Five days
Five Days Is Where Komodo Stops Feeling Rushed
The extra two nights buy the northern anchorages, real diving time, and at least one day with no transit in it. It is the length most guests choose, and the one crews recommend when asked honestly.
- 5 days
- Four nights aboard
- Gili Lawa
- Northern anchorages reached
- 1 day
- With no transit in it
- Apr – Oct
- Best conditions
Quick answer
Five days covers everything the three-day route does, then adds the northern anchorages around Gili Lawa, secluded western coves, and enough dive time that carrying gear makes sense.
- Four nights aboard, and one full day without a passage in it.
- Water sits around 27–29 °C through the season, so exposure suits are optional.
- Park entry and any dive permits are charged per guest and confirmed before departure.
Day by day
Four Nights, and Where They Are Spent
The captain sets the running order on the morning against tide, current and the park’s own scheduling.
01 Day
Labuan Bajo & first anchorage
Embarkation
Morning
Board at Labuan Bajo, brief with the captain and crew, then run out through the karst islands. The first hours are deliberately slow — it is the only part of the trip with nothing scheduled in it.
Afternoon & evening
First swim from the deck at a sheltered anchorage, sunset from the upper deck, dinner aboard. Nobody dives on day one.
02 Day
Rinca & Pink Beach
Short hops
Morning
Loh Buaya on Rinca on foot with a park ranger — mandatory ashore. Savannah, monitor lizards, and the buffalo and deer they hunt.
Afternoon & evening
On to Pink Beach, where the sand takes its colour from crushed red coral and the reef starts a few metres out. Snorkel, kayak, or take the tender.
03 Day
Padar & manta water
Early start
Morning
Up before light for the Padar ridge — the three-bay view, and the reason to be first ashore rather than tenth. Back aboard for breakfast under way.
Afternoon & evening
To the manta site while the current runs, because that is what the mantas are feeding on. Snorkel or dive by certification. Anchor for the night nearby.
04 Day
Gili Lawa & western coves
The quiet day
Morning
North to Gili Lawa. The hill walk at either end of the day is short and the view over the anchorage is the one people remember over Padar. Reef diving from the tender.
Afternoon & evening
West to the secluded coves, well away from the day-boat routes. Beach barbecue if the crew can land it, then stargazing at anchor — there is no light pollution out here.
05 Day
Return to Labuan Bajo
Back to port
Morning
A final dive or a long swim, then the sail in. The run past the karst on a clear morning is worth being on deck for.
Afternoon & evening
Disembark at Labuan Bajo, transfers arranged to your flight.
Park entry, ranger guide and dive permits are charged per guest. Current tariffs are confirmed before departure rather than published — they are revised, and the previous version of this page quoted a figure that contradicted the one on our own permits page.
What the extra days buy
Three, Five or Seven
The difference between the three lengths is not comfort, it is reach. Every extra night moves the vessel further from Labuan Bajo and into water the day boats do not work. Five days is the point at which the itinerary stops being a tour and starts being a passage.
- Three days The landmarks
- Rinca, Padar, Pink Beach and one manta site. A first visit, or a short window.
- Five days + northern anchorages
- Gili Lawa, western coves, and real dive time. The usual choice.
- Seven days + the outer sites
- Crystal Rock, Castle Rock, Taka Makassar, Horseshoe Bay. For divers.
Also in this silo
Plan the Rest of It
Availability
Ask Which Vessels Are Free
Five-day windows are the ones that book first. Tell us your dates and guest count and we come back with what is genuinely available, and the park fees for that week.
Or call +62 811-3941-4563
- Current park and dive permit fees confirmed before departure
- Running order set by the captain on the day
- Transfers arranged to your flight