Komodo

Kalong Island is a small island near Rinca. This five-hectare island is surrounded by mangroves and is home to millions of flying foxes. With Komodo's spectacular sunsets as a backdrop, watch as the sky momentarily disappears under the sheer number of bats rising into the sky to feed for the evening. We visit Kalong Island on our liveaboard, Bajo Baji.

For stunning 360 degree views and iconic photos, hike to the top of Padar island. Many local boats offer day trips from Labuan Bajo visiting this must-see island. The trip is generally about 2.5 hours from Labuan Bajo and make sure to bring some sturdy shoes as the trek is quite steep. We offer Padar visits on our liveaboard, Bajo Baji.

Pink Beach, or Pantai Merah, is one of just seven pink beaches in the world. This romantic looking beach gets its colour from the local red coral that grows in Komodo's incredible underwater environment. When the tiny fragments of red coral combine with the white sands, this produces the soft pink color that is visible along the shoreline. We offer trips to Pink Beach on our liveaboard, Bajo Baji.

We can't really say we're not biased, but Komodo's reefs really are the most incredible thing about Komodo National Park. With high-speed currents and gentle drift dives; colourful walls with monumental boulders and endless valleys of coral gardens; seamounts and alien lunar-like seascapes; Komodo boasts it all. Find out for yourself why Komodo is regularly rated one of the top places in the world to dive.

Komodo Dragons are the largest monitor lizard on Earth, and can grow up to 3 meters in length and weigh up to 200 pounds. You might expect them to be slow, but they have been clocked at upwards of 15 km per hour.

While Labuan Bajo is a fairly small town, you'll find most of the town's dive staff generally congregate around Blue Marlin's large tables for evening drinks and banter. Taco Tuesdays are popular at Bajo Taco, Le Pirate offers occasional movie nights and Saturday nights are when the entire town heads to Paradise Bar for live music and dancing.

Labuan Bajo offers multiple standards of accommodation. Blue Marlin's resort features options for different kinds of budgets: deluxe rooms or our dorm. Both rooms types at the resort offer a modern and clean option in downtown Labuan Bajo and are equipped with air conditioning. Other options we recommend are Green Hill Boutique and La Prima.

Getting around is simple; ojeks (motorcycle taxis: IDR 3.000-5.000) and bemos (shared taxi-cabs) pass every 5 minutes if you get tired of walking. You can also rent a motorcycle for around IDR 75.000 per day. Most hotels that are not within walking distance of town generally offer a complimentary shuttle.

Blue Marlin's popular restaurant is open from breakfast through dinner, serving up a combination of Mexican and Western cuisine along with the best sunset views in town. Labuan Bajo, once a sleepy town, now offers a wide selection of dining options with popular restaurants featuring Indonesian, Italian, Greek, Japanese, Tex-Mex and seafood. There is also a bustling night market with great seafood and other local dishes that's perfect for those on a budget.