Destinations · 29 Islands · Labuan Bajo Charter Desk

Komodo Destinations

Thirteen stops, and the hours that make each one work.

Most of these sites are visited badly — arrived at midday with sixty other people. Half of what a private charter buys is simply being somewhere at the right hour.

Build an Itinerary Compare Stops

29 Islands in the park
1,733 km² Marine area
13 Stops documented
20 min To the first anchorage

Line 01 · Timing

The hour matters more than the place

Padar wants first light. Taka Makassar only exists at low tide. Batu Bolong is dived at slack water or not at all. A fixed schedule cannot meet those conditions; a private charter anchored overnight can.

Line 02 · The Headliners

Four you will not skip

Most photographed

Viewpoint

Padar Island

April–November
3 h from Labuan Bajo

Three differently coloured bays from a 370-metre ridge. The climb starts in the dark.

Pre-dawn

Beach

Pink Beach

March–June
45 min from Labuan Bajo

One of only seven pink-sand beaches on earth, with coral gardens metres from the sand.

Early morning

Marine

Manta Point

Year-round
2.5 h from Labuan Bajo

Cleaning stations where oceanic mantas hold position long enough to be watched properly.

Slack tide

Wildlife

Rinca Island

May–September
2 h from Labuan Bajo

Over 1,300 Komodo dragons in their own habitat, and noticeably fewer visitors than Komodo Island.

Morning

Line 03 · All Thirteen

Every stop, and when to take it

Kelor Island Hilltop hike, beach snorkel Year-round 20 min

Kanawa Island Shore snorkelling, turtles Apr–Aug 30 min

Pink Beach Pink sand, coral gardens Mar–Jun 45 min

Rinca Island 1,300+ Komodo dragons May–Sep 2 h

Batu Bolong Premier wall dive, currents Apr–Nov 2 h

Taka Makassar Sandbar at low tide Apr–Oct 2 h

Manta Point Manta cleaning stations Year-round 2.5 h

Crystal Rock Drift dive, 30 m visibility May–Sep 2.5 h

Padar Island Three bays, 370 m ridge Apr–Nov 3 h

Gili Lawa Sunset ridge, reef walls Apr–Nov 3 h

Komodo NP 29 islands, UNESCO Apr–Nov The whole park

Labuan Bajo Harbour town, flying foxes Year-round Departure port

Flores Island Kelimutu, weaving villages Apr–Oct 3–4 days overland

Distances are cruising times, not straight-line. Park entrance and conservation fees sit inside the charter rate and are re-checked close to sailing.

Building the route

What the desk gets asked about stops

How many stops fit in a charter?

Three days covers Padar, Pink Beach, a dragon trek and Manta Point. Six adds the dive sites, the southern reaches and time to repeat whatever was best.

Which are worth an overnight anchorage?

Padar and Gili Lawa, because both want a light the day boats cannot reach. Manta Point and Taka Makassar are tide-driven rather than light-driven.

What if I do not dive?

Nine of the thirteen work entirely above water or at snorkelling depth. Only Batu Bolong and Crystal Rock are genuinely divers’ sites.

Can I choose the order?

Within reason — tide, light and distance set the constraints, and the captain re-cuts the day as conditions change. Tell the desk what you will not miss and the route is built around it.

Which stops matter to you?

Send the desk the two or three you will not leave without, plus how many days you have. The route comes back built around them.

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