Labuan Bajo

Once a small fishing village, Labuan Bajo (also spelled Labuhanbajo and Labuanbajo) in Flores is now bustling with tourists.

Understand
Labuan Bajo is the launching point for trips to Komodo Island and Rinca Island, home to the famous Komodo dragons. While Labuan Bajo draws plenty of tourists, it is nevertheless quite a small town that runs along one main road, making it easy to navigate.

During 2020 and 2021, the Indonesian government put a lot of resources into Labuan Bajo to make the city attractive to tourists. New pathways were built for walking and bicycle lanes. Soon the Komodo airport will also receive international flights.

Nearby Seraya Island provides a great opportunity to do some diving and snorkeling, and every evening at Kalong Island thousands of flying fox bats put on an amazing display.

By plane
Labuan Bajo is linked by air with Denpasar (Bali), Jakarta, Kupang, Surabaya, Bajawa, Ende, Makassar, Mataram and Maumere.

The upturn in tourism has meant that ojeks can only be taken if you walk outside the airport and taxi drivers charge set rates of Rp60,000 and up one way for this short journey. If all else fails, it's a 25-minute downhill walk into town.

By boat

 * Labuan Bajo Port Building and Jetty.jpg ferry from Sape (Rp91,000 as of July 2023) runs daily, and usually arrives around 17:00. You will need ADSP card (around 30 000, multiuse) to be able to pay or just borrow it from locals for some amount of money
 * A number of companies organise 4 days/3 nights boat trips from Lombok or Bali to Flores for around Rp1,550,000. You sleep on the deck on thin mattresses (less than 1 inch thick, but you get used to it). No matter where you book the trip from, you will be shuttled to the eastern coast of Lombok with bus/ferry transfers before getting on the boat.
 * The Perama tour is a well advertised trip running 4 days/3 nights from Lombok to Labuan Bajo, and 3 days/2 nights the other way. This sets itself apart from the others by having private (2 person) cabins. Prices are cabin/deck Rp2,600,000/2,000,000 Lombok-Labuanbajo and Rp1,800,000/1,300,000 the other way. Be aware of the safety records of these boats.
 * Pelni ships arrive from Makassar or Lombok. Pelni has two ships calling at Labuanbajo every 2 weeks. Tilongkbila departs for Bima, Lembar (Lombok, 24 hr) and Benoa (Bali) every other Thursday and returns the following Sunday to go to Makassar and other destinations in Sulawesi. Willis departs for Bima - Benoa - Surabaya every other Saturday and returns Saturday one week later to go east to Marapokot and Maumere.

All the tour boats have the same program of snorkelling, trekking and komodo dragon watching, stopping at the same stunning reefs, beaches and waterfalls along the way. For years there have been rumors of safety issues on these boats. However, so far all these rumors have been just that. There are, however, many who remark on the noise (on all boats), so bring earplugs and don't expect any deep, meaningful conversations while the engine is running.

By bus
Buses from Ruteng and Bajawa stop and depart in the centre of town near the school. Buses from Lombok; see Flores (Indonesia).

Get around
The town is quite small and can easily be traversed on foot (in 10-15 minutes). Ojeks (Rp3,000-5,000) and bemos pass every 5 minutes if you get tired of walking. You will find at least to local rental business on the main street where you can rent a scooter for Rp65,000 - 75,000/per day (as of December 2016), you can also ask your hotel as some of them also rent scooters.

See

 * Caves, such as Batu Cermin Cave and Rangko Cave
 * Surrounding beaches
 * Komodo Dragons
 * Kanawa Island, small island 10 km away from Labuan Bajo (about 1hr with a local boat or 10 min with speed boat) and located just at the borders of Komodo National Park. You will find a resort there.

Do
Komodo National Park encompasses a lot of water and islands west of Labuanbajo. If you want to go to Rinca or Komodo islands, or dive in the park you will have to buy a 1-day park pass for US$15 during the weekdays or $18 at weekends. Money from such user fees is collected by the local government and is supposed to go into conservation efforts.

Rinca Island  (Indonesian: Rinca Kecil or Pulau Rinca) is a more convenient place to see Komodo Dragons than Komodo island. Some dive operators might be convinced to combine a stop at the island with a days diving - otherwise charters can be arranged, or walk along the main street of Labuan Bajo and some tour agencies may be advertising places on an existing charter. There are big dragons that are often right in front of the pier when people arrive. On arrival a guide will escort you to the park office where you will be relieved of a range of fees, then you can choose a 1- or 2-hour hike. Presumably if you had a pass from Komodo, you would be exempt from at least some of those fees.

Tours: A one-day tour covering Padar island viewpoint, Pink beach, Komodo island, and Manta point on a shared boat costs around Rp375,000 with an additional Rp350,000 in entrance fees. The 2-day/1-night option in addition to the above includes Rinca island and Kanawa island and on a shared boat costs around Rp700,000 with an additional approximately Rp500,000 in entrance fees (Nov 2019).

The tour boats will collect the entrance fee money upfront to supposedly save you the hassle, but end up pocketing most of the money without it going to the parks as intended. Either insist that that give you the tickets, or just pay the entrance fees at each stop yourself.

Diving
The Komodo National Park offer dozens of pristine dive sites, with many migratory pelagics, vibrant reefs- making it one of the world's richest marine habitats. The Park is just offshore and easily reached by liveaboard operators, although daytrips may take two hours or more in each direction. Check that your dive operator is reputable, has safety equipment onboard and if possible is a member of the local dive association who have strict minimum safety requirements for their members.

There are many dive operators that offer dive courses, fun dives and 3-to-7 day live aboards. They have fixed pricing for fun dives at Rp1,200,000 per day including 2 dives, full equipment and lunch (Rp1,500,000 for three dives). Choose one of the Dive Association dive centers for the newest equipment, experienced guides and safety equipment on board. It is true the currents around Komodo can be quite strong and some sites are unsuitable for beginners, however if you dive with a reputable company, in a small group, with an experienced guide there is no reason even Open Water divers shouldn't be able to enjoy the diving!

Beware; dive operators now (July 2022) charge a very steep Rp2,500,000 for 3 dives. A small discount is possible, but still very overpriced. All dive centers have the same price list of the Labuan Bajo diving cartel. Think twice before coming here for your diving, as some argue that there is little unique about this area. However this region is exceptionally rich in marine life due to the strong currents formed by water moving between the islands. In addition, there is a great diversity of dive sites within a small area.



Snorkelling
Labuan Bajo is the most convenient point from which to go snorkelling in the Komodo National Park. The snorkeling within the park offers many opportunities to see pristine reefs with some of the greatest fish and coral diversity in the world. Any dive shop can organise a snorkelling-only trip, or a snorkeller can accompany a diving tour at a reduced rate. Just ask!

Other
Seraya Island  (Indonesian: Pulau Seraya) is little more than a small, arid island outside of the Komodo National Park with a few bamboo huts for tourist lodging, a restaurant, and some villagers who let their goats graze on vegetation. The island's cove is protected from the sea, providing calm and clear water for snorkelling. At low tide the coral is exposed and local fishermen walk on the reef in search of prey. Rowboats can be rented and taken to nearby islands for snorkelling and diving. Make sure to run up to the top of the hill behind the resorts and check out the sunset. The lodges on the island do have showers, but running water is only available a few hours a day.

One of the more spectacular displays of nature in the area is at Kalong Island (Indonesian: Pulau Kalong; also spelt Kalung), which literally means "Flying Fox Island." The name is quite appropriate as the island is home to thousands of Kalong, or giant flying fox bats. Boats to Kalong can be chartered from Labuanbajo for around Rp300,000 for a return ride, including a snorkelling stop at a nearby island before you reach Pulau Kalong. Your boat will be moored next to the mangrove island and at dusk literally tens of thousands of flying foxes emerge from the mangrove island and move over your boat towards Rinca Island. For the entire colony to emerge will take roughly 20 min of continuous waves of bats passing over your boat. The boat ride to/from Labuanbajo will take roughly one hour. This trip can also be packaged into a one-day tour together with (for example) a visit of Rinca Island and some snorkelling in the area.

Buy
There are three ATMs in town which belong to the BNI bank and can deliver up to Rp2,500,000 per transaction in Rp100,000 or Rp50,000 notes, but also a few other banks and one money changer. There is a bad rate, so better change enough money before coming here.

Shops selling tourist trinkets, local fabric, and Komodo Dragon carvings are located in the center of town. Western products of varying quality are available in the toko or kiosk alongside the roads.

Consider taking a trip to the market early in the morning to purchase local coffee, spices, or just to look over a wealth of local produce and goods.

Eat
Choose from a variety of Indonesian, Chinese, and Western restaurants on the main road. As a tourist place some cheating takes place: some restaurants add 10% "service tax" to the bill. Other restaurants refuse to give change less of than 1000 rupiah. Insist on exact change.

Drink
Beer (Rp30,000 as of Nov 2018) and Arak is available from the supermarkets and some of the shops around town. You can get the local moonshine (Arak), however, it resembles paint thinner, and it's not unlikely that you will go blind if it is contaminated with methyl alcohol.


 * Cafe In Hit. Nice cafe with excellent reading selections.
 * Cafe In Hit. Nice cafe with excellent reading selections.
 * Cafe In Hit. Nice cafe with excellent reading selections.
 * Cafe In Hit. Nice cafe with excellent reading selections.

Sleep
There is plenty of accommodation to choose from in Labuanbajo. And with tourism growing exponentially, new places are springing up constantly. The cheapest places are the local homestays (Penginapan) near the ferry port. However, practice your Indonesian first.

As of December 2016 there are 17 hotels, just one 4-star and 6 3-star hotels. The infrastructure of the town is growing rapidly. Listed from north to south, here are some of the hotels. All places include breakfast, but to some breakfast merely translates into a cup of coffee. Ask first to avoid disappointment.

The main issue in Labuan Bajo is the lack of fresh water. Some hotels tap spring water at the hill through a very long pipeline. Other hotels collect fresh water from this source using a mobile tank. It seems like the hotels in the central town take advantage of this setup.

Budget

 * Seraya Island Sunset Beach. Seraya Kecil Island (Rp250,000); a stay on the island can be booked at the front desk of Gardena Hotel (same owner).
 * Seraya Island Sunset Beach. Seraya Kecil Island (Rp250,000); a stay on the island can be booked at the front desk of Gardena Hotel (same owner).
 * Seraya Island Sunset Beach. Seraya Kecil Island (Rp250,000); a stay on the island can be booked at the front desk of Gardena Hotel (same owner).
 * Seraya Island Sunset Beach. Seraya Kecil Island (Rp250,000); a stay on the island can be booked at the front desk of Gardena Hotel (same owner).
 * Seraya Island Sunset Beach. Seraya Kecil Island (Rp250,000); a stay on the island can be booked at the front desk of Gardena Hotel (same owner).
 * Seraya Island Sunset Beach. Seraya Kecil Island (Rp250,000); a stay on the island can be booked at the front desk of Gardena Hotel (same owner).
 * Seraya Island Sunset Beach. Seraya Kecil Island (Rp250,000); a stay on the island can be booked at the front desk of Gardena Hotel (same owner).
 * Seraya Island Sunset Beach. Seraya Kecil Island (Rp250,000); a stay on the island can be booked at the front desk of Gardena Hotel (same owner).
 * Seraya Island Sunset Beach. Seraya Kecil Island (Rp250,000); a stay on the island can be booked at the front desk of Gardena Hotel (same owner).

Connect
Internet cafes along the main road are plentiful, and their connections are all generally the same at 1 Mbit/s which is fine for Skype and YouTube. The Warnet in the south has the newest hardware, and most places have headsets for Skype.

All restaurants mentioned above have free WiFi. Most accommodations have WiFi.

Stay safe
If you decide to go hiking, beware of venomous snakes.

Go next
"Travel" (shared car) or bus (e.g. Gunung Mas, Gemini) to Ruteng, Bajawa, Ende, Moni, Maumere, etc.) can be arranged through many of the tour offices on the main street - the price usually includes pick-up from your hotel.


 * Komodo National Park encompasses a lot of water and islands west of Labuanbajo. If you want to go to Rinca or Komodo islands, or dive in the park you must buy a 3-day park pass for US$15. Money from such user fees is collected by the local government and is supposed to go into conservation efforts. Rinca Island (Indonesian: Rinca Kecil or Pulau Rinca) is a more convenient place to see Komodo Dragons than Komodo island.  Some dive operators might be convinced to combine a stop at the island with a days diving.  There are big dragons that are often right in front of the pier when people arrive.
 * Kanawa Island (Pulau Kanawa) is surrounded by spectacular reefs with thousands of fish species, turtles, corals and reef sharks. Sometimes it is possible to see some stingrays and small sharks just around the arrival jetty. You can dive from the island with companies such as Wunderpus Diving (www.wunderpusliveaboard.com) who will collect you each morning and drop you off in the afternoon after diving, they will also offer course based from the island at times. Kanawa island is 10 km away from Labuan Bajo (about 1hr with a local boat or 10 min with speed boat) and located just at the borders of Komodo National Park. on Kanawa there is a small bungalow resort, designed for travelers, with a restaurant. It is possible to visit the national park directly from there with wooden boats. Reef around Kanawa is protected, so fishing is not allowed, but the restaurant provides fabulous fresh seafood coming form the nearby fisherman island. Turtles love to hatch on the beach just next to the restaurant.
 * Ruteng, the main area for Manggarai culture, the next big city by the main Flores road, 110 km away - approximately 3-4 hours by motorbike or car.