Komodo Island Slow Boat Tour

(What to Expect on the Cheapest option)

Let me start by saying that the Komodo Islands are not a cheap place to be a tourist. There's been a steady increase in the cost of things for the last few years and this includes the famous 'Jumping off' point of Labuan Bajo. Although it isn't as cheap as its counter parts in Bali and Java, it was very close to being all the more unaffordable in 2022 when the government decided to increase the Komodo National Park entrance fee from 150,000 Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) to 3.75 MILLION IDR. That would mean just to visit the park you would be forking out $250 USD per person BEFORE you are paying for any tours or transport. I digress. Anybody trying to stick to a budget that's supposed to be strung across multiple years and multiple countries (Like this foolish author) you might have chosen the wrong island my friend. Never-the-less, we endure by finding the cheapest way to see Komodo Island. This guide will explain in detail everything that happened on our Komodo Island slow boat tour including how to book and a 'was it worth it' wrap up so you can see if it's the right fit for you.

Booking the tour..

After looking online at options to see the Komodo Island you are shown mostly the options that involve an overnight cruise (or two) these include both private and shared options but both were firmly beyond our budget. When we arrived in Labuan Bajo we went straight to the main Street in search of alternatives. Very quickly we found that there were in-fact, several alternatives. The road is lined with tourism offices all offering multiple night cruises, one-day speed boat tours and our favourite (AKA the cheapest option) the Komodo Island slow boat tour. We were greeted by a friendly attendant who took us through all the options before we agreed to the slow boat tour departing the following day. We paid him 600,000 Per person ($40 USD), he scribbled off a ticket and told us to meet back at the office tomorrow morning at 4:30!

Emily books the tour

The Journey Begins.. Waking at 4:10 to darkness and belting rain we made our way to the office where we stood outside with a handful of other tourists. Each trying to get as close to the wall as possible to avoid the rain. The tour operator arrived at 4:45 and lead us 2 minutes away to the Labuan Bajo harbour, where we met with the rest of the people on the tour. It's safe to say every tour office on the road was selling the same ticket on this boat. We shuffled on board and were greeting with some bananas, tea and coffee. Our guide spoke about what to expect for the day and we set off to Padar Island. He then collected our Komodo national park fee of 150,000 per person so that we didn't need to worry when we arrived on the island.

Boarding the boat

The first stop.. Three hours of rocky wave riding later, we approached the island and the weather improved slowly until the sun was out in full-force as we tied the boat to the dock. Hopping off, we followed the single path on the island which lead 800 steps to the summit. About half way up there was another guide who had run ahead and was taking everybody photo with the iconic 3 beach background. Thats the impressive photo that you see on instagram and facebook lots. We hiked on further, even passed the 'no entry' sign and reached the summit. Hot and sweaty we conceded that the extra steps where not really worth it so if you find yourself in a similar situation and your not sure about making it to the top, save yourself the effort and stop at the photo point! Sufficiently sweaty and regretting not applying more sunscreen we boarded the boat once more and set off to the Main event.

The island with 3 beaches

The Second Stop... This boat journey lasted about one hour as we all settled into the boat life. Arriving at Komodo Island we disembarked from the roof of the boat and walked down a long pier to the park entrance. Anticipation growing with every step. We had read that Komodo dragons are incredible in size and ferocity, they've even been responsible for killing people on this island, most recently a boy in 2007. We had visions of being dragged off into the jungle by a venomous monster never to be heard from again. The reality was starkly different. Once through the gates we were grouped together and taken on a tour into the jungle to find the dragons. We were still excited at this point and darting our eyes around into the trees. Ultimately, the jungle trek turned out to be a 200 meter walk on a well-worn path to a waterhole and an unused Komodo nest. Our guide on the island (Komodo park employee) was saying through the walk that 'we won't see any dragons on this walk' and 'None of them are out here' which took some shine off the experience. Then when we did a 180 turn and walked back out the way we came, we felt like it was a bit of a kick in the guts. This was not the adventure we had been pitched. Instead the guide lead us to the beach where there were 5 or so Dragons completely surrounded by tourists taking photos. There was no sense of danger or adventure it felt more like a zoo. To be honest it seemed like a bit of a cruel zoo for the dragons. We shuffled from dragon to dragon before be guided through the dozens of stalls selling Tourist knick knacks. We left the island defeated. Sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear but that's how it went. I have heard that sometimes you can arrive at the island when there are less tourists and it's a better experience but for us, it was our lowlight.

Komodo Dragon

The third stop... After feeling a bit down on our luck we boarded the boat and set off for our third stop. On the way we we're fed a piece of chicken, with some rice and cucumber. Our third stop was the (other) instagram famous spot of Pink Beach. This is one of 7 pink beaches in the world and this one gets its colour from red coral just off shore that have been smashed by the tide and mixed with the white sand. We arrived to one of the most gorgeous docks we had of the day where the water was either crystal clear of gatorade blue. The beach itself wasn't in high season so it didn't boggle the mind but the pink hue was cool to see and the beach itself was really nice. The only downside would be the forced walk through people trying to sell you the same things as on the first two islands, but that was short lived. After a snorkel (Which was included on the boat) we headed back to rebound for the part of the day I was most excited for.

Pink Beach

The fourth and final stop... Swimming with manta rays is one of those things I didn't know I wanted to do until I knew it was a possibility. then it instantly became something I NEEDED. The excitement was palpable as the boat slowed and half the crew were hanging off the sides scanning the water for these huge creatures. When we thought we had seen some deep deep down (They can swim at a depth of 300 meters!) we all through our snorkels on and jump off the front of the boat. As soon as my feet left the bow I hear another tourist yell. "JELLYFISH". When I resurfaced there were a others complaining of stinging and we realised we had jumped right into the middle of a Smack of Jellyfish. When we realised where we were everyone swam to the boat ladder and one by one climbed to safety. It took me a while to be stung but just before I started the climb I joined the ranks of the 'Just-been-stung-tourists' luckily the boat crew had a medicine and started giving people the tobacco from their cigarettes to rub on their stings. Still not sure if that works but we all blindly followed along. Now adrenaline and jellyfish sting was pumping through our veins we were still on the looking for the Mantas. But alas, we had to start our3 hour return journey back to port in order to beat a pretty vicious storm system that was closing in.

Was it worth it?... Final thoughts are difficult on this one. Yes, ultimately I think it was worth it because if you're spending the money to get to the island of Flores in Indonesia and you're not considering AT LEAST taking this cheap option to see the Komodos, you've probably wasted your money getting here. However, the tour could have been a lot better. The Komodo Island itself has sucked all sense of adventure from the experience and now it seemed almost completely designed as a photo opportunity and a way to sell things to tourists. The Manta rays were never guaranteed but that would have just tipped us over the edge to saying that no matter what, it's worth it. Unfortunately it left us with a little but of as our taste in our mouths. Maybe a speed boat tour or even overnight cruise would have fit the bill better, we'll never know! If you would like to see the full day in video form follow this link to our channel!