Labuan Bajo

Labuan Bajo needs 3 days: a full-day boat excursion to Komodo National Park, to see Komodo dragons in the wild and dive its reefs, on one or two, and Padar Island, with its viewpoint over three differently colored sand bays, for the rest. April-June and September-November bring the best sailing weather, avoiding both rain and rougher seas. It's expensive by Indonesian standards, with boat excursions as the main expense. It's the only gateway to the natural habitat of the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard (up to 3 meters), which survives in the wild only on a handful of islands in this archipelago.