Updated: May 2026

Kanawa Island: Best Day Trip from Labuan Bajo

Why Kanawa: 20 Minutes from Labuan Bajo to Pristine Reef

Most visitors to Komodo National Park focus on the dragons of Rinca and Komodo Island, the Padar viewpoint, or the manta cleaning stations of Manta Point. Kanawa Island gets overlooked by guidebooks despite offering one of the best snorkeling experiences in the entire park — and the closest accessibility from Labuan Bajo. The island sits 12 nautical miles from Labuan Bajo harbor, reachable in 20 minutes by speedboat or 45 minutes by traditional phinisi. The reason most travelers miss Kanawa: it’s privately operated by an Italian family who run the small Kanawa Island Resort, and they don’t market aggressively. Word-of-mouth among repeat Komodo visitors and savvy dive shop staff has kept Kanawa as a true insider tip.

What you get on a Kanawa visit: a small private island (32 hectares) with white sand beaches on multiple sides, a healthy reef accessible from shore (yes — you can wade out 30 meters and find yourself over coral walls dropping to 25 meters), regular reef shark and turtle sightings, manta ray encounters during their seasonal passes (December-March), and a small eco-bungalow resort if you want to extend the day visit into an overnight stay. The whole island has fewer than 30 daily visitors on most days, with peak Australian school holidays bringing perhaps 60.

What Is Kanawa Island?

Kanawa Island (Pulau Kanawa) is a small island within the Komodo National Park boundary, located in the Bajo Strait between Flores’s western tip and Komodo Island proper. The island is approximately 1.4 kilometers long and 0.4 kilometers wide, totaling 32 hectares. The fringing reef extends 50-300 meters from shore depending on direction, with the northern reef being the most accessible from the resort beach. The island is privately owned and managed by Kanawa Island Resort, an Italian family-run operation that has been on the island since the 1990s. Day visitors are welcome ($10 per person beach access fee) and the resort restaurant is open for lunch ($18-30 per person).

Kanawa Snorkeling: What to Expect

The northern reef is the standout snorkeling experience. From the beach in front of Kanawa Resort’s main jetty, you can swim out 30 meters and reach the reef edge — visible as a darkening of the water as the bottom drops from 2 meters to 15-25 meters in a near-vertical wall. Marine life encountered routinely includes:

• Sea turtles — Hawksbill and green turtle sightings on virtually every snorkel session. Often grazing on coral in 2-5m depth.
• Blacktip reef sharks — Juveniles routinely seen in the shallow reef flat. Larger adults occasionally cruise the wall edge.
• Manta rays — Seasonal (December-March) passes through the channel between Kanawa and adjacent islands. Not guaranteed but common during peak weeks.
• Schooling fish — Bigeye trevally, snapper, fusilier schools regularly along the wall.
• Reef diversity — Hard coral, soft coral, and anemonefish carpet the reef flat. Macro photographers find pygmy seahorses and nudibranchs on dedicated guided dives.
• Anchor wall — A massive rusted ship anchor (origin disputed) sits at 22m on the reef wall, popular dive site.

Kanawa Island Resort: The Eco-Bungalow Experience

For travelers wanting more than a day visit, Kanawa Island Resort offers approximately 14 simple eco-bungalows ranging $80-160 per night. The bungalows are deliberately rustic — no air conditioning (sea breeze ventilation), no in-room television (just paperback library), no daily housekeeping (eco-conscious operation), composting toilets, solar-heated water for showers. Wifi is available at the restaurant only. This is not a luxury experience and it does not pretend to be. What you get instead: a beach you can call yours from sunset to sunrise, the only people on the island (apart from staff) being your fellow 28 guests, and direct access to the reef from your bungalow door.

The restaurant serves three daily meals (Italian-Indonesian fusion, fresh-caught fish dominant) at $35-55 per person per day all-inclusive. Diving operations run from the resort jetty with on-site PADI instructor. Single tank dives $45, two-tank Komodo NP day trips $90-120. Best booked: through email direct (info@kanawaislandresort.com) rather than booking aggregators, as the resort gives priority to direct bookings and offers small discounts for stays of 3+ nights.

Day Trip vs Overnight: Which Is Right for You?

• Day trip from Labuan Bajo (recommended for first visit) — Easy 8am-4pm trip, $30-55 per person on shared boat (includes boat transfer, beach access, snorkel gear, lunch at resort). Suitable for: time-limited visitors, those staying in Labuan Bajo hotels, those combining Kanawa with another Komodo activity.
• Overnight stay (recommended for repeat visitors) — 1-3 nights at Kanawa Resort. $80-160 per night plus $35-55 daily meal package. Suitable for: divers wanting maximum reef time, couples seeking quiet, photographers wanting golden-hour and dawn light.
• Combined trip (best of both) — Day at Padar/Rinca followed by overnight at Kanawa. Reduces total Labuan Bajo nights, maximizes reef time. Most common arrangement among repeat Komodo visitors.

How to Get to Kanawa Island

Kanawa is accessed exclusively by boat from Labuan Bajo (LBJ), the gateway town to Komodo NP on western Flores. Reach Labuan Bajo via daily flights from Bali (DPS, 1 hour 15 minutes), Jakarta (CGK, 2.5 hours), or Surabaya. From Labuan Bajo harbor, three boat options:

• Resort boat — Kanawa Resort runs scheduled transfers daily at 9am from Labuan Bajo and 2pm return. $25 round trip for resort guests, $35 for day visitors.
• Speedboat charter — 20 minutes one-way, $80-150 round trip for groups of 4-6 (private). Best for: time-flexible visitors, those wanting custom timing.
• Phinisi day cruise — Many Komodo NP day cruises include Kanawa as a snorkel stop in their itinerary. $45-95 per person on shared boat, includes Manta Point or Padar visit alongside Kanawa.

Combining Kanawa with Komodo NP Day Tours

The smart Komodo NP itinerary includes Kanawa as one stop in a multi-stop day trip. Standard combinations:

• Padar + Rinca Island + Pink Beach + Kanawa snorkel — Full day, $80-180 per person. Hits dragon trekking, viewpoint, and snorkel.
• Komodo Island + Manta Point + Kanawa — Full day, $120-250 per person. Dragon trekking + manta encounters + finishing snorkel.
• Manta Point + Kanawa + Taka Makassar sandbar — Snorkel-focused day, $90-180 per person.

Plan Your Kanawa Island Day Trip

Compare Labuan Bajo operators, get current 2026 day trip rates, and learn about overnight stays at Kanawa Island Resort.

As featured in

Member of Indonesia Travel Industry Association  ·  ASITA  ·  Licensed Indonesia tour operator (Kemenparekraf RI)