Komodo trip checklist: from T-7 to T-0, from Bali, Jakarta or Lombok

A week out, put every passport in one folder and check the dates. Indonesia asks for a passport valid at least 6 months after arrival, two blank pages, proof of onward travel and the All Indonesia arrival card, filled in within 72 hours before landing (UK government advice, read 11 October 2026). Most nationalities buy a visa on arrival or an e-visa at IDR 500,000 per person, children included, valid 30 days. Apply for the e-visa at least 48 hours before the flight. A higher fee was announced on 12 August 2026 and we found no start date, so treat 500,000 as a floor and check evisa.imigrasi.go.id.

This is also the week to send us those passport details. Park tickets are bought online against a passport number for each guest, and the names must match.

On day 1 the boat's pickup comes from your Labuan Bajo hotel or from the airport. We confirm the pickup time in writing when you book, and on a private charter it can be set around your flights.

T-7, morning: passports photographed, e-visas filed, pickup time in writing.

Every route ends at Komodo Airport (LBJ), the only airport serving the park. Nothing lands on Komodo island itself. Figures below were read on 8 November 2026 from published sources; schedules and fares move, so check the airline before you buy.

• Bali (DPS): about 1 h 10 to 1 h 20, several flights a day, indicative USD 50 to 150 one way.
• Jakarta (CGK): about 2 h 30 to 3 h, five or more flights a day, indicative USD 80 to 250 one way. A return routed through Bali on a budget carrier sometimes costs less, so price both.
• Lombok (LOP): about 1 h on a Wings Air turboprop, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday since 22 July 2025, indicative USD 60 to 140.

Soe Besar Vanrei's open trip leaves every Friday and Monday. A Thursday flight from Lombok lands the day before a Friday sailing. No listed Lombok flight lands the day before a Monday, so route that one through Bali. A private charter starts on a date we agree against the boat's calendar.

For older guests, choose a midday arrival. On separate tickets you reclaim bags and check in again, so leave 2.5 to 3 hours between flights, or sleep a night in Bali.

Pack in soft bags, one per person, and keep one carrier for the smallest child. Baggage rules differ by airline. Garuda and Batik Air usually include a checked bag (Batik Air about 30 kg, indicative), low-cost carriers charge for it, and the Lombok turboprop is stricter on weight and volume. Read the rule on your own ticket.

Medicines go in hand luggage, with prescriptions. Labuan Bajo pharmacies stock a narrow range and the islands have none. Bring seasickness tablets or patches from home and ask a pharmacist before you leave which suits each age.

Cash needs more thought than people expect. Carry rupiah before boarding. There are ATMs on the harbour road and at airport arrivals, none in the park or on the islands, and a single withdrawal is commonly capped between IDR 1,250,000 and 3,000,000. Hotels and charters take cards, often with a 2 to 4 percent surcharge, while small shops and taxis want cash or QRIS. Crew gratuity is not in the price and is left to you.

Wi-Fi is on board (Starlink), and speed is not guaranteed. Download tickets and maps before you sail, because phone signal is patchy offshore.

Land the day before sailing. The airport sits about 2 km from the harbour, roughly 10 minutes by car, and a taxi or ojek costs IDR 50,000 to 100,000 by one hotel guide (indicative). The distance is nothing. The morning is the risk. Operators here commonly board between 08:00 and 09:00, and a late inbound flight can cost the whole first day.

The airport has closed before. Ash from Lewotobi Laki-laki shut it on 10 November 2024, and Bisnis reported ship routes being rearranged that day. Nobody can forecast that. A spare night in a hotel near the harbour is the cheapest insurance on this page.

Spend the evening on small jobs. Check the sea forecast on the infoBMKG app, set out shoes with grip, a hat and the day-bag, and eat early. Grandparents who arrive rested cope with the first boarding far better than those who land at midnight.

Caveat: nights are spent at anchor, and the captain picks the spot after reading the forecast. Nothing in this checklist changes that.

On the day, you are collected from the hotel or the airport and taken to the harbour. The sample 3D2N plan begins with a short hill walk on Kelor, snorkelling at Manjarite and sunset at Kalong. Day 2 is the long one. The last day ends in Labuan Bajo after the morning snorkel and lunch, then hotel or airport, with the time agreed with the captain.

Book the flight home for the afternoon or evening, and ask us before you pay for it. We don't sell air tickets, but we'll happily check your flight times against the plan in a single WhatsApp thread. Ask how long the boat can wait for a late arrival on day 1. We would rather answer that in writing now than argue about it at the harbour.

The pickup point, the stops and the last-day rule are fixed in your booking. Your airline's timetable for the week you travel stays with the airline.

None of these countries has a nonstop flight to Labuan Bajo. Two regional hubs do. Singapore has a Scoot service of about 3 hours, roughly twice a week, and Kuala Lumpur has AirAsia at about 3 h 40, on Thursdays and Saturdays by one source. Both routes come and go. Otherwise the long-haul leg ends in Bali or Jakarta and a domestic flight follows. Australian guests should know that the Melbourne fares sold through Bali are connections, not a nonstop to Labuan Bajo.

Plan a night in Bali or Jakarta after a long-haul flight. It protects the domestic leg and gives the oldest travellers a proper rest. If you enter through Bali, the foreign tourist levy is IDR 150,000 per person (lovebali.baliprov.go.id has the current rule).

We also looked at the other ways in. The ASDP ferry from Sape takes about 6 to 7 hours by an older source and is often cancelled in high waves. Multi-day boats from Lombok take about 3 days and 4 nights, run in the dry season from April to October, and are advised against from November to March. For three generations on a fixed date, we do not recommend either.