Lombok to Komodo 2026-2027: Fly to Labuan Bajo or Sail?

Last updated: September 2026 · Prices & availability verified for the 2026/2027 season

The straightforward way from Lombok to Komodo is to fly to Labuan Bajo, for most travellers via Bali, and board a boat there. The four-day sea crossing spends two of its three nights on open water past Sumbawa for about one day inside the park. Our reservations desk gives that answer most days to guests already in Senggigi, Kuta Lombok or the Gilis. Komodo Luxury (Labuan Bajo, since 2015) keeps all four of its boats in Labuan Bajo, 30 minutes from the park waters, and does not sail the crossing. This page consolidates our earlier Lombok guides: the flight day, the plan if you are already in Lombok, what Labuan Bajo costs, and when the crossing still makes sense.

Is there a boat from Lombok to Komodo, or do we have to fly?

Both exist, and they are different trips. By air, Lombok (LOP) reaches Labuan Bajo (LBJ) through Bali (DPS); direct services appear in some seasons, so check the airline schedule for your date. By sea, a one-way 4D3N liveaboard crossing, sold as Lombok to Komodo or Lombok to Flores, sails from Kayangan Harbour in East Lombok along the north coast of Sumbawa, with two of its three nights under way. Komodo Luxury does not operate it. Every route ends at Labuan Bajo on Flores, the gateway to Komodo National Park; there is no road or bridge to Komodo Island.

The third route is the public ferry and bus chain through Sumbawa: Kayangan to Poto Tano by ferry, 8 to 10 hours by bus to Bima and Sape, then the once-daily morning ferry to Labuan Bajo, about 7 to 8 hours. Allow 24 to 36 hours. The operators set their own fares and timetables; we run no part of it.

From our reservations desk. Of 11,254 guest messages to our concierge desk (2025 to 2026), 419 touched the Lombok route, and 339 of them arrived in September 2026. Four questions sit behind them: a one-way trip from Lombok to Labuan Bajo (379 messages, 240 conversations); Lombok to Komodo, then fly out from Labuan Bajo (188 / 136); a boat from the Gili Islands to Komodo (45 / 36); we are in Lombok now, any cabin this week (16 / 15). This post answers them in that order.

Why do we tell Lombok guests to fly rather than sail?

Because of where the days go. The crossing runs the Alas Strait, the north coast of Sumbawa and the Sape Strait: about two full days and two nights on open water before the park, on the stretch where the weather is least predictable. The park itself gets about one day of a four-day crossing. From Labuan Bajo, the boat is inside park waters 30 minutes after leaving the harbour. Every night is spent at anchor in a sheltered bay, and a 3D2N departure gives three park days for the same holiday time.

We sold the crossing for one season, December 2025 to May 2026, and stopped; the trip logs are the basis for this advice, and the longer version is in Lombok to Komodo: boat or flight. All our vessels are based in Labuan Bajo for your safety and comfort. The whale-shark stop at Saleh Bay is the part of the crossing guests most often ask us to confirm, and no operator can confirm an animal; sightings are never promised. The Harbour Master regulates all sailing, so any itinerary is tentative and may change with sea conditions.

How do we get from Lombok to Labuan Bajo by air?

Fly Lombok (LOP) to Bali (DPS), a 30 to 40 minute hop with many departures a day, then Bali to Labuan Bajo (LBJ), scheduled at about 1 hour 20 minutes. A morning departure from Lombok reaches Labuan Bajo in the afternoon, and Komodo Airport is 10 to 15 minutes by road from the harbour. Fares are set by the airlines and change daily; check the airline for your date. Direct Lombok to Labuan Bajo services have appeared in some seasons and are not dependable year-round; confirm any on the airline’s own schedule, not a third-party listing. The Bali leg is covered in From Bali to Komodo Island.

• Morning departure from Lombok. A morning LOP to DPS flight and a midday DPS to LBJ flight land you in Labuan Bajo with time to check in.
• Connection at Ngurah Rai. Allow a generous buffer. On the Bali to Komodo door-to-door package, our Bali team walks you between flights and our Labuan Bajo team waits at the other end.
• Arrival at Komodo Airport. Our Labuan Bajo team arranges the airport pick-up and harbour transfer. Open-trip hotel pick-up runs 08:00 to 09:00 on departure day, so arrive the evening before.

We are already in Lombok or the Gilis. What is the plan?

The message we receive most often on this route: we are in Senggigi, or Gili Trawangan, or Kuta Lombok, and want to see Komodo this week. Here is the plan, in order.

1. Fix the boat date first, then the flights. Cabins, not sailings, run out. A Komodo open trip is a scheduled shared sailing of three days and two nights, sold per cabin, on a fixed Friday-to-Sunday or Monday-to-Wednesday rhythm. We check availability for your exact dates and confirm it in writing; a cabin can be held for 48 hours while you book flights.
2. Fly via Bali the day before. From the Gilis, take the morning public boat to Lombok and a car to the airport (third-party boats and cars, not booked by us). Arrive Thursday for a Friday sailing or Sunday for a Monday sailing, within the Labuan Bajo pick-up area. A same-day join works only if your last flight lands before the 08:00 to 09:00 pick-up; with a Bali connection, we do not advise it.
3. Choose a cabin on one of the four boats. Ayvara, Malca, Catnazse and Naturalia sail the same 3D2N itinerary through Padar, Pink Beach, the ranger-guided dragon walk and Manta Point. The table gives one cabin figure per boat; every cabin and rate is on the Komodo open trip share cabin page.
4. Send passport details for the park ticket. The ticket is set under PP 36/2024 as displayed by the Balai: IDR 250,000 per foreign visitor per day, IDR 50,000 per Indonesian visitor per day (IDR 75,000 on Sundays and public holidays). Our desk registers guests, pays the park and lists the park line separately on the invoice. Since 22 September 2026, entry is only on the date printed on the e-ticket; the quota is the park’s, confirmed at registration and never promised by any operator (see our park quota update of September 2026).
5. Fly out of Labuan Bajo at 14:00 or later. The boat docks between 11:00 and 12:00 on the last day; ask for the docking time in writing before you buy a same-day ticket. Our post on pickup and return times sets out the timings.

A concrete offer reads like this: Ayvara, Superior cabin, Friday departure, USD 450 per person for the 3D2N voyage, park charges quoted separately; fly in Thursday and we collect you at 08:00 on Friday. Solo travellers ask for the Malca Triple Room on a sharing basis; couples who want a balcony ask for the Ayvara Deluxe or Master cabins.

What does it cost to start from Labuan Bajo instead?

Two price bases, and the difference matters more than any single figure. The shared 3D2N cabin starts from USD 300 per person (Malca Triple Room shared by three, 2026 and 2027). A private charter is the whole boat for your group alone, priced per package by guest band, on dates you choose; we do not break it down by night. A guest band is the passenger range (for example 1 to 12) that sets one package price for the whole boat. The 3D2N package starts from USD 6,000 (Malca, 1 to 12 guests, 2026 and 2027). The 4D3N package, the closest match to a four-day plan from Lombok, starts from USD 9,000 on Malca and USD 9,300 on Ayvara (1 to 8 guests), unchanged for 2027; Catnazse from USD 10,600 (1 to 12 guests, 2026; USD 11,700 in 2027); Naturalia from USD 12,400 (1 to 8 guests, 2026; USD 12,800 in 2027). Full bands are on the whole-boat private charter page.

We are plain about the arithmetic: for a couple, a private charter works out higher per person than a shared cabin; for six or more, the package is shared across everyone on board. Rates are presented for review and are not a booking offer; terms are confirmed in your quotation, per the booking terms on your invoice and our T&C page. The desk holds a cabin or a boat for 48 hours, the deposit confirms it, and the balance is due on the balance date printed on your invoice. Most guests book about two months ahead.

With a single day, a private speedboat day trip from Labuan Bajo covers Padar, Pink Beach, the dragons and Manta Point. A day trip from Lombok and back in one day is not something we arrange: fly in, sleep in Labuan Bajo, sail, and fly out the next morning.

When does the Lombok crossing still make sense?

When the islands between Lombok and Flores are the point of the trip, not an obstacle on the way to it. Saleh Bay, Satonda’s crater lake, Kenawa’s hill and the Moyo area are not on any Labuan Bajo itinerary. It suits travellers with days to spend, flexible dates between April and October, a liking for long sea days over time at anchor, and a private boat rather than a shared departure. Two of the three nights are under way, so be honest with yourself about sleeping on a moving boat.

Our desk does not quote the crossing from a rate card or hold cabins on it; the boats that sail it are partner vessels, and their rates and dates are theirs. The same applies in reverse: guests asking for Labuan Bajo to Lombok by boat get the same advice, fly. If the crossing is still your choice, send your dates and we will say what is published, and pair it with a 3D2N Labuan Bajo departure afterwards.

Which months work for the Lombok to Komodo journey?

April to October brings the calmest seas and clearest water on both sides of Sumbawa; April, May, September and October pair good weather with fewer visitors at Padar and Pink Beach. Flights run year-round and are seldom disrupted by sea conditions. Open trips from Labuan Bajo sail every week of the year, with itineraries adjusted to conditions inside the park’s sheltered anchorages in the wetter months. December to March is the west monsoon, the windiest stretch on the open water past Sumbawa, and crossing departures stop for most of it; in those months, fly to Labuan Bajo and join a departure there. Plankton-rich water then lowers visibility for divers while improving the odds of mantas at Manta Point; sightings are never promised.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Should I take the boat from Lombok to Komodo or fly to Labuan Bajo?

Fly, for most travellers. Lombok to Bali takes 30 to 40 minutes and Bali to Labuan Bajo about 1 hour 20 minutes, so you board in Labuan Bajo the next morning and get three days inside the park on a 3D2N departure. The crossing gives about one park day for four days of travel. Sail only if the Sumbawa stopovers are the point.

Is there a boat from the Gili Islands to Komodo?

Not a direct one. From Gili Trawangan or Gili Air, take the morning public boat to Lombok and a car to Lombok airport, then fly to Bali and on to Labuan Bajo. Leaving the Gilis in the morning, you reach Labuan Bajo the same evening and board a Komodo boat the next morning; hotel pick-up runs 08:00 to 09:00.

Do you have a trip from Lombok to Labuan Bajo, one way?

Not on our own boats; all our vessels are based in Labuan Bajo for your safety and comfort. The one-way crossing is sailed by partner vessels on a seasonal calendar, and our desk does not quote it or hold cabins on it. Send your dates and we will say what is published, and offer a Labuan Bajo departure with a cabin and a USD figure.

Is the 4 day Lombok to Komodo boat trip worth it in 2027?

It is worth it if the Sumbawa stopovers are what you want and your dates are flexible between April and October. If your goal is Komodo itself, a flight plus a 3D2N departure from Labuan Bajo gives three park days instead of one. Shared cabins start from USD 300 per person on the 2027 rate card; park charges are separate.

Can we do Lombok to Komodo and fly out from Labuan Bajo?

Yes, and it is the plan we recommend. Fly Lombok to Labuan Bajo via Bali the day before your sailing, board in Labuan Bajo, and on the last day the boat docks between 11:00 and 12:00, so book a flight out at 14:00 or later. Ask the desk for the docking time in writing before you buy a same-day ticket.

Is the Komodo National Park ticket included in the trip price?

No. The park ticket is set under PP 36/2024 as displayed by the Balai: IDR 250,000 per foreign visitor per day, IDR 50,000 per Indonesian visitor per day (IDR 75,000 on Sundays and public holidays). Our desk registers guests, pays the park and lists the park line separately on the invoice. Since 22 September 2026, entry is only on the e-ticket date.

Sources and last reviewed

• Balai Taman Nasional Komodo, announcement PG.46/T.17/TU/KSA.04.01/B/09/2026 (quota distribution; entry on the e-ticket date), 22 September 2026, published on its official channels; no web copy found on the Balai or ministry sites as of 24 September 2026.
• Balai Taman Nasional Komodo, PNBP tariff table under Government Regulation 36/2024, tariff and carrying-capacity page, read 24 September 2026.
• Komodo Luxury open-trip rate cards 2026 and 2027 (verified 21 September 2026) and private-charter rate cards 2026 and 2027, Final Edition, 11 September 2026; checked 24 September 2026.
• Guest enquiries to our concierge desk (2025 to 2026): 11,254 messages, 1,189 conversations, counted 24 September 2026.
• Consolidated here: Lombok to Komodo: Boat or Flight? (2 September 2026) and How to Travel from Lombok to Komodo (17 February 2026).

Last reviewed 24 September 2026 by the Komodo Luxury Editorial Desk. Komodo Luxury is a specialist maritime brand under Juara Holding Group; charters are operated by PT Komodo Bahari Nusantara.

If you are in Lombok or the Gilis now, send your dates, guest count and where you are staying to the reservations desk on WhatsApp at +62 811 3823 875 or [email protected]. We check availability for your exact dates, confirm it in writing, and send the cabin or package figure with the flight timings that fit.

By the Komodo Luxury Editorial Desk, Labuan Bajo. Rate-card figures checked 24 September 2026.