Off On Our Next Adventure

Right. We did it. We decided that parting with millions of Indonesian rupiah was worth the experience. It was a daunting prospect because it felt like a huge amount of money compared to anything we’ve done so far. It involved flying to Labuan Bajo on Flores and then doing a liveaboard trip to visit Komodo Island and see Komodo dragons in the flesh. It also included a whole host of other bonus experiences.

I got in touch with Jack from Flores Holidays, who was recommended by a Facebook group for adventurous travels with kids. He arranged everything for our 2D1N tour of Komodo National Park, including transfers from the airport to our hotel, hotel to the boat, and back to the hotel afterward. This included a private guide and all food and water on the boat, although the Komodo park fees were extra on top of this.

Komodo Trip Itinerary

Day 01:

• Kelor island
• Manjerite
• Kalong island
  ( overnight on the boat)

Day 02:

• Padar island
• Pink beach
• Komodo island
• Manta point
  ( Back to Labuan Bajo)

We landed in the evening, after our flight was delayed by an hour, and Jack was there to meet us with the driver, who took us to our aparthotel at Triple 8 Suites in Labuan Bajo. We had a good night’s sleep after we enjoyed a lovely meal at the Italian restaurant, Baccala, downstairs. It was the first proper food I’d eaten in days…a simple pasta dish with amazing homemade tomato sauce, which tasted delicious!

The next morning, we were collected at 10am and driven the short distance to the harbour where Jack’s colleague met us and escorted us to our liveaboard boat on a small dinghy powered by an outboard motor. This boat was then towed by the liveaboard and became our means of transport anytime we needed to reach the shore, or snorkelling spots throughout our trip.

The Alba 3

Our boat was called the Alba 3, although I called her ‘Little Yellow’ because she was painted with a cheery bright yellow trim, welcoming us back aboard after outings, and she was a lot smaller than the other liveaboards who we travelled in convoy with.

Our fellow passengers were a group of four young Italian guys who have been friends since childhood and who had met in Indonesia for a holiday together as they live in different countries now. They were well educated, with two of them finishing off their Masters, including one in Marine Biology. We were so stoked to be sharing the boat with such a great group of guys who were nice and friendly towards the kids as well. The boat could take up to 10 passengers, but we fortunately had just the eight of us.

Our cabin contained a double bunk bed – it was a clean, tidy and air-conditioned, providing a cool place to relax when any one of us needed shade or rest.

We spent quite a lot of our time when sailing on the top deck, enjoying the sea breeze and warm sunshine.

For our meals, we ate on the main deck. The food throughout the trip was outstanding, all cooked on board by the chef.

Boat Safety

I have to write a paragraph about this, because you all know by now that boat safety is a huge concern of mine, especially travelling in this part of the world with kids. I have read loads of horror stories to do with boats in Indonesia as part of my trip research over the past year. Having read a lot of pretty damning viewpoints on the seaworthiness of liveaboards, I was a little anxious, given that I had relied on Jack’s photos and descriptions. My first instinct when boarding a boat is to scan the boat for life jackets, life buoys, and sneak a peek at the captain’s deck. Boarding the Alba 3 immediately allayed all my fears. Everything was in order saftey-wise, and despite our captain’s youth, he proved to be a reliable, safety-conscious and focused skipper, who was always at the helm.

My other concern was the idea of being isolated at sea, away from other boats and rescuers, should anything go wrong. I needn’t have worried at all because the liveaboards all travel in a convoy from place to place, and there are always other boats comfortingly nearby. The only challenge is getting on and off the shore when travellers converge at particular points in the itinerary, although with a little patience from everyone, this is managed expertly by the crews.

Kelor Island

We set sail from Labuan Bajo on a glorious blue sky day, making our way to our first stop: Kelor Island. We spent a bit of time chatting to the Italians and getting to know them during this first leg, and the kids explored the boat. They loved being on the top deck, and by the end of the trip, we all did!

We arrived at Kelor Island before lunch, and our guide, Dennis, took us up the hill to the top of the island. It was a steep climb, which we found a bit challenging in the midday heat, but Anna bounded up the hill like a mountain goat!

After getting very hot and sweaty walking the hill, we went for a swim in the inviting turquoise water. Leo plunged in first and was enjoying looking around with his goggles on, until he suddenly started yelling for help. This was alarming for those of us nearby, and I ran into the water asking what the matter was. He replied that he was being bitten by fish! I told him that it was unlikely…until I suddenly got the fright of my life when a fish took a nibble of me too! It wasn’t painful, it felt like a little tiny nip, but because it was unexpected, it did feel a bit scary.

Leo and I both exited the water pretty smartly and sat on the shore, away from the ‘Kelor piranhas’, watching other people leap into the water for a welcome swim, only to see them react exactly like we did to the arrival of the bitey fish!

Shaun kept trying to tell us to get back in the water, as he was quite happy to endure the wee biters, but Leo and I stuck together and firmly replied that we would be staying in the shallows onshore, thanks.

Manjerite

We made our way back to the boat after half an hour onshore, and arrived back to an amazing Indonesian lunch of marinated tuna, scrambled tofu, greens with garlic, rice and as much fruit as we could eat. We all ate our fill (me sticking to vegetarian food to go easy on my recovering digestive system) and then set sail for Manjerite. On the way, Anna sat up front at the bow of the boat with Dennis looking after her, enjoying the thrill of sailing.

We anchored next to the Alba 2 (the much bigger sister boat) at Manjerite Island, where we were able to go snorkelling. The coral here was incredible, as was the range of tropical fish. We even saw a turtle! It seems that every new snorkelling spot brings magical new surprises. Anna and Leo wanted a break after a while so Dennis took them over to the jetty to look in the shallows where they saw lionfish! Leo was ecstatic, because having read about them being an unusual sighting when snorkelling, none of us had expected to see them. When Shaun and I arrived after snorkelling our way there (having a guide there to take charge of the kids was pretty luxurious, as Shaun and I had our first time alone together in 8 weeks…we thoroughly enjoyed our underwater date) Leo was hopping up and down with excitement, warning us to stay away from the lionfish so that we didn’t get stung by them, as they have venomous spines. We climbed up on the jetty and looked down to observe the fascinating lionfish below. It was a pretty cool moment to share with the kids, as we never see fish like that back home.

Rinca Island

We boarded the boat after this experience, feeling very satisfied with our trip so far. The captain then set sail for Kalong, although we anchored at Rinca, which is nearby as we awaited sunset. After we had enjoyed hot, freshly made banana fritters, the Italian guys asked why we weren’t going ashore, and Dennis explained that the villagers on Rinca charge an entry fee to tourists, so the tours don’t automatically build it into their itinerary. Additionally, he expained that the komodo dragons on Rinca are more aggressive than on Komodo Island, so their tour company doesn’t take people to see them there. The Italians spoke to us and asked if we would like to go ashore with them, and we agreed it would be interesting.

The crew indulged this last-minute change to the itinerary, and we hopped into the wee boat, which took us to the jetty. There the locals welcomed us warmly, with friendly smiles and hearty greetings. We paid our 10K IDR each (just over NZ$1) to the lady on duty, and then we were escorted by a group of young local men on a village tour, who introduced themselves by name and asked all of our names. This surpassed our expectations so we wandered slowly with our guides, chatting and finding out about their lifestyle, how they deal with komodo dragons entering the village (every household has a big stick!) and why so many houses are on stilts (king tides wash under half the village). We also saw how they make money for their village: catching millions of tiny sardine-sized fish (which they called anchovies), before drying them, then sending them to the mainland.

We left Rinca as the mosque began to call worshippers to prayer, and the sun was sinking towards the horizon. Dennis was hurrying us back to the boat so that we could sail across to Kalong Island in time to see the bat exodus.

Kalong Island

It only took about 15 minutes to sail to a good vantage point. Not long after our arrival, the first fruit bats began to leave the island. Now, if you’re a Kiwi, you might be thinking of tiny little fruit bats that we get at home, however, these bats were huge! Not only that, but after the first hundred or so, we thought that would be it. Nope…literally thousands of bats poured out of Kalong Island that evening at sunset, just as they do every evening, when they fly to the mainland in search of food, returning before dawn at about 4am. Shaun and I both agree that it’s one of the most incredible natural spectacles that we’ve ever seen.

The photo above gives some indication of how many bats they were (all those black specks in the sky), but to us observing, we could see the distinctive bat shape of every single one as they flew over us. There was an almost full moon that night, and each of us observed the Batman symbol several times…after Leo pointed it out the first time!

Once it was dark, we went down to the main deck to eat dinner. Another amazing spread of sweet and sour fish, marinated tempeh, vegetables, marinated chicken on the bone, chips and crispy chicken strips for the kids, as well as plenty of rice.

Leo and Anna put themselves to bed not long after this, worn out by our full day, and the thought of waking up around 4.30am to see the sunrise. We stayed up for an hour or so, chatting to the Italians about life and swapping travel stories. All of us had no trouble getting to sleep, although Shaun and I were woken when the boat’s engine started up again to sail to Padar Island for sunrise. Our room was next to the engine room, so it took me a while to fall asleep again. However, I did eventually, waking only briefly again when we arrived at Padar, and it stopped for the night around 12.30am. After that, with the waves rocking us gently and the comfy mattress…oblivion. Until the alarm went off at 4.45am.

Padar Island

Shaun and I were fine with the early wake up, since we’re used to my 5am bootcamp alarms at home. The kids were not quite so easy to rouse, continuing to sleep deeply…until we shook them awake, very gently of course!

We got dressed into the clothes we’d laid out the night before, including our sneakers for the hike up the hill and hopped into the dinghy, sailing towards the jetty in the dark. All around us, we saw other small boats heading towards the same jetty, with only torches twinkling and reflecting off the dark sea, mirroring the stars and moon in the sky above. It was fascinating that there were so many people being so quiet, especially our new Italian mates, who didn’t utter a word. Being middle-aged veterans of sleep deprivation, Shaun and I were the most chipper people for miles! Our poor kids were struggling as well, and I wished that I had brought along a snack for them to help them wake up.

We made our way along the jetty to the steps and began the 500m ascent to the peak of Padar. There are about 700 steps leading up to the top, so we took it one step at a time. Once again, Anna bounced her way up, the exercise waking her up, just like the zigzag path at her school. Her and Dennis found a lookout point to wait for the rest of us.

We climbed a little higher until we had a good vantage point for welcoming the sunrise.

In the pre-dawn light, the panorama was stunning, and it was breathtaking observing it all from the heights of Padar. The walk had energized me and Shaun; I felt very peaceful, Anna was clearly delighted to have reached the top first, and even though Leo had complained the whole way up the hill, he too found joy in the reward of the stunning views.

Once the sun had risen, we made our way back down the steps to the beach, where we saw a couple of deer, enjoying leftover coconut husks on the shore. They seemed completely unbothered by all the visitors.

It took a while for everyone to be loaded back onto the dinghies, but we enjoyed watching the fish swimming around the jetty while we waited. When we returned to the boat, a breakfast of pancakes, fresh fruit, and toast was waiting for us.

Pink Beach

We sailed on to Pink Beach, where we donned our fins, masks, and snorkels for some more snorkelling. We enjoyed walking along Pink Beach where the minerals give the sand an incredible pink colour. It was high tide at the time we went there, but you could still see the pink sand as the waves washed in and out. As we explored the beach, Anna was delighted to find many large cowrie shells, and Leo was even more delighted to observe a baby black tip reef shark swimming in the shallows. Shaun and Leo also found an enormous clam shell while they were snorkelling.

Komodo Island

Our penultimate stop was the moment we’d all been waiting for…disembarking at Komodo Island with the hope of seeing Komodo dragons in the wild. Our crew had made good time, and we were one of the earlier boats to arrive at Komodo, so once we had been assigned a ranger and given the safety briefing, we went for the escorted 2km walk with our guide.

Our guide explained that it was mating season for the komodo dragons, so the likelihood of seeing them out and about was diminished, as they were engaged in procreation. With our hopes dampened, we rounded the first corner to see a baby komodo dragon wandering past!

A few trees ahead, we came across a much larger dragon scratching around in the trunk in search of some kind of treat. He was very focused on finding whatever it was that he was looking for.

By this stage, we were more than happy with our quota of dragon sightings, but as we approached the beach, we couldn’t believe our eyes as three komodo dragons converged near the small jetty.

One in particular was very relaxed and kindly posed for photos, which our ranger took for us. He was a pretty skilled photographer as these photos make it look like we could reach out and pet the dragon, but in reality, we were actually crouching about 3 meters behind it.

After observing these majestic creatures for a good fifteen minutes of so, we continued walking around the island with our ranger, who pointed out a freshly done Komodo poo on our way. The white stuff in it is the remainder of bones, because Komodos eat their prey, whether a pig, deer, or baby komodo, in its entirety.

Along the way, we saw lots of pigs and deer roaming around before finding one more very large komodo towards the end. By this stage, many more boats had arrived, so we were glad to be leaving. We would hear in Flores a few days later that people visiting Komodo on the same day as us had missed out on seeing any Komodos at all…we feel truly blessed that we got a chance to see six or seven of them, all in the space of the first half hour. Even the ranger said it was unusual.

Before departing, we sat down and enjoyed a cold drink bought from the local ladies. The kids also wanted carved, wooden Komodo dragons as a memento, so they went to look at them. One of our new Italian friends helped them to negotiate a good deal for their two dragons before we made our way back to the boat.

On our way back to the boat, we were approached by young kids selling magnets. I politely declined, and most of them moved on, however one persistent fellow would not give up, so I ended up buying one from him. Shaun was following further behind, and he also had one child working on him all the way up the wharf. Impressed by his salesmanship, he also purchased a magnet.

We had learnt from Dennis that the locals work as a collective to sell the souvenirs and drinks/food in order to make money for their village, just like the locals working together to sell the fish on Rinca. While it may seem like a foreign concept to us, it shows an impressive sense of community spirit.

Manta Point

Feeling very pleased with our Komodo experience, we boarded the boat and set sail for Manta Point, our last stop of the day. We stopped briefly for a lunch of mee goreng, vegetables and fruit and then all retired to our cabins to have a snooze on the way. Anna and Shaun fell asleep, and Leo and I rested but didn’t fall asleep.

When we arrived at Manta Point, Dennis explained that just like the Komodos, it was mating season for the manta rays, so sightings had been rare lately. There was a very strong current in the area, so we got on the little dinghy to be transported there, with all of us wearing life jackets, and Dennis holding a life buoy as well. The Alba 3 awaited our return at the bottom of the current. It reminded me of the way the boats did this same thing off the coast of Gili Air.

Once in the water, we were immediately pulled along by the current. I held tight to both kids’ hands, with Shaun and Dennis nearby for back up. The underwater view was breathtaking, and we saw another turtle, but the current was pretty distracting, and Anna wasn’t really enjoying it, so I returned her and Leo to the boat after a short snorkel. We didn’t see any manta rays, but we were still feeling thrilled from the Komodo magic, so it didn’t matter. Back on board the Alba 3, we sat on the top deck for most of the sailing back to Labuan Bajo.

The trip back took a few hours, and we sailed into the harbour at about 6pm, as the sun was sinking towards the horizon. After being transported back to our hotel, we got showered and changed before going out for pizza for dinner at another local Italian place. We all slept very well that night!

With such a huge financial outlay, we really debated and questioned doing this trip. We eventually reached the conclusion that it was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity, so we went ahead with it. I’m so glad we did because it was utterly amazing, and we all got so much out of it. If you’re ever facing the same question, just go for it!