Komodo Island Tour from Bali: Late-2026 Status & 2027 Planning Guide

Quick answer: Komodo island tours from Bali are running. The M7.7 earthquake of August 15 struck the sea near Mbay in Nagekeo, roughly 200 km northeast of Labuan Bajo. Komodo Airport is operating, the Harbormaster reopened sailing the same morning under Maklumat Pelayaran No. 05/MP-VIII/2026, and Komodo National Park is open.

On August 16, KSOP Labuan Bajo logged 308 tour boats departing with 3,651 passengers aboard. If you are planning a Komodo trip for late 2026 or 2027, the route from Bali is open. That said, this was a serious earthquake with real casualties, and a status page that only reassures is not worth reading. Here is the verified picture, including the parts that are still not normal.

Verified Status at a Glance

What	Status as of August 18, 2026
Komodo Airport, Labuan Bajo	Operating. Runway and apron declared safe on the day of the quake. Some flights cancelled on August 15, back to schedule since
Sailing from Labuan Bajo	Reopened by KSOP around 10:00 WITA on August 15 under Maklumat Pelayaran No. 05/MP-VIII/2026
Komodo National Park	Open. Access resumed once sailing reopened. 1,381 visitors recorded at South Padar on August 16 alone
Tsunami warning	Lifted about three hours after the quake. Labuan Bajo tide gauge recorded roughly 0.36 m
NTT provincial status	Emergency response period declared by Governor Decree No. 305/KEP/HK/2026, running August 15 to 28
Aftershocks	Ongoing. Several were felt in Labuan Bajo within the first hour, including M6.2, M5.6 and M4.5

Are Komodo Island Tours from Bali Still Running?

Yes. A Komodo trip from Bali depends on two links in a chain, and both held. The first is the flight into Labuan Bajo. Komodo Airport authorities declared the runway and apron safe on the day of the earthquake. A section of taxiway cracked and was closed for inspection, and a number of flights to Labuan Bajo and Kupang were cancelled that morning, but operations returned to schedule by the evening of August 15.

The second is the boat out to the park. Sailing was suspended for a few hours while BMKG assessed tsunami potential. Around 10:00 WITA, the Harbormaster’s office issued Maklumat Pelayaran No. 05/MP-VIII/2026 and boats went back on the water that afternoon.

The number that says the most is from the day after. On August 16, KSOP Class III Labuan Bajo recorded 308 tour boats leaving with 3,651 passengers, 2,840 of them international. Park visitor counts the same day: about 1,381 at South Padar, 328 at Loh Liang on Komodo Island, 277 at Loh Buaya on Rinca, and 54 at Gili Lawa. Port authorities do not reopen a harbor casually, and three thousand people do not sail into a national park that is closed.

Komodo Luxury, the group’s Labuan Bajo operator, had crews at sea with guests when the quake struck. Every guest and crew member was safe and accounted for. Their team publishes a live status report from Labuan Bajo that is updated as things develop, which is the better source if you are reading this weeks after the date above.

Where the Earthquake Hit, and What That Means for the Route

The epicenter was in the sea north of Flores near Mbay in Nagekeo, about 200 km northeast of Labuan Bajo, at a shallow depth of around 15 km. Flores is a long island, and geography explains most of the news coverage. As of August 16, BNPB recorded 53 lives lost: 25 in Manggarai, 20 in Manggarai Timur, 4 in Sikka, 2 in Ende, 1 in Nagekeo, and 1 in West Manggarai, the regency that contains Labuan Bajo. Our thoughts are with those communities.

It would be dishonest to describe the impact as distant from the tourism corridor. Manggarai and Manggarai Timur are neighbouring regencies, not the far east of the island. West Manggarai itself recorded one death and hundreds of homes affected, along with damage to health facilities and places of worship.

What is accurate is narrower and still holds: the infrastructure a Komodo tour runs on came through. The airport is east of town, the harbor is in town, and Komodo National Park lies west of Labuan Bajo, further from the epicenter than the town itself. All three are working.

What Was Actually Damaged

Being specific here is more useful than a blanket “everything is fine”. Inside the park, the wall carrying the Loh Liang landmark sign on Komodo Island collapsed. Around Labuan Bajo, there was minor damage at Puncak Waringin and a cracked wall at the Ngalor Kalo tourist information centre. Goa Rangko was undamaged but is temporarily closed as a precaution, while Batu Cermin has reopened and logged 132 visitors on August 16.

Hotel Jayakarta in West Manggarai sustained structural damage and its guests were moved to alternative hotels. Guests evacuated from other properties to higher ground at Puncak Waringin have returned to their rooms. The remaining programme of the Golo Koe festival was cancelled.

Beyond the Labuan Bajo area, several inland destinations closed as a precaution while aftershocks continue: Wae Rebo, Nuca Molas, Kampung Todo, Ruteng Pu’u and Liang Bua in Manggarai, and Kelimutu National Park in Ende after landslides on two crater walls. Landslides and downed power poles also affected the Labuan Bajo to Ruteng, Bajawa to Ende, Ruteng to Borong and Ende to Moni road routes.

How a Komodo Tour from Bali Works Right Now

The route is unchanged: a short domestic flight from Bali to Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo, then a boat into the park, either a speedboat day trip or a multi-day cruise on a traditional phinisi. Padar, Pink Beach and the dragon islands sit inside a park served by a harbor that reopened within hours. The group’s Komodo desk runs both shared open-trip sailings and private phinisi charters, and its Komodo tour from Bali page covers the journey from the Bali side, which is how most of our readers travel.

Booked for September to December 2026?

The operational picture supports keeping those plans. Airport open, sailing reopened, park open, boats running at normal volume. The caveat worth stating: the province is in a declared emergency response period until August 28, and aftershocks are ongoing. Conditions after a major earthquake deserve monitoring rather than blind confidence, which is why we point to sources that update rather than sources that only reassure.

On booking, the sensible move is an operator with a flexible rebooking guarantee, so that if authorities restrict sailing on your dates, your payment converts to travel credit instead of disappearing. That structure removes most of the practical risk of booking now.

Planning a Komodo Trip for 2027?

For 2027 travelers, this is a headline rather than a planning obstacle. The airport, the harbor and the park were either undamaged or cleared and operating within hours. European and North American travelers typically book Komodo six to twelve months ahead, and there is no operational reason to change that rhythm.

What Would Change This Answer

We would revise this guide if BMKG issued a new warning affecting the Labuan Bajo and Komodo area, if the Harbormaster suspended sailing again, if Komodo Airport restricted operations, or if park authorities closed Komodo National Park. None of those applies as of August 18, 2026. Status claims here are accurate “so far”. The phrase is deliberate. Sources you can check yourself: BMKG, KSOP Labuan Bajo (Maklumat Pelayaran No. 05/MP-VIII/2026), BNPB, the Ministry of Tourism together with BPOLBF, and the Komodo Airport authority.

Planning a Komodo island tour from Bali, shared sailing or private charter? The group’s Komodo concierge is on WhatsApp at +62 811-3823-875, with first-hand knowledge from Labuan Bajo rather than second-hand headlines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Komodo National Park open after the August 2026 earthquake?

Yes. The park was never formally closed, though sailing from Labuan Bajo was suspended for several hours on August 15 while tsunami potential was assessed, which briefly held about 986 visitors on Padar Island. All of them returned safely once the Harbormaster reopened the port, and visitor numbers were back to normal on August 16.

We are planning Komodo in September 2026. Will tourism be back to normal?

Operationally it already is: sailing reopened the same day, the airport is running, and more than 300 tour boats departed on August 16. What usually lags after an earthquake is traveler confidence rather than infrastructure, which for September visitors tends to mean quieter viewpoints rather than closed ones.

Should we book for October now, or wait?

Booking now with a flexible operator is the lower-stress option. Choose a trip backed by a rebooking guarantee so your payment converts to travel credit if authorities restrict sailing on your dates. Waiting gains little, because the facts that matter, meaning harbor, airport and park status, are already public.

Is it too soon to take a boat trip from Labuan Bajo?

Boats have sailed since the afternoon of August 15, when the Harbormaster formally reopened the port. No responsible operator promises absolute safety anywhere. What we can say is that the authorities who assess these waters cleared them, and trips have run at normal volume since.

Does the earthquake affect a Komodo trip planned for 2027?

There is nothing to act on for 2027. The August 2026 event caused no lasting damage to the airport, harbor or park that serves Komodo tours, and operations resumed within hours. Book on the normal timeline you would use for any high-demand sailing destination.

Are any Flores attractions still closed?

Yes, several inland ones. Wae Rebo, Nuca Molas, Kampung Todo, Ruteng Pu’u and Liang Bua in Manggarai are temporarily closed as a precaution, as is Kelimutu National Park in Ende. Goa Rangko near Labuan Bajo is also closed for now. If your itinerary includes overland Flores rather than only Komodo, check these before you travel.