Once a small fishing village, Labuan Bajo (also spelled Labuhanbajo and Labuanbajo) is now a tourist center as well as a centre of government for the surrounding region. The roads link Labuan Bajo to other towns across Flores such as
Ruteng,
Bajawa,
Ende and
Maumere. The town is small and can easily be traversed on foot in 15 minutes.
Mirror stone cave (
gua Batu cermin) is only 5 km north-east of the marina. Nearby Labuan Bajo are several waterfalls,
trekking, and diverse beaches.
Wae Rebo Village, 5 hours away by car and another 4.5 km on foot, can be visited to learn about the indigenous culture of the area. This World Heritage site is known for its traditional houses called
Mbaru Niang. Beside these, 19 other places around Labuan Bajo are frequently listed as touristic sites: Gili Laba,
Rinca Island,
Komodo Island, Kanawa Island,
Padar Island, Lingko Rice Fields, Kelor Island,
Kelimutu Lake, Ranko Cave, Cunca Lawang, Bena Traditional Village, Manta Point, Pink Beach, Bidadari Island, Seraya Island, Kalong Island, Melo Village, Pede Beach, and Sano Nggoang Lake. Altogether there are 128 islands (of which by far the largest are Komodo and Rinca Islands) within the Komodo District. File:Padar Island 2017.jpg|Padar island File:Pulau Sandaran Hati, Pulau Kelor di Laut Flores.jpg|Kelor island File:Pantai Pink yang menabjubkan.jpg|Pink beach File:Dusk & Dawn in Kalong Island, Labuan Bajo.jpg|Bats and sunset at Kalong island File:Pantai Pede florès.jpg|Pede beach
Komodo National Park Labuan Bajo is the gateway to the nearby
Komodo National Park on and around
Komodo Island and
Rinca Island, both home to the famous
Komodo dragons. The park is a World Heritage Site. Its islands offer good scuba diving. Every evening at Kalong Island (in the bay on the east side of Komodo island), thousands of
flying fox bats (
burung kalong in Indonesian) rise from the mangroves and form a massive cloud that crosses the strait to Flores Island in search of food.
Diving sites near Labuan Bajo There are numerous diving sites in the islands close to Labuan Bajo - but in some places currents can be dangerously strong and much carefulness is required - notably at Batu Bolong site (whose name means "hole in the rock", in the Linta Strait), also called "Current City" for that reason To the north are Sabolon kecil, Sabolon besar and Seraya kecil; to the west are Sebayur (outside Komodo park), Tatawa besar and Tatawa kechil (within the park), Karang Makassar (Manta Point), Mauan, The Cauldron and many more.
Tourism development The location of Labuan Bajo at the tip of Flores Island makes it the initial destination for incoming tourists. and as one of five super-priority tourism destinations established by the Indonesian Presidency in 2018, Thus accommodations have increased in the area: in 2019, it included 13 five-star hotels, 68 non-star hotels, 4 villas, and 26 dormitories. This has considerably increased the built-up surface, with a growth of 161 ha between 2011 and 2017, another 246 ha between 2017 and 2023, and it is expected to grow by 267 ha again by 2029. This is despite the fact that the area is prone to natural disasters, including tsunamis, earthquakes and landslides. These extreme natural phenomena are known to have a negative impact on the number of tourists and the tourist experience, and to have a greater influence on the number of tourists than man-made disasters such as terrorist attacks. ; Socioeconomic effects Stating that tourism development has caused a great impact on the local economy Those people have lived on Komodo island for over a thousand years, but in the name of tourism development the gouvernment has declared them to be "wild settlers" and wants them out: in the national park, "There will be no human rights, only animal rights," says governor Victor Laiskodat Which raises questions about the existence of the luxury Komodo resort on Sebayur Besar island. Land speculation and sell-out is rife. In regard to employment, tourism development has created job opportunities for the local population; and possibly others. ==Transport==