Wanua Tours 4D/3N Komodo Island Tour
If you’re looking for an incredible tour around the Komodo Islands in Indonesia, Wanua Tours has to be at the top of your list. Bear in mind this trip is not for the faint of heart and the company even states it multiple times. You will be roughing it on this tour!
Wanua tours offers an incredible 4 day 3 night tour around the Komodo Islands. This trip gives you 2 different route options, Lombok -> Flores or vice versa. I highly suggest you do the Lombok to Flores route as there is a long, super bumpy boat ride the entire first night of your journey, and you save the best snorkeling, beaches and destinations for last. BRING NAUSEA PILLS.
Before you set off on your journey, I would recommend to stock up on snacks as well as pre-purchase all of your beer and liquor. Once boarded on the boat, you won’t really get a chance to purchase more. Upon check in/arrival on the day of, they will offer you beer and rice wine at a higher price than what you would normally find on the island. Hey, they’ve gotta make their money too haha! Also, BRING WARM CLOTHES or a blanket. At night the deck where you will be sleeping does get cold as you are sailing in open water
Expect your first day to be nothing but sign ups, and a very long van ride to the port. Once you arrive at the port everyone boards their designated boat where you will be welcomed with a small fruit platter and be shown to the deck where you will be sleeping. Unless you purchased a private room (which I don’t suggest) you’ll be sleeping on the deck next to everyone on your boat in an open air setting. As I warned at the beginning of the blog, this is not for the faint of heart, you will be given nothing but a sheet, a mat to lay on and a small pillow. Bring an extra blanket and or warm clothes because it will get chilly at night! Also, PLEASE don’t let the sleeping arrangements scare you. This was such an incredible experience and I ended up making the most incredible friends that I still keep in contact with to this day!
Day 1
Off you go! Once everyone has boarded, you’ll be heading to a beautiful island where you’ll be watching sunset on the mountain top of Kenawa island. After the sun goes down, enjoy the bonfire with your new travel buddies before you set off on your overnight ride across the ocean.
Day 2
You’ll land on Moyo Island where you have the option of snorkeling or climbing the waterfall. I highly suggest skipping the waterfall if it’s dry season as its horribly overcrowded and not a sight to see as its pretty dried up and no where really to swim. The ocean though is stunning, the water was super clear and it was definitely worth spending extra time there.
Day 3
Is where things start to get fun!
KOMODO ISLAND – PINK BEACH
– You’ll then head to the Komodo Island, where you will get to observe the Komodo dragons from a distance as the guides tell you everything you need to know about these creatures.
– Next stop, Pink Beach which was absolutely stunning. The sand is actually pink due microscopic organisms called Foraminifera which turn the coral red then break off and mix in the sand. Here we sunbathed and snorkeled in absolute bliss.
Side Note - The vibe on each boat vary’s by the people on it. I always love a good party so I was lucky to find a group on my boat that was always ready to have a good time when the sun went down. The guides would turn on the disco lights on the downstairs common area and we’d play all our favorite tunes while dancing the night away. We found out that one of the other boats was also a crew of party animals because one night as we were calming down and getting ready for bed, we heard yelling outside of our boat. We looked over the sides of our boat to see a bunch of people wading in the water below us! They had jumped in and swam from their boat to ours NAKED hahaha! We thought that was absolutely amazing so we didn’t hesitate to jump in and join the party!
Remember the vibes on each boat are different. Half of our boat was coupled up so they weren’t really in to partying and another boat was completely not into partying at all. So it’s definitely a read the room situation haha.
Day 4
Was my absolute favorite day:
PADAR ISLAND – RINCA ISLAND – KELOR ISLAND – LABUHAN BAJO (FLORES)
- Wake up before the sun comes up around 4:30am to hike Padar Island for sunrise. The photo above was one I captured just as the sun rose! It was absolutely breathtaking. If you look closely you can see each beach has different color sand! White normal sand on the right, black volcanic sand on the bottom left & pink sand on the top left from the foraminifera/broken up red coral.
- Next you’ll visit Rinca Island for your last chance to see Komodo dragons and search for other wild animals that the island has to offer. You’ll get to hike the highest peak of the island which over looks the vast horizon of beautiful islands and ocean.
- Lastly, you get to enjoy the small secluded gem, Kelor Island which was absolutely stunning. We stayed here for 2 hours and I didn’t get out of the water the entire time because the reef was so stunning and alive! We spent the entire 2 hours circling the island observing all the incredible reef and sea creatures. It was the absolute perfect way to end the trip.
Around 5:30pm you will land on Flores island where you will end your journey. My suggestion is to prebook Seaesta Komodo, which is the newest and nicest accommodation on the island. They offer both bunks and private rooms and are usually booked out during busy season. They have a stunning upstair lounge area with a full food and cocktail menu as well as a rooftop pool. Most nights they have live music as well which makes for a perfect chill night on the rooftop.
I absolutely suggest doing this tour if you are up to rough it for a few days. Its 100% worth the incredible experiences and memories you will have on your journey.
You can find more info on pricing and what all the Wanua Boat Tour includes HERE!
