If you've been thinking about a sailing trip from Lombok to Komodo, here's something important you need to know before you book: Komodo National Park is no longer open to unlimited visitors. Since April 2026, the park operates under a strict daily cap of 1,000 people — covering every activity inside the park, including sailing, snorkelling, diving, and trekking.
This is the biggest change to Komodo travel in years. And if you're planning a trip for July or August, it affects you directly.
Komodo National Park has been dealing with serious overcrowding pressure. In 2025 alone, the park received over 432,000 visitors with peak days hitting more than 1,700 people, nearly double what the environment can sustainably handle.
The solution was a hard daily cap managed through a government booking system called the SiOra application. From April 1, 2026 onwards, every visitor,whether on a sailing trip, liveaboard, or day boat from Labuan Bajo must be pre-registered with their passport details before they arrive. No walk-ins. No exceptions.The park has also introduced timed sessions at Padar Island, one of the most popular spots on any sailing itinerary. Morning, afternoon, and evening sessions each accommodate around 300 visitors. Arrive without a confirmed slot and you won't get in.
A night sailing ban for tourist vessels in high-risk zones also remains in force, meaning all boats must reach designated anchorages before dark.
Yes and this is where it gets interesting for travellers coming from Lombok.
The 4-day/3-night sailing route from Lombok to Flores (or Flores to Lombok) passes through Komodo National Park for two of those days. That means your operator needs to have your park entry confirmed as part of the booking, it's not something you sort out when you arrive at Komodo Island.
The good news: established operators who run this route regularly have allocation systems in place. When you book with Sail Komodo, the park permit logistics are handled as part of your trip. You submit your passport details at booking and we take care of the rest. You don't need to navigate SiOra yourself.
The bad news for anyone planning last-minute: popular departure dates are filling up faster than in previous years. If you're targeting July or August peak sailing season, we'd strongly recommend booking at least 2–3 months in advance.
The entrance fee structure hasn't changed significantly. Foreign tourists pay Rp 250,000 per day (around $15–17 USD), which covers trekking and snorkelling activities. For diving, there's an additional marine park and diver surcharge, bringing the total to around Rp 300,000 per day.
One much-discussed proposal for a dramatically higher annual fee (Rp 3.75 million) was officially cancelled and is not in effect. The fees you'll see quoted on our booking page reflect the current confirmed rates.
For most guests on a Sail Komodo open trip, the experience inside the park stays the same, the iconic stops are all still accessible:
What changes is that you need a confirmed permit before you arrive, and Padar sunrise slots go fast. Your guide will time the itinerary accordingly.
Our 4D3N Lombok to Flores and Flores to Lombok open trips depart regularly throughout the dry season. Spaces are limited by design, both because of our boat capacity and now because of park quotas.
Send us a WhatsApp message to check availability and secure your departure date. We'll confirm the dates, walk you through what to expect, and handle your park permit registration as part of the booking process.👉 Chat with us on WhatsApp
Sail Komodo operates 4-day/3-night open sailing trips between Lombok and Flores/Komodo. Deck price Rp 3,600,000 per person. Cabin from Rp 4,200,000–4,600,000 depending on route.