Labuan Bajo is a small fishing town located in the western part of the island Flores in Indonesia. The town used to be a village inhabited by local people only. However, tourism keeps increasing and more and more hotels, hostels and restaurants are opening. While you can still see the traditional local life in Labuan Bajo, the growing tourism infrastructure is also noticable.
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Getting to Labuan Bajo
By plane
There are daily direct flights from Denpasar, Bali to Labuan Bajo, Flores. The small airport in Labuan Bajo is located only 2 km outside the town. You can check the prices and book tickets on Skyscanner.
By boat
The most fun and adventurous way of getting to Labuan Bajo is by doing a boat trip. Like this you spend 3 nights and 4 days on a boat until you arrive in Labuan Bajo. During the day you stop at some islands that form part of the Komodo National Park for snorkelling and island exploration. I did this trip with Wanua Adventures and I was more than happy with my choice. This boat trip was the best experience of my whole time in Indonesia.
Price:
150 € deck class
200 € cabin class
What’s included:
– Shuttle to the boat
– 3 meals per day
– Unlimited coffee, tea and water
– Snorkelling gear
The boat trip starts in Lombok, a neighbouring island of Bali. To get there from Bali you can either take a plane or a public ferry.
By plane:
From Denpasar Airport, Bali to Lombok International Airport: around 25 minutes
By public ferry:
From Padang Bai, Bali to Lembar Harbour, Lombok: around 2 hours
Lombok itself is definitely worth a visit so you might want to spend some days there before you start the boat trip. The island is like Bali used to be 10 years ago before tourism has grown exponentially. When I was there I climbed Mount Rinjani, Indonesia’s second highest volcano. Spending a night on Mount Rinjani was an unforgettable experience.
By ferry
If you don’t want to do a boat trip that lasts for several days you still have the option to take a ferry. The journey from Bali to Labuan Bajo can take 24 hours or even more, depending if it’s a direct ferry or if there’s a stop-over. Click here to check the ferry schedules.
I personally wouldn’t recommend taking a ferry as you might as well do the boat trip I mentioned above, which is much more exciting.
Where to stay in Labuan Bajo
Seaesta Komodo Hostel & Hotel is a lovely place to stay. It’s located on a hill in the center of Labuan Bajo. When I was there I was pleasantly suprised by how beautiful and clean it was. The hotel opened in 2019 and everything is accordingly new.
You can either choose a private room or a shared dorm. The price includes a gym and a rooftop bar with a pool. I believe this is the best place with regards to value for money.
Prices:
13 € for a dorm room
58 € for a private room
What to do in Labuan Bajo
Diving
Flores is one of the world’s top diving destinations. In Labuan Bajo you can find loads of dive centres and agencies that offer day trips or liveaboards (= you stay on a boat for several days and go diving everyday). I would have loved to do a liveaboard but as they are extremely pricey I went for a day trip instead.
I went diving with Blue Marlin Dive and I felt comfortable and safe with them. Their guides are professionals and they have great equipment. A big advantage is that they are the only dive center in Labuan Bajo that uses a speed boat to go to the dive sites. This means that they are the first ones there and also the first ones to be back in the afternoon.
Price for 3 dives incl. national park fee: 150 €
Recommended dive sites:
– Siaba Besar
– Batu Balong
– Makassar
If you do 3 dives a day they serve delicious lunch in between as well as home-made cookies, fresh fruit, tea and coffee.
Explore Komodo National Park
If you haven’t done the 4 day boat trip to get to Labuan Bajo you should definitely visit the Komodo Islands from there.
Komodo National Park consists of the three main islands Komodo, Padar and Rinca and 26 smaller islands. On Komodo and Rinca you can visit the protected Komodo dragons.
Many tour agencies in Labuan Bajo offer day trips to the Komodo islands or even a boat trip that lasts for several days.
Whichever tour you decide to do, definitely make sure to include Padar Island. When you get to Padar Island you can hike up a hill. From up there you have the most amazing view of the island’s three beaches. Especially at sunrise the view is magical.
Stroll through the village
Labuan Bajo is small and everything is within walking distance. Take an hour to stroll along the main road and some side streets to explore the village. I especially liked that Labuan Bajo is still not too touristy and a place where you can see locals living their traditional lives.
One thing where you can note that the village isn’t very touristy is the amount of garbage everywhere. Sadly, Indonesia and Southeast Asia in general have a huge problem with pollution. In Labuan Bajo the ground of the ocean is covered with garbage in a way that you can’t even see the sand anymore. In more touristy areas of Indonesia the environmental consciousness has already risen. There, the locals have realised that tourists won’t come to a place that is full of garbage. That’s why they keep it clean as tourism is their main source of income. In places like Labuan Bajo though, where tourism is just about to develop, you can see how polluted the ocean actually is.
Where to eat in Labuan Bajo
Warung Mama
If you’re looking for traditional Indonesian food then Warung Mama is definitely your best choice. You can get rice with meat, veggies, tofu or any other add ons and you pay based on what you choose. I never paid more than 2€ and always left the place full and satisfied.
La Cucina
La Cucina is an Italian place with great pizza and pasta. It’s the place to go when you need a change from rice and Indonesian food.
Happy Banana
The sushi there is amazing but prices are rather high for Indonesian standards.
While many people only stay one or two nights in Labuan Bajo I truly enjoyed staying there for four days. In contrast to places like Bali that are famous and highly developed I found it refreshing to explore this unknown and authentic part of Indonesia. However, it’s not a must-see and Labuan Bajo most probably wouldn’t be visited if there weren’t the stunning dive spots and the impressive Komodo National Park nearby.
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