Best 3 Day Adventure In Komodo National Park With Teens (2024)

Last Updated on March 13, 2024 by Nicole

Run, don’t walk, to Komodo National Park in Indonesia. It is one of the most extraordinary and beautiful places that I have ever visited and it is virtually untouched. Where else in the world can you hop on a boat and spend days exploring uninhabited islands with pristine beaches, some of which are pink? You throw on a mask, snorkel and some fins and you find yourself swimming with giant manta rays, turtles and breathtaking fish, coral and plant life. You watch spectacular sunsets while watching enormous flying foxes just feet above you. If you want a little bit of danger to spice up your life, you can hike on Komodo or Rinca Island, the two islands in Komodo National Park where Komodo dragons run free. We did all of this and more with our four teenagers and it was extraordinary. Here is our 3 day itinerary and planning guide for your incredible journey to Komodo National Park in Indonesia.

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Background To Our 3 Day Getaway In Komodo National Park

My family of 6 went to Indonesia for 17 days. My children were 13, 14, 16 and 20 years old. We went to five unique destinations and had dozens and dozens of mind blowing experiences.

We went to Bali, Komodo National Park, Kelimutu on Flores Island to hike a volcano and watch the sunrise, Borneo to trek for orangutans, and Yogyakarta on Java Island to see Borobudur, the oldest Buddhist temple in the world.

Each destination offered us extraordinary adventures and experiences unlike anywhere else in the world. For my kids, it offered one amazing experience after another and kept them totally engaged, excited and happy.

One of our most favorite spots was Komodo National Park for the sheer number of unbelievable and authentic animal encounters that we had and the absolutely mesmerizing natural beauty that we literally stumbled upon again and again.

Why Did I Choose Komodo National Park For Our Adventure?

Komodo National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and located within the Lesser Sunda Islands near the provinces of East and West Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia. The Park includes three large islands called Komodo Island, Padar Island and Rinca Island, and 26 smaller ones. The total area of Komodo National Park is 1,733 km² or 670 mi^2.  Except for park rangers, the islands are uninhabited.

Komodo National Park is found within the Coral Triangle. The region has 76% of all known coral species in the world. It is a habitat for 37% of the world’s reef fish and more than 3000 species of fish live there.

In addition, it is home to six out of the world’s seven marine turtles species. Finally, Komodo National Park is one of the last places on earth that have wild Komodo dragons.

Planning Guide For Komodo National Park

We flew 1 1/2 hours from Bali to Flores Island. Employees from Komodo Resort, our accommodation, met us at the airport and drove us 15 minutes to the port where we picked up our speed boat for the 45 minutes ride to the hotel.

We stayed four days at the luxurious Komodo Resort on the deserted island of Sebayur. It is located just outside of Komodo National Park.

Komodo Resort had sixteen seafront bungalows with private bathrooms and terraces. They were kept impeccably clean.

All meals were included in the cost of the accommodation. Breakfast was by buffet, but lunch and dinner were served a la carte. I can attest from watching my 16 year old son eat, that there were no limits to the amount of entrees or desserts that we could have (except self control – obviously lacking in my son).

The Chef specialized in Indonesian and Italian food. Incredibly, the resort had a pizza oven and we had a delicious pizza night.

Completing our experience, the resort had a beach-side spa and bar. We loved ending our day with a massage, followed by drinks to watch the sunset.

The overall vibe to this resort was beach bum meets tropical cocktails with umbrellas. The staff hung out at the beach bar in the evening all the while making sure that guests had everything that they wanted or needed. It was a fantastic blend of excellent service and friendly, down to earth, people.

Our 3 Day Vacation With Teens In Komodo National Park

In the balance of the article, I have set out what we did each day on our 3 day holiday in Komodo National Park.

All of the tours and excursions were booked through Komodo Resort and were led by employees of the Resort. This was a huge advantage as sometimes tides and weather impact whether you can reach certain islands or do particular activities. This laid back attitude to booking tours meant that we could organize them in the best order according to the weather and how we were feeling.

We spent three days on a private boat on different tours with a staff of 5-6 people. They offered us a steady flow of water, soft drinks, tea, coffee, beer and snacks through the day.

Day 1 – Rinca Island, Komodo Dragons and Flying Foxes 

Komodo Dragons

We arrived at our hotel, the Komodo Resort, had lunch and left a couple hours later on our private boat for our first excursion. We headed to Rinca Island to visit Komodo dragons in the wild.

Komodo dragons are the largest lizard in the world. They can grow up to 3 m (or 10ft long), and weigh up to 70 kg (or 150 lb). They are extremely fast. Their bite is venomous and deadly to humans. They kill their prey by biting them and then, following them for days until the animal succumbs to the poison and dies.

The boat ride to Rinca Island, like every boat ride in Komodo National Park, was beautiful and serene. We lounged on bean bag pillows on the top deck, mostly under the roof to protect us from the very hot sun. We watched islands go by and spotted birds and fish, barely coming across another boat or person.

Komodo National Park was extraordinarily beautiful. It was hard to fathom that Komodo dragons, such dangerous creatures, were so close.

Months before, when I researched this part of our trip, I thought going to Rinca Island to hike with wild Komodo dragons would be an amazing and unforgettable experience. However, as our boat approached Rinca island, I looked at my children and wondered whether I had made a huge mistake.

The Park Rangers on Rinca Island

When we arrived at Rinca Island, we were met by two park rangers. While we walked, one led us in front and the other walked behind. They each carried a long stick with a “V” at the end, our only weapon to defend ourselves in the event of a Komodo dragon attack.

Let’s just say we were unimpressed by this show of force!

My oldest son thought this was a good time to remind us that we didn’t have to outrun a Komodo dragon, we only had to make sure we weren’t last.

As I sheepishly looked around at my competition – my children, husband and two park rangers who were small but I figured very fast – my sense of unease deepened.

Hiking On Rinca Island With Komodo Dragons

We went on a one hour moderate hike around Rinca Island with the park rangers. We saw around 30 Komodo dragons of various sizes at the start of the hike near the park ranger buildings, but thankfully, none were lurking around any trees or rocks during our hike.

The Komodo dragons that we did see barely moved. Many of them were piled on top of each other, seemingly napping. Others that I saw, were alone, lazily walking in the shade, or under huts.

Interestingly, none of the park ranger buildings were level to the ground. All of them were on stilts with several stairs to the front door.

As I watched these creatures move and their desire for shade, I very much appreciated the park rangers’ decision for their front doors to be several feet off of the ground!

Overall, I was thrilled that we had the chance to spend time with wild Komodo dragons. However, I was equally thrilled when we jumped back on our boat and left. I found being near these fierce and deadly creatures with my kids to be a little stressful, to say the least.

Young families And Visiting The Komodo Dragons

We crossed paths with a young family leaving the park when we first arrived. A man was carrying a child that looked to be around 2 years old and a woman held the hand of a 5 year old.

I couldn’t believe my eyes! I would NOT recommend bringing young children to Rinca Island or allowing them to be near the Komodo dragons. These animals are 100% deadly and unpredictable.

Children should be older, mature and absolutely capable of following instructions. However, it looks like there are no age restrictions to enter Rinca Island. Accordingly, it would be up to each family to decide whether a visit to Rinca Island to spend time with the Komodo dragons would a good idea.

From Rinca Island To Flores For The Flying Foxes

From Rinca Island, we boated around an hour to a humongous mangrove forest near Flores Island to watch the sunset and see the flying foxes.

All we knew before we arrived was that we were going to see bats, which happened to be called “flying foxes“. That’s it.

We considered all the possibilities. Perhaps, we would go to Flores Island and then hike to a cave to see them? Or maybe, we would take the boat into a cave and watch them from there.

Suffice it to say, we were absolutely unprepared for what happened.

Flying Foxes And The Sunset

Once we arrived near Flores Island, we remained on the boat and floated around waiting for some instruction. As the sun slowly set, we spotted a group of birds over Flores Island, far in the distance, that we initially thought might be bats. There were around 30-40 of them and I thought, that’s nice but not sure this is all that big of a deal.

Then, all hell broke loose.

Suddenly, these enormous creatures began to emerge right next to us, from deep within the mangroves, and fly over our heads. They were so close – only 15 m (or 50 ft) above us. After a moment or two of stunned silence, we realized these were the bats.

Flying foxes are the largest bat in the world. They have a wing span of 1.5 m (or 4 ft 11 in) wide.

Every night, around 6:00 pm, thousands and thousands of flying foxes leave these mangroves and fly to Flores Island to eat fruit. 

Sunset Over Flores Island

For 30 minutes, we sat on our boat and watched these amazing creatures in their nightly migration while the sky turned orange, pink, purple and finally red. It was such a mesmerizing scene that I kept asking myself whether this was really happening – that somewhere on this earth, this nightly ritual occurs and somehow, we got a front row seat to watch it.

From Flores Island to Komodo Resort

Once the sky turned deep red, we could hardly see the flying foxes anymore. It was time to return to our hotel. It took around 45 minutes to get there and we boated mostly in the dark.

Incredibly, it was absolutely silent, except for the sound of the engine and waves hitting our boat. There wasn’t another boat, person, or any other sign of human life on our return until we had almost reached the hotel. It was a magical end to an unbelievable awe-inspiring day.

Day 2 – Snorkelling and Swimming in Komodo National Park

We spent day 2 of our 3 day holiday in Komodo National Park back on our private boat, swimming and snorkelling in multiple spots in Komodo National Park.

I don’t think that I have ever seen more beautiful underwater coral, reefs, and plant life than what I saw underwater in Komodo National Park. I felt that I had been dropped into a world that Dr. Seuss had drawn – fantastical colours and shapes were everywhere just below the surface. I saw fish, of course – lots and lots of spectacular and exotic fish. But, it was the coral and plant life that had me spellbound. I simply floated and stared. I absolutely loved it.

We went to four different snorkelling spots in Komodo National Park. They were Makaser Reef, Batu Bolong, and near the islands of Mauan and Siaba BS.

We swam with enormous turtles near Siaba BS. It was magnificent.

Everywhere we went in Komodo National Park, the water was warm and we felt very safe. We had a guide in the water with us, a spotter on the boat, and another crew person in a motorized dinghy following us from behind.

With life jackets and similar supervision, young children comfortable in sea water should be able to easily participate.

Day 3 – Padar Island, Pink Beaches, and Giant Manta Rays

Komodo Resort to Padar Island

In the morning, we headed by private boat to Padar Island where we hiked to the top of a small mountain. The hike on Padar Island took about 30 minutes.

I did not find it difficult but it was very hot, steep in certain places and a little slippery. The path was largely made up of small loose pebbles. Young children should hold hands with their parents and stay in the centre of the path. There wasn’t any fencing until we reached the top.

From the top, we had a breathtaking panoramic view of the rest of Padar Island and other islands in Komodo National Park. Incredulously, this included seeing the three different coloured beaches – black, white and even pink – all on Padar Island. It was an absolutely incredible sight.

From Padar Island To A Deserted Pink Beach

We left Padar Island and boated to Sara Island, which amazingly, also has a pink beach. However, unlike the pink beach on Padar Island, this pink beach does not have regular visitors. We swam, snorkelled, had lunch and explored this tiny piece of paradise. There wasn’t another boat or person in sight.

Swimming With Enormous Manta Rays

Notwithstanding the incredible experiences that we already had in Komodo National Park, swimming with manta rays was one of the most breathtaking things that we have ever done. However, it almost didn’t happen.

We headed back to Makaser Reef where apparently, the manta rays like to swim. This was one of my favourite spots from the day before. We had not found any manta rays, but the coral and plant life were stunning.

Once we arrived, we started to put on our snorkelling gear when one of our guides yelled and pointed “manta, manta”! I couldn’t believe it. We ran over to the guide and looked into the water, but I couldn’t see anything other than an enormous black shadow under the water. I thought “Great, a large rock. How did I already miss the manta ray?” However, ever determined to find it, I jumped in as fast as I could with one fin on and my goggles barely attached to my head.

I immediately looked down and finally, spotted my first manta ray. In fact, the enormous rock that I spotted from the boat WAS the manta ray! It was ASTONISHING!

First of all, it was GINORMOUS! Manta rays reach between 5.5 m – 7 m wide (or 16 feet – 23 feet). I had no idea.

The day before when we were snorkelling, I was looking for cute little things, maybe slightly bigger than a standard seat cushion, maybe hiding on the bottom of the ocean or tucked behind some coral. Well, there was no way this magnificent creature was ever going to hide from anything.

We spent about an hour swimming with 4 manta rays and it was simply beautiful.

For those with children, manta rays are harmless and gentle. They swim with their enormous mouths wide open, eating tiny plankton by filtering what naturally gets scooped into their mouth.

They are scared of humans so it is best not to get too close or they will swim away. However, a couple of times, our guide swam just under one (not touching it), prompting the manta ray to shoot up straight towards us. It was magical.

Last Word

Every day that we spent in Komodo National Park felt like we had won the lottery. We basked on our own boat gliding though remarkably beautiful and untouched islands and beaches.

At our pleasure, we snorkelled and saw extraordinary reef and plant life, unlike most any place in the world.

We survived a hike with wild Komodo dragons, and for a moment in time, we swam with some of the largest, most gentlest creatures in the seas.

Komodo National Park is an untouched jewel perfect for families, especially for families with teens who often need adventure and excitement for a successful family holiday.

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