Labuan Bajo

Labuan Bajo sits at the western tip of Flores facing a scatter of islands, and it exists now for one reason: it is the port for Komodo National Park, and everything - the airport expansion, the hotels stacked up the hillside, the liveaboards along the front, the dive shops - follows from that. Within about fifteen years it went from a fishing town with a handful of losmen to a destination the national government designated a priority for development, with the growth arriving faster than the water supply, waste handling and planning could absorb. Trips run to Komodo and Rinca for the dragons, Padar for the viewpoint, Pink Beach, Manta Point and the dive sites in the straits, where currents are strong. Sunset from the hill above the harbour is the town's own event.

What you actually see

• The Komodo gateway - every boat, dive shop and hotel oriented to the park.
• Rapid transformation - fishing town to priority destination in about fifteen years.
• Liveaboards on the front - the boat fleet that works the park and the straits.
• A harbour sunset - the view west from the hill over the islands.

When to go

April to October; the park is busiest in July and August. Three days.

Honest expectations

Growth has outrun the infrastructure - water, waste and traffic are real problems. Park fees have changed repeatedly and can be steep. Boat safety records vary; check operators carefully.

Nearby

Komodo and Rinca are by boat; Ruteng and the Flores interior are east.