Trekking on Padar Island in Komodo offers breathtaking views of Indonesia's most enchanting landscapes, and it's surprisingly accessible!

This place resembles a dinosaur's homeland, brimming with rocky hills, vast bays, and beaches stretching in all directions.

A trip to Komodo Islands is incomplete without embarking on this trekking adventure! You can join a day tour to explore Padar Island or spend a few days sailing around the numerous islands on a liveaboard cruise.

Even the northern side of Padar Island boasts a pink beach with unique red sand, making it a renowned tourist attraction within Komodo National Park.

This travel guide will elucidate how to reach Padar Island and provide all the essential information you need to know before embarking on your journey!

Where is Padar Island?

Padar Island is located within Komodo National Park, a cluster of islands in eastern Indonesia.

The nearest city is the fishing village of Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores, which boasts its own airport and numerous hotels and restaurants for you to unwind during your park visits.

How to Get to Padar Island

The only way to reach Padar Island is by boat from Labuan Bajo.

It lies approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from Labuan Bajo by straight-line distance, and a slow boat typically takes three hours, while a speedboat can complete the journey in less than half the time.

You can cover most of the major attractions in Komodo National Park, including Padar Island, in a full-day itinerary or opt to stay on a boat for a few days to sightsee!

Numerous flights operate daily from Bali to Labuan Bajo Airport (LBJ), with a flight duration of one hour and ticket prices as low as 1 juta Indonesian rupiahs (USD 70) from various airlines.

Getting to the Komodo Islands from Bali is now more convenient than ever, as AirAsia operates several flights between the two islands weekly. Additionally, flights from Jakarta, Surabaya, Ende, or Kuala Lumpur to Labuan Bajo Airport are available. You can purchase flights on Skyscanner.

Upon arriving in Labuan Bajo, you can book a boat to Padar Island at the port or reserve a tour online (more details later).

Trekking on Padar Island

Reaching the top of Padar Island takes around 20 to 40 minutes on foot, depending on your pace.

While there is now a cobblestone path leading up to the summit, it can still be steep and tiring. There are some viewpoints along the way where you can stop, rest, and continue ascending to soak in the best vistas.

The Padar Island trek offers little shade, and the equatorial sun in Komodo can be quite harsh, so prepare to get roasted on your way up!

Bring some water, a hat, and sunscreen, especially if you're trekking later in the day. Morning is the best time to go.

Indonesian Padar Island Komodo Day Tour from Labuan Bajo

Nowadays, park rangers patrol the path at intervals to ensure people's safety. They are friendly but somewhat attention-seeking.

Perhaps because we were the only tourists at that time, they kept trying to help us with everything and constantly warned us, which was a bit annoying. We didn't feel free to wander around and take photos.

This is Indonesia, and we didn't want to be babied on such a simple trek! Let us take some photos and enjoy the scenery!

Padar Island Viewpoint

The viewpoint at the top of Padar Island is stunningly beautiful. The scenery here truly resembles the setting of Jurassic Park.

Although Padar Island is one of the smallest islands in Komodo National Park, this scenic viewpoint has become a renowned natural landmark in Indonesia and even appears on the 50,000 Indonesian rupiah bill.

The island forms a huge X-shape with three bays where you can see white sand beaches, black sand beaches, and pink sand beaches.

Each sand color is special on its own, but seeing all of them in one place is crazy. This might be the only place in the world where you can witness such a sight!

In the distance, you can see Komodo Island, home to the famous Komodo dragons. Padar also has wild Komodo dragons, but they live on the northern side of the island, so you might not see them here.

Is Padar Open or Closed?

In August 2022, tourism activities in Komodo National Park were suspended for two days due to a strike initiated by the Indonesian government's attempt to significantly increase park fees.

You can read more about it in my comprehensive Komodo travel guide. However, thankfully, the Indonesian government backed down and decided not to increase the park fees for the time being, so everything has returned to normal.

Padar Entrance Fee

The ticketing system in Komodo National Park is confusing, with various entry fees that you need to pay at a small kiosk on Padar.

Adding all the fees together, you'll need to spend almost 1 million Indonesian rupiahs (approximately USD 70) per person for a 1-day park pass, which allows you to trek to Padar Island and visit other highlights of Komodo Island in Indonesia.

This ticket price is valid until 2024 but seems to increase annually. In my opinion, considering the stunning natural scenery you'll see in Komodo, this price is worth it, but I hope they don't continue to raise it.

Flying Drones on Padar Island

Since 2021, Komodo National Park's rangers no longer allow anyone to fly drones on Padar Island unless you pay a hefty fee of 1 million Indonesian rupiahs (about USD 70). No prior application is required; you just need to pay the fee in cash on the spot, and they will allow you to fly.

I understand that some restrictions are understandable, as the viewpoint is crowded, and I'm sure many people want to fly drones there every day, so they must exercise some control.

If you're creative, you can still capture Padar Island with a drone for free by launching it from one of the numerous hidden bays or islands nearby where the rangers can't see you. I might or might not know someone who has done this.

Are There Komodo Dragons on Padar Island?

Yes, wild Komodo dragons live on Padar Island, but they are rarely seen.

There are also venomous snakes, such as the Insular Pit Viper (Trimeresurus Insularis), although they usually hide in trees during the day and come out to hunt at night.

Occasionally, we saw Javan deer running around on Padar Island, but overall, there isn't much large prey for the lizards to hunt. This is a very dry island, so the giant lizards prefer to stay on Komodo Island.

According to local trekking guides, the few Komodo dragons on Padar Island tend to stay on the northern side of the island, so you may not see them while trekking to the viewpoint.