Things to do in Labuan Bajo
This is the number one place to see the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo Dragon. Four islands are home to the Komodo Dragon, but only two are open for visitors: Komodo Island and Rinca Island.
You can book day trips to these islands or an overnight live-on-board boat experience to several islands. Prices range anywhere from IDR 600,000 to IDR 2,000,000 per person, depending on the type of Komodo Island Package you choose, and most people would do a 2D/1N live-on-board trip.
One of the most unique beaches in the world is found here in the Komodo National Park, which has a beautiful and sweet pink beach!
Around nine pink beaches are located around the national park, where most Komodo Island tours will bring you to the most popular one on Komodo Island.
The Pink Beach at Komodo Island is also perfect for photo shooting and social media, and in general, this place attracts people from all walks of life, so coming here on a weekend will indeed be crowded.
Snorkelling here is quite impressive, too, as the marine life is awe-inspiring. Some even take a 15-minute hike up the prominent hill that overlooks the pink beach for that epic landscape photo.
For sun-seekers, photographers, and explorers, several beautiful islands surround the national park, and visiting them can be arranged with your boat or tour operator.
Note that the price is slightly different when you book a multiple-island hopping package in Labuan Bajo. It is always best to ask about the costs and islands you are visiting before you confirm the trip.
This is hands down the most epic photo you will get at Komodo National Park. Padar Island is part of the national park, and many visitors come here to trek to the top of the island for their epic photos and mesmerizing views.
The trek up is around 30 to 40 minutes, depending on your fitness level, and once you get up there, all your tiredness will vanish. The Padar Island photo went viral a few years ago after an epic photo of someone standing with a fantastic view went viral in Indonesia.
Now, hoards of local and foreign tourists, some even dressed up, make their way here to get that epic photo at the top of the peak and here is a video of Padar Island.
This is a very ethnic cultural village located in the highland of Flores, around an hour’s drive from Labuan Bajo. Here, you can see the Manggarai tribe perform their traditional dances (Caci Dance) while sampling some local food and Flores Coffee.
This experience, suitable for culture lovers, takes three to four hours and must be booked through one of the local tour agents in Labuan Bajo.
The best place to see the Labuan Bajo Sunset is from the many beaches or some modern beach resorts and bars facing the west.
I have seen beautiful sunsets from the hotels I have stayed at, namely the Sylvia Waicicu Beach Resort, which I highly recommend, the Le Pirate Hotel for hipsters and the family traveller, and the Laprima Hotel by the Sea.
Other sunset-watching places in Labuan Bajo are Atlantis Beach Club or Paradise Bar, which sits on a hill overlooking the bay and offers cocktails or drinks just before dinner.
Those who want a magnificent view can explore the Sylvia Resort. A few hills are behind the resort; you can walk or drive up them. The view from up here is breathtaking, and you can see both sides of the island.
This place is developing in terms of tourism; therefore, the main street is probably the only place you will explore: the main road, Jl. Soekarno Hatta goes one loop around the main town area. It is one-way and near the old harbour area, a great night market selling fresh local Indonesian food and seafood worth exploring.
In the main street area, where hotels are also located, you can find local and international restaurants, cafes and even a French Bakery next to a Mexican Restaurant! There is also a spa, banks with ATMs, pharmacies and general stores, so this is your one-stop place to get items.
This is one of the top coffees produced in Indonesia, and you can find Flores Coffee at some of the local cafes here. One coffee joint in Labuan Bajo which stands out is the Cafe In Hit Coffee Shop, located just next to Le Pirate Bajo Hotel.
You can get delicious latte and cappuccino (some say it’s perfect) for your daily fix, as well as iced latte, frappes, and interesting salads and sandwiches. Prices are very affordable for no,w, too.
Labuan Bajo and its surroundings offer some exciting species for the avid bird watcher or birder to spot or photograph. There are over ten endemics in Flores and around 280 species of birds throughout the island.
In the city area of Labuan Bajo, you can easily spot Eagles, Kingfishers, Drongos, Flowerpeckers, Pigeons and many others. As I am still an amateur bird watcher, I spotted at least 30 species of birds during my last trip in September 2016, and thus, I highly recommend birdwatching in Flores.
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The live-on-board dive boat, which I spent a night on. |
Scuba divers will be in for a treat. The Komodo Islands are one of the best places in Indonesia to dive, and most operators in Labuan Bajo are professional and offer all kinds of scuba diving in Komodo, ranging from day trips to live-on-board boats.
Because of our time restriction, I only did a Komodo day trip dive. We visited three of the most popular dive sites—Pink Beach Dive Site, Manta Point, and Batu Bolong—all three fascinating. Each dive site offers a different kind of diving in Komodo, with unique seascapes and marine life.
Photos of Labuan Bajo
Below are photos of Labuan Bajo town and its surroundings taken with my Nikon DSLR camera and Samsung smartphone. This gives you an idea of what the town looked like when I visited. I’m sure there has been much improvement and more development since then.
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A panoramic photo of Labuan Bajo. Click to see the full image. |
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Local boats at the Labuan Bajo port. |
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Manggarai People from West Flores, near Labuan Bajo. |
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Various tour packages in Labuan Bajo. |
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Local wet market in Labuan Bajo. |
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Sylvia Resort in Labuan Bajo. |
How to go to Labuan Bajo?
Update: In July 2024, AirAsia opened a Kuala Lumpur to Labuan Bajo direct flight and will start operations in September 2024. To get to Labuan Bajo, you can fly directly from Bali via several airlines, namely Wings Air, which has two daily flights and only takes an hour from Denpasar.
Alternatively, you can fly into Labuan Bajo from Jakarta, Makassar, and even Bali via other airlines, such as Batik Air, Wings, and Garuda Airlines, which operate the domestic network all over Indonesia.
Suppose you are also heading elsewhere in the country. In that case, you can also read my other article on places to visit in Indonesia to give you some idea, as I have personally visited all of the places listed in that article due to my previous trips around Indonesia.
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The township of Labuan Bajo, seen from my live-on-board boat. |
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