Komodo National Park is in Indonesia, a group of 29 islands between Sumbawa and Flores covering 1,733 km², of which 603 km² is land, and it is not in Bali. You reach it from Labuan Bajo on western Flores, a flight of a little over an hour from Bali's Denpasar airport, and then by boat. You come for the dragons and end up remembering Padar at sunrise, Pink Beach, manta sites, dry savanna hills, and the feeling of moving through islands by boat. The park is managed by Balai Taman Nasional Komodo, and our hub page maps the Komodo National Park islands and sights.
The planning challenge in 2026 is not deciding whether Komodo is worth it. It is choosing the right boat, understanding which official fees are included, respecting park rules, and booking early enough that permit allocation and popular dates do not become a problem. Our guide on how to plan a Komodo island tour takes those four decisions in order, with 2026 prices.
Getting to Komodo from Labuan Bajo
Fly into Labuan Bajo's Komodo Airport (LBJ) on western Flores, usually from Bali, Jakarta, or another Indonesian hub. From there the park is a boat trip, not a road trip. Our day trip picks up in central Labuan Bajo at 06:30 and is on the water by 07:00, about 75 minutes by speedboat to Padar; the 3D2N liveaboard boards at 08:30. Either way a same-day arrival is tight, and landing the night before is the calmer plan.
Padar, the dragons, and Pink Beach
Most trips are built around three sights, and for good reason. Padar Island is the postcard: 30 to 45 minutes of steps and ridge up to the Padar ridge viewpoint above three crescent bays, taken at 08:15 on our day trip or as a 05:00 to 07:30 sunrise hike from a boat anchored nearby. Komodo Island is the ranger walk, around 11:00, through territory the dragons actually live in. And Pink Beach earns its name from coral fragments that blush the sand rose, with snorkeling straight off it.
It is worth knowing what you are actually looking at. The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard on Earth, and the park authority lists Loh Liang on Komodo, Loh Buaya on Rinca, and Padar Selatan among the controlled tourism areas where visitors may observe wildlife with guides. Padar is for the viewpoint, though: dragons no longer live there, and today you see them on Komodo and Rinca. That rarity, along with the reefs and island landscape, is why the whole park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.
Beyond the headline stops
The park keeps giving past the obvious. Manta Point at Karang Makassar is one of the most reliable places in Indonesia to swim with manta rays, which are resident year round rather than seasonal visitors. Kalong Island puts on a free show at dusk, when thousands of giant fruit bats lift off the mangroves against the sunset. Your park ticket already covers trekking, wildlife watching and snorkeling at all of it. Only diving costs more, at IDR 25,000 a day on top.
The dragons are wild animals
Komodo dragons are large, fast, and venomous, and you always walk with a park ranger for a reason. Keep your distance, follow the guide, and do not wander off from the group. Encounters stay calm when everyone respects that.
Komodo park fees in 2026
Under Government Regulation No. 36 of 2024, in force since 30 October 2024, park entry is IDR 250,000 per foreign visitor per day, and IDR 50,000 on a weekday or IDR 75,000 on a public holiday for Indonesians. Add a harbor fee of about IDR 25,000, and a ranger charge for the dragon walk of about IDR 200,000 per group of up to five. On our day trip that comes to roughly IDR 400,000 all in for a foreign visitor and IDR 200,000 for an Indonesian. The IDR 650,000 figure still quoted around town is not the government tariff.
For the detailed fee breakdown and what to ask before paying, use the Komodo park fees guide.
Is Komodo National Park open in 2026?
The park is open, but the Labuan Bajo harbour master closes sailings to Komodo and Padar whenever high waves are forecast, and that has happened several times since late 2025. After a tourist boat sank off Padar on 26 December 2025, with four passengers missing, cruises to Komodo and Padar were suspended, and the closure notices kept being renewed until early February 2026.
The Padar Strait has closed again in the dry season, including from 6 to 10 August, with waves forecast up to 2.6 m, and on 9 and 10 September, and on those days boats were still cleared to sail to Rinca. After the magnitude 7.7 earthquake centred in the Mbay and Nagekeo area of Flores on 15 August 2026, Padar, Loh Liang, Loh Buaya and Gili Lawa were receiving visitors again within days.
If a closure lands on your dates, a flexible boat can usually still reach dragon walks on Rinca, so ask your operator what it does on a closure day before you pay.
Park rules and visitor capacity
Since 1 April 2026 the park has run a cap of 1,000 visitors a day, booked through the SiOra system. There are no walk-ins. The official site also publishes carrying-capacity limits for the main landing areas, including Loh Buaya on Rinca, Loh Liang on Komodo, Padar Selatan and Gililawa. Book through a legitimate operator, confirm your visit date, and ask how they hold your park access.
The rules exist for a reason, and if you are wondering how dangerous Komodo dragons actually are, the park's own attack record answers it more usefully than the documentaries do.
Follow the ranger and site rules
The official protocol forbids approaching or touching wildlife, trekking outside permitted times or trails, feeding animals, littering, anchoring on sensitive reef areas, and diving without certification. Komodo is wild enough that the rules are not decorative.
When to visit Komodo National Park
The dry season, April to October, is the time to come. The seas are calmer, the skies are clear for the Padar climb, and the trekking is more comfortable. Mantas are resident all year, so they are not a reason to time the trip, though the sites shift: Karang Makassar and the central sites are at their busiest roughly November to April and quietest in August and September, while Manta Alley in the south peaks June to October. Spring tides around the full and new moon matter as much as the month, and our guide to Komodo's dive sites and manta season goes site by site. The wet months from November to March bring rougher water, and the harbour master can suspend sailings for weeks, as it did from late December 2025 to early February 2026 (see the closures section above).
Komodo National Park by day trip or liveaboard?
How you see the park shapes the whole trip. A day trip or overnight boat from Labuan Bajo can cover Padar, dragons, Pink Beach, and a manta stop. A multi-day liveaboard reaches farther, sleeps you among the islands, and is the better fit for divers. To choose the right length first, read how many days you need in Labuan Bajo. You can compare real boats and dates when you plan a Komodo trip with us.
Labuan Bajo, Flores
Have the whole phinisi to yourselves
Three days through the park on a private boat, so you reach Padar and the dragons before the day-trip crowd arrives.
If you would rather see a day plan laid out stop by stop, this komodo island tour outline shows the timings and the order that works best.
Written by
Asik Travel Editorial
Local travel editors
We write from the islands we sell, with first-hand notes from our guides and operators.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Komodo National Park?
Fly into Labuan Bajo's Komodo Airport (LBJ) on western Flores, usually from Bali, Jakarta, or another Indonesian hub. From Labuan Bajo, the park is reached by boat rather than by road. If you want to start a tour the same day you land, book an early flight and confirm the boat departure time; otherwise spend the night in Labuan Bajo and begin the next morning.
What are the main sights in Komodo National Park?
Most trips focus on three highlights: Padar Island, a short steep climb to a ridge above three crescent bays that is best at sunrise; Komodo or Rinca Island, where you walk with a ranger to see Komodo dragons in the wild; and Pink Beach, named for coral fragments that tint the sand rose, with easy snorkeling. Beyond these, Manta Point near Karang Makassar offers manta rays year round, Kalong Island has a dusk fruit-bat show, and dive sites like Castle Rock and Batu Bolong are among the best-known dives in Indonesia.
When is the best time to visit Komodo National Park?
The dry season from April to October is the best time to go: the seas are calmer for island hopping, the skies are clear for the Padar climb, and trekking is more comfortable. The wet months from November to March bring rougher water, and the harbour master can suspend sailings for weeks, as it did from late December 2025 to early February 2026, though the islands turn green and crowds thin out. Manta rays appear year round, so they are not a reason to time your trip one way or another.
What fees apply when visiting Komodo National Park?
Foreign visitors pay IDR 250,000 (about USD 14) per person per day under Government Regulation 36 of 2024, the same on weekends; Indonesians pay IDR 50,000 on weekdays and IDR 75,000 on public holidays. Add a harbour fee of about IDR 25,000 and a ranger fee of about IDR 200,000 per group of up to five. Diving adds IDR 25,000 a day. Entry is booked through SiOra.
Should I choose a day trip or a liveaboard?
A day trip or overnight boat from Labuan Bajo can cover Padar, the dragons, Pink Beach, and a manta stop. A multi-day liveaboard reaches farther, lets you sleep among the islands, and is the better fit for divers. Choosing the right length first helps you decide how to see the park.
