Updated: checked August 2026 · re-checked every quarter. This is the practical lombok flores boat schedule and Komodo departure calendar we keep from the harbour, not a brochure. Short answer: the multi-day Lombok–Flores open trip runs almost every day of the week once you combine operators — Monday and Saturday are the two busiest departure days, Wednesday is next, and only a couple of boats sail on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or Sunday. From Labuan Bajo, day trips and 3D2N open trips leave daily in high season. The public ASDP ferry is a separate, slower option. Everything below is grouped by direction and season so you can match a real boat to a real day before you book.
Because dates shift with weather, group sizes and public holidays, treat this page as the pattern — then confirm the exact seat for your week on WhatsApp. Prices we quote for context are from the same August 2026 check; the complete numbers live in our full price table, and Komodo park fees are always paid on top of any schedule below.
1. Weekly Departure Matrix: Lombok to Flores Open Trips
The 4D3N Lombok–Flores open trip is a shared boat, so each operator sails only on fixed lombok to flores boat departure days. No single company covers all seven days; you get a near-daily calendar by looking across operators. Here is who sails when, based on our August 2026 check of the boats running the Bangsal → Moyo → Satonda → Komodo → Labuan Bajo route.
| Operator | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wanua Adventure | ● | ● | — | ● | ● | — | ● |
| Bintang Laut | ● | — | ● | — | — | — | — |
| Anugrah | ● | — | ● | — | — | ● | — |
| Budi Jaya | ● | — | ● | — | — | ● | — |
| Adam Jaya | ● | — | ● | — | — | ● | — |
| Golden Island / Komodo Discovery | — | — | ● | — | — | ● | — |
Legend: ● = sails that day · — = no departure. Read across for one operator, or down a column to see every boat leaving on your target day. The Wanua Adventure schedule is the widest net — five days a week — which is why it fills first; if you want Wednesday or Saturday you also have the fleet boats and Golden Island to choose from. Deck class runs IDR 3.5–3.7M and a shared cabin IDR 4–4.6M per person on this route (checked August 2026); the per-boat breakdown and how classes differ is on the full price table and in our operator comparison. For the day-by-day of what you actually see, see the Lombok to Flores guide.
A few things the grid cannot show. Boarding for the Bangsal departures is early — crews want everyone aboard by mid-morning so the boat can clear the strait in daylight, so aim to reach the harbour the night before or first thing. The pattern also tightens around public holidays and Indonesian long weekends: an operator that normally rests on Thursday will often add a sailing when demand spikes, and the reverse happens in the wet months when a scheduled boat quietly drops off the calendar for a week. Days marked here are the standing pattern for a normal high-season week; holidays, charters and weather can add or remove a departure, which is exactly why we re-check the board every quarter.
2. Labuan Bajo Open Trip Pattern: Daily in High Season
If you are already in Flores, the Labuan Bajo departure calendar is far simpler than the crossing. In high season the local labuan bajo boat schedule is essentially daily for the popular formats, because operators pool passengers into a shared boat every morning. This is the komodo open trip schedule most travellers actually use.
| Trip type | Departs | Frequency (high season Jun–Sep) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-day speedboat | ~06:00 | Daily |
| 2D1N open trip | Morning | Most days |
| 3D2N open trip | Morning | Daily to every other day |
In the quieter shoulder months (April–May, October–November) the multi-day open trips still leave several times a week but may need a minimum number of guests to confirm, so a Monday or Friday departure can slip a day. For Indonesian travellers this is the open trip Komodo jadwal — keberangkatan harian dari Labuan Bajo di musim ramai, dan cukup fleksibel di luar musim. How the shared-boat format works, and prices per class, is on the Komodo open trip page. Whatever the printed komodo boat trip calendar 2026 says, the only date that matters is the one with a confirmed seat — check the current week before you commit flights.
Two timing rules save headaches here. First, the one-day speedboat leaves at first light and returns after dark, so it cannot double as an arrival-day or departure-day activity — keep a clear day for it. Second, multi-day open trips run on a minimum-numbers basis outside peak: if only two or three people have booked a given Tuesday, the operator may roll everyone to the next confirmed morning. That is not a cancellation trick, it is how shared boats stay affordable; the fix is simply to ask how many are already booked on your target date before you pay. A departure with a healthy group already on the manifest almost never moves.
3. Reverse Direction: Flores to Lombok Departure Days
Sailing west, from Labuan Bajo back toward Lombok, uses the same boats on the opposite leg — so the days are tighter. The reverse open trip typically leaves on Wednesday and Saturday, with an extra Monday departure in peak weeks. Because fewer travellers book this direction, cabins are often easier to secure at short notice, and you reach Komodo National Park on day one instead of day three.
| Direction | Main departure days | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Lombok → Flores (eastbound) | Mon, Wed, Sat (+ Wanua Tue/Thu/Fri/Sun) | 4D3N |
| Flores → Lombok (westbound) | Wed, Sat (+ peak Mon) | 4D3N |
If your route ends in Lombok or Bali, the westbound schedule and how the reverse itinerary differs are covered on the Flores to Lombok open trip page. Plan connecting flights for the afternoon or next morning after arrival, never the same landing day — sea legs run long.
Westbound suits two kinds of traveller. If you started your Indonesia route in Flores — flying into Labuan Bajo and working back toward Bali or Lombok — the reverse boat closes the loop without backtracking. And if you left booking late, the thinner westbound demand means a shared cabin is often still open when the eastbound boats are full. The trade-off is fewer days to choose from: miss Wednesday or Saturday and you may wait most of a week, so lock the date early and treat any weekday extra as a bonus, not a plan.
4. Public Ferry Schedule: ASDP Sape to Labuan Bajo
The flores ferry schedule is a different animal from the open trip. The scheduled crossing to Flores is the ASDP car ferry from Sape (eastern Sumbawa) to Labuan Bajo. In our August 2026 check it runs on most mornings in high season, departing roughly 08:00–09:00 WITA, with a crossing of about 7–9 hours depending on swell. Sailings thin out in low season and cancel outright in bad weather, so never treat it as a fixed timetable.
The full lombok sumbawa flores ferry chain is long: Lombok (Kayangan) → Poto Tano ferry (about 2 hours), then overland across Sumbawa to Sape, then the Sape → Labuan Bajo ferry (7–9 hours). Door to door from Lombok this is realistically 12–16 hours of travel spread over one very long day or two, versus the 4 days of island-hopping you get on an open trip. So the honest answer to how long is the boat from lombok to flores depends on which boat: the direct scheduled sea legs are under a day, but the sailing open trip is deliberately four.
| Leg | Typical time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kayangan → Poto Tano ferry | ~2 hours | Frequent, Lombok to Sumbawa |
| Poto Tano → Sape (road) | 5–7 hours | Bus or private car across Sumbawa |
| Sape → Labuan Bajo ferry | 7–9 hours | Morning departure, high-season most days |
The ferry is the budget backbone but it skips Komodo, Padar and the snorkel stops entirely. If cost is the deciding factor, weigh it properly in our open trip vs public ferry breakdown before booking either. Always confirm the exact ASDP time locally — posted times move.
Practical notes for the ferry route: tickets are sold at the Sape harbour counter on the day, usually cash, and the boat carries vehicles as well as foot passengers, so motorbike and car travellers use this crossing too. There is no online seat map — arrive early, because when a sailing is cancelled the next one absorbs the backlog and fills fast. The ferry lands you at the Labuan Bajo commercial port, a short ride from the town centre and the tour-boat jetty, but after an eight-hour crossing you will not want to start a Komodo trip the same day. Budget a night in town either side.
5. Seasonal Changes: The December to February Cancellation Window
No schedule survives the monsoon. From December to February the strait between Sumbawa and Flores gets rough, and the window is worst in January and February, when open trips and even the ASDP ferry are cancelled or rerouted on short notice. A boat printed for Wednesday can be pushed to Friday, or refunded, purely on the wind forecast — that is normal, not a scam.
The calm, reliable season is June to September: departures run to plan, seas are flat, and every operator sails its full weekly pattern. April–May and October–November are the shoulder — mostly fine, occasional weather days. If your dates fall in the cancellation window, build in a spare day and keep flights flexible. The month-by-month sea detail, and which trips to avoid when, is in our best time for a Flores boat trip guide.
6. How Far Ahead to Book by Season
Booking lead time is part of the schedule too: a boat that runs daily can still be sold out. These are the windows we tell travellers to work to, so you land the exact departure date you want rather than settling for whatever is left.
| Season | Months | Book ahead by |
|---|---|---|
| Peak | Jul–Aug, Christmas/New Year | 4–8 weeks |
| High | Jun, Sep | 2–4 weeks |
| Shoulder | Apr–May, Oct–Nov | 1–2 weeks |
| Low / wet | Dec–Feb, Mar | A few days, but expect weather changes |
Cabins sell out well before deck space, and the busiest flores boat trip departure dates — the Saturday Lombok crossing and any July–August sailing — are the first to close. If you are locked to specific travel dates, book the boat before the flights.
Most operators hold a date with a deposit rather than full payment, with the balance settled at boarding in Labuan Bajo or on arrival. That means you can lock a Saturday crossing weeks out without wiring the whole fare — useful when your own flights are still flexible. Read the rescheduling terms before you pay, especially for December to February dates: a good operator states plainly whether a weather cancellation is refunded or moved to the next sailing. If a departure page shows no terms at all, that is the red flag, not the deposit itself. When in doubt, ask us and we will confirm the current hold policy for the specific boat and week.
7. Live Availability: Check the Current Week on WhatsApp
Printed calendars go stale; seat counts change hourly. Before you commit, message us for the live departure list for your exact dates — which operators still have space, deck versus cabin availability, and any weather holds on the ASDP ferry. We coordinate the boats directly and keep the schedule above current, so a two-line message saves you a guess.
WhatsApp: +62 811 3823 875 · Email: [email protected]. Tell us your travel window and direction (Lombok→Flores or Flores→Lombok), and we send back the real departure days with space left that week. Part of Juara Holding Group.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which day should I book the Lombok to Flores boat trip?
Monday and Saturday are the busiest departure days with the most boats, and Wednesday is the next best. Only a few operators (mainly Wanua Adventure) also sail Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or Sunday, so those days sell out fastest. Pick your day from the weekly matrix above, then confirm the current seat on WhatsApp (checked August 2026).
How long is the boat from Lombok to Flores?
It depends on the boat. The 4D3N open trip is deliberately four days and three nights of island-hopping. The scheduled route is faster on the water: the Sape to Labuan Bajo ASDP ferry is about 7 to 9 hours, and the full Lombok to Sape to Labuan Bajo chain is roughly 12 to 16 hours of travel.
Does the Labuan Bajo Komodo open trip run every day?
In high season (June to September) day trips leave daily and 3D2N open trips run daily to every other day, because operators pool passengers each morning. In shoulder and low season the multi-day trips still go several times a week but may need a minimum number of guests to confirm.
What is the ASDP ferry schedule from Sape to Labuan Bajo?
The Sape (Sumbawa) to Labuan Bajo ferry runs on most mornings in high season, departing roughly 08:00 to 09:00 WITA with a crossing of about 7 to 9 hours. Sailings reduce in low season and can be cancelled in bad weather, so always confirm the exact time locally before you travel (checked August 2026).
Are boat trips cancelled in December, January and February?
They can be. From December to February the strait gets rough, worst in January and February, and both open trips and the ASDP ferry are cancelled or rescheduled on short notice for safety. The calm, reliable season is June to September. If you travel in the wet window, keep a spare day and flexible flights.
How far ahead should I book to get my chosen departure date?
Book 4 to 8 weeks ahead for peak dates (July, August, Christmas and New Year), 2 to 4 weeks for June and September, and 1 to 2 weeks in the shoulder months. Cabins and the Saturday Lombok crossing sell out first, so if your travel dates are fixed, book the boat before the flights.