Labuan Bajo to Lombok: a 4-day Komodo boat expedition in Indonesia with Wanua Adventure

Welcome to my travel blog post about a 4-day Komodo boat expedition in Indonesia with Wanua Adventure. Our journey took us from Labuan Bajo to Lombok, and we had the pleasure of exploring some of the most beautiful, unique and isolated places in the world. Our home for the trip was the Sea Saudara, which exceeded our expectations, and our crew was fantastic, especially our guide Long and the captain Adi. During the trip, we visited a local village, we snorkelled in some of the most incredible reefs on the planet, we hiked in deserted islands, saw the singular Komodo dragons, swimmed in the most amazing beaches and enjoyed some of the most gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. Our Komodo boat expedition was an unforgettable experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an adventure in Indonesia. Keep reading to follow our experience!

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The Sea Saudara boat and crew

The boat

The Sea Saudara would be our home for a few days. We didn’t really expect much from it but it was a really nice boat. There were two options in terms if accommodation: a common room in the deck or a cabin with a double bed. We ended up choosing the cabin because of back problems but everyone that slept in the deck told us they slept very well. In the end, it’s a matter if your budget and how much you value your privacy.

The crew & guests

Our crew was formed by the captain, the guide, the cook and a few crew. Most of the interactions we had were with the captain Adi and our guide Long. They were both very laid back and friendly and we really enjoyed our time with them.

In terms of guests we were only 18, which made for a very intimate and chill experience. They told us that the boat can hist up to 45 guests. I don’t know how that is possible and I don’t want to find out. But in case you want a smaller group, make sure you do your trip from Komodo to Lombok and not the other way around, because there are not nearly as many people.

The food

We had fresh local homemade food for every meal that was cooked on the boat. In the beginning it was very separated where we ate and where the crew ate, but when we became more familiar we went back ti the kitchen and tried the food they ate and the fish they caught on the day. In general the food was not gourmet but it was quite tasty and more than enough in amount. There was also free coffee and tea all day. Any drinks you want you have to bring yourself, but people and crew are usually happy to share.

4-day Komodo boat expedition from Labuan Bajo to Lombok

Day 1: Rinca island, Strawberry Point and Kalong island

Bats and dances at Rinca island

Our first stop after leaving the Labuan Bajo docks was Rinca island. It took us a while to get there, se we enjoyed the amazing views (which start literally right after leaving the harbor) and getting to know each other. When we landed in Rinca, I was quite surprised that we seemed to be the only tourists there.

We started our day with a simple trek to a nice viewpoint over the turquoise waters. A few guides accompanied us in case we encountered a Komodo dragon but it wasn’t the case (yet!).

We also visited a bat cave, where some flying foxes were nesting. I must say that after our incredible experience in Riung with the flying foxes, this felt a bit underwhelming. Also, it felt that we were mostly bothering the fruit bats.

After that, we were guided back to Rinca village, where the locals had prepared a show for us. There was live music using traditional instruments (that we could learn how to play!) as well as performances of a local sword dance. The kids also contributed, performing more modern dances. In the end, they made us join and dance with them!

After that, the villagers prepared a nice meal for us, including fish, meat and vegetables with rice. Oh, and the kids stayed with us until we left, playing and talking to us. It was adorable!

Snorkeling at Strawberry Point

After our lunch, we had a short sail towards Strawberry Point, a tiny pink rocky formation named after its color. We jumped in the water and snorkeled for a while. There were quite a few fishes, but the coral was a bit bleached and there was a lot of trash in the water. It felt a bit disappointing compared to the coral reefs in the 17 Islands National Park (although I had read the opposite).

Spoiler alert: this was by far the worst snorkeling spot we saw during our Komodo boat expedition. The rest were top notch!

After our snorkeling session, we climbed to strawberry point to enjoy the views. The pink from the rock and the blue from the sea had a beautiful contrast, and there was a curious eagle flying around us for a while!

Sunset with flying foxes

We sailed a bit longer this time until we made it to Koaba island, also know as Fruit Bat island (original…). As expected, this island is home to thousands of fruit bats that, when the sun was setting, started to fly away at the same time in search of fruits to steal! It was an absolutely stunning view.

We anchored the boat there for the night and had some dinner and homemade arrack. We got to see a few turtles from the boat (the pictures are horrible!). It was an early night in though, because the next day a sunrise hike was waiting for us.

Day 2: Padar island, Komodo dragons and Pink beach

Sunrise at Padar island

We woke up at 4.30 anchored next to Padar island to start our sunrise trek. We took the boats and started towards the viewpoint. While there were a few other groups trekking at the same time, it did not feel overwhelming as I had expected so we were quite happy!

The trek is not very difficult. The paths are clearly marked and there are steps carved in the stone. We reached the sunrise viewpoint. Again, it was not crowded and there was plenty of space to enjoy the view or take pictures. When the sun rose, it was wild! The light started to stain the dry landscape of Padar island first of pink, then orange and then a light yellow. There is not much for me to say other than just show you some pictures!

We stayed at the view point for quite a while to take everything in. Padar island is really one of the most beautiful places in this planet and it is easy to understand why it has become such a sensation on instagram. I’m glad to say that, at least in our experience, it is not completely crowded (yet). After a few more pictures, we climbed down the stairs. As we were waiting for our boat, a few deers approached me. They were very friendly and not scared at all of humans (which makes me think that they’re probably used to see many).

The Komodo dragons

Komodo island was both a great experience and a disappointment. We arrive at Komodo island right after Padar island. We met a few rangers carrying sticks with a Y shape. They told us it was so the Komodo dragons saw them as equals (imitating their split tongue). We immediately saw a big Komodo dragon sleeping by the hut. The rangers took us around in a paved path around a small area. The “trek”, if it can be called that, took us 20-30 minutes at a leisurely pace. We did see a few Komodo dragons of different sizes, as well as wild boars and chickens. The Komodo dragons did not seem to pay us any attention, even though we were a group of 18 people with guides.

Don’t get me wrong, seeing this incredible animals in their natural habitat was amazing and I don’t regret visiting. However, the whole experience had a bit of a zoo/theme park. Especially towards the end, when the rangers made us take a picture with a Komodo dragon. Dangerous? Sedated animal? I don’t know. I think I just would have preferred to hike around the island and away from the village to see the more wild side of it. In any case, the Komodo dragons are absolutely stunning creatures!

Snorkeling at Pink Beach

Our next stop was still in Komodo Island: the incredible Pink Beach. To be honest, after all the hype on instagram, I doubted that the sand would be actually pink. However, it was very pink and it created a beautiful contrast with the clear turquoise of the water. There were a few more people on Pink Beach than we had seen so far on other places (especially compared to our incredible road trip in Flores). That being said, there were only perhaps 20-30 people besides us in the whole beach. I just mention it so you don’t expect a deserted beach.

Not only is Pink Beach a fantastic way to get a nice tan, have a cold beer and dip in the turquoise waters, but also is one of the greatest snorkeling spots in Komodo NP! The coral was in a very good state, a welcome change after seeing how bleached it was in Strawberry Point. The fish were a mix of reef and pelagic fish. While we didn’t see any, it is possible to see turtles or even reef sharks!

Travel tip: BYOB since the vendors at the beach will charge you a lot for a beer, since there is literally no shop on site.

Sailing through West Nusa Tenggara

The rest of our day, we spent sailing through West Nusa Tenggara all the way through the night to Moyo island. We spent the afternoon on the boat, getting to know each other better, watching some packs of dolphins and flying fish, sunbathing and having a few beers. Unfortunately the night came with a bit of a rough sea, so we had to take a sea sickness pill to make it through the night.

Day 3: Moyo island, Pulau Bedil and Kenawa island

Waterfall hike at Moyo island

We woke up at Moyo island, a small almost uninhabited island on the northwestern part of Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara, with less than 1000 inhabitants. Moyo island is known for its lush vegetation, biodiversity and rich marine life in its unspoiled reefs. We started our day with a short hike through the forest. The dry season did not seem to have affected Moyo island, since its vegetation was bright green. This was a strong contrast with the islands we saw in Komodo NP, which were dominated by orange, yellow and brown colors. We also met some monkeys on the way!

 

We followed the river upstream until we made it to X waterfall. This gorgeous waterfall formed a series of pools on the porous rock. We hike upstream through the waterfall, since our bare feet were able to stick to the porous rock, even through the stream of water! It was a very strange Spiderman-like sensation.

Over the waterfall we arrived to a deep pool of water with a tree leaning over it, so we spent some time jumping into the water from the tree. It looked like there had been a rope before to make things easier, but it was half-gone, so we had to climb up the tree every time.

Snorkeling at Moyo island

After our waterfall hike, we spent some time snorkeling from the beach in Moyo island. It was one of the healthiest, most colorful reefs I had seen so far! We saw many kinds of colorful fish, a coral snake, a morey and even a turtle!

Pitstop at Pulau Bedil

After our great snorkeling in Moyo island we sailed for quite a while. Added to the previous day’s long sailing, I think the captain just made a pitstop to avoid mutiny form us! Pulau Bedil is a very tiny island that doesn’t have much going on for it, but it was a great break to stretch our legs. We also got to see an incredible sunset from the boat.

Party in the uninhabited Kenawa island

We reached Kenawa island after sunset and, after a nice dinner, we took the boats to the shore. Kenawa island is a tiny uninhabited island East of Lombok. We had a few beers, made a bonfire and had a nice goodbye party with music, sharing our moments with the rest of the team and crew. Unfortunately (or fortunately) there are no pictures of the party, so you’ll have to use your imagination.

Day 4: Kenawa sunrise, Lombok and Gili Air

Kenawa island sunrise hike

The next morning we woke up early for a short and easy sunrise hike to the one and only hill in Kenawa island. there is not much more to say other than it is a really nice view!

Arriving to Lombok

We then sailed to our destination at the northeastern part of the island. We had to queue a bit for other boats to dock. After that, we said our goodbyes, took a nice picture together and split in different vans depending on out destination. In our case, we took a van to the Western coast of Lombok and sailed to the Gili islands.

Wanua Adventure Komodo expedition review

The price for this amazing tour in either direction (Labuan Bajo to Lombok or Lombok to Labuan Bajo) is 2.8M IDR (174€) for deck class (this means you sleep with everyone else on the boat deck) or 3.3M IDR (205€) for the cabin class (you have a simple cabin for 2 people). The bathroom is always on a shared basis. These prices include the entrance fee, government fee and snorkeling fee for Komodo NP, 3 meals a day of local fresh food (and a snack in the afternoon) and unlimited water, coffee and tea as well as transfer from Lombok Kayangan Harbor (East Lombok) to Mataram, Senggigi, Bangsal or Kuta in Lombok, as well as a ferry ticket to one of the Gili islands. Unlike many activities in Indonesia, there are no hidden fees. In fact, you will not spend a single coin more in the duration of the expedition!

This Komodo boat expedition with Wanua Adventure ranks definitely top 3 of my experiences in Indonesia, together with our perfect road trip in Flores or our jungle treks with the orangutans in Sumatra. While it is quite a lot of money to spend in an activity in Indonesia compared to the price of life, but it is absolutely worth it and definitely cheap for what it is! The team at Wanua Adventure are experiences, knowledgeable and really friendly, and they will go out of their way to make your experience memorable.

Closing statement

In conclusion, our 4-day Komodo boat expedition with Wanua Adventure from Labuan Bajo to Lombok was an incredible experience that we will always remember. From meeting the friendly crew and guests on the Sea Saudara boat, to exploring the breathtaking islands, encountering the Komodo dragons and snorkeling in colorful reefs, it was a journey filled with adventure, natural beauty and cultural experiences. We highly recommend this trip to anyone who loves the sea, nature and adventure, and we cannot wait to come back and explore more of Indonesia.

If you have decided to join a Komodo boat expedition, don’t forget to read our dedicated post on how to visit Komodo and Labuan Bajo. If you have more time, I absolutely recommend that you do a road trip in Flores island like we did!

And since you’re visiting Indonesia, you’ll probably like these:

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