Trips to Flores – Indonesia: Destination Komodo and Rinca Island

UNESCO was established that Komodo National Park, is a World Heritage Site at 1986 to protect the unique Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) in habitat and it is include all the terrestrial and marine in Komodo Park areas.

Komodo National Park consists of three major island namely Komodo, Rinca and Padar and also numerous smaller islands with total surface area 1817 km2. Since the Komodo National Park winning vote being held by New7Wonders of Nature, the number of tourists came to Labuan Bajo continue to rise, for visiting Komodo National Park then also enjoying the unique underwater paradise.

The main island destination in Komodo Park areas is Rinca and Komodo Island (Especially for Eco tours there is have more Eco destination), there are only two main destinations to see the Komodo Dragons. Rinca Island is the nearest from Labuan Bajo it only takes about two hours to get there, and then the island of Komodo takes about four hours to get there.

How to get there?

Departure from Denpasar – Bali, may use: Lion Air, Merpati, Sky – Aviation or TransNusa to Labuan Bajo. The estimated price range between $70 to $100 in low season and $100 to $150 on the high seasons. Booking hotel in Labuan Bajo, the hotel cost is $20 to $150. Booking a tour package to Rinca or Komodo Island. Cost for one full day go and back using deck boat to Rinca is $120 for 1 to 3 passenger, $150 for 3 to 5 passenger, $200 for 5 to 7 passenger. The tour package cost for 2 days one night trip using a deck boat, 1 to 3 passengers $ 250, 3 to 5 passengers $ 300, 5 to 7 passengers $ 400. Tourists can negotiate to lokal official tour agency if want to using a cabin boat for 2 days 1 night or 3 day 2 night trips or more to do Eco trips. Price includes meals and drinks during the trip, price may change depending on weather conditions, etc. Price doesn’t include the National Park entry fees. Entrance fee to Komodo National Park is $ 15, that included ticket, camera, rangers fee but foreign tourists have to pay $6 more for snorkeling fee.

Destination Komodo or Rinca Island:

In a two-hour trip to the island of Rinca in fact it will takes one full day using local wooden boat and will be calculated two-hour boat sail to Rinca, one to three hours trekking on Rinca Island to directly see the dragons and some types of wild animals on the island and throughout the remaining time will enjoy the underwater paradise in the Komodo Park areas. So, of course, full day will be right for enjoy and safety reasons. Four hours using local wooden boat sailing to Komodo and Rinca Island, so a minimum of trekking you have to do is about one hour each to trekking in Rinca and Komodo Island and then only two hours exploring the underwater paradise, it means twelve hours is enough time for one fully day but you can’t enjoy all the underwater sea attractions. For safety reasons, the boat must be back to the harbor before dark.

How tourists doing the best trips to Komodo or Rinca Island?

A wise choice is local tour company as well, they are official tour operators in Labuan Bajo, which shading under the Indonesian legal entity and follow the regulation by Indonesia tourism organizations. They sell all the Komodo and Flores overland tour packages, safety, service and responsibility is more important.

Important to be aware and careful, don’t easily to trust people on the street who offer the tour packages to Rinca, Komodo or Flores overland with low prices, in fact, they collect the people to be able share the prices, use a small wooden boat whic not deserve so cheap then they take advantage of without good service and responsibility.

Official local tour operators also collect people to share the prices, they know exactly the size of all local wooden boats, engine capacity, boat size, maximum passengers on the boat, the weather conditions, so they must decide whether, the tourist have to using cabin or deck boat for safety and service reasons.

Many foreign businessmen who come to Labuan Bajo and then open a similar business like locals, they are not real investors but they are hunter in Labuan Bajo, taking allotments for locals impoverished communities, of course, the money will be automatically go back to their countries.

The wise decisions in the tourists hands, all travelers may have a wonderful trips service on the Indonesian archipelago and more especially destination Flores and Komodo Island.

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