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Two nights aboard

3-Day Komodo Itinerary

The full circuit at a pace that is not a forced march — dragons, Padar at sunrise, Pink Beach and Manta Point, with two nights at anchor in between.

The bay and jetty at Manjarite Island, Komodo National Park

In short

The 3D2N is the standard Komodo circuit and the most-booked trip in the park: two nights aboard covering Rinca or Komodo Island, Padar at sunrise, Pink Beach, Manta Point and Taka Makassar, from Labuan Bajo and back.

  • A cabin on a scheduled sailing from USD 300 per person, or the whole vessel from USD 1,550 a night.
  • The second morning is the one that matters: Padar before the day boats arrive.
  • Four days in Flores is the realistic total — fly in the day before.
  • The Komodo National Park entrance fee is around USD 40–50 for international visitors and USD 20–25 for Indonesian visitors.
A Komodo dragon on the shoreline of Komodo Island

Day by day

What actually happens, hour by hour

A proven shape rather than a fixed schedule. The captain moves it around swell, tide and light, and that judgment is most of what you are paying for.

  1. Day one · dragons and the bats

    Board late morning after the harbour transfer, safety briefing, and under way by lunch. A checkout snorkel at Kelor, then a ranger-led trek on Rinca in the cooler part of the afternoon. Anchor off Kalong for dusk, when tens of thousands of flying foxes leave the island. Dinner on deck.

  2. Day two · Padar, Pink Beach, mantas

    Up before five for the climb to the Padar viewpoint — thirty to forty-five minutes on a made path, and the reason to be on a boat rather than in a hotel. Breakfast back aboard. Pink Beach mid-morning, then a drift snorkel at Manta Point, then the sandbar at Taka Makassar. A quiet bay for the second night.

  3. Day three · a last reef, then home

    A leisurely breakfast and a final snorkel at Kanawa, where the reef comes straight off the sand and turtles are common. Lunch under way. Alongside in Labuan Bajo early afternoon, transfer waiting.

Dragon sightings on Rinca are highly probable but never guaranteed — rangers track them rather than schedule them.

Two ways to book it

What the 3D2N costs

The same three days, bought two different ways. In USD, excluding the park ticket.

Best seller

A cabin

$300–$850

per person

On a scheduled sailing with 8–12 other travellers. Fixed weekly departures, all meals aboard, the same crew and the same circuit.

The whole boat

From $3,100

two nights, whole vessel

Two nights at the Deluxe entry rate of USD 1,550 a night. Your dates, your routing, nobody else aboard.

The break-even between the two is roughly six people. Send a headcount and we will do that arithmetic honestly, including when it points at the cabin.

The stops

What each one is actually for

Six landings in three days. None of them is filler.

Rinca

The dragon walk. Open savanna, flat two to four kilometres, always with a park ranger. Closer to Labuan Bajo than Komodo Island, which is why short trips use it.

Kalong

Half an hour at dusk watching flying foxes leave the mangroves against a pink sky. No effort required and it beats most things on the list.

Padar

The three-bay viewpoint. Before six the ridge is empty; by nine it is not. This single hour is the argument for sleeping in the park.

Pink Beach

Crushed red coral through white sand. Snorkel the house reef straight off the beach or take it in from the deck.

Manta Point

A guided drift over a reef manta cleaning station. There is current; the crew will say honestly who should sit it out.

Taka Makassar

A crescent of sand barely above the tide line in turquoise shallows. The stop where nothing is scheduled.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days do I need in total?
Four in Flores. Fly into Labuan Bajo the day before and sleep in town — Indonesian domestic flights slip often enough that same-day boarding is a real risk, and the boat does not wait.
Is the 3D2N enough?
For most people, yes — it covers the full circuit including Padar at sunrise. A third night adds the northern sites and time to stop moving, but the second night is where most of the value lands.
What is the Padar climb like?
Thirty to forty-five minutes up a made path and stairs, in the dark, before sunrise. Moderate fitness. Fine from about eight years old; younger and a parent usually stays aboard while the boat waits.
Will we see dragons?
Highly probably, on Rinca, with a certified ranger. But they are wild and their movement follows weather and feeding, so nobody can promise a sighting — and any operator who does is guessing.
Can the route change?
On a charter, yes, within what wind and tide allow. On a scheduled sailing the circuit is fixed — that is what keeps the per-person price down.
What is not included?
The IDR 700,000 park ticket, gratuities, travel insurance, flights to Labuan Bajo, alcohol, and diving at USD 50–80 per dive. Everything else — meals, gear, guides, transfers — is aboard.

Check the next departures

Tell us roughly when you want to sail and how many of you there are. We will send the 3D2N dates that still have cabins, and price the whole boat alongside it.