After around a month on Bali we did a boat trip from Lombok to Flores, all off us were students of the EOC (European Overseas Campus) study program. Before the boat trip actually started, we had one night in Senggigi, Lombok to where we took the speedboat from Bali.

The transport picked us up at around 5:30 am to bring us to the pier in Padang Bai. On the deck of the speed boat we enjoyed the nice hot morning sun and luckily didn’t get burned.

On the next day the tour started and we came Flores closer and closer. We had a bus transport to Labuan Lombok in the east of the island where we finally jumped on the boat. Our first impression was kind of like:” one week on that small wooden boat?! Let’s see if we will arrive on Flores safely!” The crew consisted of 5 Indonesian men including the English-speaking guide and with the four of us 11 other travellers who were ready to jump into a new adventure. 

The first afternoon on the boat was really nice. All of us were really exited about how the trip is going to be and were happy to soon see the komodo dragons on the Komodo Island. After some first introductions and the talk about the schedule of the trip, we were sitting in the front of the boat and enjoyed the already breath-taking view. The ocean was our next destination! – With the coming twilight the see got rougher and it was a little challenge to go up the wooden stairs to the deck where we were sleeping. But it was just amazing to have a sky full of stars above you and the salty sea breeze in your face. 

The next day we were heading to the Moyo Island, which is located in the north of Sumbawa, for exploring the rainforest and showering in a little waterfall. The funny thing was that we took a shower in the sweet water and afterwards swam back from the beach to the boat. Afterwards we went to Satonda Island for some snorkelling; the snorkelling gear was included but also not the best. We were very fascinated by the wonderful underwater world. The dinner was something very special: The passengers Chicken 1 and Chicken 2 disappeared and were found later on our plates. While sleeping we continued to Gili Laba, every minute getting closer to the Komodo dragons :) unfortunately this night was very horrible- the boat moved like a swing so we rolled from right to left and back again; it was nearly impossible to get a little sleep.

The next morning we arrived very tired at the Pink Beach, which actually was not very pink. Here we did some snorkelling again. There were “Big boss” fishes which wanted to play doorman and tweaked us as we were entering the water. They complicated the start but afterwards we could see again the beautiful fishes and coral reefs. Some of us even saw a turtle. Our next stop was the Komodo Island! :) After leaving the boat we felt like being still on the boat- it was still wobbling. We did some tracking and saw the huge dragons which were relaxing on the ground. The ranger indented to annoy him with a stick so that some action is coming up, which we did not appreciated. We took some photos and heard some really interesting stories about this seldom-animal species. 

The next day we had the opportunity to see the Komodo dragons again – on Rinca Island (Loh Buaya). We did some trekking where we could also see buffalos and monkeys: the feast of a Komodo dragon. Up a little mountain we had a really nice view of the landscape around. The tour proceeded to Kelor Island where we had the possibility to snorkel again. In the afternoon we arrived in Labuan Bajo, where we either had the chance to find a new accommodation or sleep another night on the boat. Everybody decided on the first option: a bed without shaking and a proper shower. 

All in one it was a really exciting trip with a low low low standard, but we saw the incredible landscape and impressive komodo dragons, which was our goal. Today we are still laughing about the great and not so great events on the trip.

Ines, Leefke, Svenja and Lena