3D2N on a luxury sail
Address: Komodo National Park, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
Price: 💰💰💰💰
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
After a crazy hectic month, I decided to book a short getaway to Indonesia. I've heard from a friend that Komodo National Park is a must visit place, and he was absolutely right!
1. Flying to Labuan Bajo & Transit Tip
There was no direct flight when I was booking this trip. It was going to be a new experience for me in a foreign land. I book a flight to Jakarta and transfer to Labuan Bajo.
Tip 1: if you're on a short trip and is new to Indonesia, avoid Airasia Indonesia as both flight to and back was delayed multiple time.
Upon arriving to Jakarta at 4am, I booked a transit hotel at T2 for the night, as the flight to Labuan Bajo was at 9am.
Tip 2: the shuttle train service ends at 12midnight and opens at 6am. Use the grab or gojek service if you need to travel between terminal during these timing. I paid SGD$8 for grab. The taxi outside quoted us SGD$20.
2. 3D2N tour
I booked a 3D2N sailing tour on Look Indonesia Adventure. They have sail boats for all kind of budget - from SGD$260/pax (hostel style) to $1400/pax (luxury).
Each tour includes meal for 3D2N, and the more expensive the package, you'll unlock more things like - water activities (snorkeling, paddleboat, canoe) and amenities (jacuzzi, personal photographer).
I took the Elbark cruise, with 9 rooms on board. I was lucky as the passengers on board were all nice and friendly and with no kids. It was the perfect getaway trip.
The price of the boat covers 4 meals everyday, freeflow coke, sprite and water, snacks, fruits, photographer and the activities. We had to pay a separate fee for entering the Komodo National Park (SGD$50 for non-local).
It's worth paying a premium, you'll be able to ask the cooks to cut your fruits, blend a smoothie and even cook your instant noodles.
The bed was so comfortable and there's hot water, soap and shampoo provided.
Tip 3: bring your own toothbrush, toothpaste, loofa to remove the sea water on your body, body lotion and lots of sunblock. You can skip clothes, because you'll be in your swimsuit all day. There's always opportunities to jump into the water.
Do bring some overclothes when you're exploring the islands. Shoe is definitely recommended because the islands are not easy to hike.
Tip 4: There is wifi on board. Your data might not work out at sea.
3. Activities
Snorkeling - I informed the guide beforehand that I couldn't swim and he offered the lifejacket and personally guided me and other non-experienced snorkellers. The corals were abundant and well maintained. There were lots of fishes - I saw the whole Nemo crew, sea snakes and Tuna.
Beaches - we got to see white sand, pink sand and black sand beaches. The beaches were so clean, the Pink sand one was my favourite as the sand was finer. The white one had a lot of corals, which were quite sharp.
Overall it was a well planned tour and I highly recommended!
#summerbreak
It’s not much to say about looking good and fun. It’s mainly to remind everyone to pay attention to safety when jumping off the island. Snorkeling equipment is best to learn to use in advance. The tour guides are mostly English. Many people who teach on-site are not learning to go into the water, and it is easy to snorkel. Be sure to wear survival clothes. When getting off the boat, children and the elderly should note the gap between the boat and the pier. In addition, each project on the island hopping tour is exactly the same, just pick cheap ones. D'tour is very good.
A once in a lifetime experience! Komodo dragons can only be found in here, and they are definitely a sight. Although they are in real life less majestic than expected (they hang out by the kitchen and other tourist areas, waiting for some food to be dropped), definitely worth a visit.
Komodo National Park consists of three small islands: Komodo, Badal and Lincha. In 1991, Komodo National Park was listed on the World Natural Heritage List. It lives in the world's largest living lizard: Komodo giant python, also known as Komodo dragon. Adult Komodo dragons are3-4 meters long and weigh up to 100 kilograms. They are fierce predators and live for 2 years. Scientists believe Komodo dragons are close relatives of dinosaurs and are living fossils of biological evolution research, and no trace of them has been found in other parts of the world. Komodo dragons can eat food that weighs 80 [%] of their own weight at once and then skip food for months. Feeding is a routine performance program, but tourism development and overprotection have severely degraded their viability. In 1991, there were about 5,700 Komodo dragons living in the national park, and the number has now dropped to 100.
like in dinosaur world, like back on the day in millions years ago
[View] Can [Fun] Good [Cost-effective] OK
Go see Komodo Dragon's Park, a more unique place