Komodo and Pink Beach 2-Day Shared Boat Tour from Labuan Bajo

Labuan Bajo and Kelor Island

Labuan Bajo is a fishing town on the western tip of Flores that has become the gateway to Komodo National Park. The park, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, covers rugged volcanic islands, savanna hills and some of the richest coral reefs in Indonesia. Our team collects you from your hotel or from the airport between about 08:30 and 10:00, and you board the boat in the harbour.

The first stop is Kelor Island, a small island with a white-sand beach and a steep hill behind it. You can relax on the sand, swim in the clear shallows or climb the short but steep path for a view over the turquoise water and the islands scattered around Labuan Bajo.

Manjarite Snorkelling

Manjarite is one of the best snorkelling spots in the Labuan Bajo area for all levels, with calm, clear water and a healthy reef starting close to the shore, on the way south from Labuan Bajo towards the heart of the park. Hard and soft corals, giant clams, anemones and clouds of colourful reef fish are often visible from the surface.

Snorkelling gear is provided and your guide gives a short briefing before you slip in from the boat. Life jackets are available for less confident swimmers, so this is a good place to get used to the water before the stronger currents further south. Take your time here: it is the longest snorkelling session of the first day.

Kalong Island at Sunset

Kalong means flying fox in Indonesian, and this mangrove-covered island shelters a huge colony of fruit bats. The boat anchors nearby in the late afternoon and, as the sun sets, thousands of large bats rise from the trees and fly in long streams across the orange sky towards Flores to feed.

It is one of the most memorable wildlife moments of a Komodo boat tour, watched from the deck in calm water as the light fades over the hills of Flores. Dinner is then served on board, and you spend the night in a shared cabin anchored in a sheltered spot, under a sky full of stars.

Padar Island Sunrise

Day two begins early with the climb to the famous viewpoint on Padar Island. A stepped trail of about thirty to forty minutes leads up the ridge, and from the top you look down on three curved bays with dark, white and pink sand beaches set between steep golden-green hills.

Sunrise is the best time to visit Padar Island, when the light is soft and the air is still cool. Bring good shoes and water; the steps are steep but manageable for most travellers, and there are several flat resting points with views on the way up. Breakfast is served back on board as the boat sails on.

Pink Beach

Pink Beach owes its colour to tiny fragments of red coral mixed with white sand, which glow soft pink at the waterline, especially in the sunlight of the late morning. It is one of only a handful of pink beaches in the world and one of the most photographed places in Komodo National Park.

You have time to swim, snorkel the reef just offshore with its colourful fish and corals, or simply relax on the sand. Lunch is served on board after this stop. Please do not take any sand or coral away, as the beach is protected. Morning visits usually find the water at its calmest and clearest for snorkelling.

Komodo Island and Manta Point

On Komodo Island a park ranger leads you on a walk through dry savanna and forest to see the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on Earth, which can reach about three metres in length. The dragons are wild, so you always stay with the ranger and keep a safe distance. During the mating season in July and August fewer dragons may be seen.

The last stop is Manta Point, where reef manta rays come to feed and be cleaned in the current. Sightings are not guaranteed and snorkelling depends on sea conditions, but seeing these graceful giants glide below you is unforgettable. The boat returns to Labuan Bajo between about 17:00 and 18:00, followed by drop-off.