How to Travel to to Siaba Island, Labuan Bajo
Travel Guide Updated 2022
Siaba Island popularly known as the “City of Turtle” is the best spot to see green sea turtles. The clear water and the beautiful coral reefs seem to invite you to get off the ship and fuse with the beauty of the sea. Siaba Island is the perfect place to capture once in a lifetime experience to swim with the turtles.
Underwater Heaven for Snorkelers and Divers
Located in East Nusa Tenggara Province, this City of Turtles is home to countless green sea turtles in the Komodo National Park area, among the seven sea turtle species that exist in the world.
The waters around Siaba Island are calm, pristine, and filled with colorful corals, fish, and a lot of green sea turtles.
Snorkelers and divers from around the world consider it to be one of the most beautiful underwater destinations.
Siaba Island is best experienced during the dry season, from April to December. The ocean water is more likely to be calmer in the season, and the weather is nice with a low chance of rain. It is a perfect setting to see and swim with green sea turtles.
As part of the Komodo National Park, entrance fees are IDR 150,000/person from Monday to Saturday and IDR 225,000/person on Sundays and public holidays for foreigners.
Meanwhile, for Indonesians, it costs IDR 5,000/person from Monday to Saturday and IDR 7,500/person on Sunday and public holidays to Siaba Island.
How to Get to Siaba Island?
Situated in the central part of the Indonesian Archipelago, there are multiple ways to reach Siaba Island. But the easiest way to get to Siaba Island from your current location is by flight.
Let us explain you how:
From Jakarta, Denpasar, Surabaya, or Kupang
First thing, book a flight to one of these bigger airports in Indonesia; Jakarta, Denpasar, Surabaya, or Kupang. Then fly to Labuan Bajo, Komodo Airport, where multiple flights are available daily.
From Jakarta, Komodo Airport is about 2 hours away, and 1 to 1.5 hours from other bigger airports; Surabaya, Denpasar, and Kupang airport.
Pre-book Your Tour Package to Siaba Island
Next step, once you are at Labuan Bajo Airport, go to the harbor to get a boat to Siaba Island. This island is accessible in 1 hour and 40 minutes to 2 hours by boat.
There is no daily public transportation to Siaba Island from Labuan Bajo harbor. However, you can book your tour package or charter a boat from the tour operator at the harbor.
If you are traveling on a budget, you can split the cost with other tourists to rent a boat to get there from Labuan Bajo harbor.
But, if you don’t want to have any other tourists on the boat and enjoy the luxurious boat facilities, we have Malca Voyages, perfect for your private trip to Siaba Island and Komodo National Park area.
Make your travel arrangements with us in advance to enjoy a smoother, more relaxing experience on Siaba Island.
With a capacity of 21 people, Malca Voyages is ready to bring you, your friends, family, and loved ones on the best holiday to Siaba Island and Komodo National Park.
Our tour package with Malca Voyages includes an excursion to remote beaches and famous locations in Komodo National Park, such as Siaba Island, Taka Makassar, Komodo Island, Padar Island, Pink Beach, Manta Point, and Kalong Island.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us through WhatsApp; we’ll be happy to assist you.
You may also visit our website to see the boat details and our Instagram page to see our customer’s experiences with us.
What to Expect in Siaba Island
Siaba Island is the best for diving and snorkeling. Various types of beautiful sea creatures can be found around this island.
This area is home to green sea turtles, you will find many of them swimming along the coral reefs.
Best Place for Diving and Snorkeling
Siaba Island is considered one of the top dive and snorkel destinations in the world. Its marine biodiversity has attracted tourists to explore the underwater of Siaba Island.
The beautiful reef is the perfect area for beginner’s divers, where you will find oriental sweetlips, unicorn fishes, big eye soldierfish, white tip reef sharks, blue spotted stingrays, flounders, pufferfish, and flying gurnard.
You can experience a night dive on Siaba Island. It features calm water and a depth of 15 meters with a white sand bottom which makes it an ideal setting for diving at night.
Additionally, the location is safe, with no currents, and you’ll discover a sensation when you look with a limited vision. There are some areas that are pitch black due to the lack of lighting.
To snorkel in the Komodo National Park area, you will need to pay IDR 15,000/person.
Meanwhile, it costs IDR 275,000 to IDR 350,000 per person to dive for foreigners, and for Indonesians, it costs IDR 80,000 – IDR 85,000 per person.
Take a swim in a gigantic aquarium with those green sea turtles and the colorful creatures along the magnificent coral reefs. Prepare your snorkel and dive gear to explore the underwater world of Siaba Island.
However, you don’t have to bring your snorkeling gear if you charter Malca Voyages with us, as we provide snorkeling gear in the package at no additional charge.
City of Turtles
Being called the City of Turtles, the sea condition in Siaba Island is a perfect setting for green sea turtles’ habitat.
Typically these species live near the coastline and around islands, as well as bays and protected shorelines, especially in areas with seagrass beds.
Not only green sea turtles, Siaba Island is also home to jaranseafish, seahorses, mandarinfish, cuttlefish, cowboyshark, and staghorn coral.
Green sea turtle’s diet changes significantly during its life. When less than 8 to 10 inches in length, they eat aquatic insects, worms, young crustaceans, grasses and algae.
Once green turtles reach 8 to 10 inches in length, they mostly eat algae and seagrass, the only sea turtle that is herbivorous as an adult. The fine serrations on their jaws allow them to tear vegetation easily.
Beautiful Scenery (Land and Marine Ecosystem)
Siaba Island offers amazing views of its land and marine ecosystem.
The aquatic life is so rich with several types of sea creatures, such as shrimps, frogfish, hairy frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, seahorses ghost pipefish, stone fish, crabs, banded pipefish, Indian walkers, rhinoplasty, and mimic octopus.
You can take picturesque photographs of its marine biodiversity when you snorkel and dive around this island.
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the terrestrial view from the boat after swimming with the turtles. It is sure to delight your eyes when you see the pristine blue ocean meet the green grass of the island.
Part of Komodo National Park
Besides the sea turtles, you can observe the wildlife of the Komodo Dragons as Siaba Island is a part of Komodo National Park. It only takes 30 minutes by boat to get to Komodo Island from Siaba Island.
Apart from that, Padar Island is awaiting your visit to hike and enjoy its fantastic view of the sunrise and sunset. Furthermore, you can also visit Taka Makassar, Pink Beach, Kanawa Island, Kelor Island, and Kalong Island to enjoy more stunning views that these places offer while visiting Siaba Island and Komodo National Park.
Final Thoughts
You shouldn’t miss Siaba Island while you are in Komodo National Park. Observe the Komodo Dragons on Komodo Island, and swim with the green sea turtles in a beautiful setting of the underwater world of Siaba Island.
Complete your best holiday by enjoying the land and marine ecosystem this area offers. Experience the best snorkeling and diving on Siaba Island with your friends, family, and loved ones on your vacation.
Ready to Visit Siaba Island with Malca Voyages Sailing Boat?
Booking a perfect boat for your trip to Siaba Island can be quite challenging for most people. You might still be confused about which boat you want to select or how you want to arrange your trip.
We have Malca Voyages, with a capacity of 21 people, very suitable if you want to sail with your family, friends, and loved ones. This sailing boat is primarily designed to meet your happiness requirements.
All the rooms are placed precisely in a perfect position for you to enjoy the view while resting after swimming with the sea turtles. Malca Voyages is equipped with luxurious facilities which you can enjoy during the trip.
This sailing boat offers 7 cabins with AC, a private bathtub in its master bedroom, a jacuzzi, and sunbeds on the sundeck.
Pick-up and drop-off to and from the Labuan Bajo harbor service are also provided in the package, so you don’t have to prepare transportation for before and after the trip.
Furthermore, snorkel gears are already included with no additional charge for you to snorkel around Siaba Island and the Komodo National Park area.
Aside from that, the package also includes full board meals, non-alcoholic drinks, professional crews, and an experienced English speaker tour guide to accompany you during your journey.
Malca Voyages is available all year round. Contact us through WhatsApp to ask about its availability, and we will assist you in customizing your trip. We will be delighted to answer all of your inquiries.
Visit our website to see more details about Malca Voyages and our Instagram for our customers’ trip experience with us. Let’s sail to Siaba Island with Malca Voyages soon!