How do you spend 10 days in Indonesia? With thousands of islands to choose from, the question can feel overwhelming. One route answers it beautifully: a few days in Bali for culture and comfort, a short hop to Lombok, then four days and three nights on a wooden boat along the coast of Sumbawa, with whale sharks at dawn, to the dragons, beaches and viewpoints of Komodo National Park. This guide lays out the route day by day, with the real stops of the boats that sail it, plus the best time to go, the costs to plan for and a few alternatives.
In short
- Days 1 to 3: Bali, for temples, rice terraces, food and beaches.
- Day 4: a short flight or a fast boat to Lombok.
- Days 5 to 8: a liveaboard from Lombok to Labuan Bajo, with Kenawa, Saleh Bay and Komodo National Park.
- Days 9 and 10: a night in Labuan Bajo or Bali, and the flight home.
Why Bali, Komodo and Lombok work together
These three islands sit in a line, from west to east, and each offers something the others do not. Bali has the culture, the food and the easy comfort of a famous holiday island. Lombok, its quieter neighbour, is the starting point for boats that sail east along Sumbawa. And Komodo has the wildlife and the wild landscapes that make a trip to Indonesia unforgettable.
The route also solves a practical problem. Instead of flying from Bali to Labuan Bajo and back, you travel overland and by sea in one direction, so the journey itself becomes part of the holiday. Lombok International Airport and Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo both have direct flights from Bali and Jakarta, which makes it easy to arrive at one end and leave from the other.
For many travellers, 10 days in Indonesia is the length of a single holiday, and this route makes the most of it without rushing. You change hotels only a few times, the boat is your hotel for four nights, and every day has one clear highlight, from a temple in Bali to a whale shark at dawn and a dragon on the beach.
10 days in Indonesia: the route at a glance
| Day | Where | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Bali | Ubud, rice terraces, temples, a beach |
| 4 | Bali to Lombok | Flight or fast boat, a night near the pick-up point |
| 5 | Lombok to Kenawa | Kayangan Harbour, the boat sets sail, sunset on Kenawa |
| 6 | Sumbawa coast | Whale sharks in Saleh Bay at dawn, a beach or island stop |
| 7 | Komodo National Park | Manta Point, the dragons, Pink Beach, Padar |
| 8 | Labuan Bajo | A last snorkel, back in town around midday |
| 9 to 10 | Labuan Bajo or Bali | Rest, then the flight home |
Days 1 to 3: Bali
Start in Bali, where most international flights to this part of Indonesia arrive. Give yourself three days to land, rest and see the island at an easy pace. Spend a day or two around Ubud, among the rice terraces and temples of the green interior. Bali’s old system of water channels and rice terraces, known as subak, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape.
Keep the last day in Bali for the coast: a beach, a swim and a good dinner before the journey east. Bali is the only province in Indonesia where most people are Hindu, and its temples, ceremonies and offerings make it feel different from every other island on this route. Our comparison of Komodo and Bali explains what each island offers.
If you have energy for an early start, a sunrise hike on Mount Batur is one of the classic Bali experiences, and a good warm-up for the sunrise climbs to come in Komodo. If you would rather rest after a long flight, a slow day by a pool is just as good a start; the days on the boat will be active enough.
Day 4: across to Lombok
Lombok is the next island east of Bali, and getting there is easy. There are short flights to Lombok International Airport, and fast boats connect Bali with Lombok and the Gili islands. Choose the flight if you want speed, or the fast boat if you prefer to see the sea and the islands on the way.
Spend the night near the pick-up points of the boat. On the Lombok route, the boats usually collect their guests in the morning in Kuta, Senggigi or Bangsal, so a hotel in one of these areas makes the early start simple. Senggigi has a long coastline with sunset views, and Kuta, in the south, is known for its beaches and surf.
Day 5: setting sail from Lombok
On the first morning of the boat trip, a shuttle collects you and drives across Lombok to Kayangan Harbour, on the east coast of the island, where the boat is waiting. On this site, three boats sail this route: Alfathran 3, Lady Grace and Sukha Sail 1. Depending on the boat, you set sail late in the morning or early in the afternoon.
The first stop is Kenawa, a small island off Sumbawa with a white beach and a grassy hill, perfect for a first swim and the sunset. The boat then sails on and anchors for the night, often near Saleh Bay, so that it is in place for the next morning. Dinner is served on deck, under the first stars of the trip.
Life on board is simple and comfortable. Every boat on this site has air conditioning and ensuite bathrooms, and on most boats three meals a day, an afternoon snack, drinking water, coffee and tea are included. The crew speaks English and Indonesian, and the guide explains the plan for each day, which can change with the weather and the sea.
Day 6: whale sharks and the Sumbawa coast
The second day starts early. On Lady Grace, for example, the wake-up call comes at 5:00, and by about 6:00 the boat is in Saleh Bay, where whale sharks gather around the bagan, the fishing platforms of the local fishermen. When they are there, you slip into the water with your mask and fins and swim beside the largest fish in the world. Sightings are never guaranteed, but the bay is known for regular encounters.
After breakfast, the boats go different ways along the coast of Sumbawa. Lady Grace stops at Satonda, an island with a crater lake; Sukha Sail 1 stops at Tambora Beach for a snorkel; and Alfathran 3 stops at Savana Beach. The boat then sails on towards Komodo National Park. Our guide to the whale sharks in Saleh Bay explains how to swim with them responsibly.
In the other direction, from Labuan Bajo to Lombok, Lady Grace adds Moyo Island and the Mata Jitu waterfall after the whale sharks, a cool, green stop after days of sun and salt water. Whatever the boat, the long sail along Sumbawa in the afternoon is a good time to rest on deck and watch the coast go by.
Day 7: Komodo National Park
Day seven is the fullest of the trip, inside Komodo National Park. The exact order depends on the boat, the tides and the weather, but the day usually includes Manta Point, where manta rays often feed in the current; a ranger walk with the dragons on Komodo Island; a swim at Pink Beach, with its pink sand; and Padar, the most famous view in the park, often for the sunset on this route.
On the dragon walk, stay with the group and behind the ranger, keep several metres away even from a dragon that looks asleep and never feed or touch one. Since 1 April 2026, visits to Padar, Rinca, Komodo and 23 dive sites are limited to 1,000 people a day in total through the park’s reservation system, SiOra. Our guide to Komodo Island covers the walks, and our guide to Padar Island covers the climb.
After the sunset on Padar, the boat sails a short way to its anchorage for the last night. On Sukha Sail 1, for example, it anchors at Manjarite, ready for a final snorkel in the morning. It is a fitting end to the longest day of the trip: the colours of Padar still fresh in your mind and the stars coming out over the water.
Day 8: arriving in Labuan Bajo
On the last morning, the boat stops for a final snorkel, often at Manjarite, and a short climb on Kelor Island, before it sails into Labuan Bajo, the harbour town on the western tip of Flores. You arrive around midday, and the crew arranges the transfer to the airport or your hotel.
The exact time depends on the boat: Alfathran 3 drops its guests at the airport or their hotel between about 12:00 and 13:00, and Lady Grace arrives at the harbour at about 13:00. If you want to fly out the same day, choose an afternoon or evening flight, but a night in town is the more relaxed choice.
Labuan Bajo is a small, friendly town with restaurants, cafés and bars, many with a view of the sunset over the islands. After four days at sea, an evening here is a lovely way to end the boat trip, with a dinner on land and a last look at the islands you have just sailed through.
Days 9 and 10: the way home
Use day nine as a buffer. You can spend it in Labuan Bajo, resting and exploring the town, or fly back to Bali for a last night by the sea. Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo has direct flights to Bali and Jakarta, and the flight to Bali takes a little over an hour.
On day ten, fly home from Bali or Jakarta. Always leave a buffer between the end of the boat trip and your international flight, because domestic flights can be delayed, especially in the wet season. A free day at the end turns a delay into a relaxed extra evening instead of a missed connection.
If you have a few more days, do not rush home. Two extra nights in Bali after the boat, by the sea or in the hills, are the perfect way to let everything you have seen sink in before the long flight back.
Alternatives and variations
- The route in reverse. The same boats sail from Labuan Bajo to Lombok, so you can start with Komodo and end on Lombok or in Bali.
- Five days by boat. On some departures of Alfathran 3, the trip from Labuan Bajo to Lombok takes five days, with Savana Beach and Coral Beach added.
- Without Lombok. Fly from Bali to Labuan Bajo and take a trip of 3 days and 2 nights, then return to Bali for the beach.
- With the Gili islands. Add a night on the Gili islands off Lombok before the boat.
- With Flores. Add days after the boat to explore Flores, such as the traditional village of Wae Rebo, a long drive and a hike from Labuan Bajo.
When to go
The dry season, from April to November, is the best time for this route, with clear skies and generally calmer seas on the open crossings along Sumbawa. July and August are the busiest months, so April to June and September to October are often the best balance of good weather and quieter stops. Bali’s driest months are from about April to October, so the whole route works well in those months. Book the boat early for July and August, when the cabins on the Lombok route are in high demand.
From December to March, the wet season brings more rain, the crossings can be rougher and some boats pause, so check the departures of each boat for your dates. Whale sharks are seen in Saleh Bay all year, with the most sightings in March and April. Our guide to the best time for a Komodo liveaboard goes month by month.
Budget and booking tips
The boat is the biggest part of the budget. Each boat page shows its cabins and live prices, and the Komodo National Park fee is added to the invoice; on the Lombok route it is higher than on most trips from Labuan Bajo, for foreign guests IDR 800.000 on Alfathran 3, IDR 1.000.000 on Sukha Sail 1 and IDR 1.200.000 on Lady Grace. Add the flights, a few nights of hotels in Bali, Lombok and Labuan Bajo, travel insurance and some cash for tips and drinks.
For a sharing trip, you pay a 50% deposit within 72 hours and the balance at least 60 days before departure, or the full amount at once if the trip is less than 60 days away. Book the boat first, then the flights, so the dates fit together. Bali, Lombok and Komodo are all in Indonesia, so the same entry rules apply for the whole trip. Our Komodo trip budget guide shows how the costs add up.
Our view
10 days in Indonesia can feel like a month when the route is right. Bali gives you the culture and the comfort, Lombok the start of the journey, and four days on a boat give you whale sharks, dragons, pink sand and some of the most beautiful sunsets in Asia. Komodo National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, and arriving there by sea, as travellers have done for centuries, is the best way to see it.
Temples in Bali, whale sharks at dawn and dragons on the beach: three islands, one journey, ten days you will never forget.
Ready to plan it? Compare Alfathran 3, Lady Grace and Sukha Sail 1 on our trips of 4 days and 3 nights page, with their routes, live prices and departures.
Questions
Is 10 days enough for Bali, Komodo and Lombok?
Yes, if you plan well: three days in Bali, a day to reach Lombok, four days on a boat to Labuan Bajo and two days for the way home.
Which boats sail from Lombok to Komodo?
On this site, Alfathran 3, Lady Grace and Sukha Sail 1. They sail in both directions, in four days and three nights.
How do I get from Bali to Lombok?
By a short flight to Lombok International Airport, or by fast boat from Bali to Lombok or the Gili islands.
Will I see whale sharks?
Often, but never guaranteed. The boats look for them in Saleh Bay early in the morning, where they are seen all year.
Can I do the route in the other direction?
Yes. The same boats sail from Labuan Bajo to Lombok, so you can start with Komodo and end in Lombok or Bali.
When is the best time for this route?
April to November, in the dry season, when the crossings along Sumbawa are generally calmer.
Do I need a separate visa for each island?
No. Bali, Lombok and Komodo are all in Indonesia, so the same entry rules apply for the whole trip. Bring your passport for the domestic flights.
What should I pack for this route?
A soft, light bag, because domestic flights often allow less baggage and boat cabins have little storage, plus swimwear, sun protection and closed shoes for the dragon walk.
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