Last updated: September 2026 · Prices & availability verified for the 2026/2027 season
Last updated: September 19, 2026
You are on Gili Trawangan, Gili Air or Gili Meno and Komodo is next. Our reservations desk answers this on WhatsApp most weeks; the useful answer is a plan with a departure day: how to reach Labuan Bajo in one travel day, what you book once there, and what the four-day crossing sold on Lombok really involves.
Quick answer: From the Gilis, take a morning boat to Bangsal, drive to Lombok International Airport and fly to Labuan Bajo (direct on selected days, otherwise via Bali). Sleep one night in town, then board a 3D2N shared Komodo departure the next morning for three full days inside the national park. The four-day sea crossing from Lombok runs seasonally and spends about two days on open water.
Puntos clave
- From Gili Trawangan, Gili Air or Gili Meno, reaching Labuan Bajo in one day means a morning boat to Bangsal, a road transfer to Lombok International Airport, then a flight to Labuan Bajo, direct on most days or via Bali as a fallback.
- Direct Lombok–Labuan Bajo flights run daily across several airlines, with roughly 20 weekly departures; flight time is about 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Arrive in Labuan Bajo the day before your shared 3D2N Komodo departure, since shared boats sail on a fixed schedule (Friday or Monday, depending on the boat).
- The alternative is a 4D3N sea crossing from Lombok, which spends about two days on open water for roughly one day inside Komodo National Park, it only runs seasonally, typically from mid-April.
- For most travelers on a fixed schedule, flying plus a 3D2N shared departure gives three full days in the park with a cabin confirmed in advance; the sea crossing suits only flexible, weather-tolerant travelers.
Step by step: Gili Trawangan or Gili Air to Labuan Bajo in one day
Three legs, one rule: start early. Every departure we sell is based in Labuan Bajo for your safety and comfort, so fix the boat first and work backwards.
Gili to Bangsal harbour
Public boats from the three Gilis reach Bangsal on Lombok in about 30 to 45 minutes; a chartered speedboat takes about 15 to 20. Take a morning crossing and leave a buffer; sea conditions can delay the public boat in the wetter months. Fares change by season and operator, so we do not print them.
Bangsal to Lombok International Airport (LOP)
The road south to the airport takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. Allow three hours door to door from the Gili jetty to check-in, which puts you on a midday flight after an 08:00 boat. A combined boat-and-car transfer through your Gili hotel avoids the Bangsal handover, where plans most often lose an hour.
Lombok to Labuan Bajo by air
Direct flights from Lombok to Labuan Bajo run daily, mainly on Wings Air, with about 20 direct flights a week across carriers including Wings Air, Super Air Jet, Citilink, TransNusa and Indonesia AirAsia; flight time is around 1 hour 15 minutes. Schedules and specific airlines shift by season, so check the timetable for your date (see our note on direct flights from Lombok to Komodo). If a direct flight isn’t available on your date, the fallback is via Bali: a hop of roughly 30 to 40 minutes, then about 1 hour 20 minutes in the air to Labuan Bajo, arriving by afternoon. We do not quote airline fares. Connections through Surabaya exist too, usually longer.
Prefer not to manage the Bali connection? Our Bali team handles the transfer between flights within the Bali to Komodo package, and our Labuan Bajo team meets you at Komodo Airport.
Arrive the day before you sail
Shared 3D2N departures leave Labuan Bajo on a fixed pattern: Friday to Sunday, and Monday to Wednesday on selected boats (open-trip page schedule, checked 12 September 2026); the desk confirms which boats sail your date. So arrive Thursday for a Friday departure, or Sunday for a Monday one. Hotel pickup is between 08:00 and 09:00, the boat sails at about 10:00, and 30 minutes after the harbour you are inside Komodo National Park. Landing the same morning risks the trip on one delayed flight; one night in Labuan Bajo is the safer sequence. Starting in Lombok proper? See from Lombok to Komodo Island.
What you actually book from Labuan Bajo: a 3D2N shared departure and a cabin type
The product that fits a Gili itinerary is the Komodo open trip 3D2N share cabin: Padar, Pink Beach, Komodo Island, Manta Point and Taka Makassar, two nights at anchor in sheltered bays, sailed under the Harbour Master’s instructions so stops can shift with conditions. Komodo Island is reached by boat from Labuan Bajo (see can you go without a tour); with a single day, the speedboat day trip covers Padar, Pink Beach and the dragons.
Shared cabin or private cabin
Every cabin is air-conditioned and ensuite. A shared cabin is one bed, shared with another traveller; a private cabin means you book every bed in it, so a solo traveller who wants privacy pays the per-person rate twice. The rate includes the cabin, all meals, water, tea and coffee, snorkelling gear, the guide, every stop, and pickup and drop-off in Labuan Bajo. Not included: flights, your hotel night, crew tips, and Komodo National Park fees, quoted separately and subject to prevailing government regulation. Current per-person rates per voyage are on the open-trip page; the trade-offs are in shared cabin vs private cabin.
Which boats sail this schedule and how to choose
The boats on the shared schedule are listed on the open-trip page (checked 12 September 2026): Ayvara Cruises, Malca Voyages, Catnazse Liveaboard and Naturalia Cruise, plus Elbark, Neptune, Yumana, Mosalaki and Vinca, partner yachts booked through our reservations desk. Choose by departure day (weekday sailings on selected boats), cabin category and whether you want a dive-oriented boat; we check availability for your exact dates and confirm in writing.
Travelling for comfort, honeymoon or 50 plus: take the boat privately
If the words for your trip are comfort, honeymoon or no backpackers, a shared boat is the wrong product and the crossing even more so. Book a private charter from Labuan Bajo; 4D3N suits most couples. As a reference, the 2026 B2C private charter rate card lists Malca Voyages at USD 9,000 per package for a private 4D3N charter, 1 to 12 guests (Final Edition 11 September 2026, R04; checked 12 September 2026). Rates are presented for review and are not a booking offer; itinerary, services, taxes, payment and cancellation terms are confirmed in the individual quotation, and 2027 sailings are quoted from the 2027 edition.
The sea crossing from Lombok to Labuan Bajo: what it really involves
Route and time at sea
Agents on the Gilis and Lombok sell a four-day, three-night crossing that boards at Kayangan harbour on Lombok after a road pickup from Kuta or Senggigi, calls at Kenawa, Saleh Bay, Moyo and Satonda off Sumbawa, and ends at Labuan Bajo after a day inside the park. The honest arithmetic: about two days and two nights on open water across the Alas Strait, north Sumbawa and the Sape Strait, for roughly one day among the islands you came for. December to March, the west monsoon, is the windiest time on that water; where the crossing is offered it typically runs from about mid-April, and not every season or operator offers it. We base the boats we sell in Labuan Bajo so your days are spent inside the park, not getting there.
Who the crossing still suits
Guests with flexible April to October dates who enjoy sea days and the Sumbawa stops for their own sake, ideally on a private boat so the itinerary bends to the weather. If that is you, the Lombok to Komodo sailing package page describes the route and cabins, and our comparison Lombok to Komodo: boat or flight goes deeper. Departures are seasonal and confirmed per date; ask the desk before building a holiday around one. Comparing the two islands as destinations? See Komodo Island vs Lombok.
Side by side: same day by air or the four-day crossing
| Pregunta | Fly, then 3D2N from Labuan Bajo | 4D3N sea crossing from Lombok |
|---|---|---|
| Travel time | One day | Four days, about two on open water |
| Days inside the park | Three full days | Roughly one, at the end |
| Departure days | Friday and Monday (weekday on selected boats) | Seasonal, typically from mid-April |
| Cabin certainty | Confirmed in writing before you leave | Few vessels; confirmed per date |
| Weather exposure | Short hops between islands | Alas Strait, north Sumbawa, Sape Strait |
| Who it suits | Most guests; fixed dates or a week or less | Flexible April to October dates |
How booking works from the Gilis
- Send the desk your dates, party size and cabin preference; we check availability for your exact dates and confirm in writing.
- A cabin can be held for 2 x 24 hours while you complete the reservation form; do not transfer before the hold is confirmed.
- Deposit, as published in our payment policy: 50 percent secures the booking and the balance is due no later than 30 days before departure; charters booked a year ahead pay 30 percent, a further 20 percent 120 days before the trip and the balance 30 days before. The terms of the specific vessel apply to certain boats, payments are non-refundable under the cancellation policy, and children aged 3 and above pay the full rate.
- After full payment you receive the pre-departure form (pickup hotel, dietary needs, passport details for park registration); park fees are added to the invoice separately.
On the last day the boat docks between 11:00 and 12:00, so book onward flights at 14:00 or later. For the whole budget, see our estimated cost for travelling to Komodo Island.
Fly in Thursday for the Friday boat, or Sunday for the Monday boat?
That is the whole decision. Send us your dates, party size and cabin preference; the desk checks availability for your exact dates and confirms in writing. Cabin categories and current rates are on the Komodo open trip 3D2N share cabin page; more boats and routes sit under Komodo island tour and Komodo boat tour; if routing through Bali first, start with Komodo tour from Bali.
Preguntas frecuentes
Written by the Komodo Luxury reservations desk in Labuan Bajo. Our Komodo sailing packages depart from Labuan Bajo.
