Labuan Bajo, Flores

This was our second visit to Labuan Bajo and boy did we notice the difference of a year. Big plans are in place with a marina being built waterfront development and footpath improvement. It will be interesting to see what a few more years brings. But, buzzing LBJ still has its crazy dusty-ness about it. The main drag is full of dive shops, tour agencies and shops punctuated by restaurants and bars, some offering awesome views over the harbour. Traffic is one-way and the ring road loop is very long, it must drive the locals crazy.

We love the place. It offers a lot of things we desire in life. Seaside, relaxed pace of life with a bit of energy, good food and amenities and the gateway to one of the best cruising grounds Indonesia has to offer.

Take some time to walk down to the wharf and check out the madness. They boats are berthed anyway they can. Some with just the bowsprit poking in. Cargo, ferries, tourist boats, phinisis, all jostling for space as they load or unload. Our little inflatable dinghy didn’t stand a chance amongst the hustle bustle. If you take your dinghy into town I suggest using the pink jetty south east of the wharf.

Last year we picked up a mooring in the harbour. This year the harbour seems busier and the phinisis seem so much bigger. A wider channel has been made and the moorings spread further out of the harbour.

We anchored off Puri Sari Beach Resort by recommendation of a friend and made our way ashore to introduce ourselves to Huberth, the hotel manager. We found Huberth in the lobby surrounded by departing guests, those not giving him hugs already, were lining up to. Huberth made us feel very welcome also and told us to make use of the cafe and pool and to sing out if we needed anything. This guy is a delight!

The pool at Puri Sari became a regular haunt during our time in Labuan Bajo and we ate at the cafe regularly, great tasting local cuisine served with a smile and a reasonable price.

While pool side we spotted some obvious yachties and struck up a conversation with them. They needed to do the same things as us (extend visa, shop etc) so we spent a fair bit of time with them and more so later as we were travelling in the same direction through Komodo.

Things to do ashore in Labuan Bajo

Labuan Bajo is a very busy touristy town. Due to this there are many dive/snorkel shops, tourist info, tours, restaurants galore and many great places for provisioning your boat.

Eat & Drink

After weeks of albeit delicious local cuisine we were ready for a change and made gluttons of ourselves in Labuan Bajo’s many restaurants.

Here’s a list of our favourites:

Bajo Bay – breezy seafood restaurant with classy decor and superb views over the harbour
Blue Marlin – cold beer, great view
Happy Banana – sushi/sashimi fix with a funky decor

Groceries

There are two good supermarkets on the main drag, Roxy’s and Denny Mart. Roxy’s is the largest and has the most refrigerated products. Here we bought aussie eye fillet (some of the best eye fillet we have ever had), frozen chickens, pasta, cheese, milk, beer and wine.

Fresh fruit and vegetables

Fresh fruit and vegetables are available from road side kiosks or take a taxi or bemo to the market, a short way out of town. The market is very good with plenty of vendors. You can find it near the airport.

The fish market is worth a look but is mainly dried fish and a bit pongy.