Komodo National park has been on my radar for quite a while.  As a lesser known part of Indonesia though I needed to do a little bit of research for this trip.

Getting there

There are two options, by boat or by plane. Obviously boat is cheaper but it can take up to 36 hours and I would be concerned about the safety too. We flew with Nam Air as the timings worked best for us and they are a subsidiary of Garuda who have fairly good safety standards.  The flight was about an hour and cost IDR 2,500,000 per person return. We got a taxi from one of the stands inside the airport which was about IDR 150,000. I’m sure there are cheaper options or you could haggle with the drivers waiting outside of the terminal.

Accommodation

I spent a long time searching on different sites for accommodation which seemed to range from 5* and very very expensive to 3* which just looked a bit dated or seemed to be in a less than ideal location. I’d kind of narrowed it down when I did a little instagram search and came across Le Pirate.

They have three accommodation options in Flores and as I couldn’t decide I booked all three! We absolutely weren’t disappointed and I was really surprised at the quality given the low price.

Le Pirate Island - This looks too good to be true but for IDR 500k per night including transfer and breakfast I figured it would be an adventure. The boat ride from the mainland is about an hour and pretty pleasant, then you pull up on the island and its magnificent. Crystal clear waters, a sandy beach and 12 perfect little bamboo huts. Staff helped with our bags and we were given a welcome drink and quick briefing. Then you’re free. You can snorkel right off the beach and there are loads of pretty fish, we also saw moray eels, cuttle fish, sea snakes and a turtle. (TIP - snorkel off the other side of the pier - that’s where we saw the turtle both times and the water is a little deeper).

They also have Kayaks and you can walk around the island. The food is fantastic, there are packages available which we chose to do, healthy salads, make your own spring rolls and then BBQ. The a la carte menu was also great. The bar has beer and cocktails which are okay.

There were four other people on the island when we were there but even with all huts being full I imagine it’s still very quiet. It does get a little stuffy in the hut at night but there is a power outlet so if you have a mini fan you could use that.

I wish we had stayed an extra night just because it was so relaxing - I would definitely go back.

Le Pirate Boatel - This also looked pretty cool so I booked two nights here. We got a free transfer from the island to the boat and again the staff were right there to greet us, help with our bags and give us a welcome drink and a briefing. 

The Boatel is docked in a little harbour and the water isn’t super clean around the boat, it also gets a little noisy at night. They have Kayaks and you can Kayak out round the small island and snorkel on the other side, it’s not as clean or as good as Pirate Island though.

The rooms are comfortable and have a safe and a little fan and the bathrooms are okay.

Again the food and service on board is good and the value for money is awesome. If I were to return though I probably would skip this and stay an extra night on the island.

Le Pirate Hotel - This is on the main road in Labuan Bajo. Check in was easy, a welcome drink and a little briefing and then we were taken to our room/hut. It’s small but perfectly equipped and enough storage etc.  The AC is amazing and the bathroom is very cute.  I was really impressed with the cleanliness and upkeep too.  There is also a hammock outside to relax on and a little outside deck.

On the top floor there is a bar and a small pool which has great sunset views.  The cocktails are okay - I would stick to the basics. The breakfast looked good but on the morning we had breakfast it took too long and we didn’t get to eat it.

I didn’t try other accommodation so I can’t sat that this is the best however as someone used to staying in 5* hotels I was pretty impressed. If you are looking at the Ayana the 5* resort in Labuan Bajo just a note that the beach actually is on the harbour where the Boatel is docked so not the cleanest water.

Eating

As we were on the island and the boat for three nights we only ate out three times. The first night we went to Bajo Taco and the food was so so good and really reasonably priced.  The portions are huge too.  They do take away and I also read reviews that they do delivery - I HIGHLY recommend it. It was so good we went back for lunch before leaving Labuan Bajo.  The restaurant is across three floors and we sat at the top and enjoyed views over the town and the harbour.

The other place we went to was Treetop. We had beers and satay, again the food was pretty good and after living in Bali for six months I was surprised by how cheap it was. The top floor overlooks the harbour which is perfect for sunset views.

What to do

Most people going to Flores/Labuan Bajo are there to do the Komodo national park and that can take as long as you want it to.

I chose to do a semi private day tour with Ryan.  It was IDR 1,500,000 per person, he tried to upsell me the private tour which was IDR 5,000,000 per person and so I stuck with the group tour.  He did tell me it would be a big boat with about 30 people on it but still, the price difference was too much for me.

So we arrived at the harbour at 6.30am and got on a decent sized Yacht.  There were six other people on the tour. The Itinary was explained; Padar Island hike, Pink Beach, Komodo Island, Floating Beach, Manta Point, Snorkling and then back. The journey to Padar island was about an hour and nice enough. The national park is stunning and very very clean.

The tour was great, we had enough time at each place to enjoy. Snorkling at the Pink beach was really good, so many pretty fish, also at the floating island we saw turtles and reef sharks which was pretty cool, I mention this because they don’t suggest snorkelling at these places, just photo taking. Komodo Island itself is a massive tourist trap and we ended up being there the same time as a massive cruise ship so it was packed. The lizards are pretty cool though, it’s just hard to guage how much of it is staged.

Lunch was good, it’s local food and tasty. As it’s a national park there aren’t many opportunities to grab snacks at the different stops so pack some snacks and pack lots of water. It was a really great tour, and I would definitely do it again.

You can break this tour up too and spend two days to do it, or three and just spend longer at each place.  There are also loads of options in Labuan Bajo for day tours, scuba lessons, diving with Manta rays etc. 

On Pirate Island you can just kick back, snorkel, kayak and hike.

Other

There are ATM’s in Labuan Bajo, also a few mini marts and pharmacy’s. It was really great to see that they take the reduction of single use plastic very seriously and so most places offer to re-fill your water bottle for you which is great. If you’re celebrating take a bottle of whatever it is with you as outside of Bintang and cheap spirits there aren’t many options available.