I have written and deleted the starting sentence to this post 40 times because I sincerely don’t know where to begin describing this epic 4 day sailing journey through Indonesia. It was hands down one of the coolest and most unique experiences of my life and I could not possibly recommend it more!!!! Okay lets break it down into a Q&A before my enthusiasm breaks my keyboard.
What is it?
The Komodo Island sailing tour is a 4 day/3 night boat trip that starts on the island of Lombok and drops you off on the island of Flores. Since Flores is quite remote this boat journey is a fun way to get to the island without having to fly.
There are several companies that offer this tour; the most popular being Wanua (the cheapest) and Kareem the Explorer (the one I chose). They are all relatively the same, I chose Kareem because the dates worked best for me. The boats only leave twice a week so some planning is necessary here.
The cost for my tour was 3.5 million Indonesian Rupiah which is roughly $230. This price is all inclusive so it covers the boat journey, all food and water, excursions, and national park fees. I believe Wanua is around 40 dollars cheaper: for what reason, I have no clue!
Please enjoy the below drone pics taken by a lovely Dutchie from our group.
What do you do?
The reason most people do this tour is because of the amazing excursions offered. I’ll just list the highlights for brevity’s sake.
– Swim with WHALE SHARKS!!!
This was the highlight of my entire Indonesia trip by a long shot. Swimming and snorkelling with eight whale sharks inches away from my face is a new core memory; I still get giddy just thinking about it! We woke up at 6am and immediately jumped in the water to swim with these humongous magical creatures. What a way to start the day! It was so exhilarating I was essentially hyperventilating into my snorkel. They are so much larger than the pictures make it seem but at least you can get an idea. I will note the whale sharks were being fed, which I do not condone but it was out of our hands. Sad face.
-Hunt for Komodo Dragons
The boat drops you off at Komodo Island where you walk around hunting for the infamous (and deadly) Komodo Dragon. This is the only place in the world where komodo dragons live in the wild!! Pretty neat. Our tour guide informed us that a komodo dragon killed someone on the island a few years back because they strayed away from the group so…don’t do that.
-Hike to Padar Island
The viewpoint at Padar Island ranks in my top 3 best viewpoints I’ve ever seen. From the top you can see a white, pink, and black sand beach all at the same time! Just stunning. It’s a fair amount of stairs to get up there but nothing to cry home about. Our group came for the sunset which was gorgeous but other groups go for sunrise; luck of the draw on that one. Both are beautiful but to see the color in more vibrancy I think sunrise would be better.
-Relax on Pink Beach
There are actually two different pink sand beaches you visit and both are breathtaking. One is definitely more pink than the other which is due to the red coral that gets broken down over time. The water is crystal clear as well. Chefs kiss!
-Snorkel with baby sharks n turtles
At one of the many island stops, you can snorkel with adorable baby sharks. Cue the song. They are very fast swimmers and probably the only sharks I’ve swam with that don’t give me an underwater heart attack! We also saw a big turtle snorkelling at Pink Beach. Noggin. Duuuude.
-Stargaze
Arguably the best night sky I’ve ever seen was night two on the boat. Since we were in the middle of the ocean, no light pollution was disturbing the view. The entire milky way was visible, plus a few planets. I’ve included a pic below (which never does it justice) so just use your imagination on how insane it looked in real life. We all sat out on beanbags looking up in amazement for hours on end. Wholesome vibes alert.
Now those were the main highlights but some other noteworthy activities include jumping off the boat, dolphin spotting, endless card games, party on the last night, the outdoor shower (iykyk), and plenty of tanning/relaxing/reading time.
Where do you sleep?
Now the sleeping arrangements are a bit of a laugh. There are two options: deck class or private room. If you’re a budget gal like me, deck class is the way to go. You sleep in this area with 30-40 other people and receive a sleeping mat, pillow, and sheet. To be fair, it actually wasn’t that bad and I slept pretty well. Think of it as a big adult slumber party! The people who chose private rooms actually came into our space to hang since they were isolated and the deck class was poppin’ off.
P.S. some of the private rooms were below deck and had no air flow so they were very hot in the night. Just sayinggggg.
What do you eat?
The food was actually so good considering it was all being prepared on a boat with the worlds tiniest kitchen (if you could even call it that). You get three typical Indonesian meals a day and unlimited water, coffee, and tea. There were always vegetarian options and it was buffet style, all you can eat! Nobody had any complaints on the food.
Whose on the boat?
My boat was all backpackers between the ages of 18-30. It definitely skewed younger but it was a lovely group of people who all got along great (except for the Dutch mafia lol…story for another day). Loads of solo travelers but also a good amount of couples who occupied those private rooms. If your solo (like me), you will have no problem making friends as everyone was socialising and very inclusive. Of course this can differ depending on the group, but I do think it’s the general vibe of this tour as you are all stuck together for 4 days so it creates close knit bonds.
How do I sign up?!
Two options: You can either look up the companies website and WhatsApp them (idk why you can’t sign up online, you have to WhatsApp them instead) or you can book in person once in Indonesia. I hate planning as it doesn’t leave room for spontaneity butttt for this particular tour I do think you need to plan it as the coveted tour companies sell out weeks in advance.
You also need to get yourself to Lombok as that’s where the boat departs from. I traveled from the Gili Islands to Kuta, Lombok and explored around there for a few days before the tour. Kareem the Explorer offers shuttle services to the departure check-in restaurant so I opted in for that. It is a 2ish hour drive from Kuta and then once you check-in it’s another 3ish hour drive to the port. Others come right from the Gili Islands because it’s closer. Up to you! The island of Lombok is super underrated and wayyy less touristy so I recommend traveling it before the boat trip starts. Just my two cents 🙂
What do I do afterwards?
The boat drops you in Labuan Bajo, Flores and is NOT roundtrip… so you need to figure out where you are going afterwards. Most people stay in Labuan Bajo for a few days to readjust to land life. Others stay to do some world class scuba diving in the incredible Komodo Island National Park. The hostels in Flores sell out super quickly since there are limited options; so after booking the boat, book your hostel. I highly recommend Seasta Hostel, its where most people stay and it’s basically a hotel it’s SO nice. Our group met back up the night we got back and had some drinks at Seasta. It seemed to be the vibe with other boats as well so keep that in mind.
Most people eventually fly back to Bali or wherever their onward travel is. You can also do this trip in reverse and fly to Flores first and then take the boat journey back to Lombok. It’s a less popular route but deff still doable!
~Tips n Tricks
- Pack boat sickness pills! I pride myself on not getting seasick but goddamn night two wrecked us all. Day two consist of 18 hours of sailing (with a short stop to swim). The sea got very bumpy and since we were sailing throughout the night, it never really stopped. This was the only leg of the trip that had rough seas so don’t let this deter you!
- Bring your own alch and snacks: You are allowed to bring your own alcohol and sodas so make sure to have whatever amount you deem fit. It’s not a party boat by any means but there is a fiesta on the last night. Some people were casually drinking beers etc during the day. Nothin crazy. Also since meal times are predetermined, if you get hungry make sure to have some snacks or sweets. I was very thankful for my chips n candy when I got the munchies.
- Pack playing cards: If you don’t someone else will, but it’s always good to have multiple decks on board. There is loads of downtime so cards help pass the time.
- Bring a speaker: The captain let us play our music on the boat’s sound system but for the times that it’s shut off, it’s nice to have your own. My JBL Flip 5 is my best friend.
- Embrace the gross: You are on a boat for 4 days, nobody cares how you look. I don’t think I even looked in a mirror that entire time. It was liberating! No makeup, no real shower, no fashion of any kind. Just bikinis and sea water. Yum.
All in all, this boat trip was a once in a lifetime experience and I am still in shock over how much fun I had. I mean, just look at the pictures?! The amount of beauty in this world is unbelievable. So if it’s not abundantly clear already, I highly recommend this boat journey if you’re in Indonesia. You will not regret it xx
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