Excursion Map

Every adventure begins at AYANA Komodo's private jetty — the gateway to one of the world's most extraordinary marine parks. Whether you are heading out on a full-day island-hopping expedition or a sunset dinner cruise, your journey starts here with a warm send-off from the AYANA team.

The jetty accommodates AYANA's full fleet of excursion vessels, from the glass-bottom Lako Taka to the elegant dinner cruise Lako Sae. Life jackets, snorkelling gear, and all provisions are prepared before you step aboard.

After a day on the water, return to the jetty and let the resort's seamless hospitality carry you back to comfort — cool towels, refreshments, and the warm glow of a Labuan Bajo sunset to close the day.

Rising dramatically from the Flores Sea, Padar Island is perhaps the most photographed landscape in all of Komodo National Park. Its silhouette — jagged volcanic ridges framing three distinct bays — has become an enduring symbol of Indonesia's natural beauty.

The hike to the summit is a moderate 30–45 minute ascent along a well-marked trail. The reward is extraordinary: a 360-degree panorama reveals bays of different hues — deep blue, turquoise, and on a clear day, a pinkish sandy shore — nestled between the island's dramatic spine of hills.

Padar is uninhabited by Komodo dragons, making it one of the few islands where visitors can move freely along the trails. The island's grasslands and dry deciduous vegetation give it a striking, almost lunar quality — especially at sunrise and golden hour, when the ridgelines are bathed in warm light.

Best visited in the morning for cooler temperatures and clearest light. Sturdy footwear is recommended.

Pink Beach — known locally as Pantai Merah — is one of the most enchanting shores in Indonesia. The sand's distinctive blush tone comes from fragments of red coral mixed with white sand, a natural phenomenon found in only a handful of places worldwide.

The beach is as beautiful underwater as above. The coral reef just offshore is exceptionally healthy, teeming with reef fish, sea turtles, and vibrant hard and soft corals — widely considered one of the best snorkelling spots in Komodo National Park, suitable for all levels.

The shallow, calm waters along the shoreline make it ideal for a leisurely swim, while the striking contrast of pink sand, turquoise sea, and green hillside creates one of the most photographed scenes in the archipelago.

Arrive early to enjoy the beach at its most serene. Snorkelling gear is provided as part of AYANA's island-hopping excursion.

Komodo Island is the namesake of both the national park and its most celebrated resident — the Komodo dragon. As the primary habitat of these ancient reptiles, the island has been a protected reserve since 1980 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.

Visitors explore on guided treks led by experienced rangers, walking through open savannah and dry woodland to spot Komodo dragons in their natural environment. Encounters are common — the dragons are drawn to the ranger stations and can often be seen resting in shade or moving through the grassland.

The rangers carry forked sticks for safety, though the dragons are generally calm when undisturbed. Visitors are guided to maintain a respectful distance at all times.

Beyond the dragon experience, Komodo Island offers compelling birdwatching, scenic coastal views, and insight into one of the world's most extraordinary living ecosystems.

Karang Makassar, known as Manta Point, is the crown jewel of snorkelling and diving in Komodo National Park. Stretching over 2.5 kilometres just north of Taka Makassar, this expansive reef serves simultaneously as a feeding ground and cleaning station for the park's resident manta ray population.

Approximately 1,000 reef manta rays call Komodo National Park home. With wingspans of two to five metres, these gentle, plankton-feeding giants are among the ocean's most graceful creatures — and Manta Point is the best place in the park to encounter them year-round.

The shallow depth of six to twelve metres makes this accessible for snorkellers and divers of all levels. The reef also supports giant sweetlips, black-tip reef sharks, eagle rays, and giant trevally.

Responsible wildlife guidelines apply: maintain at least three metres' distance, never touch the animals, approach slowly, and always allow the manta to swim freely. These practices ensure a respectful and genuinely magical encounter.

Rinca Island offers a more intimate and untamed alternative to Komodo Island for wildlife encounters. Home to a significant population of Komodo dragons, Rinca is known for its dramatic, open landscape — dry savannah, rocky hillsides, and mangrove-fringed shores that feel genuinely remote.

Guided treks depart from Loh Buaya ranger station, where dragons are frequently spotted resting near the main huts — sometimes in surprisingly close proximity. The rangers here are highly knowledgeable, offering detailed insights into dragon behaviour, ecology, and the island's unique ecosystem.

Trekking trails on Rinca vary from short loops around the ranger station to longer routes climbing the hills for panoramic views. The landscape is visually striking in all seasons.

Rinca is a key destination on the Komodo Dragon Quest excursion aboard AYANA's Lako Taka.

Menjerite Island is a peaceful, relatively unvisited snorkelling destination within Komodo National Park. The surrounding reef is rich in coral diversity, with a variety of hard and soft corals providing habitat for an abundance of tropical reef fish.

The calm, sheltered waters make it ideal for relaxed snorkelling — guests can drift over the reef, spotting clownfish, parrotfish, triggerfish, and occasional sea turtles at their own pace.

Menjerite is included as a snorkelling stop on the Komodo Dragon Quest excursion, offering a refreshing contrast to the trekking activities on Rinca Island earlier in the day. Its quiet beauty and clear waters make it a highlight for those who appreciate unhurried exploration beneath the surface.

Kelor Island may be one of the smallest stops in Komodo National Park, but its hilltop view makes it one of the most memorable. A brief 15–20 minute hike up the island's grassy ridge rewards visitors with a sweeping panorama of surrounding islands, turquoise straits, and distant volcanic peaks.

The climb is manageable for most fitness levels, though the path can be steep in places and is best tackled in the morning before the midday heat. The view from the top is a favourite with photographers.

The waters surrounding Kelor also offer decent snorkelling, with healthy coral patches close to shore. Combined with the dragon sighting and snorkelling at Menjerite, Kelor provides a satisfying final chapter to the Komodo Dragon Quest excursion.

Kukusan Island is the centrepiece of AYANA's Glass Bottom Boat Exploration — a unique excursion for guests who want to experience Komodo's marine biodiversity without getting wet.

Aboard the glass-bottom Lako Taka, a resident marine biologist provides a live presentation on the marine life visible beneath the vessel. Colourful reef fish, coral formations, and occasional rays or sea turtles can be observed through the glass floor as the boat drifts over the reef.

The educational element sets this excursion apart: guests leave with a deeper understanding of the Coral Triangle ecosystem, the role of coral reefs in marine biodiversity, and the conservation efforts protecting these waters.

Kukusan is also an important marine sanctuary within the national park, and its reefs are among the healthiest in the region.

Bidadari Island — whose name translates to 'Angel Island' in Indonesian — is a scenic waypoint visited on both the Glass Bottom Boat Exploration and the Sunset Dinner Cruise.

On the glass-bottom excursion, Bidadari serves as the first stop for a marine biology presentation, where AYANA's marine biologist introduces the ecosystems guests are about to explore. The island's fringing reef is immediately visible through the boat's glass floor.

On the Sunset Dinner Cruise, guests are served welcome drinks and canapés as the vessel passes Bidadari, with the island's lush silhouette framing the early evening horizon. The light at this hour is soft and golden — one of the most memorable moments on the cruise.

The surrounding waters are calm and clear, and the island's natural beauty makes it a fitting embodiment of the Komodo archipelago's quiet charm.

Taka Makassar is among the most visually striking natural features in Komodo National Park — a pristine white sandbank that emerges from the sea, appearing almost too perfect to be real.

Surrounded by clear, shallow water, the sandbank shifts subtly with the tides but remains a breathtaking destination year-round. Standing at its edge with water at your feet and nothing but open sea in every direction is a singular experience — utterly remote, utterly serene.

The reef surrounding Taka Makassar is also outstanding for snorkelling, with healthy coral gardens and abundant marine life. It lies close to Manta Point, making it a natural pairing on the Snorkeling Trilogy Expedition.

Siaba Island is a favourite with snorkellers for one compelling reason: sea turtles. The reefs surrounding Siaba are a reliable habitat for green and hawksbill sea turtles, which can often be spotted resting on the coral or gliding gracefully overhead.

Beyond the turtles, the reef itself is excellent — dense with hard and soft corals, sea fans, and the rich variety of fish species typical of the Coral Triangle. Visibility is generally very good, and the depth is manageable for snorkellers of all experience levels.

Siaba is the first stop on AYANA's Snorkeling Trilogy Expedition. Guests often linger longer than planned, reluctant to leave the turtles and the tranquillity of the reef behind.

The island itself is lush and uninhabited, with a forested hillside rising above the shoreline that gives the snorkelling experience a beautifully enclosed, private feel.

Kanawa Island is one of the most beautiful and peaceful destinations in the Komodo National Park area. Small enough to walk around in under an hour, it boasts a postcard-perfect white sand beach, swaying palms, and some of the clearest water in the region.

The snorkelling around Kanawa is exceptional — the coral reef begins just metres from shore and is rich with life: reef fish of every colour, nudibranch, cuttlefish, and healthy hard corals that speak to the quality of protection these waters receive.

As the final stop on the Snorkeling Trilogy Expedition, Kanawa offers guests a chance to end the day in a setting of pure natural beauty — snorkelling at their own pace, relaxing on the beach, or simply floating in the calm, warm water as the afternoon light plays across the sea.

Kalong Island — whose name means 'bat' in the local language — is home to one of the most dramatic wildlife spectacles in Indonesia. The island's mangrove trees are draped with thousands of roosting flying foxes (Pteropus vampyrus), one of the world's largest bat species with wingspans of up to 1.5 metres.

At dusk, as the light fades, the bats take to the sky in extraordinary numbers — a flowing, scattered stream of dark shapes rising against the orange and purple horizon. They travel up to 50 kilometres in search of fruiting trees. The scene is reminiscent of a National Geographic documentary.

Despite their appearance, flying foxes are entirely harmless — they feed exclusively on fruit, nectar, and flowers, and play a vital role as pollinators and seed dispersers in the region's ecosystems. The species is classified as endangered due to hunting and habitat loss.

Labuan Bajo's Marina Harbour is the beating heart of this rapidly growing gateway town on the western tip of Flores Island. Its waterfront is animated with liveaboard vessels, traditional phinisi schooners, fishing boats, and excursion craft — a colourful tableau of maritime life.

The harbour strip is lined with restaurants, cafés, dive operators, and souvenir shops, many perched on hillsides with sweeping views over the anchorage and islands beyond. Sunsets from the Labuan Bajo waterfront are legendary — the sky ignites in shades of amber, gold, and rose.

The Sunset Dinner Cruise passes through the marina on its return to AYANA Komodo, offering guests a final, glittering view of Labuan Bajo by night — a perfect closing chapter to a day on the water.

AYANA Komodo Waecicu Beach sits just outside town along the northern shore, offering a quieter and more exclusive base from which to explore both the national park and the town's growing dining scene.

Kelapa Island — 'kelapa' meaning coconut in Indonesian — is a lush, low-lying island tucked within the waters near Labuan Bajo. Its sheltered surroundings and calm waters make it an ideal starting point for AYANA's Golden Hour Fishing excursion.

Guests cast their lines as the afternoon light softens and the islands take on their warmest tones. The waters around Kelapa support a variety of fish species, and the experience — whether you land a catch or simply drift with a line in the water — is as much about atmosphere as about fishing.

Canapés and refreshments are served on board, turning the fishing excursion into an elegant, relaxed way to spend the golden hours before sunset. After Kelapa, the vessel moves on to Bidadari Island for a second fishing session before returning to AYANA Komodo.

The Secret Sandbank is one of AYANA Komodo's most exclusive offerings — available only on the charter Sandbank Trip, it is a hidden strip of white sand that rises from the sea with nothing around it but open water and horizon.

AYANA's team sets up a curated picnic before guests arrive — canapés, soft drinks, and carefully arranged seating in the most improbable of locations. The effect is theatrical and intimate: a private island that appears and disappears with the tides, accessible only to those who know where to find it.

Guests can swim in the surrounding water, snorkel over the nearby reef, or simply sit in silence and absorb the extraordinary solitude of the setting.

After the sandbank experience, the excursion continues to Rinca Island for a Komodo dragon encounter — combining the park's two most iconic experiences into a single, unforgettable charter day.