Taking a trip to Komodo Island is a unique experience you can’t afford to miss. Not only is it the only place in the world where you can see real dragons, but also ranks as the one of the best dive spots in Indonesia. You can pretty much dive off any beach around Komodo Island and discover beautiful coral together with an impressive variety of underwater life. Dive in, there are plenty of things to see and experience in the pristine waters surrounding the island.
The main gateway to Komodo island is through the small town of Labuan Bajo which is located on the western end of Flores Island. Since Komodo has a lot to offer, you can spend a few days to weeks exploring its surroundings depending on your budget.
Where to stay
The area surrounding Komodo offers an array of places to stay for different budgets. Most of these places don’t require advanced booking unless you’re planning to take a trip to Komodo between the months of June and August which is peak season. Featuring 192 premium guest rooms and 13 suites, the AYANA Komodo Resort is the place to stay if you want to spoil yourself and stay in a more luxurious place.
Regardless of the type of accommodation you decide to go for, here are some of the interesting things to do while staying at a dive resort in Komodo.
Diving in Komodo National Park
Most people who visit Komodo National Park to see the impressive and big Komodo dragons. The park encompasses the three big islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca together with 26 other smaller islands. The famous Komodo dragons can be seen at Komodo and Rinca islands.
Both islands may require you to trek from to minutes to an hour or an hour and a half depending on your group. Since both trips may take a whole day, you are advised to carry enough drinking water, hiking boots or trainers, a hat and sunscreen.
Depending on the dive resort in Komodo you at, you may be offered a combination of snorkeling/diving with a visit to one of the islands. Komodo Island is one of the top places to go diving and most likely in every diver’s bucket list.
Go island hopping
Take a day trip to explore some of the islands that make the Komodo National park. For example, Kanawa Island is a great place to go for snorkeling or just sunbathe on the beach. You can easily get a boat charter from Labuan Bajo to take you to any of the surrounding islands.
Visit the Hobbit Cave
Located near Ruteng in Flores Island, Liang Bua is a huge open-mouthed cave worth exploring. In 2003, the cave was a site of a stunning archeological discovery when archeologists unearthed the skeletal remains of a small humanoid. The discovered remains were believed to be 18,000 years old.
Take a trip to Sano Nggoang Lake
With a depth of 500m, Sano Nggoang is a very deep and beautiful lake located about 35km from Labuan Bajo. While a day trip to the lake is possible, you should know that the road doesn’t go all the way to Sano Nggoang. You will need to hike through the jungle the last couple of kilometers where you will come across several small hot springs.
Hike the Padar Island
Padar is an absolutely stunning island offering some of the most majestic viewpoints in Indonesia thus making it a great place to hike. Getting to Padar island is not hard, all you need to do us take a boat from Labuan Bajo. With a speed boat it should take you about 2 hours to get there. Once there, the hike takes between 1.5 hours to 2 hours return. In order to get to the view-point, you will be required to take a steep hike up the hill. However, the view from the top is worth the hike.
