Most liveaboards offer a variety of routes, which usually visit a combination of:
- North Komodo: This area is known for having the most dramatic underwater landscapes in the entire national park; with towering pinnacles, underwater caves and rocky drop offs. There is some splendid hard coral covering said underwater landscapes and due to the strong currents, many pelagics are attracted here, including manta rays, reef sharks and various large fish. `
- Central Komodo: This is the main region of the National Park and also the most varied. You’ll encounter small macro critters, many manta rays and countless turtles. Sometimes, dolphins and whales (seasonal), can be spotted here to. The absolute best variety of hard coral is found around the central region. Although most dives are drift dives, a few areas experience more gentle currents, making several dive sites beginner friendly.
- South Komodo: The least visited region, south Komodo is a great place for drift diving, with everything from whale sharks to mola mola / sunfish and even the occasional dugong. Although there is some hard coral in the southern region, here the reefs are mostly comprised of soft coral and sponges.
Liveaboards that explore just Komodo or only a few nearby extra areas (Banta and Sangeang, which you can read about below), tend to depart and finish at Labuan Bajo, a coastal town on the western side of Flores island, in East Nusa Tenggara province.
Areas outside of Komodo:
Whilst most liveaboards only explore the Komodo region; some of the routes offered by a few, also include visits to additional dive sites outside the national park. A liveaboard route can spend anywhere from 10 – 50% of the time in these other regions. More info is provided in the reviews section.
To the West of Komodo:
- Banta – Consisting of deserted beaches and rugged mountains, Banta island (aka Gili Banta) is found some 10km northwest of Komodo. The island itself can be trekked and offers stunning views of Komodo and Sangeang. The waters around Banta are famous for big creatures like Mobula Rays, Eagle Rays and many types of sharks, with most dives being of the drift variety. Because of Banta being close to Komodo National Park, it’s the most commonly visited extra area and only takes a day to include in a liveaboard’s itinerary.
- Sangeang – The next most frequently visited extra area and lying 25km northwest of Banta, is Sangeang island; home to the visually stunning volcano of Mt. Sangeang; which it’s worth visiting for the epic views alone. The waters around Sangeang mainly give way to muck diving; with all manner of weird and wonderful species including wasp fish, octopus and devilfish; amid blazes of red and green coral and hydrothermal vents.
A fair few liveaboard visit Sangeang and/or Banta, before turning back, to Komodo. In this case, these liveaboards start and finish at nearby Labuan Bajo. However, others liveaboards offer routes that visit Banta and Sangeang, before continuing on to start or finish the itinerary at either:
- Bima – Bima is a city located on Sumbawa island, in West Nusa Tenggara Province. It’s the departure or end destination on some liveaboard routes. There’s a variety of great dives around Sumbawa island, including Moyo island and Santonda island, both of which offer great muck diving.
- Lombok – Situated between Bima and Bali, Lombok is the starting or finishing point of some liveabords. There’s a variety of dive sites around here, including drift, muck and wall dives.
- Bali – Bali is probably the most well known part of Indonesia right now and is legendary amongst digital nomads, fitness freaks and online entrepreneurs.
To the East of Komodo:
- Maumere – A beautiful bay on far east Flores, Maumere offers some great macro dives. There’s also a variety of diving areas between it and Komdo, along the north side of Flores, with a variety of great drift dives. The main advantage of staring or finishing at Maumere is it allows you to explore the rest of Flores, with a variety of tribal homestay experiences and treks being close by.