Silo 2 · Planning
Flights, Transfers and the Visa Part
One hour from Bali, two and a half to three from Jakarta, then a short transfer into town. The flying is easy. The visa and the park permit are where people get caught.
- Independent, not an operator
- Trade-offs named, not hidden
- Free, no obligation
- ~1 hr Denpasar to Labuan Bajo
- 2.5–3 hr Jakarta direct
- 30 days Visa on Arrival, extendable once
- USD 40 Park entry, once per trip
The short answer
The route, in one paragraph
Fly Denpasar to Komodo International Airport (LBJ) — about an hour — or Jakarta direct in roughly two and a half to three. The airport is minutes from most hotels. Everything harder than that is paperwork, not travel.
- Several carriers run the Bali route daily. Take an early departure if you are connecting to a boat the same day.
- Transfers are short and most properties arrange them. There is no long overland leg to plan around.
- Most Western travellers enter on a Visa on Arrival, valid 30 days and extendable once — extensions now in person at an immigration office.
- Park access is separate and runs through SiOra, tied to your passport and travel date. Your operator handles it; you need the dates fixed.
In order
How to sequence the booking
Do these in this order and nothing blocks anything else.
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Fix the dates, then the boat
Park permits and liveaboard berths both key off fixed dates. Book 2–4 months out for July and August, 4–8 weeks in the shoulder months.
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Book the international leg
Into Bali or Jakarta. Check your passport has the validity Indonesia requires on the day you arrive, not the day you book.
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Add the domestic hop
Denpasar to LBJ. Take the earliest flight on the day you board a boat, and leave a full buffer on the way back.
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Sort the entry paperwork
The arrival card is a free digital form. Visa on Arrival is the standard route for most Western passports — check the current rule for yours before you fly.
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Leave a night at the end
Sailings come back late often enough that a same-day connection is a false economy. And if you have been diving, you need the surface interval anyway.
Visa and entry rules change, and they change without much notice. Everything here is information rather than advice — confirm the current position for your passport before you travel.
Before you fly
The practical checklist
The things that cost money or days if they are missed.
Documents
Confirm the current rules for your passport.
- Passport validity as required on the day of arrival
- All Indonesia Arrival Card — free digital form
- Visa on Arrival, 30 days, extendable once in person
- Proof of onward travel is sometimes requested
- Keep a digital and a paper copy of everything
Flights
Where the buffers belong.
- Earliest available flight on any day you board a boat
- A full night in Labuan Bajo before flying out after a sailing
- 18–24 hours between your last dive and any flight
- Domestic baggage limits are tighter than international
Health & cover
Sorted at home, not here.
- Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover
- Dive cover specifically, if you will dive
- Travel clinic 6–8 weeks ahead — Hep A, Hep B, Typhoid are standard for Indonesia
- Malaria risk exists in parts of Flores; discuss prophylaxis
- Bring your own motion-sickness medication
Two routes in
Via Bali, or via Jakarta?
Most people come through Bali. Jakarta makes sense for some long-haul routings — here is the honest difference.
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Flight time
- Via Bali (DPS)
- About one hour to one hour fifteen.
- Via Jakarta (CGK)
- Roughly two and a half to three hours direct.
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Frequency
- Via Bali (DPS)
- Multiple daily services across several carriers.
- Via Jakarta (CGK)
- Fewer daily options; schedules matter more.
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Worth combining
- Via Bali (DPS)
- Yes — the standard pattern is Bali first, Komodo after.
- Via Jakarta (CGK)
- Rarely. Jakarta is a connection rather than a stay.
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Risk on the day
- Via Bali (DPS)
- A missed connection has later alternatives.
- Via Jakarta (CGK)
- A missed connection can cost you the day.
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Best for
- Via Bali (DPS)
- Almost everyone, and anyone combining two destinations.
- Via Jakarta (CGK)
- Long-haul routings that already land in Jakarta.
Schedules and carriers change every season. We confirm the current options for your dates rather than relying on what was true last year.
Before you book
Frequently asked questions
How long is the flight from Bali?
Roughly one hour to one hour fifteen, direct from Denpasar to Komodo International Airport. Several carriers run it daily. If you are boarding a boat the same day, take the earliest departure available — a delay on the last flight of the day can cost you the first night of a sailing.
Do I need a visa?
Most Western travellers enter Indonesia on a Visa on Arrival, valid 30 days and extendable once to 60 days total, with extensions now done in person at an immigration office. There is also a free digital arrival card to complete. Rules and fees change, so confirm the current position for your passport before you travel — this is information, not legal advice.
Can I get the visa at Labuan Bajo airport?
Not reliably. Entry formalities are designed around the major international gateways, and arriving into Labuan Bajo on a domestic leg means your entry happened earlier. Plan to clear immigration at Bali or Jakarta, and treat the domestic hop as a domestic flight. Confirm the current arrangement before you book anything non-refundable.
How should I structure a Bali plus Komodo trip?
Bali first, five to seven nights, then three or four in Komodo. Doing it in that order means you arrive here rested, and the sailing or diving lands at the point in the trip where you can actually enjoy it. Leave a night in Labuan Bajo at the end rather than connecting straight out.
How far is the airport from town?
Minutes. Komodo International Airport sits close to Labuan Bajo and most hotels arrange transfers as a matter of course. There is no long overland leg on this trip, which is one of the genuinely easy things about it.
No obligation
Shall we sequence it for you?
Send us your rough dates and where you are flying from. We will come back with a routing that leaves the right buffers in the right places.