers operate in Labuan Bajo, many of them have an office on the main street of the town. The standard service of these centers is a one-day tour to Komodo National Park for a maximum of 3 dives. The prices for diving from center to center are not much different - $ 100 (+ divers pay the same price for admission to the park as snorkelers). The service of such dive centers looks something like this: after you leave the port at about 7 a.m., among 6-20 more divers accompanied by a divemaster (usually no more than 4 divers per divemaster), make 3 dives and return to Labuan Bajo before sunset, you’ll definitely should get lunch on board. The service can differ only in the quality of food, escort of the divemaster (its friendliness or qualification varies, of course), the number of divers on the boat (I had to be in a group of 2 divers on a boat, but also 7 divers on a boat, I heard about groups of 20 divers on a ship ), which is also very important.

The largest lizards in the world live on Komodo Island - Komodo monitor lizards, “dragons”. Locals call it “ora” and believe that it is a descendant of dinosaurs. Males reach 3 meters in length and 150 kg of weight, females are much smaller. The main danger of meeting him is a strong tail and poisonous saliva, but for tourists it is not dangerous. A trip to the lizards gives all tourists a lot of unforgettable experiences!

On a trip to Komodo, the only and most important attraction is Komodo monitor lizards. We recommend that you take organized safari excursions with a tour to Komodo and Flores from the Eden Tour company in a group or individual tour. Komodo Island is located four hundred and fifty kilometers east of Bali and Ritchie Island, and is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands group. This is the only place on the planet where nature has not changed since the Jurassic period. Therefore, a National Park has been created here, which is under the tutelage of the world organization for the protection of nature.

A trip to the lizards on Komodo

Forty percent of modern marine life — fish and the brightest corals — lives in the waters of the island. On some uninhabited islands, the last dinosaurs - Komodo monitor lizards - are still preserved. They live not only on the island of Komodo, but also on the islands of Rinka, Flores. Even on some of the nearest pristine islands, which are inhabited by about five thousand individuals. Komodo dragon reaches three and a half meters in length and weighs more than two hundred kilograms.

Due to the created conditions on the island, the lizards have no enemies, so they reproduce very well and feel great. They are not afraid of anything and that gives people the opportunity to approach them at close range. Giant lizards attract a huge number of tourists. It is one thing when you look at a small lizard, and quite another when you can see the giant Komodo monitor in front of you. From such a spectacle it is simply breathtaking, all this you can feel only on the Komodo tour. More than one thousand tourists come to this island every month, the purpose of which is to visit the national park on Komodo. Where, accompanied by guides, you can enjoy an incredible sight - getting to know the dragon.

Holidays with diving in Komodo

Around the tour to Komodo Islands, you can find absolutely any underwater landscape. There are underwater hills blurred by the current, which patrol groups of sharks. Bronze whale, hammerhead sharks, white sharks and gray reef sharks, tuna and many other large fish. There are also steep walls covered with incredibly beautiful and varied corals. There are calm reefs around Komodo Island, a haven for hundreds of schools of colorful fish and invertebrates. The diversity of underwater inhabitants in the area of \u200b\u200bKomodo Island is recognized as the highest in the world. The waters around Komodo Island are still little explored. Therefore, for experienced divers there is a chance to discover several wonders. If you want to book a tour to Komodo Island, call our managers by phone.

At a time when the tropical sun is slowly dropping over the horizon and Komodo Island, as well as the island of Flores begin to sink into the dark. Huge fruit bats, the largest in the world, are selected from daytime shelters in tropical forests. This provides a unique opportunity to admire the blood-red sky, intersected by fantastic creatures that circle in it above the ocean, emitting phosphorescence. Truly mystic on the verge of a fairy tale. Such a sunset on Bat Island, organized by the Eden Tour Travel Company, will never disappear from your memory!