How to Get from Bali to Komodo Island: 3 Ways

There are three ways to get from Bali to Komodo National Park:

✅     Plane + boat

✅     Luxury boat

✅     Public ferry

Flying is the most popular option to get from Bali to Komodo Island.

Remember, you cannot fly directly to Komodo National Park, which consists of three islands: Rinca, Komodo, and Padar.

Fly direct from Bali (Denpasar International Airport) to Flores Island (Komodo Labuan Bajo Airport).

Batik Air, Thai Lion Air (which is operated by Batik Air), and AirAsia are the main airlines that fly nonstop between these two islands.

Flight time is a quick 1 hr 10 min.

We flew Batik Air business class for a reasonable cost. The seats were spacious. The staff was courteous. A little snack was provided on the short ride.

Once you land in Flores, you have three options to get to Komodo Island:

✅     #1- Day trip boat

✅     #2- Liveaboard

✅     #3- Sebayur Island

We’ll review all three choices.

You can stay in Labuan Bajo on Flores Island and take a day trip from one of the many boat tour operators. It’s a long day (usually starts around 5:30 AM!), but you get to see the highlights.

NEVER book a day trip for the day you fly in. Flights can be canceled or delayed.

There are several highly rated Komodo Island day trips such as Bintang Komodo Tours if you are limited on time.

The 3 day/2 night liveaboard is a popular option for tourists.

Think of a liveaboard as a “floating hotel.” These floating hotels can be basic or luxurious.

Instead of going back and forth for day trips from Flores Island, you can book a multi-day Komodo Island boat tour that includes accommodation on the boat, all meals, and snorkeling gear.

The liveaboard takes you to all the popular spots in Komodo National Park. You spend the night out on the sea.

There have been some concerns about the safety of liveaboards in Indonesia. If you choose this route, consider these safety questions when selecting a liveaboard.

I am excited to share a third option, which I think is the best option!

Stay a few nights in a teak bungalow (with AC!) at the Komodo Resort & Diving Club on Sebayur Island, which is sandwiched between Flores Island and Komodo National Park.

You’ll still start your journey by flying from Bali to Komodo Labuan Bajo International Airport on Flores Island.

But instead of taking super long day trips from Flores every day, you’ll hop on a speedboat and head to Komodo Resort, your home base for the next few days.

From there, you can easily take shorter day trips to Komodo National Park’s incredible snorkeling sites and nearby islands.

Komodo Resort sits right at the park’s entrance, which seriously cuts down your travel time. Less boat time equals more time actually exploring. Win-win!

At the end of the day, return to the resort, relax, and maybe sip a cocktail. Or, if you’re like us, hop back in the water and snorkel right off the beach. The resort’s house reef is amazing.

Funny enough, we even noticed other tour operators bringing their guests over to our house reef. It’s that good!

Traveling to Komodo National Park this way was perfect. My husband and I got to experience all the top spots in the park, like…

✔️   Padar Island (epic view at the top!)

✔️   Pink Beach (yes, the beach really is pink!)

✔️   Komodo Dragons on Komodo Island (I felt like I was in Jurassic Park!)

✔️   Manta Point (unfortunately we didn’t see mantas since it wasn’t the season but we did see them later in the trip at Nusa Penida!)

Komodo Resort & Diving Club will arrange the trips, but they require a minimum number of guests unless you want to go private. Luckily, we had enough people since we went during high season.

Another trip we didn’t do but wish we had was a visit to Rinca and Kalong Island.

On this tour, you can see Komodo Dragons plus thousands of giant fruit bats merging from the trees at sunset.

Another transportation option is to book an intimate, small-group luxury ship that leaves Bali and stops at Moyo Island, Sumbawa, Komodo Island, Padar Island, Gili Lawa, Pink Beach, and Sabulon.

Not only do you get to visit the famous Komodo Dragons at Komodo National Park but also other neighboring islands!

Who offers this incredible bespoke guest experience?

Aqua Expeditions!

The company is known for pioneering luxury river cruises and has built a strong reputation in the field.

I first learned of Aqua Expeditions when we went to Machu Picchu years ago and were looking to explore the Amazon.

They do some pretty amazing cruises in hard-to-reach destinations such as Peru, Galapagos, and Vietnam.

One day I would love to book one of these experiences. Especially to Raja Ampat in Indonesia, which is still on our bucket list.

My husband and I are avid snorkelers, and Raja Ampat has some of the most PRISTINE reefs in the world.

If you decide to make the crazy 24-36 hour journey by public ferry, more power to you.

It’s grueling and might not be the safest. You basically island hop by ferry.

Ferry from Bali to Lombok, Lombok to Sumbawa, and Sumbawa to Flores (Labuan Bajo). Then take a day boat trip or liveaboard to Komodo as described earlier in this blog post.

There are also some buses involved once you land on these islands to get from one terminal to the next.

Yeah, we passed on this option, but I wanted to share it because it is possible.

I hope this guide helped to summarize the transportation options to get from Bali to Komodo Island.

A visit to Komodo National Park was a big bucket list item for us! And it’s worth all the effort to get there!

Strongly consider staying at Komodo Resort and make it your gateway to this little pocket of paradise.

REACH OUT, FOLLOW, OR SHARE THIS POST WITH A FRIEND!

Questions about our personal experience getting from Bali to Komodo Island?

Let me know in the comments below!