How It All Began

Labuan Bajo is a former fishing town located on the western tip of Flores island, part of the East Nusa Tenggara district in Indonesia. It is the gateway to Komodo National Park, where the Komodo dragons, the largest and heaviest lizards in the world, are found. Labuan Bajo is also famous for its stunning sunsets and marine life, making it a popular destination for diving and snorkelling enthusiasts. It has been on my list of places to visit for a while. A few of my friends have visited Labuan Bajo and their photos and videos looked stunning so I wanted to go see it for myself.

When I flew to Okinawa last year via Jetstar Airways, the inflight magazine’s cover featured Labuan Bajo. I was captivated by the beautiful photos of the Komodo dragons and iconic view of Padar Island with its three bays. It looked like paradise. I told my travel companions that I wanted to go there next.

Shortly after the Okinawa trip, Jetstar Asia announced that it was ceasing operations on 31 July 2025, bringing with it the termination of the only direct flight from Singapore to Labuan Bajo. However, Scoot airlines stepped in and took over the route from 21 December 2025. That was my cue to seriously consider making a trip to Labuan Bajo.

I was shortlisting places to go for a short birthday trip in March so I decided to spend it in Labuan Bajo, even though I knew that it is still within the wet season. The best time to visit Labuan Bajo is during the dry season between April and October. I took a chance and hoped that the tail end of the wet season in March would bring less rain.

Presently, Scoot flies twice weekly from Singapore to Labuan Bajo – departing Singapore on Sunday early morning and again on Thursday afternoon, with the return flight the same day. Hence, the most basic configurations for a short trip to Labuan Bajo are 4 days, 5 days or 8 days. The most ideal for me was the 5-day option: depart Singapore on early Sunday morning and return on Thursday night. On 9 January 2026, I took advantage of the Scoot promo fare and booked my flight. My return ticket cost S$316.82, including 20kg checked baggage and complimentary seat selection.   

I asked a few of my friends to join me for the trip but the timing didn’t work for them, so it ended up being a solo trip. I don’t mind travelling solo as I’ve done it many times before. It’s just that accommodation will be more expensive since I have to take a room by myself.

I considered staying at a luxurious resort hotel like AYANA with a nice view of the sea but it was very expensive for a solo traveller. I also considered staying at a hostel to save on costs. In the end, I settled for the middle ground. I booked a private room at Seaesta Komodo Hotel & Hostel. It had many good reviews and was in a good location, not far from the main strip. I booked directly via Seaesta’s website and paid Rp 1.2 million per night (S$92.40) for my Private Room.

To make the most of my short trip, I booked two tours. The first was a day tour, an early morning speedboat tour to Komodo National Park (click here). The itinerary covered the main highlights of Labuan Bajo – Padar Island (hike up the hill to see the iconic view of the three bays), Pink Beach (with its pink-hued sand), Komodo National Park (for the legendary Komodo dragons), Taka Makassar Island (to visit a picturesque sandbar), Manta Point (snorkelling to see manta rays) and Pulau Siaba Besar (another prime snorkelling location for turtles and corals).

I booked the tour through Tripadvisor and paid S$179.77 for it. The cost excludes park entrance fees and ranger fees amounting Rp 450,000 (S$34.65) per person. I chose this operator because of its early start time, which allows us to beat the crowds at Padar Island. Guests will be picked up from their hotels from 5:25am and depart the harbour via a speedboat before 6:00am. The tour will end around 4:00pm and a car will send guests back to their hotels. It sounded really fun and I was looking forward to it.

The second tour I booked was a 2-day, 1-night tour to Wae Rebo village, located in the remote highlands about 110km from Labuan Bajo. The journey involves driving about 5 hours from Labuan Bajo to Denge Village for lunch there, riding an Ojek (motorbike) for 10 minutes to the start of the hiking trail (Pos 1), and hiking about 2 hours to reach Wae Rebo village. There, guests can experience what it feels like to live in a traditional village house called Mbaru Niang and learn about local customs and culture. It will be quite an adventure because there is no mobile reception or Internet connection at Wae Rebo, so you will be off the grid for one day.

I booked the Wae Rebo tour with a tour operator called Green Rinjani (click here). I paid Rp 1.9 million (S$146.30) for the tour. Guests will be picked up from their hotel between 7:30am and 8:30am on the first day, and dropped off at their hotel between 5:00pm and 6:00pm the next day.

With three full days of activities planned, my Labuan Bajo trip was pretty much covered. Hence, my basic expenses for the 5D4N trip were: S$316.82 (Scoot return airfare) + S$277.20 (3 nights at Seaesta Komodo) + S$179.77 (Speedboat day tour) + S$146.30 (Wae Rebo tour) + S$17.88 (Income travel insurance) = S$937.97. With everything booked, I was ready to go!

(Exchange rate: S$1 = Rp 13,000 / Rp 100,000 = S$7.70)

Day 1 – 8 March 2026, Sunday

I woke up at 2:00am this morning, feeling excited but also a little groggy, effectively having only about four hours of sleep. After my usual breakfast of coffee and bread, mum and dad walked me downstairs and sent me off as I hopped on my Tada ride to the airport. I pre-booked the ride yesterday for a 3:00am pickup and the car arrived at 2:53am. There was no traffic so the ride was smooth and I arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 1 at 3:15am. The ride cost S$28.66.

Boarding commenced just before 5:00am. My Scoot flight TR290 was on a small Embraer E190-E2 aircraft with a 2-2 seating configuration. The flight was around 80% full, with the five rows on my right and three rows behind me empty. The plane was very new and the seats were actually quite comfortable. I didn’t manage to sleep but I got some shut-eye. After flying for about three hours, I touched down at Labuan Bajo Komodo International Airport at 8:36am. There is no time difference between Labuan Bajo and Singapore.

The airport is very small and basic. After alighting from the aircraft, we walked a short distance on the tarmac to the terminal building. Immigration and customs clearance were a breeze and I was out of the airport in less than 20 minutes.

As my accommodation (Seaesta Komodo) did not provide a free pickup service, I had to find my own way to the hotel. I thought Bluebird would be available but it wasn’t so I tried Grab, but only GrabBike was available, which wasn’t suitable since I had luggage. It was the same for Gojek. Hence, I had to use one of the airport taxi services.

There were many taxi touts waiting at the exit. I asked a couple of them and they quoted Rp 70,000 (S$5.39), which was pretty expensive considering it was only a short 5-minute ride, while the same GrabBike ride cost Rp 16,500. However, I had no choice so I approached a driver and managed to bargain it down to Rp 50,000 (S$3.85).

I arrived at Seaesta Komodo Hotel & Hostel at 9:15am. The hotel is built on a hillside and it has three storeys. The top floor is occupied by the rooftop bar, restaurant and swimming pool while the hotel and hostel rooms are located on the lower two floors. There are no lifts so you’ll have to carry your luggage down the stairs to reception and the rooms.

As check-in was officially at 2:00pm, I couldn’t gain access to my room yet. I packed my essentials into a smaller day bag and deposited my luggage and backpack with the hotel. I then went out to explore Labuan Bajo.

Seaesta Komodo is located along Jalan Soekarno Hatta, a two-lane road on the mid-point of a hill. From my hotel, I turned left and walked to the end of the road, where I turned left again and walked down the hill along Jalan Kerapu towards the waterfront and harbour. Jalan Soekarno Hatta and Jalan Kerapu are both one-way roads, and together with Jalan Bidadari and Jalan Tongkol, they form an anti-clockwise loop that comprises the main commercial centre of Labuan Bajo.

When I say commercial centre, I mean it quite loosely because Labuan Bajo is still relatively untouched by commercialism. There are no large shopping malls or huge hotel chains here. The biggest hotel here at the harbourfront is Meruorah Komodo, a 5-star resort hotel that opened in 2021.

Next to the hotel is Plaza Marina, the only thing that resembles a shopping centre in Labuan Bajo. It has two floors and a handful of retail shops like Polo, Chimpanzees, Blood & Bone and Sports Station. There is also a pharmacy, Alfamart convenience store and F&B outlets like KFC and Starbucks. A mosque, Masjid Agung Nurul Falaq, is located directly across Plaza Marina.

As I walked along the main strip, I saw many dive shops, tour agencies and shops offering scooters for rent. There were hardly any souvenir shops selling T-shirts screaming “Labuan Bajo”. I saw a respectable massage shop called Chi and bookmarked it for future reference. But overall, the main drag of Labuan Bajo is quite low-key and quiet. It is nothing like the overcrowded and touristy areas in Bali or Phuket and the people here are not pushy. Hope it stays this way.

I came across a café called Mimamori and saw that it had good reviews on Google Maps. It looked nice inside so I decided to have brunch here. There was a healthy crowd but I managed to get a seat. The café was cosy, bright and nicely furnished. The staff were also very polite and cheerful. One thing I would realise over the next few days is that the locals are all very friendly. Be it GrabBike riders, café or hotel staff, they all provide service with a smile, which is really great.

They have an a la carte menu but there is also the option to build your own breakfast. For Rp 65,000, you can choose 4 items from the categories of Bread, Protein, Salad & Fruits and Sweet Treat. I chose rye bread, scrambled eggs, tropical smoothie bowl and banana bread respectively. I also ordered a flat white coffee and a cup of tropical fruit juice. The total bill was Rp 165,165 (S$12.53), including taxes.

The coffee was good, just what I needed after an early start to the day. The 4 items I chose were served on a tray with individual bowls, a cute way of presentation. After finishing my food, I remained in the café to read my book. I recently bought this book called Strange Pictures by Uketsu. I’ve been reading a lot of (translated) Japanese fiction lately and this was another intriguing read. I spent about 40 minutes reading before leaving Mimamori at 12:40pm.

I continued walking along the main drag and popped into a large Roxy supermarket to buy some bread buns for tomorrow’s breakfast. After leaving Roxy, I saw another bakery and coffee place called Tabe Gula right next door. The bread at Tabe Gula looked even better than the ones at Roxy so I bought two more, ending up with five buns.

I made a left turn at Jalan Bidadari and climbed the slope up the hill. Shortly after, I saw a nice café called Taka. Through its windows, I saw that it had a nice view of the harbour below, so I bookmarked the place. Today’s walk is really to recce and get a feel of what Labuan Bajo has to offer so I can come back to some of these places on my last day.

I continued walking towards the direction of my hotel and soon reached a viewpoint by the roadside with a panoramic view of the harbour. The view was pretty amazing, with all the boats docked in the water and the many small islands extending into the distance. This must be a great spot to view the sunset.

I then passed by a restaurant called Alma, which also offered a great view of the harbour, and bookmarked it as well. At 1:42pm, I was back at Seaesta Komodo. The staff informed me that my room was ready for check-in, so I retrieved my luggage and headed to Room 201, located at the end of the corridor on level 2.

Seaesta Komodo hotel has very laidback vibes, with its white and blue colour scheme reminding me of the houses and buildings in Santorini and Mykonos in Greece. My private room had a king-sized bed and ensuite bathroom. The room had no sea view but there was plenty of natural light coming through the windows. It was spacious and comfortable. I was glad they switched on the air-con beforehand so it was nice and cool when I stepped in.

I took a nap after my shower but the rain woke me up at 3:15pm. It was so sunny and hot earlier, and it’s raining heavily now. I waited for the rain to get lighter before heading out at 3:50pm for a late lunch at Alma restaurant. As it was drizzling, I decided to book a GrabBike instead of walking over to Alma. The short ride cost Rp 16,500 (S$1.25), the standard fare for short rides around the main commercial loop. Several of the streets were waterlogged from the downpour earlier but I managed to keep my feet dry.

When I arrived at Alma at 4:00pm, there were no other customers because it was neither lunch nor dinner time. The staff were taking a break but they were open for business. I chose a table in front of the balcony, which offered a lovely view of the harbour below. Heavy clouds still hovered in the sky so it was a gloomy scene outside.

Alma Restaurant Komodo serves Mediterranean cuisine, with tapas, paella, pasta and wines on the menu. I asked the staff for recommendations and he offered a few suggestions. I settled for the Lasagna Bolognese (Rp 158,000), which is made of homemade beef ragu lasagna with cheese and béchamel. I also ordered a pot of hot organic Balinese oolong tea. The total bill was Rp 210,738 (S$16.23). I don’t eat lasagna often but it was excellent and I enjoyed it. After finishing my meal, I sipped on hot tea as I continued reading Strange Pictures. I was still the only customer in the restaurant so I didn’t feel pressured to leave.

At 5:20pm, I hopped on another GrabBike and headed over to Amelia Hill, supposedly a great spot to watch the sunset. Even though it was a cloudy day and I knew there was zero chance of witnessing a nice sunset, I decided to make a trip there just to see what it looks like.

Amelia Hill is located further north from the commercial centre so I got to see a bit more of Labuan Bajo during the motorbike ride there. The further away we drove from the main harbour area, the sparser the buildings got. The road became more winding and the terrain became hillier. Along the way, we drove past the two big luxury resort hotels TA’AKTANA and AYANA Komodo Waecicu Beach. The hotels looked very elegant from the outside but they were also very isolated from everything else. A great place to relax for sure.

The ride took 7 minutes and it cost Rp 17,500 (S$1.33), just a little but more than the other rides in the commercial centre. The driver dropped me by the side of the main road and told me that Amelia Hill is just “over there, inside”. Seeing that it was quite remote here with nothing in the immediate vicinity, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get a return ride back to my hotel afterwards. My driver gave me his mobile number and asked me to call him in the event of emergency. So kind of him.

After walking up the dirt road, I reached an open area where two motorcycles were parked. There were two other people here so I figured it was the right place, even though there was no sign stating that this was indeed Amelia Hill. I saw a small hill in front of me and facing the sea, and two much taller hills on the left and right. The hills on the left and right are part a ridge along the peninsula.

I wasn’t properly dressed for hiking and there wasn’t much of a sunset so I didn’t go for the taller hills on the ridge. I just went to the small hilly mound in front of me. The view was quite pretty as it overlooked a bay. I think this would be a good spot for sunrise as it faces the east. You can’t really see the sunset from here because it is not high enough. The sun will set on the other side of the ridge.

I read online that there is another place called Sylvia Hill that is great for sunset. On Google Maps, it appears that Amelia Hill and Sylvia Hill are very close by, next to each other. I’m not sure exactly where Sylvia Hill is, but I think it is slightly further north. You’ll probably need to hike up the taller hill on the ridge so you can gain more elevation to see the sun setting over the bay on the other side of the peninsula. That will be something for my next visit.

After snapping many photos and videos, I decided to leave Amelia Hill at 5:45pm, before the sun sets at about 6:00pm and gets dark. From Google Maps, I found a Japanese restaurant called Honzen Komodo about 10 minutes away on foot so I decided to walk there to have my dinner. I also figured that it would be easier to get a GrabBike from there to go back to my hotel later.

I discovered that Honzen Komodo is located within AYANA hotel. As I reached the lobby, I was like “wow”, it was so beautiful. The lobby had shiny marbled floors with expansive windows offering stunning views of the islands and sea beyond. It was classy and elegant, befitting its 5-star status.

The guestrooms and restaurants are all located below, because the hotel is built on a hill. From the lobby, I took the lift to the 9^th floor, where Honzen is located. I was the first customer because it just opened for dinner at 6:00pm. Like the hotel, the restaurant was also very elegantly designed, with indoor and outdoor tables, counter seats and another area for teppanyaki dining. I took a seat at the counter so I could see the chefs prepare my meal.

I was still full from my lasagna earlier so I didn’t order too much food. I ordered a tuna sushi assortment, a bowl of garlic rice and a cup of hot Japanese green tea. The bill amounted to Rp 582,010 (S$44.16), including taxes. It was the priciest meal I had in Labuan Bajo, a little treat for myself. Upon sitting down, a cold towel was served to me. The food arrived shortly after. It was not bad, but it cannot beat the sushi and sashimi in Japan. Overall, the ambience, presentation and service were 10/10 and it was an enjoyable dinner.

I left AYANA hotel at 7:05pm by GrabBike. The ride back to Seaesta cost Rp 16,500 and it took 9 minutes. After putting my stuff back in my room, I headed to the rooftop bar for live music. The bar was packed as it was not raining anymore, and a five-piece band was playing beside the swimming pool (which was closed for repairs). I found a table, sat down and ordered a bottle of Bintang Radler (Rp 46,200/S$3.56). It tasted exactly like our Tiger Radler.

The band was quite good. They played contemporary and classic pop/rock songs by Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Bob Marley and even the Jackson 5. I stayed only for the first set, then went back to my room to shower and prepare for tomorrow’s excursion. As my room was located at the end of the corridor on the second floor, it was the closest to the live band on the rooftop bar one floor above. I could hear the music very loudly even with the door and windows closed. I read reviews online mentioning about this so I was prepared, but I must say it was quite loud indeed. I was glad when the band stopped playing at 10:30pm, giving me some peace and quiet.

I had an early night because I will be waking up early tomorrow as well. And that’s the end of Day 1 in Labuan Bajo, looking forward to tomorrow’s excursion to see the Komodo dragons!