Lombok to Komodo Boat Trip – Our Experience
TL;DR
We took the boat from Lombok to Flores. This is our honest review.
We took the Lombok to Flores boat trip 4 days/3 nights so you don’t have to (if you don’t feel like going on a crazy adventure 😉).
Here’s our quick Komodo boat trip from Lombok travel guide. You can find our personal experience at the end.
- Is it Worth it?
- How to Get to Komodo Island from Lombok
- Lombok to Labuan Bajo Boat Trip
- Komodo Island Tour from Lombok – Our Personal Review
- Lombok to Komodo Boat Trip – Would We Do it Again?
Is it Worth it?
Is Komodo Island Worth Going to?
Yes! Komodo Island is absolutely worth it! Seeing Komodo Dragons in the wild was a childhood dream of mine and an absolute bucketlist experience.
Is the Boat Trip from Lombok to Komodo Island Worth It?
Whether the boat from Lombok to Komodo is worth it is a different question. After having read a German article describing the cruise as a “hell trip” we thought “How bad can it be?”. Let us tell you, this boat trip wasn’t all fun and games.
Is it Safe to Go to Komodo Island?
No. First of all, there are the Komodo Dragons. While they only killed 5 people in the last decades, 5 is more than 0 – and there’s only a ranger with a wooden stick in between you and them.
Additionally, there are twelve species of snakes including some of the most dangerous in the world like cobras and many different vipers.
While there are rangers to protect you and accidents rarely happen, Komodo National Park is not the place to go if you want to be 100% safe. It’s the place to go if you want an adventure!
And let’s be honest, the boat trip from Lombok does not make things any safer.
How to Get to Komodo Island from Lombok
You have two main options:
- Take a flight from Lombok to Flores and hop on a boat there.
- A Lombok to Flores cruise that stops in Komodo on the way.
Lombok to Labuan Bajo Boat Trip
Boat Trip Lombok to Flores Map
Note how there is no stop between Mojo Island and Komodo National Park.
Boat Lombok to Flores Itinerary
This is the exact Lombok to Flores itinerary we did hence it might differ from other itineraries you can find online.
Lombok Flores Boat Day 1
Day 1 of the Lombok to Flores boat trip started with a transfer to the port and boarding the ship.
We only had one stop on day one to watch the sunset on Kenawa Island.
Lombok Flores Boat Day 2
On day 2 of the boat tour Lombok - Flores we only had one stop. We visited the beautiful waterfall on Moyo Island.
Afterwards, the strenuous journey to Komodo National Park commenced.
Lombok Flores Boat Day 3
On day 3 we made it to Komodo Island! Finally! We spotted our first Komodo Dragons. We loved it although the whole experience felt more touristy than anticipated.
Afterwards, we went snorkelling at Manta Point but we were not able to spot any manta rays.
Lombok Flores Boat Day 4
Today was the undisputed highlight of this whole cruise. In the morning, we visited Rinca Island. Some of our fellow travellers were already so worn out that they decided to stay on the ship. That was our luck.
We embarked on a long guided hike with a very small group and spotted loads of Komodo Dragons in the wild. The whole ordeal of the boat trip was (almost) worth it only for this experience.
In the afternoon, we went to Padar Island. Here, we could relax on the pink beach, go snorkelling, or embark on a hike to the famous viewpoint.
Komodo Island Tour from Lombok – Our Personal Review
We are very 50/50 about this tour. Ok, maybe we’re even 25/75.
To understand our mindset, you must know that, although we are avid travellers, we try to avoid flying as much as possible. This is why we opted for this boat trip.
But let’s start from the beginning, shall we? The pick-up was a bit chaotic and the bus transfer to the boat took very long – we only arrived on the boat in the late afternoon.
First, we thought we were all on different boats because we had all booked different tours: 3 or 4 days, different boats, different stops, and different prices. Needless to say, we were all shocked when we were crammed into the same boat.
There were around two dozen of us and barely enough room. Mats covered the floors on both decks and there weren’t even enough sleeping mats for all of us so some just slept on cardboard (see picture below).
But honestly, you don’t need much hand luggage. Why do you ask?
- There is only one toilet on board, no showers or washing facilities so you couldn’t take much care of your personal hygiene even if you wanted to.
- If you sleep on deck like us, there will be no personal space. This means no space where you can change your clothes in private. We spent our days in bathing clothes and only changed to sleep, to be honest.
Water and three meals a day were included. While we never had to go hungry, food was heavily rationed.
Of course, we did fewer stops than were advertised on the itinerary of our booking, that’s why we included our personal itinerary above. We didn’t stop at
- Saleh Bay
- Gili Lawa Island
- Kalong Island (Bat Island)
- Kelor Island
- Manjarite Beach
Let’s skip to the worst part of the story: After our stop on Moyo Island on the second day, our choppy crossing to Komodo began. The crossing takes around 20 hours. The waves were so heavy, that everybody – including the captain – was throwing up constantly. We were all just lying around miserably and soon didn’t even see the captain anymore because he was so sick.
All passengers were incredibly happy when we reached Komodo Island and could exit the ship.
The rest of the trip was much calmer. On the evening of day 3, we docked at Labuan Bajo. Our fellow travellers who had only booked the 3 day/2 night cruise from Lombok to Flores left the ship.
A shame because day 4 turned out to be the best of this trip. The boat was less crowded, the waters calmer, and the stop in Rinca Island was by far the best experience of this whole trip. On the way back to Labuan Bajo, our boat was even accompanied by dolphins.
Lombok to Komodo Boat Trip – Would We Do it Again?
Honestly, probably not. Next time, we would fly to Labuan Bajo and cruise the Komodo National Park from there.
There were just too few stops on the Lombok side of the choppy crossing to justify being on a tiny boat in the middle of the unforgiving ocean for so long…
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