Lombok to Flores boat trip: a deep dive into my experience
The Komodo National Park is one of those dreamy destinations that makes it onto every backpacker’s Indonesian bucket list, including mine. So when I saw that you could take a boat trip from Lombok to Flores via Komodo, I was very excited.
However, it was by no means a perfect experience. That’s why I wrote this article to share with you what my experience was like, to give you a better idea. It contains information on the route the boat took, what we ate, how it was like to sleep on the boat and more.
Why did I go on a boat trip from Lombok to Flores?
When I was planning my trip to Indonesia, the first stop in my four month backpacking trip through South-East Asia, I was keen to get in a trip to Komodo National Park. We all know this destination: this group of islands is incredibly famous and I knew I couldn’t visit Indonesia without coming here too.
The only way to visit Komodo is by boat. There are several options for this, such as a single-day trip from Labuan Bajo, the nearest town on the larger island of Flores, or a multi-day trip on a boat (known as a ‘liveaboard’), also from Labuan Bajo.
However, as I was visiting Lombok before heading to Komodo, the option I chose was to take a boat from Lombok to Labuan Bajo on Flores via Komodo National Park. There are a lot of benefits to this. I saw other destinations along the way; the price for the boat trip was very affordable; the boat mainly appealed to backpackers and had a great atmosphere; and I didn’t have to get a flight from Lombok to Labuan Bajo in order to visit the islands.
But that’s not to say there weren’t drawbacks – these backpacking boat trips are no-frill experiences! The sleeping conditions were poor, safety standards could be higher, and there were a few ethical issues with the experience. They’re all things that I had to weigh up to decide if the boat trip was worth it.
Why did I pick Wanua?
There are a range of operators offering boat trips from Lombok to Flores. I chose to travel with Wanua Adventures, mainly because I had been recommended them by a couple of backpackers I had met earlier in my trip. I’ve heard that not all the operators were so great, so having a recommendation helped me to make my decision.
That being said, there are some much fancier options for the trip, such as Komodo Luxury. So you don’t necessarily have to slum if you don’t want to.
Sleeping on the boat
The tour was on a sail boat, I’d estimate with a capacity of forty people, and every boat we saw doing the same trip was the same.
The boat has two classes of tickets. The cheapest option was the deck class, which the bulk of tourists on the trip took. In essence, on the second level of the boat, the whole back area was open and lined with mattresses. And by ‘mattress’, I mean more like a roll mat – these mattresses are thin!
On the boat I took, there were also four or five double cabins. I never went in one so I don’t know how nice they are, but due to the privacy on offer they have a higher price.
I’ll be brutally honest, sleeping on the boat was NOT easy. Despite being a sail boat, the engine is what’s powering us along, and it was loud and rumbling all the time. I didn’t anticipate how much the engine would affect my sleeping, on top of the movement of the boat. The mattresses and pillows were thin and cramped. Privacy on the deck was just not a thing too, so that made things like changing difficult.
Plus, the mattresses (and boat in general) were a bit dirty. I am by no means a neat freak, so this is telling you something.
Meals on the boat
The food on the boat trip was generally okay. If you’ve ever been on a tour in South East Asia you’ll be well-acquainted with the typical tour buffet options, and this was no different. Every meal was a buffet with Indonesian staples such as rice, cabbage, chicken, noodles and salad vegetables. The menu was really similar every day, so I’ve no doubt the staff on board are fed up of the exact same dishes, but it was fine for a few days.
The biggest problem for me was that, with it being a buffet with forty people, often you’d get food and there would be none of some of the dishes left, in particular the fruit, and sometimes not enough cutlery. This was not so fun. Again, though, you can deal for four days.
The route: what we did and saw
The only option for a trip between Lombok and Flores is a four day, three night trip. The things you do and see are fairly standard regardless of which operator you go with.
The itinerary from Lombok to Flores of the boat we took was:
- Day 1: we boarded the boat and began sailing, with sunset at Kenawa Island
- Day 2: we stopped at sunrise at Saleh Bay to swim with whale sharks, then sailed for the rest of the day
- Day 3: we arrived at Komodo National Park, with trips to Komodo island, pink beach and Padar island
- Day 4: we went snorkelling and had a stop at another island, arriving at Labuan Bajo in the afternoon
This is by no means the only route for the trip; other boat tours likely make slightly different stops. Even with Wanua, the route if you head out from Labuan Bajo in the other direction is quite different, with slightly different island stops.
Read on for more about my experience, day-by-day!
Day 1: leaving Lombok
My sister, Lou, and I were picked up at 8:30 am from our guesthouse in Senggigi. A minibus took us to the Wanua office in Bangsal.
At the office, we paid for the trip and ate some breakfast. On a side note, we were given a free tote bag and water bottle – well, I won’t say no!
At around 10:30 am, everyone got onto minibuses to head to the port on the other side of Lombok. We arrived at 1:30 pm and got on the boat, Sea Saudara, picking our mattresses on the deck.
The boat set off, and lunch and getting to know the others on the boat ensued.
Sunset at Kenawa Island
At around 4 pm, we docked outside an island and were shuttled across in a little speedboat. Kenawa Island was gorgeous, with just a few built structures, featuring a long sandy beach and one hill in the distance. We were the only people on this island, which gave it a tranquil feel, perfect for swimming in the cool ocean.
After a little while, all the backpackers on my boat headed up the hill for sunset; clearly this is a thing, because I remember seeing a sign calling it ‘Sunset Point’. From the top of the hill, I could see across to Sumbawa – the big island between Lombok and Flores that we hugged for most of our journey. It was very dreamy!
By 6:30 pm, everyone was back on the boat, and it headed off to continue its journey. Time for dinner and chilling.
Day 2: whale sharks
I woke up at 6 am the next day, very confused. Almost everyone was out of their mattress, and I completely missed it. We were already at the place to see whale sharks.
The whole whale shark experience was an interesting one. Here was a feeding station, with fishermen lobbing food into the water and five or so whale sharks coming to eat it up. There were a bunch of boats, not just us, here to watch and experience it all; so there were plenty of people in the water already. I grabbed a mask and snorkel and got in.
The whale sharks didn’t seem to care about our presence, moving through the water with the anticipation that their obstacles (us) would move. A whale shark surfacing from beneath me took me by surprise several times!
It was chaotic in the water though, with way too many snorkellers in too small of a space. And of course, because food was being thrown into the water, it was dirty. I didn’t stay too long, instead watching from the boat.
Chilling on the boat
A little after 7 am, the boat departed from the whale shark feeding station and travelled across the ocean for most of the day. This meant that most backpackers chilled, sunbathing and playing cards or other games for much of the time. There was a top deck which was mostly used, and also one at the front.
After lunch, we stopped for a swim just at a random spot in the ocean. You could jump in from the top deck – a drop of around 7 m. Honestly, all these backpackers were so brave!
The rest of the afternoon was spent back on the boat, chilling. We watched the sunset, at dinner, and chilled some more.
An exciting moment came just before 8 pm, when we ‘saw’ dolphins. (It was pretty dark at this point, so you could see the odd silhouette jumping through the waves and splashing, but there wasn’t much else to see.) Then, an early bedtime.
Day 3: Komodo National Park
The next morning, the boat docked at Komodo Island. At around 8 am, everyone got off the jetty onto the island, ready to see some Komodo dragons!
Two rangers gave us a quick induction, then took us on an hour’s walk on the island to go spot some dragons. Honestly, I know you can’t move a Komodo dragon, but this had to be the most inauthentic way of spotting them ever. We were taken along a tourist dirt path to spot two dragons which were conveniently sleeping beside the path! All in all, I felt slightly underwhelmed, although I was still excited to have seen them (especially in a fairly safe environment).
At around 10 am, we set sail for our next destination of the day: Pink Beach. There are several beaches with pink sand in Komodo National Park, so I’m not sure which one I visited. This beach had sand with a gentle pink hue, which comes from red coral fragments mixing in with your typical sandy grains.
At Pink Beach, everyone chilled on the sand or went snorkelling. I did a mix of both activities. On the whole I thought it was a great place to relax for a few hours.
Sunset at Padar Island
Just before 2 pm, we headed back onto the boat to go to our next destination. It was a little weird to be honest because we docked at Padar Island at 3:30 pm, but we couldn’t go onto the island until 4:30 pm; I don’t know why we just didn’t spend the spare time at Pink Beach. But anyway, I’m not bitter.
Finally, the little boat takes us across to Padar Island, and we hike up it… a long way, until we reach a viewpoint. There are probably 150 people up there, so it’s a little gathering.
Padar Island is possibly one of the most stunning views I’ve ever seen, and a little contradictory in how it’s built, with three bays. How three bays managed to get into one view, I’ll never know! But anyway it was a beautiful landscape and a beautiful sunset.
After sunset, everyone returned to the boat and spent most of the evening chilling.
Day 4: final morning
On the final morning, after breakfast, the boat docked in the ocean for everyone to go snorkelling. The area was nice, with some developed coral sections, and I saw a sea snake and turtles. I was slightly annoyed because there weren’t enough snorkels for everyone, which made the organisation difficult.
At around 9:30 am, the boat headed to the next stop, a journey of around one hour. We arrived at Kelor Island, a very small island off the side of Flores. There was one sandy beach with bar on its southern side, with a larger hill behind.
Whilst at the beach, Lou and I went snorkelling; we were told that this area had ‘baby sharks’, and I did see a few small sharks whilst I was there. I also climbed the hill for pretty views.
At around 1 pm, all the backpackers were shuttled back to the big boat and had lunch. The boat then headed to the port at Labuan Bajo, arriving at 2:30 pm. It was quite stressful actually getting out of the boat as we had to climb across three boats forming a row to get out, which I struggled with alongside my backpack.
And then we were free to go!
What did I think to taking a boat from Lombok to Flores?
On the whole, I really enjoyed the boat trip from Lombok to Flores. Some parts of it were excellent. For example, the value of the trip was great. Entrance fees into the Komodo National Park are high, so getting to see all this – with entrance fees included – was great. and I couldn’t fault the energy of the boat; it was easy to make friends, and everyone was sociable, easy-going and amiable.
Some things weren’t quite as good. The sleeping arrangements left a lot to be desired; the food was okay but often ran out of core dishes; and sometimes the organisation wasn’t where you’d think it would be. Everything was fine for the price, and for a few days I could deal, but if the trip were much more expensive or longer I think opinions would split.
I also wasn’t convinced about the safety standards. Indonesian tourist boats are not known for their impressive safety standards; one boat doing Lombok to Flores route sank in 2014, and I was never really convinced that safety standards were high enough to deal with an emergency like this should it occur.
And of course, there is a box of snacks full of the whale sharks at Saleh Bay. Is it ethical to feed and swim with whale sharks like this? I’ll have to say that, being there, it didn’t feel particularly great. It is hard to avoid on this route though.
Conclusion
I liked taking a four day boat trip from Lombok to Flores, via Komodo National Park. Whilst there were lots of bad aspects, I enjoyed exploring the islands and seeing places I’d never otherwise reach with a group of likeminded people.
However, next time, if I were travelling on a larger budget, I would probably visit Komodo on a day or overnight trip from Labuan Bajo, where standards are higher.
Do you have any questions about travelling by boat from Lombok to Flores? Let me know in the comments.
How to organise it yourself
There are various tour operators with boats doing the trip from Lombok to Flores. We booked with Wanua Adventure, which is an option tailored heavily towards backpacking.
At Wanua, the cost is IDR 3,500,000 ($215 / £160) per person for deck class and IDR 4,000,000 ($245 / £180) per person for cabin class, which is about the same price for all similar boat trips. Don’t forget to budget for extras such as snacks, drinks and fin hire.
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