Princess Lala
Princess Lala Phinisi
Komodo Island dragon walk
Updated 11 October 2026
The walk among the dragons is the second walk of day two on every Princess Lala sailing, led by a park ranger from the Loh Liang station. Sightings are common and never guaranteed. On the open trip the quota can send us to Rinca instead. The park charges IDR 250,000 a day to an international visitor, on top of the fare.
What we plan, and what nobody can promise
Nobody on this boat can promise you a dragon. The animals are wild, and Komodo is not a zoo: sightings are common and never guaranteed. What we plan is the walk. A park ranger leads it, because trekking in the park without a ranger is not allowed, and it starts at the Loh Liang station. The ranger fee is separate from our fare.
The walk comes after the Padar ridge and the breakfast that follows it, and before the swim at Pink Beach. It falls on day two of every route we sail, open trip and private charter alike.
Come to watch an animal that does not know you are coming. Stay with the ranger, and leave the rest to the day.
Short, medium or long: how far you walk
Three trails exist, short, medium and long, and a walk takes between 45 and 120 minutes according to the trail the ranger leads. The grade is easy. Shade is scarce, so the heat is the thing to plan for: wear closed shoes and either long sleeves or sunscreen.
For a child, the question is the sun and the hour, not the gradient. For a grandparent who climbed Padar at dawn, the question is water and a steady pace, and the guide can pass the wish for the shortest trail on to the ranger before the group sets out.
Duration and grade are in the table below, together with the park's own caution about what the stop is not.
- Best window
- Morning
- Time ashore / in water
- 45–120 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Tide
- Makes no difference
- Busiest months
- July, August, December
What it is not: not a zoo: the dragons are wild and sightings are likely but never guaranteed · no trekking without a park ranger
Real photo from a Komodo Explorer trip · 9 photos
Komodo, or Rinca by quota
The park's quota decides each day whether the open-trip boat walks Komodo or Rinca. Rinca is the second-largest island in the park, and its ranger-guided treks start from the Loh Buaya station and lead you to dragons as well. The day around the swap does not change: Padar or Gili Lawa first, Pink Beach or Namong next, then lunch, the manta drift and the sandbar.
You walk with a park ranger on both islands, and the animals are wild on both. Private charters follow the route you agree with us. Both islands lie inside the park, so park entry applies on both.
Whichever island it turns out to be, the rest of the day looks the same, so your timetable does not need a second version.
Ticket, shoes and cash
Park entry is paid outside the fare. An international visitor pays IDR 250,000 a day; an Indonesian visitor pays IDR 50,000 on a weekday or IDR 75,000 on a Saturday or Sunday. Ranger and other levies are extra and can change. Have your park ticket and some cash ready, and closed shoes on your feet.
A local guide and a photographer come with the open-trip fare. On a private charter both are on request, quoted separately, and the fare itself carries the boat, the crew, the meals and the pickup.
A ranger fee is not a tip. Tips for the guide and the crew are separate again, and so is travel insurance, which we recommend to every family because the nearest hospital is in Labuan Bajo.
From the trail to the table
The walk ends back at the landing, and the rest of day two follows from there: the swim and snorkel at Pink Beach, lunch on board, the drift at Manta Point and the sandbar at Taka Makassar. The itinerary below sets out all three days around it.
Shake the dust off at the tender and sit down. Lunch comes after Pink Beach, so the walk is followed first by water and then by the table. On the three-day fare, day two ends with supper at the long table. On the two-day fare day two ends at the harbour, with a landing window of 19:00 to 20:30, which is one more reason to leave the evening free. That is the shape of the day: a walk, a swim, a drift and a sandbar, with breakfast and lunch on board in between.
Day 1
| What happens | Sailing from previous stop | Have ready | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:30 | Labuan Bajo — Hotel or airport pickup between 10:30 and 11:55; your guide confirms the time the evening before | — | soft bag rather than a hard suitcase |
| · | On board: cabin keys, safety briefing and the first lunch at the long table | — | |
| · | Short, steep climb to the Kelor viewpoint, then a swim off the beach | 50–70 min | shoes with grip, swimwear |
| · | Snorkelling off the jetty at Manjarite | 30–60 min | your own fins if you swim with them |
| · | Strawberry Rock, when the sea allows the stop | — | |
| · | Sunset off Kalong as the fruit bats leave the mangroves | 50–70 min | camera, a light layer |
| · | Dinner at the long table | — | |
| 🌙 | Night aboard. She spends the night where the weather and the captain decide on the day. | ||
Day 2
| What happens | Sailing from previous stop | Have ready | |
|---|---|---|---|
| · | Ridge walk on Padar; on the open trip Gili Lawa takes its place when the park quota for Padar is full | — | torch, water, shoes with grip |
| · | Breakfast on board | — | |
| · | Dragon walk with a park ranger on Komodo; on the open trip Rinca when the quota says so | — | closed shoes, park ticket |
| · | Swim and snorkel at Pink Beach, or at Namong beach | 30–60 min | reef-safe sunscreen |
| · | Lunch on board | — | |
| · | Drift snorkel at Manta Point Tide | — | |
| · | Sandbar and shallow reef at Taka Makassar Tide | 20–30 min | |
| · | Dinner at the long table | — | |
| 🌙 | Night aboard. She spends the night where the weather and the captain decide on the day. | ||
Day 3
| What happens | Sailing from previous stop | Have ready | |
|---|---|---|---|
| · | Breakfast on board | — | |
| · | Beach and snorkelling at Kanawa; private charters call at Sebayur first | — | |
| 10:00 | Back in Labuan Bajo between 10:00 and 11:00, then the transfer to your hotel or the airport | 60–90 min | bags packed before breakfast |
The times show the shape of each day, not a timetable, because tide, wind and the park quota move them. The one hour we fix in advance is your pickup, agreed with you before you sail.
FAQ
Why can't we walk the Komodo trails without a park ranger?
Trekking in the park without a ranger is not allowed, and the dragons are wild. A ranger leads each group from the Loh Liang station on Komodo, or from the Loh Buaya station on Rinca. The ranger fee is not in our fare; it is extra, like the other park levies.
What do we pay at the park on top of the fare?
Entry to the park, which is the part that PP 36/2024 sets: IDR 250,000 a day for an international visitor, and an Indonesian visitor pays IDR 50,000 midweek, IDR 75,000 over a weekend. The ranger and other levies are extra and can change. Our fare carries transfers, meals, a cabin and, on the open trip, a guide and a photographer.
What should I wear for the dragon walk?
Closed shoes, and long sleeves or sunscreen, because there is little shade on the trails. Bring water and your park ticket, and keep your hands free. Sandals are fine for the boat and not for the walk, so they stay in the cabin.
How long is the walk on Komodo?
Between 45 and 120 minutes, according to whether the ranger leads the short, medium or long trail. The grade is easy. If someone in your group wants the shortest trail, tell your guide before the walk starts and the request goes to the ranger.
Can you promise that we will see a dragon?
No. Komodo is not a zoo, and the dragons are wild. Sightings are common and never guaranteed, and that is true whether the quota sends us to Komodo or to Rinca. What we plan is a walk with a park ranger on day two and, after the swim at Pink Beach, lunch on board.
Check availability — Princess Lala
Princess Lala is sailed by her own crew; bookings and payments are handled by PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia.