Labuan Bajo had been on my bucket list for days, but I wasn’t prepared for how a single day could swing between awe-inspiring moments and mild disappointment. From swimming with manta rays to trekking with Komodo dragons, here’s my unfiltered take on the six-stop tour that promised it all—and almost delivered.
Ok, so Labuan Bajo has sort of been on my list for longer than a couple days. Komodo island has been on my list for many years, I just didn’t realize you had to go to Labuan bajo to get to Komodo island. My want to go to Komodo island started many years back and at the risk of getting all cooking recipe blog on you I will just tell you it started from watching the The crocodile hunter. I loved Steve Irwin.
So after finding out about this Labuan Bajo I booked last minute ticket and flew from Bali, Indonesia ( which is a place I never really wanted to go) to Labuan Bajo. I was told I should do a multi day tour with other people on a boat which to be honest sounded horrible. Don’t get me wrong I would love to tour around the islands on a boat, it was the other people that got me. I mostly like people but in group dynamics like that you just never know what you are going to get. You are stuck on a boat with these people for a couple days and it takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. The other side is you get to make connections with the good people and share a great experience with folks. Having weighed the cons and super cons I decided to do a full day tour, still with people but only for a day.
That day started for me at 6:30 am, I was picked up at my hotel and driven the six minutes to the pier where we start our journey. The whole ordeal like many tours throughout Asia was a little confusing but i have learned to just go with it and things will generally work out.
some key notes:
- Bring at least 400.000 IDR or more for entrance fees and Ranger fees
- bring water/hat/sunscreen/extra clothes/shark spray
- bring snacks. You can buy some at stops but they are pricey.
You show up at this pier and they direct you over to a random table in the middle of an empty lot which is in front of what looks like rather large bleachers. They ask for your name and take your 400.000 IDR and tell you the boat you are on. Then once everyone is done you go over to a precarious dock and load onto the boat. once everyone is on we take off to the open seas.
Our first stop on this tour was Padar island, Padar island is a beautiful and rugged island part of Komodo national park with pristine beaches, varying hues and panoramic viewpoints. To get to the panoramic viewpoints you have to hike up 851 stairs, not evenly spaced and at points not even there.
Things to keep in mind:
- Be in relatively good shape
- Do not have hypertension
- Do not smoke
- Do not have heart issues
- Do not die
When you do reach the top of the stairs the reward of the view is absolutely breathtaking, or it was the 851 stairs. You can get some good photos pretty much anywhere at the top, there were a few spots people liked more than others.
The next stop on our tour was pink beach. In the photos it looked pretty neat and it was… for like 10 mins. This is where my cynicism comes into play.
First arriving on pink beach I was intrigued on what made it pink. Red coral mixing with white sand is what made it pink. I did enjoy looking at the pinkness of the beach but we were there for an hour. They didnt give you a mask and snorkel to snorkel. So unless you had your own you just swam. It was beautiful but it could have been like a half hour stop. They have little canteen things that sell overpriced beverages and trinkets. You essentially have to buy something to go in there to get shade. They guilt you into buying something which I mean they are trying to run a business. So I bought a coffee and coconut water for 65.000 IDR and relaxed in the shade. To be fair to this place it was cool to see and snap a couple pics.
Our next stop was the stop I was waiting for Komodo island. I tried to book a trip with just Komodo island but everywhere I looked had added stops. The multi day trips go to Komodo and Rinca island both of which have Komodo dragons. I unfortunately did not have time for a multi day trip. I asked local tour guides and searched online but maybe needed to search a little more. Either way I booked what I had time for and after two stops we were on Komodo island looking for Dragons.
Not five minutes off the boat and we see one, just laying down being all lazy. This type of behaviour made some of the other tour group think that the Komodo dragons were drugged. Which brings me to the point that ignorance isn’t always bliss.
What to know about Dragons:
- They are cold blooded
- They are territorial
- They have become used to humans
- They are ambush predators
Komodo dragons in Komodo National Park are not drugged. Their lethargic behavior is natural and related to their biology and environment.
As cold-blooded reptiles, Komodo dragons rely on external heat to regulate their body temperature. They conserve energy by resting during the hottest parts of the day to avoid overheating and wasting energy.
Komodo dragons are solitary and territorial. They remain in specific areas unless they’re searching for food, a mate, or better conditions. The ones in tourist areas are used to human presence and may seem particularly inactive.
Komodo dragons are ambush predators. They don’t need to be active all the time because their feeding style involves waiting for prey and using short bursts of energy to hunt. Once they eat, they digest slowly, often resting for days to process large meals.
As cool as it would have been to see the Dragons active I also understood my circumstances and poor decisions I made. I was grateful I even got to see some let alone five. At one point the tour guide got a little close and the Dragon got up and moved like three feet away then went back to sleep. It was terrifying and adorable. Classic dragons.
If you want to see them active I suggest doing a multi day trip or a trip that allows early morning or evening visits when it is slightly cooler and maybe they will be more active. Another thing to keep in mind is that Komodo dragons generally only eat once maybe twice a month. Their diet consist of deer, buffalo, pigs and dumb people. I nearly escaped.
Our next stop was Taka Makassar – A Sandbar Oasis
Taka Makassar was a tiny sandbar surrounded by crystal-clear waters. It was pretty ok I mean the water was beautiful and the sandbar was pretty neat but much like pink beach I didn’t see the need to hang out for an hour. This one would be good to hang out for a few hours if the beach vibe is your vibe. The snorkelling here was ok, there was some reef and some fish but nothing too mind blowing. I wouldn’t write a song about it (reference to Pixies song “where is my mind”). Once again a few hours if beach vibe is your vibe or half an hour to take pics a quick swim and out.
Travel Hack: This is a great spot for drone shots—if you have one, don’t forget it. Make sure you have all the paper work in order.
The next thing on our itinerary I was excited for but not as excited as the dragons was the manta rays at manta point. They did not disappoint, they were so amazing and are such a majestic creature and giant and gentle and beautiful.
I knew it was going to be cool but I didn’t think it would be as cool as it was. When we first jumped in the water right above them the were pretty far down, still looked amazing but the tour guides knew a spot where they might be and they were be. We got to this spot not far off the reef and jumped in and this time they were close enough you could touch them if you were a jerk enough to do so. It was amazing to just observe the beauty and majesty of them effortlessly swimming and eating plankton. Having a symbiotic relationship with the cleaner Wrasses and the cleaner Gobies. Those little fish will eat the parasites and dead skin off of the manta rays to help keep them healthy. In return the Giant Mantas wont eat them, most likely, accidents do happen.
For those of you counting we had one more stop to go and this stop was another snorkeling spot. What could top the giant manta rays? Kanawa is surrounded by pristine coral reefs teeming with marine life such as clownfish, parrotfish, and starfish. In addition to coral reefs, you might spot turtles, small reef sharks, and colorful schools of fish while snorkeling or diving. I was excited about this experience as I was still riding the high of seeing the giant manta rays and let me tell you this place sounded to good to be true. It was, we never made our sixth stop, maybe it was a communication breakdown a lost in translation thing maybe 6 is an unlucky number to dragons. Whatever the reason was I will never know. 5 out of 6 stops it was on this tour and sometimes thats the joy of going on tours last minute or in general.
Even though it wasn’t 6 out of 6 for tour stops I give it a 5.5 out of 6 on tours. Seeing the Komodo’s, even lazing about was pretty neat. Swimming with the giant manta rays was something I will never forget, barring some tragic accident that makes me forget that particular experience, some sort of manta related head trauma. Sorry went off the rails there. All in all it was a great tour for $120 CDN plus an extra $40 CDN for other stuff. So $160 ish CDN for that was pretty swell. I did talk to someone about doing a multi day tour and a homestay on Komodo island which sounded amazing. When I do that I will share my experience with you about it, if I dont get eaten by dragons.
Im not sure how to end this so don’t forget to get your humans spayed or neutered.
Adventures in Disillusionment 