Flores XP Komodo Adventure Tours and Diving - 2-day-dragontour
After having arrived in Labuan Bajo the evening before, we were picked up by Flores XP [ad] minibus on time at the hotel.
On our boat – the Salacia I – we were warmly welcomed by the crew and supplied with coffee, fruit and muffins.
When you leave the busy port of Labuan Bajo, relaxation begins immediately. The sound of the waves, the light wind on your face and the sun on your stomach immediately wipe off any stress. So our 2-day kite tour can start with pleasure. Here we have put together useful and basic information about Flores .
After about an hour's drive we reach the private island of Kanawa Island. Already from the boat you can see the colorful corals sparkling in the crystal clear water. The anticipation for the first dive of our Komodo Tour increases immeasurably. After a clean briefing we go into the water and we are overwhelmed by the maritime life: moray eels, turtles, damselfish, puffer fish and much more. The snorkelers were also excited.
Then we fortify ourselves with grilled chicken, fish and vegetables on the boat and then have the opportunity to go ashore and swim on the island.
We complete the second dive of our Komodo Tour off the island of Sebuyar Kecil. Similar to the first time, we dive relatively close to the shore. These two dives were relatively easy and no current - perfect for a start. As with every dive during our Komodo Tour, there was also the opportunity to snorkel.
In the afternoon we went ashore on Sebuyar Besar and moved into our camp for the night - the Pirates Camp.
There are airy huts for two people that are equipped with solar power and mosquito nets. There is a clean open air bath house with showers, sinks and separate toilets. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the beautiful sandy beach, which is equipped with comfortable loungers. If you don't have enough of the underwater world, you can go snorkeling into the deeper water via the jetty.
In the evening we met again in the pirate bar. Beer and other alcoholic beverages create the right mood at sunset. The pirate crew went out of their way to conjure up a delicious buffet for us. Grilled fish and chicken, as well as vegetarian alternatives in perfect quality, rounded off the adventurous day in style. Our Komodo Tour was also a complete culinary success.
The next morning we woke up with the first rays of sunshine. After a short swim in the sea we freshened up and were surprised with a delicious breakfast buffet in the bar. Now we went back to the ship and we cruised through the Komodo Archipelago for a good hour. We really found boating to be very pleasant and relaxing. The boat has a spacious sunbathing area on the upper deck with sun and shade. From there you have the best view of the surrounding islands. It is really exciting in the Komodo National Park and there is always something to see. Sometimes we wondered which island Komodo was because everyone actually looked like dragons were living on it. An absolutely spectacular landscape. Within the archipelago you are also somewhat protected from waves. At least that's how it was with us.
Our first stop on this day was Batu Bolong - translated "the rock with a hole". This spot is really fairly exposed and is therefore exposed to strong currents. North of the Komodo Archipelago is the Pacific and south of the Indian Ocean. With every tide change, the water masses exchange and ensure strong currents, but also fresh nutrients. That is the reason for the unique underwater world here.
At Batu Bolong the current was too dangerous at that time, so we first continued to Manta Point and searched the area from the boat for the majestic big fish. Unfortunately we were not lucky that day. Of course we were a little disappointed that no mantas wanted to show up during our Komodo tour, but we were really compensated enough for snorkeling. We had big sweet lips, turtles, black tip reef sharks, bamboo sharks and many other impressive animals.
With joy in our hearts we moved on and let the sun shine on our belly again on deck. The next stop was Mawan Island, where we had another impressive dive. This time it was a drift dive along the Mawan coast. My personal highlight was a basketball-sized sepia. I've never seen this size. Just unbelievable. Mawan Island also has the Secret Pink Beach, which, in contrast to the well-known Pink Beach, is all to yourself.
The crew really went out of their way to make the 2-day Komodo Tour unforgettable for us and they succeeded. We drove past Batu Bolong again and the current conditions had turned positive, so we got our dive at this world-class spot. The evening before the guides had made our mouths watery. It was really incredible. We descended on a steep wall to about 22 meters and were able to enjoy the breathtaking underwater world in the flow shadow. Hard and soft corals in all colors, an incredible number of reef fish, turtles and large mackerel, barracudas and tuna that went hunting in the blue water. I have to say that Batu Bolong was my (Dominik) most beautiful dive so far.
After a light lunch on board we headed for the eponymous highlight of the Komodo Tour. We moored in a long bay on Rinca and were picked up by our guide. We bought our tickets in the visitor center and started the short trek. After only a few meters we saw the first specimens of the primeval giant lizards lying in the shade of the trees. On our small circular route we also met one or two Komodo dragons. The landscape on the island is very reminiscent of Jurassic Park or King Kong´s Skull Island. The viewpoint and the interesting explanations of the guides are really cool.
Overall, we were on the island for about an hour. The time on Rinca was a little too short for us. We would have liked to have had more encounters with the monitor lizards in nature and enjoyed the beauty of the island more. But on a two-day tour is unfortunately no longer possible. Flores XP also offers other tours with more "dragon-time".
After we were back on board - in the meantime the afternoon was well advanced - we strengthened ourselves again with coffee, tea, pastries and fruits and left Komodo National Park again in the direction of Labuan Bajo. But a highlight should still be waiting for us. Kalong Island - the island of fruit bats.
We anchored off the island and waited anxiously for the spectacle. Shortly before sunset, hundreds of thousands of fruit bats rose from the island's trees into the sunset and flew over our heads towards Flores. An incredible spectacle and more than a crowning conclusion to our two days at sea with Flores XP.
Unfortunately, this terrific tour passed far too quickly. We will definitely come back to explore much more of this pristine largely undiscovered region of Indonesia with Flores XP.
We can fully recommend the travel time in mid-May, because many visitors were not there. The weather also played along and the islands were lush green and full of life.
