There are so many wonderful things to see and do for anyone visiting Komodo National Park.  The park offers beautiful clear waters for snorkeling, scuba diving, and swimming.  There are beautiful beaches to relax and lounge on; including the famous Pink Beach Komodo.  There are beautiful mountains for trekking and getting fantastic views of the surrounding ocean.  Last but obviously not least, you can see real Komodo Dragons in their natural Habitat.  This area is the only place in the world that you can see that.  If someone asked me what my 4 highlights of the national park would be, I would have to say, it would be to see Komodo Dragons, Hiking Padar, Snorkeling with Manta rays, and scuba diving in the National Park. 

Let’s start with Komodo dragons.  The prehistoric creatures are amazing to see in their natural wild habitat.  By hiking on Komodo Island, you get a change to walk some of the trails and if you are very quiet and respect the area, you may see one of this amazing creatures.  Sometimes they are at one of the small water holes hunting wild boars or they can also commonly be seen close to the beach areas where they seem to enjoy the sunshine and as well my be scouting or deer for a meal for the family of dragons.   When you arrive to Komodo Island, it is required to have a local ranger, which does cost a park fee for every visitor to the island.  This local rangers are trained to understand the Komodo dragons and keep the visitors safe.  On Komodo island, there are a few different hiking options, including a short trek, medium trek, and long trek.  Whenever you visit the National Park, Komodo Island is a must stop for visitors.  

My number 2 spot to visit would be Padar Island.  Padar is a spectacular place to visit to see incredible panorama views from the top.  It is about a 45 minute trek to the top, or maybe a bit longer, depending on you hiking speed.  From the top you can see 4 beautiful beach bays and a photogenic mountain range.  This top area is very famous for its stunning views.  You may find many tourists on top as well trying to get that perfect photo.  The question you ask, may be;  Is it worth hiking to the top and possible dealing with a crowd sometimes?  The answer.  Yes, it is.  It is absolutely stunning and every visitor to Komodo Island should at least visitor there one time for sure.  


My number 3 thing to do would be to snorkel Manta Point.   Swimming and snorkeling with Manta Rays is a truly rememberable experience.  To experience the grace and beauty of the these water creature is truly a unique experience.  If you get lucky, it may even appear they are putting on a show for the people in the water, almost like they are dancing around each other.   Guests are more than welcome to take underway photography, but no touching is allowed.  If you touch the Manta rays, it can cause damage to their skin, as they have a protective film or barrier on their skin that you do not want to interfere with.  


My last, but certainly not least thing to do, is scuba diving Komodo National park.  The park is one of the top places in the world for scuba divers.  There are coral gardens everywhere, and some very strong current for more advanced divers.  This allows for some very diverse aquatic life in the water.  You may see everything from Manta Rays, White tip sharks, Turtles, Triggerfish, cuddle fish, octopus, clownfish, lion fish, frogfish, tuna, and many more.  There are also many famous locations to dive including;  Manta Alley, Batu Bolong, Yellow Wall, Manta point, Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, Tatawa Besar, Siaba Besar...and many more.   

For anyone coming to Komodo National Park or just looking for a Komodo Island Tour, I highly recommend trying to do some of these things.

​Why choose a good Komodo Island Tour agency?

Taking a once in a lifetime vacation to far off South Pacific Island and venturing out to see historic dragons that still roam this earth, is something that you probably don’t want to mess up.  It is a trip to be remembered positively and also one that you want to be extremely safe on.  When a visitor comes to Labuan Bajo, if they walk around town they will notice that there are many booths and small stands that are selling Komodo Tour Package.  Some of them can vary in price, itinerary, of kind of boat, and of course, boat quality. 

First of all, a person might ask...why would I even want to visit Komodo National park?  Well, there are many reasons for that.  Komodo National Park is the only place in the world where you can see Komodo dragon in their natural habitat.  As well, the National Park has some of the most beautiful island and beaches in the entire world.  It is home to the famous Padar Island and well as Pink Beach Komodo.  It is also extremely well known for the amazing scuba diving and manta rays that enjoy feeding at Manta Point. 

The main options someone has when taking a Komodo Boat tour is one day, 2 day, or 3 day.  These are the most standard options offered by many companies in Labuan Bajo.  For day trips, you can usually choose between a speed boat with a larger group, a private speed boat, or a slower local wooden boat.  For multi-day trips, you can find options for different kinds of liveaboards included, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, deluxe boat, superior, or large phisini, or yachts. 

The reason you want to find a trust-worthy Komodo Boat tour agency is because it can completely make or break your vacation.  The ocean in Komodo National Park and the entire area can have quite strong currents and can be dangerous if you do not have a quality boat and an experienced captain.  It is not talked about much but there have actually been some boats that sank in the past because of poorly maintained boats and crew that were not careful.  This is why it is extremely important to find a trust worthy Komodo Travel Agency to help you with your boat trip.   As well...many of the guides on the boats may not be certified or be as knowledgeable as they should be.  So when you ask many questions, they may not know the answers to them.  This is another big reason you want to find a great company with great positive reviews.  

What questions can you ask a Komodo travel agency to make sure you are getting a good company?  You can ask how long they have been in business and and to see real customer reviews.  You can ask about their guide, their boats quality and detailed questions about their boat maintenance.  These are questions they should easily know the answers to, because this is their business.   If they can not answer all of these questions, then you might want to move on to a more knowledgeable and trustworthy company.  

At Maika Komodo Tour, between our owners, guides, and crew, we have over 70 years combined experience in Komodo National park.  We all have a strong passion for the Komodo National Park preservation, the ocean, and showing guests are home islands. We are happy to work with individuals, small group, big groups, and even corporate outings.  

Visiting Komodo National Park is a trip of a lifetime for so many visitors. The National park is located west of Flores and East of Sumbawa Island.  The Park is composed of three major islands, which are; Komodo, Rinca, and Padar.   Visitors come to the park by way of Boat trips from Labuan Bajo, which is located at the most western part of Flores Island.  The only way to get to Komodo National Park or any of the surrounding islands, is by a boat.  Visitors only have a few options as far as how long they would like to visit and stay.  There are a few companies in Labuan Bajo that offer Day trips and a other companies offer multi-day trips.  The standard is usually 2days/1 night or 3 days/2 nights.  

Day Trips are very popular, as it gives the guests a good experience more faster and that way they can see the most popular spots if they happen to be on a tight schedule and only have one day in Flores.   Even though on the day trips, the guest does not get as much time, they usually still get to visit the 6 most popular locations.  Those locations are; Komodo Island or Rinca Island, Padar Island, Taka Makassar, Manta Point, Kanawa, and Pink Beach.  Typically the boats spend about 45 mins to 1 hour at each location. They usually leave at about 7am in the morning and return around 4pm in the afternoon.  The benefits to day trips are; they are quick and you get to see popular locations.  The downside is that you may feel very rushed and want to stay longer at each of the locations.  You may also be on a bigger boat with many people and everyone is trying to snorkel or visit the same place at the same time, which can get a bit crowded.   This is why I recommend taking a multi-day liveaboard boat trip.  This way you can be a part of making your own schedule and take you time to enjoy the trip and not feel rushed. 

On the other hand, taking a multi-day liveaboard Komodo trip can offer many more options of places to see and the time you spend at each location.  As well, many guest take a shared boat with other guests and over the timespan of 2 or 3 days they become good friends.  As well, this is an opportunity to try many different kind of foods that will be cooked by the chef onboard.  Many of the chefs cook a mixture of local and western food to try.  Some other locations you may get to visit on a longer trip would be locations such as Siaba Besar, Gili Lawa, Long Beach, Batu Bolong, Kanawa, Kalong, Makassar Reef and possibly a few other places depending on the itinerary that you choose.  Another benefit is being about to socialise and sleep under the stars with only the sound of the waves.  This is a nice atmosphere and a great escape for many people away from their lives in more populated areas.  You can also take more time at location like Komodo and Rinca so there is a much higher chance that you will see Komodo dragons.  As well, you can take longer to snorkel as well, which also gives more time to see Manta Rays.  

Whether you choose a one day Komodo Trip or a Multi-day liveaboard Komodo Trip, there are so many beautiful place to see and thing to do.  They are both great options and offer something special for each guest.  If you have any questions about Komodo Tour Packages, please message us and Maika Komodo tour and we would be happy to help you with any question you may have.