This trip is definitely a must do for anyone travelling around Indonesia. As the title suggests we went on the komodo island boat trip from Gili T to Flores. The companies really don't do it any justice when advertising it as it's so much more than just going to see the dragons.
There was probably around 30 of us on a boat for 4 days which stopped at various islands as it made it's way to Labuan Bajo. For around 90 pounds (1,750,000 rupiah) it's an absolute bargain, plus.... they feed you loads! We all got really fat (goodbye to all the hard work we did in the gym pre travelling) but it was so worth it!
Day 1
We left from Gili T and took a little boat to Lombok. When you get off the boat don't get in a tuc tuc to the bus, it's a massive rip off. We didn't know where we were going but the bus stop is literally down the road and we ended up angrily having to pay the man 50 rupiah each to be taken there. We then took a mini bus, had a 2 hour wait in an office and another bus for 3 and a half hours to get to our boat.
There are a number of companies that run this trip but i would definitely recommend going with "Kencana Adventure" which we booked at the travel agents next to Gili T's "Sweet and Spicy cooking school". We met some of the people doing the same trip as us but with another company who complained that ours was much better than theirs (comfort, food, entertainment etc.). The staff running our boat really made the experience what it was. They always made sure we were having a good time and entertained us with songs, instruments and getting merry on their lemon wine in the evenings. They even took one lady back 2 hours on a little boat to get her bag that she left up a mountain!
You can pre order beers to have on the boat and everyone drinks and puts music on in the night times. The boat itself was sometimes scary as some parts of the sea are really rough and the waves spill over the sides of the boat. Luckily the staff make you feel safe even though you're sometimes falling over trying to walk around.
Day 2
After breakfast (toast or banana pancakes) we swam to Moyo island where we trekked to a waterfall. You have the option to climb up the waterfall itself (not our best look legs everywhere in a bikini) or just swim at the bottom/ take a shower as there isn't one on the boat. After the waterfall we sailed to Satonda island where we were lucky enough to have dolphins swim alongside our boat, you can also spot quite a few in the distance too. At Satonda we visited the lucky lake which is said to bring you good luck if you swim in it and then snorkled back to the boat where we saw blue star fish, jellyfish and clown fish. This trip has some of the most beautiful snorkelling spots!
Day 3
On day 3 we trekked up a mountain (the same mountain the lady left her bag with her passport in at the top of!) where we saw the most amazing views, probably some of the best we have seen whilst being away.
We then snorkeled at pink beach...if you can call it "pink" which had lots of beautiful fish and corals. After lunch (normally a curry type dish with rice and salad) we went to the Komodo island to see the dragons. Six rangers kept us safe from the 2842 dragons that live on the island. They're not actually scary because they lay pretty still but when they start moving we all run behind the nearest guide!
Day 4
We started our fourth day at Rinca island where you actually see more komodo dragons than at the national park. After, we visited Kelor island which has water so shallow you can lye down and sunbath in it and it's also a good area for snorkeling.
When we arrived at our final stop Labuan Bajo, Addy who runs the boat took us all to paradise bar to watch the sunset, see an amazing band perform and get some food.
The next day in desperate need of a shower, we booked into a basic hostel where we all enjoyed being clean and finally having a proper bed. If you spend the night here definitely go to the Greek restaurant on the main road, the food is amazing.
Our visa was quickly running out so we did not have time to travel back to Bali over land so we flew back to Kuta to spend a couple of nights with our friends before they left us to go back to Australia.
Overall I definitely think anyone staying in Indonesia for a long time should take this boat trip and see Lombok and Flores with Addy and his team. They looked after us so well and we had an amazing experience thanks to them.
There are a number of companies that run this trip but i would definitely recommend going with "Kencana Adventure" which we booked at the travel agents next to Gili T's "Sweet and Spicy cooking school". We met some of the people doing the same trip as us but with another company who complained that ours was much better than theirs (comfort, food, entertainment etc.). The staff running our boat really made the experience what it was. They always made sure we were having a good time and entertained us with songs, instruments and getting merry on their lemon wine in the evenings. They even took one lady back 2 hours on a little boat to get her bag that she left up a mountain!
You can pre order beers to have on the boat and everyone drinks and puts music on in the night times. The boat itself was sometimes scary as some parts of the sea are really rough and the waves spill over the sides of the boat. Luckily the staff make you feel safe even though you're sometimes falling over trying to walk around.
Day 2
After breakfast (toast or banana pancakes) we swam to Moyo island where we trekked to a waterfall. You have the option to climb up the waterfall itself (not our best look legs everywhere in a bikini) or just swim at the bottom/ take a shower as there isn't one on the boat. After the waterfall we sailed to Satonda island where we were lucky enough to have dolphins swim alongside our boat, you can also spot quite a few in the distance too. At Satonda we visited the lucky lake which is said to bring you good luck if you swim in it and then snorkled back to the boat where we saw blue star fish, jellyfish and clown fish. This trip has some of the most beautiful snorkelling spots!
Day 3
On day 3 we trekked up a mountain (the same mountain the lady left her bag with her passport in at the top of!) where we saw the most amazing views, probably some of the best we have seen whilst being away.
We then snorkeled at pink beach...if you can call it "pink" which had lots of beautiful fish and corals. After lunch (normally a curry type dish with rice and salad) we went to the Komodo island to see the dragons. Six rangers kept us safe from the 2842 dragons that live on the island. They're not actually scary because they lay pretty still but when they start moving we all run behind the nearest guide!
Day 4
We started our fourth day at Rinca island where you actually see more komodo dragons than at the national park. After, we visited Kelor island which has water so shallow you can lye down and sunbath in it and it's also a good area for snorkeling.
When we arrived at our final stop Labuan Bajo, Addy who runs the boat took us all to paradise bar to watch the sunset, see an amazing band perform and get some food.
The next day in desperate need of a shower, we booked into a basic hostel where we all enjoyed being clean and finally having a proper bed. If you spend the night here definitely go to the Greek restaurant on the main road, the food is amazing.
Our visa was quickly running out so we did not have time to travel back to Bali over land so we flew back to Kuta to spend a couple of nights with our friends before they left us to go back to Australia.
Overall I definitely think anyone staying in Indonesia for a long time should take this boat trip and see Lombok and Flores with Addy and his team. They looked after us so well and we had an amazing experience thanks to them.
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