Komodo National Park

On Komodo Island at Loh Liang and on Rinca Island at Loh Buaya, both with ranger stations and marked trekking routes. Sightings are reliable at both year-round, and Rinca is the more common stop on day trips because it is closer to Labuan Bajo. Padar has none — its dragon population died out decades ago after the deer they preyed on were hunted off the island.

A single long day trip covers the central highlights — a viewpoint, a dragon trek, a pink beach and a manta stop. Three days lets you sleep in the park, which is what unlocks sunrise and sunset windows without the day fleet. Four days is where the northern dive sites start to fit. The southern zone realistically needs five or more, and it is still weather-dependent.

It depends on which reputation you came for, and the two disagree. April to November is the dry season: calmer seas, better visibility, brown savannah. December to April brings plankton blooms that draw the biggest manta aggregations but cut underwater visibility and roughen the crossings. The grass is green in the tail of the wet season and bone-dry by August. There is no month that maximises everything.

Sometimes, but never assume it. Ask the operator to separate the boat fare from the SiOra total before issuance. Statutory entrance is charged per person, per day. Diving, vessel entry and special-use permits are separate where applicable. Any site, ranger or guiding-service line should be identified by the operator rather than presented as part of the statutory entrance rate. The verified table and source date appear in What the Park Costs on this page.

Not practically. There is no ferry service and no accommodation inside the park, so every visit is by chartered or shared boat out of Labuan Bajo. The realistic options are a shared speedboat day trip, a private charter, or a liveaboard. Independent travel to the islands is not a route that exists here.

In the central zone, yes — Karang Makassar and the sites around it are shallow and dived by newly certified divers routinely. The north and south are a different park: strong, shifting current and sites that expect experience rather than a certification level. Comfort in moving water matters more here than the card in your wallet, and any operator that tells you otherwise is selling rather than briefing.

SiOra availability depends on the date and registered itinerary. A 1,000-visitor daily quota has applied since 1 April 2026 to the main visitor islands and 23 dive sites, so reserve before travel; Ministry guidance recommends H-1. An operator can assist, and self-service is available at the Komodo Visitor Center and KP3 terminal. Keep the e-ticket and ask the handling operator to confirm the current change and weather-disruption terms before issuance.

You get rerouted, not refunded. That is the norm here and it is worth understanding before you book rather than at six in the morning on a jetty.

The southern zone goes first. It is the most exposed water in the park and the first thing an operator drops when the forecast turns, usually swapped for additional central-zone stops. Northern crossings go next. The central zone runs in almost all conditions, which is part of why nearly every standard itinerary lives there.

Whether any money comes back depends entirely on the operator's terms, and most treat weather as force majeure — meaning the trip ran, just not where the brochure said. Ask what the substitution policy is before you pay, and ask it as a specific question rather than a general one.

The real protection is not a clause. It is a spare day in Labuan Bajo. A cancelled crossing costs a day, and travellers who planned zero slack are the ones who lose the trip rather than the stop.

One last thing worth knowing: crossings are called by the operator, and sometimes by the harbour master. A boat that sails on a morning when others stay in port is not braver. It is making a different risk call with your day.