Once a small fishing village, Labuan Bajo (also spelled Labuhanbajo and Labuanbajo) in Flores is a bustling, yet somewhat dusty port town. It is the gateway to Komodo Island and its surrounding islands, and many come here to scuba dive the incredible reefs and visit Komodo National Park.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Labuan Bajo is the launching point for trips to Komodo Island and Rinca Island, home to the famous Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), the largest extant species of lizard, with the males growing to a length of 3 m (9.8 ft) and weighing up to 150 kg (330 lb). While Labuan Bajo draws plenty of tourists, it is nevertheless quite a small town that runs along one main road, making it easy to navigate. During 2020 and 2021, the Indonesian government put a lot of resources into Labuan Bajo to make the city attractive to tourists, including new footpaths and bicycle lanes. Nearby Seraya Island provides a great opportunity to do some diving and snorkeling, and every evening at Kalong Island thousa…
The town is quite small and can easily be traversed on foot (in 10-15 minutes). Ojeks (motorcycles) (Rp3,000-5,000) and bemos pass every 5 minutes if you get tired of walking. You will find at least to local rental business on the main street where you can rent a scooter for Rp100,000-160,000 per day (2024), you can also ask your hotel as some also rent scooters.
Caves, such as Batu Cermin Cave and Rangko Cave Surrounding beaches Kanawa Island, small island 10 km away from Labuan Bajo (about 1hr with a local boat or 10 min with speed boat) and located just at the borders of Komodo National Park. You will find a resort there.
Komodo National Park encompasses a lot of water and islands west of Labuanbajo. If you want to go to Rinca or Komodo islands, or dive in the park you will have to buy a 1-day park pass for US$15 during the weekdays or $18 at weekends. Money from such user fees is collected by the local government and is supposed to go into conservation efforts. Rinca Island (Indonesian: Rinca Kecil or Pulau Rinca) is a more convenient place to see Komodo Dragons than Komodo island.
Choose from a variety of Indonesian, Chinese, and Western restaurants on the main road. As a tourist place some cheating takes place: some restaurants add 10% "service tax" to the bill. Other restaurants refuse to give change less of than 1000 rupiah. Insist on exact change. 1 Fish market, Jl. Soekarno Hatta (Along the northeast part of the main road). Lots of food stalls along the harborfront in the evening. Fresh fish grilled to order. (updated Jun 2015) 2 Blue Corner, Jl. Simpang Pede (5 south of main harbor.). Local food. Very good mie goreng. Rp25,000 (Nov 2015). (updated Aug 2022) 3 Rumah Makan Garuda, Goron Talo, Komodo. (updated Aug 2022) 4 Bakso Jatimrejo, Goron Talo, Komodo.
Beer (Rp30,000 as of Nov 2018) and Arak is available from the supermarkets and some of the shops around town. You can get the local moonshine (Arak), however, it resembles paint thinner, and it's not unlikely that you will go blind if it is contaminated with methyl alcohol. Paradise Bar (10 min walk north from the centre of town). The only bar that is open until late and has a fantastic view of the sunset. Every Saturday (at least) there is live music till late night, though don't get high expectations about their taste in cover songs. Paradise also serves pretty decent food. The Lounge. The default place for a sundowner. Anker beer is the best-seller, (Rp27,000-25,000 + tax).
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Labuan Bajo typically sees ~30°C daytime highs and 8 rainy days.
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