When I planned my trip to Indonesia I first thought of going from Manado in North Sulawesi to Labuan Bajo in Flores the usual way: By bus and ferry. I was soon brought back to earth when I realised going there without taking an airplane would have meant at least a ten-day trip, if it was possible at all.
So instead I booked a flight from Manado to Labuan Bajo and reduced travel time to a day, even though I felt a bit sorry for it. Labuan Bajo is the main entrance point to the Komodo National Park and its dive sites. But apart from scuba diving, Labuan Bajo is not the prettiest and I would suggest to explore Flores a bit more if you are not up for diving.
Labuan Bajo is built for scuba divers. There is an abundance on scuba shops with fixed prices for a dive in the entire viallge. I stayed at Dragon Dive Komodo, one of the cheaper options and the perfect place if you want to save some money. The facilities are very basic though and it’s a typical party hostel so you should not mind loud music and celebrating youngsters. I did enjoy diving with them though, plus they offer discounts if you stay at their hostel and charge per dive and not per day. If you are just up for two dives even though they offer three during the day on the boat, you will just pay for the two dives instead of paying for a day flat.
The dive sites are truly amazing, as long as you are ok with the current (it was not too bad when I was there actually, but I heard the current can be quite strong). Best thing was, I finally saw some Manta Rays, even if it was still a little off-season. Seeing them was definitely one of my all time highlights. Some of the most graceful creatures on earth, I could have come to the same dive spot every day for months without getting tired of seeing them.
Of course, I rented a scooter for a day as well and my friend and I explored the surroundings a bit, but nothing really triggered our interest, so we finished the day a bit earlier than expected. If you are going to Flores, I would really suggest to leave Labuan Bajo as soon as possible if you don’t want to go diving and explore the east of the island, as I think it is less touristy and a bit more beautiful.
I ended up leaving a day earlier than scheduled as I was getting quite tired of the place and headed to Lombok. My last stop in Indonesia brought me back on a board in the water and I could not wait a day longer.
