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Tour Overview
The Komodo to Lombok boat trip runs the Lesser Sunda corridor westbound: out of Labuan Bajo on Flores, through Komodo National Park on the first two days, then across open water to Sumbawa and Lombok. Four days, three nights, one-way. Operators also sell it as a Labuan Bajo to Lombok boat trip, and the same vessels run it in reverse on alternating weeks.
Direction changes the trip more than most people expect. Westbound front-loads the national park — mantas, Pink Beach and Padar on Day 1, the dragons on Day 2 — and saves the crossing for the back half. That suits anyone already in Flores who has seen enough of Labuan Bajo, and anyone building a Bali to Flores loop in reverse who wants to finish near the Gilis rather than at an airport.
It also moves the whale sharks. Saleh Bay lands on Day 3 westbound instead of Day 2, which means one attempt rather than a morning with slack behind it. Padar arrives at sunset rather than sunrise: warmer light, fewer people, a hotter walk. Neither is better, but they are not the same trip, and the choice is worth making deliberately rather than by whichever direction had a free berth.
The corridor spans simple shared crossings and a smaller premium phinisi tier. The
boats listed here are the matched premium vessels, with cabin prices from
on
to
on
. Whole-boat charters currently run from
to
. Confirm the westbound sailing date, cabin and final quotation before paying.
Guest numbers matter more here than on a park loop. Budget open-trip boats on this corridor run twenty to forty passengers; the
listed here carry between eight and fifteen, which is the difference between a crossing and a crowd on two nights of open water. The full side-by-side sits in How These Boats Compare below.
Sailing the other way instead? The Lombok to Komodo boat trip covers the same stops eastbound, with Padar at sunrise and the park as the finish. If you only want the park and not the crossing, a 4 day 3 night Komodo tour out of Labuan Bajo is faster and cheaper.
Quick Facts
- Tour typeOpen Trip, Private Trip, Custom Charter
- Duration4D3N
- Start pointLabuan Bajo Harbour, Flores. Pickup from 08:00, departure around 09:00 on Day 1.
- End pointKayangan Harbour, East Lombok, around midday on Day 4, followed by a road transfer to Mataram, Senggigi, Kuta Mandalika or Bangsal for the Gili fast boat.
- Meeting / pick-up pointHotel or Komodo Airport (LBJ) pickup in Labuan Bajo, then a short transfer to the harbour. Boarding is early morning so the first park stops are reached before the day boats.
- AccommodationOnboard - Cabin
- TransportationWooden Phinisi Boat, Luxury Phinisi, AC Car
- Guide languagesEnglish, Indonesian
- DifficultyEasy
- Departure scheduleOn Request
- Minimum guests to depart2
- Maximum guests35
- Suitable forFamily, Couples, Luxury Travelers
- From$295 per person
- Whole-boat charter$2795 total
Boats On This Route
4 boats in our directory run this route. 4 sell cabins on a shared departure, $295 to $435 per person. On a cabin booking you pay per berth and share the vessel. On a whole-boat charter you pay for the boat, so a couple sailing alone pays the full rate. Prices are the published entry-level rate and move with season and cabin grade. Komodo National Park entrance and ranger fees are excluded from every figure.
Showing 4 of 4 eligible boats.
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from $295 per person -
from $325 per person -
from $355 per person - from $435 per person
How These Boats Compare
Ranges are the spread across the boats listed on this page and update automatically as the fleet changes. Komodo National Park entrance and ranger fees are excluded from every figure.
Gallery
Day-by-Day at a Glance
- Day 1
- Day 2Komodo Island → Sangeang Api → open crossing to Sumbawa (overnight sail)
- Day 3Saleh Bay → Moyo Island → Satonda Island (overnight sail west)
- Day 4Kenawa Island → Kayangan Harbour → Mataram, Senggigi or Bangsal
Itinerary
Labuan Bajo, the manta channel and Padar at sunset
Pickup from your hotel or Komodo Airport from around 08:00, boarding at the harbour, and away by mid-morning. Westbound trips start earlier than the eastbound version because the park stops are compressed into the first two days rather than the last two.
North first to Karang Makassar for the manta drift, then the crescent sandbar at Taka Makassar, then Pink Beach where the reef starts a few metres off the sand. Late afternoon the boat repositions to Padar for the ridge climb, timed for sunset over the three bays. This is the direction that gets Padar in evening light rather than at dawn, which is quieter and warmer but means the walk up is done in the heat of the day.
Lunch, DinnerKomodo Island rangers, then the crossing west
An early tender to Komodo Island for the ranger-led walk, an hour or so through dry forest and savannah, with the dragons most often found near the ranger station and the water holes. Park, ranger and trekking fees are settled here in cash. Going ashore first thing means the trail is done before the Labuan Bajo day boats arrive.
From late morning the boat leaves the park and begins the long westbound run, usually passing the cone of Sangeang Api in the afternoon. This is the point where the trip stops being a Komodo tour and becomes a crossing: the Sape Strait is open water, land thins out, and the boat sails through the night towards Sumbawa. It is the quietest half-day of the four and the one people underestimate.
Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerWhale sharks at Saleh Bay, Moyo and Satonda
A pre-dawn start for Saleh Bay, where whale sharks feed around the bagan fishing platforms at first light and disperse as the day warms. You enter the water in small groups with a guide. Sightings are not guaranteed, and westbound this lands on Day 3 rather than Day 2, so if the morning is blank there is no second window before the trip ends.
Then Moyo Island and the short walk inland to the Mata Jitu waterfall and its terraced pools, and Satonda with its saltwater crater lake sitting inside the cone. The snorkelling on Satonda’s outer wall is better than the lake. Dinner is aboard, and the boat runs west overnight towards the Alas Strait.
Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerKenawa at sunrise, then Kayangan Harbour and Lombok
Sunrise at Kenawa Island, a bare grass hill and sandbar off the Sumbawa coast with a ten-minute climb to the top and clear water off the spit. Breakfast is served on the way in.
The boat crosses the Alas Strait and comes alongside at Kayangan Harbour in East Lombok around midday, followed by a road transfer of two to three hours to Mataram, Senggigi or Kuta Mandalika. If the Gili Islands are next, ask to be dropped at Bangsal for the fast boat, and check the last crossing time before you commit — arriving at Bangsal after the last boat means an unplanned night on the mainland.
BreakfastWhat's Included
- IncludedHotel Pickup / Drop-off, Accommodation Onboard, 3 Meals Daily, Snacks, Coffee & Tea, Drinking Water, Snorkeling Equipment, Kayak / SUP Use, Local Guide / Ranger, Towels & Toiletries
- Not includedKomodo National Park Entrance Fee, Ranger & Trekking Fee, Crew Gratuity, Dive Equipment Rental, Nitrox Surcharge, Travel / Dive Insurance, Flights, Alcoholic Beverages, Spa & Massage, Laundry, Personal Expenses
- Komodo National Park feeNot included
- What to bring
Bring the passport or Indonesian ID used for SiOra, reef-safe sun protection, a rash guard, closed shoes with grip, dry bag, motion-sickness medicine if suitable for you, personal medication, power bank and light layers. Complete park registration before departure; government guidance is to arrange access by H-1. Signal and charging can be limited across Sumbawa and the open-water passages.
- CancellationModerate
- Policy detail
Terms are set by the operator, not by KomodoInsider, and they differ by booking model. Both boats on this page sell this crossing by the cabin and as a full-vessel charter, and the two carry different regimes. Read the wording that applies to yours before transferring anything.
Cabin bookings follow the pattern common to scheduled sailings: 25 to 50 percent deposit to hold the berth, balance due 30 to 60 days out, sliding forfeit as the date approaches. Full-boat charter is stricter: 30 to 50 percent non-refundable once dates are held, balance due 60 to 30 days out and also non-refundable, full forfeit inside the final window.
Westbound carries one risk the eastbound leg does not. Because this direction usually exists as a repositioning leg, an operator changing its season plan can withdraw the sailing altogether rather than merely reschedule it. Ask explicitly what happens if the vessel’s repositioning date moves, and get the answer in writing.
Weather is handled by reordering rather than cancelling. Operator-initiated cancellation for mechanical or safety reasons normally triggers a full refund or a replacement vessel — confirm which, because the two are not the same thing.
- Notes
Park entrance and activity fees are separate unless the operator’s written quotation says otherwise. Arrange visitor identities and the registered visit plan through SiOra before the park day, with cashless payment completed in advance. See “What the Park Costs” for the current official schedule. Labuan Bajo pickup and the Lombok-side road transfer are generally included in the compared packages; Gili fast boats and flights are not. Diving and equipment are only included when explicitly quoted.
Operator-declared. Specifications and rates on this page are as published by the operator and their booking agents, not independently inspected by KomodoInsider. Last checked .
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Komodo to Lombok boat trip cost?
Use the live fleet comparison: matched cabin prices currently run from
on
to
on
, while whole-boat charters run from
to
. Final price depends on departure, cabin, vessel and inclusions. Park access is separate unless stated; see “What the Park Costs”.
Should I sail Komodo to Lombok or Lombok to Komodo?
It depends on which stop you can least afford to miss. Westbound puts Komodo National Park on Days 1 and 2 and the whale sharks at Saleh Bay on Day 3, with nothing behind them — one attempt, and a blank morning ends the trip on a flat note. Eastbound reverses that: whale sharks on Day 2 with slack behind them, park as the finish.
The other difference is Padar. Westbound you climb it at sunset on Day 1: warmer light, thinner crowds, a hotter walk. Eastbound it is a pre-dawn tender and a ridge done in the cool. The Lombok to Komodo boat trip page covers the eastbound version in full.
Where does the Komodo to Lombok boat trip finish?
Kayangan Harbour on the east coast of Lombok, around midday on Day 4 — not Senggigi and not the Gili Islands. A road transfer of two to three hours to Mataram, Senggigi, Kuta Mandalika or Bangsal is included.
If the Gilis are next, ask for the Bangsal drop and check the last fast boat departure before you commit. Arriving at Bangsal after the final crossing means an unplanned night on the Lombok mainland, and it is the single most common way this trip ends badly.
Can I fly out of Lombok the same day the boat arrives?
Possible but tight, and not recommended. The boat is alongside around midday, Lombok International Airport (LOP) is roughly two hours from Kayangan Harbour by road, and neither the arrival time nor the traffic is guaranteed.
An evening flight is workable if you have hand luggage only and accept the risk. Anything before 17:00 is a gamble. A night in Senggigi or Kuta Mandalika and a morning flight is the safer structure, and it costs less than a missed fare.
Is this trip available all year?
April to June and September to November are the settled windows. Both the Sape and Alas straits are open water and both get uncomfortable in the wrong month, which matters more here than on a sheltered Labuan Bajo loop.
Westbound has a second constraint. This direction frequently exists because a vessel is repositioning out of its Komodo season, so it clusters around the end of that season rather than running evenly through the year. Late December to February is monsoon and most operators pull the route entirely.
Do you still see the Komodo dragons on this route?
Yes. The confirmed route includes a ranger-led dragon walk on Komodo or Rinca, subject to the registered park plan, operating conditions and official instructions. Sightings are wildlife encounters, not guaranteed. Complete SiOra registration before departure and check the final island and visit window with the operator.
How much time is spent sailing rather than stopping?
Roughly half the trip, concentrated in the back half. Days 1 and 2 are stop-heavy inside the park. From midday on Day 2 the boat crosses the Sape Strait and runs overnight to Sumbawa, and after Satonda on Day 3 it runs overnight again across the Alas Strait.
That is the trade the route asks for. If long passages with no land in sight sound like dead time rather than the point of the trip, a Labuan Bajo round trip is the better instrument.
Can I join in Labuan Bajo and get off partway?
Not usually. This is a one-way delivery between two harbours with no scheduled intermediate stop where a guest can leave — Sumbawa and Moyo are anchorages, not ports with onward transport.
On a full-boat charter the operator will sometimes agree to a modified end point, but it is negotiated before the contract rather than mid-sailing, and it is priced as a charter variation. On a cabin booking the answer is no.
What the Park Costs
| What you pay | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Park entrance, foreign visitor | Rp 250,000 ≈ $14 | per person, per visit Identical on weekdays and public holidays. Already includes trekking, wildlife observation and snorkelling inside the park. |
| Park entrance, Indonesian visitor, weekday | Rp 50,000 ≈ $3 | per person, per visit Raised from Rp 35,000 in October 2024. |
| Park entrance, Indonesian visitor, weekend or public holiday | Rp 75,000 ≈ $4 | per person, per visit The holiday uplift applies to the Indonesian rate only. |
| Park entrance, Indonesian student group | Rp 25,000 ≈ $1 | per person, per day Group bookings only. |
| Scuba diving permit | Rp 25,000 ≈ $1 | per diver, per day Charged on top of the entrance fee. Snorkelling is not charged separately. |
| Vessel entry | varies | Assessed on the engine capacity of the boat, so it is normally settled by the operator rather than by passengers. |
- Booking runs through SIORA, the park's own system, and is handled by a licensed operator before arrival. There is no ticket window at the gate.
- A daily cap of 1,000 visitors applies across the park, split between Komodo, Rinca and Padar and the dive sites around them.
- Entry runs in sessions rather than all day, which is why a boat's arrival time is set by the park and not by the crew.
- A drone permit is separate, expensive, and has to be requested well in advance.
Statutory rates set by Peraturan Pemerintah No. 36 Tahun 2024, in force since 30 October 2024. Checked 25 August 2026. Amounts are payable in rupiah; dollar figures are converted at Rp 17,900 and rounded. A rise in the foreign rate was under government review in April 2026 and had not taken effect.
Verification & Booking Notes
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Who This Suits
Right for you if you are already on Flores and heading west rather than flying home. This is the leg that turns a Komodo trip into a Nusa Tenggara crossing, and it lands you within a fast boat of the Gili Islands and a short flight of Bali.
Couples and small groups get the most from it. Both boats sell by the cabin as well as whole-boat, so a charter is not forced. Guest numbers matter more here than on a park loop: budget open-trip boats on this corridor run twenty to forty passengers, workable for three days around Labuan Bajo and less so across two nights of open water. The boats on this page carry between eight and fifteen.
Families work from roughly age eight, when a child can manage a snorkel mask in open water and the Padar climb. Photographers should note the westbound light: Padar in the evening, Kenawa at sunrise, and Sangeang from the deck in afternoon side light.
Less right if the whale sharks are the whole reason you are booking. Westbound they fall on Day 3 with nothing behind them, and a blank morning is a blank trip. Eastbound gives that stop a day of slack. Also less right if you need certainty of dates — this direction exists because a vessel is repositioning, so it appears on the calendar less predictably than the eastbound leg.
One thing to plan around: you finish at Kayangan Harbour in East Lombok, two to three hours by road from Senggigi, Mataram or Bangsal. Do not book a same-day flight out of Lombok airport without checking the transfer time first.
Cruise Areas
- Komodo
- Lombok
- Sumbawa
Activities
- Snorkeling
- Trekking
- Island Hopping
- Wildlife Watching
- Sunset Viewing
Location
East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia