Indonesia: Labuan Bajo Circuit through Komodo National Park

Leave Labuan Bajo for Kelor Island, beginning with a short passage that allows guests to ease into the charter. Go ashore for a short hike or spend time swimming and snorkeling before continuing farther into the island group during the afternoon.

Later, cruise toward Kalong Island and take up an appropriate position for sunset. The island is known for the large numbers of flying foxes that leave the mangroves around dusk, making it a natural overnight stop before moving deeper into Komodo National Park. This Labuan Bajo–Kelor–Kalong sequence is commonly used on official sample liveaboard routes.

Cruise toward Rinca Island in the morning for a ranger-led visit ashore. Komodo dragon encounters inside the national park are controlled activities, so landing times and walking routes should be coordinated with park staff rather than treated as independent shore excursions.

After the visit, continue toward Padar Island and settle nearby for the evening. This positions the yacht for a late-afternoon or early-morning hike, when guests can climb to the island’s well-known viewpoint over its curved bays and surrounding channels.

Depart Padar and cruise toward Komodo Island for another guided wildlife visit within the national park. The short passage keeps the schedule flexible around ranger appointments and avoids combining a major wildlife excursion with a lengthy cruising day.

Continue afterward to Pink Beach, where guests can swim or snorkel from an approved position before returning aboard. The proximity of Komodo Island and Pink Beach makes them practical to pair on the same day without creating unnecessary mileage between activities.

Cruise northeast toward Taka Makassar, a low sandbank surrounded by shallow water. The stop is best approached according to tide and local conditions, with the tender used where appropriate rather than taking the yacht into water that is too shallow.

Continue to the Manta Point area for snorkeling or diving when current, visibility and guide assessment are suitable. Currents in this part of the park can be strong, so water activities should remain dependent on the crew and local guide rather than following a fixed timetable. Indonesia Tourism specifically notes that activities around Manta Point must account for open-water conditions and guide instructions.

Begin working back toward Flores through the islands east of the national park. Stop around Sebayur for snorkeling, diving or a slower morning aboard, using the shorter passage to give guests more time in the water after several days of shore excursions.

Continue later toward Kanawa Island for the final night away from Labuan Bajo. This places the yacht close enough to the mainland for an easy return the next day while still preserving the feeling of an island anchorage on the final evening.

Spend the final morning around Kanawa before beginning the short return passage toward Labuan Bajo. With little distance left to cover, the yacht can allow time for breakfast at anchor or a final swim before heading back toward Flores.

Arrive in Labuan Bajo for disembarkation, completing a roughly 60-NM circuit through the main Komodo cruising grounds. The itinerary remains intentionally compact so that wildlife visits, hikes and water activities receive more time than long transfers between distant islands.