Labuan Bajo

Labuan Bajo is a harbour town on Flores, and it exists for one thing: boat trips into Komodo National Park. The places to visit in Labuan Bajo are almost all islands, reached by speedboat from the harbour.

• See Komodo dragons in the wild on Komodo or Rinca island — ranger-led walks only, never wander alone
• Climb the Padar Island viewpoint, a 45-minute stair climb to the three-bay photo everyone comes for
• Swim at Pink Beach, coloured by red coral fragments in the sand
• Snorkel with manta rays at Manta Point — best chances December to February, seas permitting

Shared speedboat day trips cost roughly Rp 1,200,000-1,800,000 ($65-$100) per person. Check whether national park and ranger fees — around Rp 400,000 ($22) — are included, because many cheaper tours add them on the boat. Book a day or two ahead in July and August.

Fly from Bali — the Denpasar flight takes about 1.5 hours — or direct from Jakarta. The airport sits 10 minutes from the harbour, so you can land in the morning and board a boat the same day, though most people rest a night first.

Labuan Bajo works best as a 2-3 day wildlife leg on a Bali trip: fly in, do one long day trip or one overnight boat, fly back. The town has a decent waterfront strip of restaurants for sunset, but there is little to do on land — plan around the boats. See our Indonesia guide for how it pairs with Bali and Java.