Once a small fishing village, Labuan Bajo (also spelled Labuhanbajo and Labuanbajo) in Flores is now bustling with tourists.
Labuan Bajo is the launching point for trips to Komodo Island and Rinca Island, home to the famous Komodo dragons. While Labuan Bajo draws plenty of tourists, it is nevertheless quite a small town that runs along one main road, making it easy to navigate.
Nearby Seraya Island is a great opportunity to do some diving and snorkeling and every evening at Kalong Island thousands of flying fox bats put on an amazing display.
- Caves, such as Batu Cermin Cave and Rangko Cave
- Surrounding beaches
- Komodo Dragons
- Kanawa Island, small island 10 km away from Labuan Bajo (about 1hr with a local boat or 10 min with speed boat) and located just at the borders of Komodo National Park. You will find a resort there.
Komodo National Park encompasses a lot of water and islands west of Labuanbajo. If you want to go to Rinca or Komodo islands, or dive in the park you will have to buy a 1 day park pass for US$15 during the weekdays or $18 at weekends. Money from such user fees is collected by the local government and is supposed to go into conservation efforts.
Rinca Island (Indonesian: Rinca Kecil or Pulau Rinca) is a more convenient place to see Komodo Dragons than Komodo island. Some dive operators might be convinced to combine a stop at the island with a days diving - otherwise charters can be arranged, or walk along the main street of Labuan Bajo and some tour agencies may be advertising places on an existing charter. There are big dragons that are often right in front of the pier when people arrive. On arrival a guide will escort you to the park office where you will be relieved of a range of fees, then you can choose a 1 or 2 hour hike. Presumably if you had a pass from Komodo, you would be exempt from at least some of those fees.
The Komodo National Park offer dozens of very pristine dive sites, with many migratory pelagics, vibrant reefs- making it one of the world’s richest marine habitats. The Park is just offshore and easily reached by liveaboard operators, although daytrips may take two hours or more in each direction. Check that your dive operator is reputable, has safety equipment onboard and if possible is a member of the local dive association who have strict minimum safety requirements for their members.
There are many dive operators that offer dive courses, fun dives and 3 day live aboards. They have fixed pricing for fun dives at Rp 1,200,000 per day incl. 2 dives, full equipment and lunch (Rp 1,500,000 for three dives. Choose one of the Dive Association dive centers for the newest equipment, experienced guides and safety equipment onboard. It is true the currents around Komodo can be quite strong and some sites are unsuitable for beginners, however if you dive with a reputable company, in a small group, with an experienced guide and at the less current swept sites there is no reason even Open Water divers shouldn't be able to enjoy the diving!
- Flores Diving Centre, Labuan Bajo, +6281353331077. Very friendly staff. The equipment is in good condition and they offer a wide range of daily boat trips to the dive sites including food and drinks Prices start at Rp 900,000 for a boat trip with 2 dives..
- Reefseekers. Friendly and professional Scottish-run scuba shop. Prices are the standard Rp 800,000 for 2 dives including lunch and equipment, discounts for multiple days. Fantastic marine biology lectures set this one apart. Great service as well, and small groups.
- Manta Dive Komodo, Labuan Bajo. Diving the national park of Komodo. For experienced divers and photographers.
Flores Diving Centre, Labuan Bajo, +6281353331077. Very friendly staff. The equipment is in good condition and they offer a wide range of daily boat trips to the dive sites including food and drinks Prices start at Rp 900,000 for a boat trip with 2 dives..
Reefseekers. Friendly and professional Scottish-run scuba shop. Prices are the standard Rp 800,000 for 2 dives including lunch and equipment, discounts for multiple days. Fantastic marine biology lectures set this one apart. Great service as well, and small groups.
Manta Dive Komodo, Labuan Bajo. Diving the national park of Komodo. For experienced divers and photographers.
Labuan Bajo is the most convenient point from which to go snorkelling in the Komodo National Park. The snorkeling within the park offers many opportunities to see pristine reefs with some of the greatest fish and coral diversity in the world.
Seraya Island (Indonesian: Pulau Seraya) is little more than a small, arid island outside of the Komodo National Park with a few bamboo huts for tourist lodging, a restaurant, and some villagers who let their goats graze on vegetation. The island’s cove is protected from the sea, providing calm and clear water for snorkelling. At low tide the coral is exposed and local fishermen walk on the reef in search of prey. Rowboats can be rented and taken to nearby islands for snorkelling and diving. Make sure to run up to the top of the hill behind the resorts and check out the sunset. The lodges on the island do have showers, but running water is only available a few hours a day.
One of the more spectacular displays of nature in the area is at Kalong Island (Indonesian: Pulau Kalong; also spelt Kalung), which literally means "Flying Fox Island." The name is quite appropriate as the island is home to thousands of Kalong, or giant flying fox bats. Boats to Kalong can be chartered from Labuanbajo for around Rp 300,000 for a return ride, including a snorkelling stop at a nearby island before you reach Pulau Kalong. Your boat will be moored next to the mangrove island and at dusk literally tens of thousands of flying foxes emerge from the mangrove island and move over your boat towards Rinca Island. For the entire colony to emerge will take roughly 20 min of continuous waves of bats passing over your boat. The boat ride to/from Labuanbajo will take roughly one hour. This trip can also be packaged into a one day tour together with (for example) a visit of Rinca Island and some snorkelling in the area.
There are three ATMs in town which belong to the BNI bank and can deliver up to Rp 2,500,000 per transaction in Rp 100,000 or Rp 50,000 notes, but also a few other banks and one money changer. There is a bad rate, so better change enough money before coming here.
Shops selling tourist trinkets, local fabric, and Komodo Dragon carvings are located in the center of town. Western products of varying quality are available in the toko or kiosk alongside the roads.
Consider taking a trip to the market early in the morning to purchase local coffee, spices, or just to look over a wealth of local produce and goods.
Choose from a variety of Indonesian, Chinese, and Western restaurants on the main road. As a tourist place some cheating takes place: some restaurants add 10% "service tax" to the bill. Other restaurants refuse to give change less of than 1000 rupiah. Insist on exact change.
Everything is on the main road. From north to south you have...
- The Corner. Seafood restaurant.
- Pesona. Standard menu of western menu and seafood.
- MadeinItaly. Wide range of Italian dishes including pizza, pasta, risotto, antipasti and tiramisu. Fairly upscale and not cheap.
- Treetop. Great view of the bay, especially from the upstairs area. Extensive menu with many Chinese and Western dishes. Free WiFi. You can play pool downstairs.
- Fish market, Jl. Soekarno Hatta (Along the northeast part of the main road. Lots of food stalls along the harborfront in the evening. Fresh fish grilled to order.
- Happy Banana. Delicious food. Not only sushi. Wifi and AC. Tables with power outlet. Rp 30,000-60,000.
- Blue Corner. Local food. Very good mie goreng. Rp 25,000.
- Artomoro. Local food (Rp 35,000-70,000) and more expensive western food (Rp 80,00/-100,000). Very fresh and tasty.
The Corner. Seafood restaurant.
Pesona. Standard menu of western menu and seafood.
MadeinItaly. Wide range of Italian dishes including pizza, pasta, risotto, antipasti and tiramisu. Fairly upscale and not cheap.
Treetop. Great view of the bay, especially from the upstairs area. Extensive menu with many Chinese and Western dishes. Free WiFi. You can play pool downstairs.
Fish market, Jl. Soekarno Hatta (Along the northeast part of the main road. Lots of food stalls along the harborfront in the evening. Fresh fish grilled to order.
Happy Banana. Delicious food. Not only sushi. Wifi and AC. Tables with power outlet. Rp 30,000-60,000.
Blue Corner. Local food. Very good mie goreng. Rp 25,000.
Artomoro. Local food (Rp 35,000-70,000) and more expensive western food (Rp 80,00/-100,000). Very fresh and tasty.
Beer (Rp 30,000 as of Nov 2018) and Arak is available from the supermarkets and some of the shops around town. You can get the local moonshine (Arak), however, it resembles paint thinner, and it's not unlikely that you will go blind if it is contaminated with methyl alcohol.
- Paradise Bar. The only bar that is open until late and has a fantastic view of the sunset. Every Saturday (at least) there is live music till late night, though don't get high expectations about their taste in cover songs. Paradise also serves pretty decent food.
- The Lounge. The default place for a sundowner. Anker beer is the best-seller, (Rp 27,000-25,000 + tax). They also serve cocktails and food until 23:00. Shisha is available, try the apple/mint flavor for that freshmaker feeling.
- Mediterraneo. Good sunset view, also for the food.
- Cafe In Hit. Nice cafe with excellent reading selections.
Paradise Bar. The only bar that is open until late and has a fantastic view of the sunset. Every Saturday (at least) there is live music till late night, though don't get high expectations about their taste in cover songs. Paradise also serves pretty decent food.
The Lounge. The default place for a sundowner. Anker beer is the best-seller, (Rp 27,000-25,000 + tax). They also serve cocktails and food until 23:00. Shisha is available, try the apple/mint flavor for that freshmaker feeling.
Mediterraneo. Good sunset view, also for the food.
Cafe In Hit. Nice cafe with excellent reading selections.
Internet cafes along the main road are plentiful, and their connections are all generally the same at 1 Mbit/s which is fine for Skype and youtube. The Warnet in the south has the newest hardware, and most places have headsets for Skype.
All restaurants mentioned above have free WiFi. Most accommodations would have WiFi.
If you decide to go hiking you should be aware of some dangerous snakes.
"Travel" (shared car) or bus (e.g. Gunung Mas, Gemini) to Ruteng, Bajawa, Ende, Moni, Maumere, etc) can be arranged through many of the tour offices on the main street - the price usually includes pick-up from your hotel.
- Komodo National Park encompasses a lot of water and islands west of Labuanbajo. If you want to go to Rinca or Komodo islands, or dive in the park you must buy a 3-day park pass for US$15. Money from such user fees is collected by the local government and is supposed to go into conservation efforts. Rinca Island (Indonesian: Rinca Kecil or Pulau Rinca) is a more convenient place to see Komodo Dragons than Komodo island. Some dive operators might be convinced to combine a stop at the island with a days diving. There are big dragons that are often right in front of the pier when people arrive.
- Kanawa Island (Pulau Kanawa) is surrounded by spectacular reefs with thousands of fish species, turtles, corals and reef sharks. Sometimes it is possible to see some stingrays and small sharks just around the arrival jetty. You can dive from the island with companies such as Wunderpus Diving ( www.wunderpusliveaboard.com ) who will collect you each morning and drop you off in the afternoon after diving, they will also offer course based from the island at times. Kanawa island is 10 km away from Labuan Bajo (about 1hr with a local boat or 10 min with speed boat) and located just at the borders of Komodo National Park. on Kanawa there is a small bungalow resort, designed for travelers, with a restaurant. It is possible to visit the national park directly from there with wooden boats. Reef around Kanawa is protected, so fishing is not allowed, but the restaurant provides fabulous fresh seafood coming form the nearby fisherman island. Turtles love to hatch on the beach just next to the restaurant.
- Ruteng, the main area for Manggarai culture, the next big city by the main Flores road, 110 km away - approximately 3-4 hours by motorbike or car.