Padar Island three-bay viewpoint, Komodo National Park

Komodo 2D1N Open Trip

Labuan Bajo, Flores2 Days 1 NightAsik Original

An Asik Original, run by us

Planned and run end to end by the Asik team. You book and deal directly with us, start to finish.

Want a closer look at the boat before you book? Browse our Labuan Bajo boat tours, with the ships, decks, and cabins shown in detail.

Overview

One night on a wooden boat is enough to see the four things people come to Komodo for: Padar at sunrise, pink sand, dragons on their own island, and manta rays. It is the trip to take when you have flown in for a long weekend, or when a 3D2N does not fit around your flights.

Boarding is late morning, so you can land at Komodo Airport in the morning and sail the same day. The first afternoon is the gentle half, a warm-up snorkel and the sunset at Kalong. Day two starts at 04:30 and does not stop until the boat is back alongside in the middle of the afternoon.

Cabins are air conditioned, and on most of the boats private with their own bathroom. A couple of the standard vessels sell cabins with a shared bathroom at a lower rate, which is worth knowing before you compare prices. Which vessel you sail on depends on the date, and you can see every boat in the fleet before you decide.

Itinerary

Day 1

Board at Labuan Bajo, Kelor, Menjerite, bats at Kalong

A late-morning start, two easy snorkel stops, and the bat flight at dusk.

09:30
Pickup from your hotel in central Labuan Bajo, or from Komodo Airport if you land this morning. Bags go straight aboard, so a morning flight works.
11:00
Board at the harbour, take your cabin, and sit through the safety briefing on the sundeck while the crew clears the port. The boat sails as lunch is served.
12:30
Kelor Island. A short, steep twenty-minute climb up the ridge for the view back over the near islands, then a swim off the beach below.
14:30
Menjerite. Calm, shallow and sheltered, which makes it the stop where nervous snorkellers get comfortable before tomorrow's currents. Coral starts about five metres off the beach.
17:30
Anchor off Kalong Island. At dusk thousands of flying foxes lift off the mangroves and cross the channel to feed on Flores. It lasts about twenty minutes and it is worth putting the camera down for.
19:00
Dinner on deck at anchor, then the night on board. The boat stays in the cove, so the water is flat.

Day 2

Padar sunrise, Pink Beach, Komodo Island, Manta Point

The long day. Four of the park's headline stops before the boat turns for home.

04:30
Wake call and coffee. The tender runs to Padar in the dark so you are climbing before the light.
05:00
Padar Island. Around 45 minutes of steps and packed earth to the viewpoint over the three bays. Going up in the dark is deliberate: you get the ridge before the day boats arrive from Labuan Bajo.
07:30
Back aboard for breakfast while the boat repositions to Long Beach, the pink sand on the south side of Komodo. The colour comes from red organ-pipe coral ground into the white sand, and it reads pinkest at the waterline. Snorkel straight off the beach.
10:00
Komodo Village. A park ranger walks the group through dragon territory on a set loop, one ranger to five visitors. Dragons are wild here and the ranger sets the pace, so this is not a photo stop you control.
12:30
Lunch under way to Taka Makassar, a crescent of sand that appears and disappears with the tide, sitting alone in the middle of the strait.
13:30
Manta Point at Karang Makassar. A drift snorkel along the cleaning station where reef mantas queue up. Sightings are seasonal and never promised, but this is where they are.
15:00
Alongside at Labuan Bajo. Transfer to your hotel or to the airport. Book an afternoon flight no earlier than 17:30 to give the harbour a margin.

What's included

Air-conditioned cabin, ensuite on most vessels
Airport or hotel transfers within central Labuan Bajo
All meals on board, plus fruit and afternoon snacks
Free-flow drinking water, coffee and tea
Snorkelling gear, mask, fins and life vest
English-speaking guide and onboard photographer
Harbour clearance and port fees
All excursions in the itinerary

Not included

Komodo National Park fees, collected by the boat, about IDR 600,000 per foreign visitor and IDR 200,000 for Indonesian citizens on a 2D1N
Drone permit, IDR 2,000,000 per unit per day, requested at least seven days ahead
Flights to and from Komodo Airport
Travel and medical insurance
Alcohol. You are welcome to bring your own, there is no corkage
Crew and guide tips
Hotel nights before or after the trip

Gallery

1 / 9 Full size

Good to know

Can I fly in on the morning of day 1?

Yes, and most people do. Boarding is at 11:00, so any flight landing before 10:00 works. We collect you from the terminal with your bags and drive straight to the harbour. If your flight is later, tell us and we will hold the departure where the schedule allows.

What time should I book my flight out on day 2?

The boat is alongside around 15:00 and the harbour is fifteen minutes from the airport. Anything from 17:30 is comfortable. We would not book a 16:00 flight, because a slow harbour queue would cost you the ticket.

Is 2D1N enough, or should I do the 3D2N?

2D1N covers Padar, Pink Beach, the dragons and Manta Point, which is what most people fly in for. The 3D2N adds Gili Lawa, Taka Makassar at leisure and a second dragon site, and it gives you an afternoon where nothing is scheduled. If you have the day, take it. If you do not, you are not missing a headline stop.

How fit do I need to be for Padar?

It is about 45 minutes up steps and compacted earth, with handrails on the steep sections. There is no scrambling. Anyone who walks regularly manages it. The heat is the harder part than the gradient, which is why the climb starts in the dark.

Do I have to pay the park fee separately?

Yes, and the boat collects it rather than the price hiding it. Every operator in Labuan Bajo excludes it, because the park bills per visitor per day and the rate depends on nationality and on which islands you land. Since 1 April 2026 the permit has to be booked in advance through the park's SiOra system, and there is a cap of 1,000 visitors a day, so we register your group when you confirm.

Will I definitely see manta rays?

No, and treat anyone who promises otherwise with suspicion. They are wild animals on a cleaning station. Sightings are common through the year and best from December to February when plankton is thickest. If the mantas are not there on the day, the guide moves the group to a reef that is worth the water time.

Booking and cancellation terms

A deposit confirms your booking. The balance is due before the trip starts.
Cancel 14 days or more before the start date: full refund of what you have paid.
Cancel 7 to 13 days before: 50% of the total paid is refunded.
Cancel less than 7 days before, or do not show up: no refund.
If we cancel the trip, you choose a new date or take a full refund.

Full terms are confirmed with your booking. Bank transfer fees are paid by the sender.

The boats that sail this trip

An open trip runs on whichever vessel has your cabin free on the date. Every boat below sails this itinerary. Compare the cabins, then tell us which one you want.

The fleet

Umami Phinisi

Fifteen guests, a suite on the main deck, and a four-berth share with its own bathroom.

max 15 guests4 cabins

View the boat

Pasolle

Five private cabins and the only boat here running a two-day trip.

10-12 guests5 cabins

View the boat

Fortuna II

Fourteen guests over four cabins, on the two-day and three-day routes.

max 14 guests4 cabins

View the boat

Fortuna

A 2025 hull, six cabins, and balconies on four of them.

14-16 guests6 cabins

View the boat

Bajo Sunset

The entry point: twelve guests, shared bathrooms, and the same route as the rest.

max 12 guests4 cabins

View the boat

Read before you go

The journal

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Itinerary

Day 1

Board at Labuan Bajo, Kelor, Menjerite, bats at Kalong

A late-morning start, two easy snorkel stops, and the bat flight at dusk.

09:30
Pickup from your hotel in central Labuan Bajo, or from Komodo Airport if you land this morning. Bags go straight aboard, so a morning flight works.
11:00
Board at the harbour, take your cabin, and sit through the safety briefing on the sundeck while the crew clears the port. The boat sails as lunch is served.
12:30
Kelor Island. A short, steep twenty-minute climb up the ridge for the view back over the near islands, then a swim off the beach below.
14:30
Menjerite. Calm, shallow and sheltered, which makes it the stop where nervous snorkellers get comfortable before tomorrow's currents. Coral starts about five metres off the beach.
17:30
Anchor off Kalong Island. At dusk thousands of flying foxes lift off the mangroves and cross the channel to feed on Flores. It lasts about twenty minutes and it is worth putting the camera down for.
19:00
Dinner on deck at anchor, then the night on board. The boat stays in the cove, so the water is flat.

Day 2

Padar sunrise, Pink Beach, Komodo Island, Manta Point

The long day. Four of the park's headline stops before the boat turns for home.

04:30
Wake call and coffee. The tender runs to Padar in the dark so you are climbing before the light.
05:00
Padar Island. Around 45 minutes of steps and packed earth to the viewpoint over the three bays. Going up in the dark is deliberate: you get the ridge before the day boats arrive from Labuan Bajo.
07:30
Back aboard for breakfast while the boat repositions to Long Beach, the pink sand on the south side of Komodo. The colour comes from red organ-pipe coral ground into the white sand, and it reads pinkest at the waterline. Snorkel straight off the beach.
10:00
Komodo Village. A park ranger walks the group through dragon territory on a set loop, one ranger to five visitors. Dragons are wild here and the ranger sets the pace, so this is not a photo stop you control.
12:30
Lunch under way to Taka Makassar, a crescent of sand that appears and disappears with the tide, sitting alone in the middle of the strait.
13:30
Manta Point at Karang Makassar. A drift snorkel along the cleaning station where reef mantas queue up. Sightings are seasonal and never promised, but this is where they are.
15:00
Alongside at Labuan Bajo. Transfer to your hotel or to the airport. Book an afternoon flight no earlier than 17:30 to give the harbour a margin.

Good to know

Can I fly in on the morning of day 1?

What time should I book my flight out on day 2?

Is 2D1N enough, or should I do the 3D2N?

How fit do I need to be for Padar?

Do I have to pay the park fee separately?

Will I definitely see manta rays?

Booking and cancellation terms

A deposit confirms your booking. The balance is due before the trip starts.
Cancel 14 days or more before the start date: full refund of what you have paid.
Cancel 7 to 13 days before: 50% of the total paid is refunded.
Cancel less than 7 days before, or do not show up: no refund.
If we cancel the trip, you choose a new date or take a full refund.

Full terms are confirmed with your booking. Bank transfer fees are paid by the sender.

Komodo 2D1N Open Trip