6D/5N — South Komodo, Nusa Kode & Gili Motang Expedition

The expedition begins with two dives designed to ease the group into Komodo’s currents and conditions before moving deeper into the park.

Sebayur Kecil, Mini Wall, or a sheltered central reef may be chosen for the check dive, depending on sea conditions and departure timing. It is a relaxed first dive with healthy coral, reef fish, turtles, and mild current — ideal for checking buoyancy, equipment, weighting, and group comfort.

The second dive brings the first chance for manta encounters at Manta Point or Mawan. These shallow cleaning and feeding areas are among Komodo’s most iconic manta sites, where reef mantas may glide over rubble slopes, coral bommies, and sandy channels.

After the dives, Shenron cruises south through the park toward Padar or a protected anchorage closer to the southern route. The evening is spent onboard with a full briefing for the next day’s deeper expedition south.

2 dives — Check dive & first manta opportunity

The second day moves into the dramatic landscapes around Padar and the southern entrance of Komodo.

The morning can begin at Three Sisters, a beautiful formation of submerged pinnacles covered in soft corals and surrounded by fusiliers, reef fish, and occasional reef sharks. The site is a perfect transition between Central and South Komodo: more dramatic, more colourful, and more exposed to changing conditions.

The next dives may include Pillarsteen, Secret Garden, or Padar’s southern reefs. These sites are known for volcanic topography, swim-throughs, ridges, colourful walls, and a real sense of exploration. Depending on season and visibility, the reefs around Padar can be spectacular, with soft corals, macro life, and schools of fish moving along the slopes.

When conditions allow, the day may include the iconic Padar viewpoint hike. During the dry season, sunrise or late-afternoon timing gives the best light over the island’s three-coloured bays.

By evening, Shenron continues south toward Komodo’s remote southern anchorages.

3 dives + possible Padar hike — South route positioning day

This is the first full immersion into South Komodo.

The day focuses on the famous southern sites around the tip of Komodo Island, including Manta Alley, End of the World, German Flag, or nearby exposed reefs depending on tide and current.

Manta Alley is one of the most iconic sites in the region. Located in the plankton-rich channels of South Komodo, it can deliver powerful manta encounters, sometimes with multiple rays circling, feeding, or passing through the channel. The site can be wild and current-sensitive, so timing is everything.

Other nearby South Komodo sites offer dramatic underwater landscapes: boulder formations, surge-washed slopes, walls, swim-throughs, and reefs covered in soft coral. Marine life can include mantas, reef sharks, giant trevally, turtles, schooling fish, and excellent macro subjects tucked into the reef.

The atmosphere here is very different from the classic Central Komodo sites. Fewer boats, cooler water, stronger ocean energy, and a feeling of being far away from everything.

3 dives — Manta Alley, End of the World / German Flag / South Komodo reefs

The heart of the expedition.

Nusa Kode is one of the most celebrated areas in South Komodo, famous for dense coral growth, cooler nutrient-rich water, and extraordinary biodiversity. This is slow, detailed, high-quality diving — the kind of diving where every square metre of reef is alive.

The day may begin at Cannibal Rock, one of Komodo’s most legendary dive sites. This volcanic mound is covered in crinoids, soft corals, sea apples, sponges, tunicates, and macro life. Divers can search for frogfish, nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, cuttlefish, scorpionfish, and an incredible density of reef creatures.

Yellow Wall offers a completely different profile: a colourful vertical wall saturated in yellow, orange, and red soft corals. It is one of the most photogenic southern sites when the light and visibility are right.

The third dive may be at Boulders, Crinoid Canyon, or Torpedo Alley depending on conditions. Torpedo Alley is especially famous for its sandy and rubble bottom, where careful eyes may spot unusual macro life, including electric rays, nudibranchs, pipefish, frogfish, and other rare critters.

The boat anchors overnight near Nusa Kode or in a sheltered southern bay, surrounded by one of the most remote landscapes in Komodo National Park.

3 dives — Cannibal Rock, Yellow Wall, Boulders / Torpedo Alley / Crinoid Canyon

Day five pushes the expedition feeling even further.

Depending on sea conditions, tide, and park access, Shenron explores the remote southern waters around Gili Motang or lesser-dived reefs between Nusa Kode, Rinca, and South Komodo. This is the flexible exploration day — the one that makes the 6D5N route special.

Gili Motang is one of the lesser-visited islands of the national park, known for its remote character and wild landscapes. Diving in this area is highly condition-dependent, but when the sea allows, it offers a rare opportunity to explore reefs that receive far less traffic than the central sites.

Possible dives may include remote ridges, coral slopes, boulder sites, walls, or macro-focused reefs selected by the guides on the day. The goal is not to force a fixed site list, but to use Shenron’s flexibility to find the best water, best visibility, and safest current window.

If Gili Motang is not suitable, the day remains focused on South Komodo’s strongest available sites, with possible repeats at the best Nusa Kode locations or a return to Manta Alley if manta conditions look promising.

In the afternoon, the boat begins moving north toward Komodo or Rinca for the dragon trek, depending on park schedule and anchorage conditions.

3 dives — Gili Motang exploration or best available South Komodo / Nusa Kode sites

The final morning balances wildlife, scenery, and one last dive before returning to Labuan Bajo.

The day includes a ranger-guided trek to see Komodo dragons in their natural habitat. Depending on the route, conditions, and park arrangements, this may take place on Komodo Island or Rinca. The trek offers a chance to experience the dry savannah landscapes, local wildlife, and the famous dragons that make the national park unique.

If flight times and safety intervals allow, the final dive may be planned at a gentle central site such as Pink Beach, Siaba, Mawan, or another protected reef on the way back north. This final dive is usually chosen for beauty, comfort, and safe timing rather than current intensity.

After the dive, brunch is served onboard during the scenic cruise back to Labuan Bajo.

1 dive + Komodo dragon trek + return cruise to Labuan Bajo

Check-out: By 14:00 at Labuan Bajo harbour.
Flight planning: Book departures from 16:00 onwards to allow a comfortable margin. A minimum 18-hour surface interval after the last dive is observed before flying.