Ways to get to Komodo National Park<\/p>\n
KOMODO ISLAND (JP): There are various ways of getting to
\nKomodo National Park: by air, land or sea.<\/p>\n
Kal Muller, a noted writer who has written 12 travel books on
\nIndonesia, said that in general, intra-island and inter-island
\ntransport systems are much better than they were some 20 years
\nago. Despite the progress, the transportation companies,
\nespecially the airlines, seem to be forever having technical
\nproblems.<\/p>\n
\"It would be a surprise if the flights were on time,\"
\ncommented Herling Sanger, the nature conservancy coordinator of
\nthe Indonesia Field Project for Regional Coastal and Marine
\nConservation.<\/p>\n
According to Herling, who frequently travels the route to
\nKomodo Island, flights are rarely on time and airline personnel
\nusually cannot give a timeframe for delays.<\/p>\n
\"Just be patient and adapt yourself to the situation,\" he
\nsuggests. A delay of several hours is acceptable, he said,
\nreminding that passengers often get stranded for days.<\/p>\n
Merpati Airlines, and to a lesser degree, Bouraq Airlines,
\nhave flights which connect the major towns on circle routes from
\nBali, Lombok, Sumbawa Besar, Kupang via Waingapu and\/or Ende and
\nMataram.<\/p>\n
To the new routes (to Roti and Sawu from Kupang, for example)
\nDE-3s and F-27s are being added all the time. Flights are so
\nfrequent now that booking usually is not necessary. Despite the
\nhigh frequency of the flights, would-be passengers should always
\nbe prepared for a delay or cancellation.<\/p>\n
No air service, however, links Lombok to Sumba or Timor, nor
\nis there a flight from Sumba to Flores.<\/p>\n
It is worth noting where air services do and do not exist.
\nFlights depart from Denpasar to anywhere in Nusa Tenggara; those
\nfrom Lombok only go to Sumbawa, western Flores (not to Sumba,
\nTimor or Maumere).<\/p>\n
From Sumbawa, it depends on where you are. From Bima you can
\nfly anywhere, but from Sumbawa Besar you can only fly to Lombok,
\nBali and Java. From Sumba, flights go only to Bima (approximately
\nRp 42,400), Denpasar (approximately Rp 74,600) and Kupang
\n(approximately Rp 54,200) but not to Flores or Lombok.<\/p>\n
From Flores, it depends where you are: Labuhanbajo now has an
\nairport, making Komodo Island a little bit more accessible for
\ndirect flights to Bima, Denpasar and Ruteng.<\/p>\n
From Ruteng or Ende, you can fly to almost anywhere.<\/p>\n
Maumere has almost daily Merpati flights to Bali (and on to
\nJava) and daily flights to Kupang (approximately Rp 31,600).
\nLarantuka now has an airport from where you can fly to Kupang.<\/p>\n
On the delightful trip from Komodo Island to Labuhanbajo you
\ncan count island after island. Kal Muller describes the areas
\nbetween Komodo and Rinca as: \"Revealing seas dotted with islands
\n-- large and small minicules, mostly bare and pimpled with
\nhills.\"<\/p>\n
Flying from Bima is also a thrill. It is relatively cheap and
\ntakes only 30 minutes, but waiting for the plane can be
\nagonizing.<\/p>\n
Motorized and sailing vessels ply the coasts and travel
\nbetween islands; the Solor and Alor archipelagos East of Flores
\nare about your only inter-island options.<\/p>\n
Good passenger ferry services link Bali-Lombok-Sumbawa-Komodo-
\nFlores-Adonara.<\/p>\n
These frequent ferries are more reliable than the services run
\nby Pelni, the state-owned shipping company.<\/p>\n
Once a week there is a ferry service from East Sumbawa to West
\nFlores which stops at Komodo Island on the way. As an
\nalternative, you can simply charter a kapal motor (motor boat)
\nfrom Labuhanbajo (W. Flores) to Komodo Island for around Rp
\n125,000 (round trip).<\/p>\n
Another service likely to be used by travelers is the Pelni
\nboat between Ende and Waingapu. The trip takes a whole night.
\nThe shipping offices and harbormasters in the various ports can
\ntell you about other connecting services.<\/p>\n
In Ende, it is fairly easy to get on a boat for Kupang. If you
\nhang around Maumere or Bima long enough, you'll find boats going
\nto Singaraja and Surabaya. (06)<\/p>",
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