Labuan Bajo is a fishing town located at the western end of the large island of Flores in the East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia. It is the capital of the West Manggarai Regency, one of the eight regencies which are the major administrative divisions of Flores.
Komodo National Park encompasses a lot of water and islands west of Labuanbajo. If you want to go to Rinca or Komodo islands, or dive in the park you will have to buy a 1-day park pass for US$15 during the weekdays or $18 at weekends. Money from such user fees is collected by the local government and is supposed to go into conservation efforts.
Rinca Island (Indonesian: Rinca Kecil or Pulau Rinca) is a more convenient place to see Komodo Dragons than Komodo island. Some dive operators might be convinced to combine a stop at the island with a days diving - otherwise charters can be arranged, or walk along the main street of Labuan Bajo and some tour agencies may be advertising places on an existing charter. There are big dragons that are often right in front of the pier when people arrive. On arrival a guide will escort you to the park office where you will be relieved of a range of fees, then you can choose a 1- or 2-hour hike. Presumably if you had a pass from Komodo, you would be exempt from at least some of those fees.
Tours: A one-day tour covering Padar island viewpoint, Pink beach, Komodo island, and Manta point on a shared boat costs around Rp375,000 with an additional Rp350,000 in entrance fees. The 2-day/1-night option in addition to the above includes Rinca island and Kanawa island and on a shared boat costs around Rp700,000 with an additional approximately Rp500,000 in entrance fees (Nov 2019).
The tour boats will collect the entrance fee money upfront to supposedly save you the hassle, but end up pocketing most of the money without it going to the parks as intended. Either insist that that give you the tickets, or just pay the entrance fees at each stop yourself.
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-- Choose from a variety of Indonesian, Chinese, and Western restaurants on the main road. As a tourist place some cheating takes place: some restaurants add 10% "service tax" to the bill. Other restaurants refuse to give change less of than 1000 rupiah. Insist on exact change.
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Beer (Rp30,000 as of Nov 2018) and Arak is available from the supermarkets and some of the shops around town. You can get the local moonshine (Arak), however, it resembles paint thinner, and it's not unlikely that you will go blind if it is contaminated with methyl alcohol.
There are three ATMs in town which belong to the BNI bank and can deliver up to Rp2,500,000 per transaction in Rp100,000 or Rp50,000 notes, but also a few other banks and one money changer. There is a bad rate, so better change enough money before coming here.
Shops selling tourist trinkets, local fabric, and Komodo Dragon carvings are located in the center of town. Western products of varying quality are available in the toko or kiosk alongside the roads.
Consider taking a trip to the market early in the morning to purchase local coffee, spices, or just to look over a wealth of local produce and goods.
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There is plenty of accommodation to choose from in Labuanbajo. And with tourism growing exponentially, new places are springing up constantly. The cheapest places are the local homestays (Penginapan) near the ferry port. However, practice your Indonesian first.
As of December 2016 there are 17 hotels, just one 4-star and 6 3-star hotels. The infrastructure of the town is growing rapidly. Listed from north to south, here are some of the hotels. All places include breakfast, but to some breakfast merely translates into a cup of coffee. Ask first to avoid disappointment.
The main issue in Labuan Bajo is the lack of fresh water. Some hotels tap spring water at the hill through a very long pipeline. Other hotels collect fresh water from this source using a mobile tank. It seems like the hotels in the central town take advantage of this setup.
The town is quite small and can easily be traversed on foot (in 10-15 minutes). Ojeks (Rp3,000-5,000) and bemos pass every 5 minutes if you get tired of walking. You will find at least to local rental business on the main street where you can rent a scooter for Rp65,000 - 75,000/per day (as of December 2016), you can also ask your hotel as some of them also rent scooters.
Labuan Bajo is the launching point for trips to Komodo Island and Rinca Island, home to the famous Komodo dragons. While Labuan Bajo draws plenty of tourists, it is nevertheless quite a small town that runs along one main road, making it easy to navigate.
During 2020 and 2021, the Indonesian government put a lot of resources into Labuan Bajo to make the city attractive to tourists. New pathways were built for walking and bicycle lanes. Soon the Komodo airport will also receive international flights.
Nearby Seraya Island provides a great opportunity to do some diving and snorkeling, and every evening at Kalong Island thousands of flying fox bats put on an amazing display.
