4 Day Komodo Trip:  Lombok to Labuan Bajo

The 4 day Komodo Boat trip from Lombok to Labuan Bajo had been on my bucket list of things to do since I first heard about it in 2023 on my first trip to Bali. In 2025 I finally made it along with a couple of friends from home which made it even more special!

When I went on a trip to Lombok in 2024 to meet a different friend from home I made some good friends there who helped me to find a reputable boat for the trip, while also helping Daniel, Oscar and myself to get to Kuta Lombok. Shout out to Hardy, he works hard and is a super nice guy. If you want his contact please get in touch for a local touch on the island or a reliable way to get from A to B. I will not be posting his details publicly, so please email/DM me on Instagram. 

Quick Overview:

Contents

Pre Boat Trip 

We sailed from Padang Bai to Bangsal Port (cost: £11) where we met Hardy who took us down to Kuta, Lombok. We stayed in a little bungalow near the beach and chilled out for a night before our big adventure. 

Apparently I can’t read properly and we could have stayed in Bangsal to be picked up from there instead of making our way to Kuta! Oops! It is all part of the adventure hehe. 

The Itinerary

Day 1: Boarding, Broken Flip-Flops & Our First Sunset at Sea

The first day was so full of excitement for the start of the trip, what we were going to see and the new friends we would make. 

We drove for 1 hour from Kuta to the midway point then an additional 1 hour 30 minutes to Kayangan Sea Port where we finally got a first glimpse of our new digs for the next 4 days. 

We dropped our shoes in boxes then clambered aboard over the edge of the ship, not elegant at all. 

Finally we were on and setting sail. We watched as the port slowly disappeared and off into the ocean we went. 

After sailing for a while we started seeing little islands popping up. One of which was our first stop!

We hopped on a small boat and got ferried across to Gili Kenawa in groups of about 10 people. As soon as we landed the snorkel was straight on and we started looking for our first glimpse of life. There wasn’t much, if I’m honest, but the main attraction here was the sunset hike. 

We trailed up the path, which started grassy then slowly turned into small stones then increased to larger stones. I would not recommend flip flops or bare feet, this is where I went wrong!

It took around 10 minutes to get from the beach to the top of the hill, it wasn’t hard but it can take the breath out of you for a minute. The view from the top was crowded. This was the first point I realised how many people were doing this trip and we weren’t the only boat which had stopped here for the sunset. Am I really surprised? No. 

Once the sun started to set we headed back down to begin our way back to the boat. But being such an adventurer we spotted a little abandoned house and took a detour to explore it. 

It was built from glass bottles cemented in the walls and a grassy roof. The walk up to it wasn’t the best with broken glass and other lethal pieces of rubbish dotted around so watch your feet if you decide to take a look yourself. 

There was graffiti on the walls and some shells dotted around the place along with a discarded toilet. We popped out the other side and walked the rest of the way back along the beach. 

While we were off gallivanting the crew cooked us up a storm of a feed! We gathered into the small buffet area, filling our plates to the brim with a variety of different foods from some sort of meat dish with rice to papaya and watermelon. 

We sat on the top deck and inhaled our dinner while watching the stars and listening to the hum of the engine as we continued to sail. 

When we were finished eating, the crew gave us our nightly brief for the next morning. Letting us know when we should get up, what activities we will be doing and where we are sailing to. 

Day 2: The Big Blue Sea Monsters

I’ll be honest day two is pretty boring… JOKES!

Daniel woke up our cabin once he had realised the boat had come to a stop during the early hours of the morning. He lept out of his top bunk and went straight out the door. 2 minutes later he came back raving we needed to get up NOW!

You had guessed it, we had made it to one of the more exciting stops. Swimming with the whale sharks.

We quickly got ourself ready, and out the door. The sun had barely woken up itself. Daniel was itching to be the first in the water before the crowds so we plunged into the dark water.

We waited… then down from the darkness a large shape started slowly swimming towards the surface. Our first whale shark!

We must have been in the water for a good hour just marvelling at these beautiful creatures. As the sun rose, more and more people entered the water and it soon became a sea of people, legs being kicked left and right and not much visibility of these beauties.

Eventually we were asked to come back aboard so we could keep sailing. Unfortunately the rest of the day was pretty boring as we had a long way to go for the next couple of days.

Day 3: Dragons, Pink Sand Beach & Surreal Sunset Views

After what felt like a lifetime of sailing, we finally made it into Komodo National Park territory. You could tell straight away, everything looked a bit more dramatic, a bit more untouched, like you’d accidentally wandered onto a film set.

The first stop of the day was a big one…

We hopped off the boat, walked down the pier where we were met with a large dragon strutting along the beach. Our first sighting! We were shortly met at the large welcome sign by our guides (who were carrying massive sticks… reassuring but also slightly concerning).

After a quick safety briefing we headed on our looped walk around the island. We didn’t see much to begin with, some abandoned nests, insects and birds. Eventually we came to the middle of the loop. The trees opened up and in the centre of the clearing was a large Komodo Dragon. This one made the earlier one look tiny!

I’ll be honest though, this was one of those moments that felt slightly off. The dragon we saw didn’t move much, and it did feel like it had done this whole routine a thousand times before. I don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, but it didn’t feel completely wild.

Still incredible to see up close, just something to be aware of.

The walk was also a short 15 minute walk and only on a well walked trail so the chances of actually seeing other wildlife is very low.

Next stop: Pink Beach.

And yeah… it’s pink. Not Barbie-level pink, but definitely a soft blush colour.

We jumped straight in for a snorkel but didn’t see an awful lot, this stop was more about relaxing on a pink beach, drinking some Bintang‘s rather than snorkelling.

After a some relaxation it was time to continue to our last destination of the day. This one I was really looking forward to. The famous sunset hike!

We landed on shore, had a quick briefing to be back before dark and a warning about snakes being out and about around dusk. Soon we were on our slightly sweaty hike.

There were a handful of viewpoints along the way, each stop getting more and more stunning as we climbed higher.

But when you hit the top, the view hits differently. It honestly didn’t look real, rolling islands, insane colours, and the ocean stretching out forever. I felt like I was in a picture frame!

Crowds? Still there. Not gonna lie. But if you wander even slightly off the main viewpoint, you can usually find your own little patch of peace for about 5 minutes until someone clocks you.

Overall a complete highlight though!

Day 4: Baby Sharks & Returning to Reality

And just like that… final day.

You know that weird mix of:

Yeah, that.

Final morning, straight back in the water but this time was to see the baby black tip reef sharks!

Before you panic, these guys are chill but there were many of them. They’re not interested in you, just cruising around doing their thing. Still gives you that little adrenaline kick though when you spot one gliding past or when they circle you in curiosity.

The snorkelling here was probably some of the best of the whole trip. Clear water, a large variety of marine life and just a really nice way to wrap things up.

After that, it was back on the boat for the final stretch into Labuan Bajo.

As we pulled into the harbour, it felt weirdly fast. Like… how has it already been 4 days? As much as some things were a little questionable I still didn’t want this journey to end, but here we were.

We grabbed our bags, said our goodbyes (to both the crew and the people who became our little boat family), and stepped back onto land.

Next stop was the airport, but where to next…?

What is Boat Life Reeeally Like?

Cold showers, salty skin, a little smelly and HOT! Literally, there are great parts where you are off seeing things etc but in the down time it can get a bit boring. One day we had a lot of sailing time, we really needed to entertain ourselves. 

Downtime

Since there isn’t a great amount of space and quite a lot of people it is hard to find a quiet space for yourself. Taking some cards is a great way to kill some time and get to know your fellow passengers. You can read a book or even sunbathe if you feel like it.

Showers

Now, let’s talk about showers. Yes we have them aboard the boat but expect cold, salty water showers. There is no luxury here even if you do get an upgraded cabin! 

The Cabins

We booked a 4 bunk room but we were close to the engine. Trying to sleep all we could hear was the engine droning alllllll night. We did get used to it but wow it was loud! The beds were alright, what you would expect on a boat. A small bed which fits one, not the comfiest of mattresses but it was fine for 4 days. And curtains! Again they were alright, they would keep out most of the light but we would be up early doing activities so it didn’t matter too much. I couldn’t comment on the communal dorm in the bottom of the ship other than it was hot and stinky! 

The Heat

It’s way hotter than you think. Although you do get a bit of a sea breeze it really doesn’t do all that much. Most of the time we were trying to hide from the sun, cause of the heat and we were a little bit sunburned from the boat to Lombok. Our own fault really. We did spend some time in the cabin or communal room but again everywhere was hot.  

Noise 

To be honest the only time we really noticed the noise was when we were trying to sleep. Our cabin was right next to the engine room so it was quiet loud but we got used to hearing the loud hum of it. I would recommend taking some ear plugs to help drown out the noise though.

Food

Wow, okay so they food on aboard the ship was fabulous. I honestly can’t praise them enough for the meals they would provide us. There were also vegetarian options available for those who aren’t meat eaters.

What No One Tells You About the Komodo Boat Trip

Some things I wish I knew before going on this trip was how HOT it would be all the time. There was no repreive from it at all.

Secondly, you won’t be the only boat (far from it). I did think it would be a little crowded with there being a lot of beds on the boat, but what I wasn’t expecting was there were another 5 boats all setting off at the same time as us! Now… you can imagine the amount of people who were hiking and snorkelling with us all at one time… chaos and not tranquil.

Some wildlife experiences felt questionable and unethical. The whale sharks did look like they were being fed or something along those lines, I couldn’t really work it out from what I was seeing there.

And the Komodo Dragon who was sitting in the middle of the walk, almost felt like he was always there for every single tour. We did try to ask some questions regarding it but they either got dodged or they didn’t want to talk about it… sounds a little suss to me.

What to Pack for a 4 Day Komodo Trip 

Honestly not a lot! 

There are 100% some essentials you will need: 

None essentials but can make a difference to your trip: 

How Much it Costs & is it Worth It? 

The organisation/boat we went with was Green Rinjani . Since we were a group of 3 we decided to get a 4 bunk cabin costing us £235 each. Why not splash a little cash for a little luxury! I am very glad we did after seeing the hot box shared cabin of 18 people below us!

Overall It was a great trip but I wouldn’t do it again due to how unethical parts of it felt. But I should have done some more research into that myself.

Who is this trip for?

If you love adventure, the ocean or general boat life you generally would love this trip. It has everything for you. 

Watch the Full Trip on YouTube 

Fancy seeing what the trip is really like? Check out the full playlist of videos dedicated to the 4 day Komodo Trip here or click below!

You will see all the chaos, the amazing hikes and views along with all the beautiful wildlife. It truly was a trip I will remember forever. 

Big Thanks!

I want to give a big thanks to Hardy for helping me to find this amazing crew to sail with and also getting us to Kuta. 

The crew were absolutely amazing, gave us the best experience, food, laughter and everything in between that we didn’t know we needed. 

Finally thank you to all the amazing souls we met on this trip, you guys made it with the laughter, games and silliness throughout. 

Next stop I will be off to Thailand, keep your eyes peeled for the next trip. 

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