Komodo National Park

The flight from Jakarta to Flores Island takes only 2.5 hours, flying over Bali and Lombok.
In Flores, we land at Komodo Airport, very close to Labuan Bajo. The drive from the airport to our accommodation at the Seaesta Hotel takes only 5 minutes. All rides in and around Labuan Bajo cost 70,000 Rupiah, approximately 4 Euros.
After checking in, we walk to the city center, which takes us 5 minutes. There is a long promenade by the water and a long shopping street parallel to it, where numerous diving shops and tour booking offices for the Komodo National Park are located.
We pass by stalls selling various fish, calamari, shellfish, and other seafood that can be prepared for you as street food. However, we prefer to eat at our hotel restaurant. Apparently, many other Western tourists are also staying there. We booked this accommodation because the provider of our boat tour, Captain Komodo, recommended it. It is priced at 57 Euros per room per night, which is slightly more expensive than comparable accommodations.
We conclude the evening lounging on the sunbeds by the pool.

The next morning, we are picked up at 9:00 AM for our 3-day boat tour in Komodo National Park and taken to the harbor. There, we meet the other tour participants; in total, we are 10 holidaymakers and 9 crew members on the boat. We have booked a cabin with a balcony and large windows, which was a good decision; there were cheaper cabins below deck with portholes and cabins with windows but no balcony.
In the afternoon, we went snorkeling at a coral reef, a new experience for me as I had to learn the breathing technique first. Still, I swallowed a lot of seawater. The underwater visibility was breathtaking, and numerous tropical fish were swimming around - we even spotted a large sea turtle.
During a second snorkeling session, we went to an area where manta rays can be observed; the sight of these gigantic creatures gliding slowly beneath us was unforgettable.
I skipped dinner because I was still struggling with jet lag and lack of sleep, compounded by the intense sun on the water, the copious amounts of seawater, and somewhat choppy seas. The next morning, when it was time to head to Padar Island at 5:00 AM, I did not participate either. However, Andreas reported to me that from a viewpoint, you can see three differently colored beaches at sunrise: light, dark, and pink. The obligatory photo sessions were also done then.
At breakfast afterwards, I was back again; the catering on the boat was indeed top-notch, both in terms of selection and quality of dishes.
We then continued to Komodo Island. It is worth noting that you always transfer to a smaller boat when going ashore or when a snorkeling session is scheduled.
On Komodo Island, we were guided by a local guide and were able to spot two adult Komodo dragons under a tree after a short distance. Photos were taken with the dragons, but I declined such photos. The local population in Komodo Village likely benefits significantly from the tourists; there are numerous souvenir stalls selling Komodo T-shirts, wooden dragons, magnets... The entry fee to the national park is approximately 30 Euros per person and must be paid at the harbor at the beginning of the boat tour.
In the evening, we quickly went for a swim and stopped at a small island, Strawberry Island, known for its beautiful rock formations. We also made a stop at an island with mangrove forests inhabited by flying foxes, which go hunting at dusk. Unfortunately, we only saw one flying fox in the twilight, and it was truly large. It seems the animals go hunting later at night.
Andreas then withdrew; he got an extreme sunburn all over his body with blistering.
On the last day of the boat tour, we headed to Kelor Island, where there is again a viewpoint, and you can observe baby sharks in shallow water. After that, we returned to Labuan Bajo, where we arrived around 11:00 AM. Some tour participants flew directly to Bali; we headed to our accommodation first, the Green Hill Boutique Hotel, for 37 Euros per room per night. We got sunburn cream for Andreas at the pharmacy, but it didn't help much; the blisters got larger, and he was in pain. I then wandered through the city alone; however, it does not offer much. For dinner, we had pizza.
The next morning, after breakfast, we went to the airport to fly to Singapore, with a stopover in Bali. Since Andreas could no longer carry his backpack, I ended up with two backpacks 😀