By far one of the most incredible travel experiences I have ever had was our 4-day sailing trip around the Komodo Islands.
If you’re reading this thinking, where on Earth is that? Komodo is an island in eastern Indonesia, sort of sandwiched between the much bigger islands of West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara.
Komodo, and a few of the small islands surrounding it, is home to the appropriately named Komodo dragon, which I’ll tell you about a little later.
The boat trip
I’d seen a few people on YouTube and Instagram going on these multi-day boat trip around the Komodo islands and we immediately knew we had to do the same. While it’s not necessarily a budget-friendly experience, I would urge anyone visiting Indonesia (or Southeast Asia as a whole) to push the boat out (pardon the pun) and indulge in this adventure. You absolutely won’t regret it.
We booked our trip fairly last minute, only a few weeks out, so the companies that were top rated and most recommended were fully sold out. We didn’t have loads of flexibility with dates as we did this trip towards the end of our Indonesia visa and we’d already extended it once so it was all or nothing.
Most recommended online was Wanua Adventures but we ended up going with Travel Wise on their boat ‘Bintang Laut’ and although it was definitely value for money and very basic, it was an amazing experience.
The trip cost 3.6 million Indonesian rupiah per person which is around £173 (as of June 2024). This price was for the shared deck (literally on top of the boat with 20 other people, see the photo below) which included a mat, pillow and blanket, plus all meals and snorkelling gear were provided too.
The toilet… let’s not go there. It was basically a ceramic bucket with no flush. There was no shower either so we lived the salty life for 4 days — it was a true adventure!
There was another option to book a private room with a fan but these were very small and cost up to 4.2 million rupiah per person (approx. £200). The bonus of the private rooms (aside from the privacy obviously) was you were able to keep your big bags in there with you.
For us, on the top deck, we were advised to store our main luggage in a storage closet next to the engine room and just to take a small bag with our essentials on deck with us.
The main things to note were that the mats on deck were surprisingly comfy and we slept great, and the food served on board was incredibly good. So if you’re happy to rough it up for a few days on a budget, Travel Wise is a decent choice!
The itinerary
The itinerary for our Komodo island-hopping boat trip took us from Senggigi in west Lombok to Labuan Bajo, the main port town on Flores. The route looked like this…
- Day 1 : Senggigi – Kayangan Port – Kenawa Island
- Day 2 : Saleh Bay (swimming with whale sharks)
- Day 3 : Padar Island, Pink Beach, Komodo Island
- Day 4 : Manjarite, Kelor Island, Labuan Bajo
First stop…Kenawa Island
Day one started bright and early. We headed to the Travel Wise office near Senggigi beach, which was luckily right around the corner from our hotel. After a bit of a faff and classic Southeast Asia timings, we set off (late) on a two hour bus ride to the other side of the island.
Once we reached Kayangan Port on the east side of Lombok, we boarded our boat and got familiar with what would be our home for the next three nights. We started sailing around early afternoon and after about two hours we reached our first port of call: Kenawa Island!
We were transferred by a rickety little tender boat to the island and hiked a short way across some grassy fields and up a small hill to watch the sunset. The surrounding islands were beautiful — a taste of what was to come on the rest of the trip!
We got back on the boat and enjoyed a delicious dinner whilst getting to know our fellow sailors. Despite the basic amenities on board, the food was to die for. The boat crew cooked up a storm for us every single day, with loads of fresh fish, healthy veggies, grilled tempeh and prawn crackers the size of my head.
That being said, I do recommend taking your own drinks and snacks — you can buy them out of a big cooler on board but it’s cheaper to grab them from the local corner shop in Senggigi.
Swimming with whale sharks at sunrise
One of the activities I was most excited for on our Komodo island sailing trip was the opportunity to swim with whale sharks.
We were woken up at 6am after a surprisingly great sleep on deck and immediately got into the water with beautiful whale sharks. I must say, I’m not a morning person but this was the best way to wake up that early in the morning!
The sun was only just peaking above the horizon and besides a couple of fishing vessels, we were the only boat anchored in the middle of the ocean. It was so quiet, save for the whispers of everyone getting up and climbing into the ocean — we used the ladder off the of the boat as jumping in could be harmful for the sharks.
I remember cleaning my snorkel mask and blinking the sleep out of my eyes as I was treading water, before looking down into the ocean and seeing a humongous whale shark directly beneath me. It felt surreal. I quickly looked up, beckoned Joe into the water with me and stuck my head back under the water again.
I wish we had a GoPro because the memory of just watching those beautiful giants gliding under the water will never leave me — but I’d love a photo!
After a few minutes, however, the magic started to wear off a bit. Under the water I could hear the rumble of engines and before we knew it, there were half a dozen other boats anchored around us with people jumping in and splashing around. The fishing vessels then started pouring fish blood and guts into the water to feed the whale sharks and my heart sank a bit…
Joe and I got out of the water and watched as a hundred or so people splashed around right next to the sharks. Although whale sharks were supposed to be in that area at that time and it was the season for it, the feeding of them just felt really unnatural and unethical and I wonder if eventually this will have a detrimental effect on migration patterns and the surrounding ecosystems.
It was such a beautiful few moments enjoying the silence and the beauty of the whale sharks, but it quickly descended into a tourist trap. I’m not sure I would recommend being involved with this or endorsing this kind of trip purely for this activity alone.
After everyone got back on the boat, we enjoyed breakfast before sailing off for a further 20 ish hours to our next stop further east. We enjoyed relaxing on the boat all day, reading our books and chatting with other travellers. All whilst trying not to feel queasy… reminder: take seasickness tablets and stay on the top deck!
Sunrise at Padar Island
Day three was undoubtedly the best day of the whole trip! We woke up at 5am, moored just off the coast of Padar Island. This is the iconic Komodo island which you may have seen photos of.
Having felt a little seasick the night before and not eaten much, I struggled on our sunrise hike up to the top of the hill, but got there in the end. It’s not a technical hike, only about 30 minutes.
We found a good spot and sat and waited just below the summit (which was rammed with people) just in time to witness the most magical sunrise of my life. I’ve always been a sunset girl, not a morning person, but this was truly spectacular and something everyone should add to their bucket list.
Joe and I both feel that this was a ‘top 3’ moment from our year in Southeast Asia and I know it will stay with me as one of my favourite travel memories for life.
Pink Beach — worth the hype!
After Padar Island we jumped back on the boat for another delicious breakfast and sailed to our next destination, not too far away. It was, of course, the famous Pink Beach!
Well, there are a few pink beaches I believe (more than seven pink beaches I have read), but this one was brilliant. I’d heard that they’re not actually that pink and people were disappointed but I have to say this one really lived up to the hype and was possibly the most exceptional beach I’ve ever visited.
I imagine the great weather and calm seas helped so the sand wasn’t all churned up — it honestly was bright pink and the sea a beautiful contrasting turquoise, just see for yourself.
Fun fact: this natural wonder occurs when red coral combine with microscopic animals called foraminifera which when dead and crushed on the sea bed, provide a bright pink hue.
We spent a lovely few hours here soaking up some sun (be warned, there isn’t much shade here), swimming in the shallows and enjoying a cold fresh coconut.
Komodo National Park
Our final stop of day three was what we’d all come here for: Komodo National Park.
The whole point of the trip was to get up close with Komodo dragons in the remote Komodo National Park. You can access the national park from Flores island on a day trip, but incorporating it into a 4 -day boat trip was undoubtedly the best way to experience what this cluster of islands and the national park has to offer.
So what is a Komodo dragon? Quite simply, it is the world’s largest lizard.
This large reptile in the monitor lizard family is one of the most impressive creatures I’ve ever laid eyes on — and they’re pretty spooky too! They can reach up to 10 feet in length and weigh well over 100kg.
Komodo dragons are venomous and have an excellent sense of smell; we were told prior to our trip to the visitor’s centre that if someone has open wounds or if a woman are on their period, they shouldn’t visit the island as they are in danger of being scented by a Komodo dragon. They can even run up to 20kmph so wouldn’t want to be chased by one!
Sadly there are estimated to be only 1,400 adults and 2,000 juvenile Komodo dragons remaining in the wild. The opportunity to see them on this sailing trip from Lombok to Flores was simply incredible.
Although we didn’t see many on our short hike around the park (only one up close and a few from a distance), it was fascinating to learn more about them at the visitors centre in Komodo National Park.
Snorkelling at Manjarite and Kelor Island
The final day of our Komodo island sailing adventure had arrived.
Our first stop was Manjarite Island at 7am. We didn’t actually venture onto the island but we had a lovely morning swim and did a bit of snorkelling. Unfortunately we didn’t encounter any turtles, which were usually found in the area apparently, but it was pleasant all the same.
Another tip here too — bring your own snorkel if you’re considering this trip, as the ones Travel Wise provided were not the best.
We then moved onto our final stop of the trip, Kelor Island. This beautiful little island within Komodo National Park is home to a small peak and stunning white sand beaches. We chose not to climb to the top of the hill as we heard there was a shoal of baby sharks in a cove a short swim away from the beach so we decided to snorkel instead.
After borrowing some much better snorkel masks, we swam out to the spot that had been described to us and were greeted with so many baby black tipped reef sharks! Again, really wish we had a GoPro for this experience but it’s one we’ll remember forever.
Joe had never seen a reef shark before (I had seen one on my night dive in the Similan Islands and also on a boat tour in Phuket) so he was absolutely buzzing. At one point I counted about 15 little sharks all swimming so close to us!
We were only in the shallows so we were able to just stand fairly still and have them swim around us, rather than us going too close to them. It was magical. What a way to finish four day boat tour of the Komodo islands.
Labuan Bajo
We reluctantly dragged ourselves away from the baby sharks at Kelor Island and sailed on to Labuan Bajo, the main port town on the island of Flores, Indonesia. We stayed at Seaesta Komodo Hostel which was one of our favourite accommodations of our whole trip — the dormitories were really clean and spacious, there was a rooftop pool with amazing views over the Flores sea and a bar and restaurant which served fantastic food and drinks.
It’s a bit more boujie and a bit less budget backpacker but I highly recommend staying there if you’re visiting Labuan Bajo, and if we were to ever go back, I would definitely stay a few more days there and do some more scuba diving and hiking excursions further inland.
So… what are you waiting for?!
I hope this has inspired you to add the Komodo islands to your bucket list! Seeing komodo dragons, whale sharks and baby reef sharks, and being immersed in some of the most extraordinary and remote landscapes on the planet was simply awe-inspiring.
I honestly can’t believe I’ve been, I still have ‘pinch me’ moments re-living this incredible experience. Despite my uncertainty surrounding the ethics of the whale shark experience, the rest of the trip was absolutely brilliant and something that every traveller should look into.
Of course, there are more private boats and much ‘nicer’, high-end experiences to be had with other companies, but for us this was perfect.
Don’t hesitate. Get it booked. Message me on Instagram @wheresliv_ if you’d like to chat about booking your Komodo islands adventure!
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