Gili Laba Darat located in Komodo National Park offers a challenging and rewarding hiking experience with breathtaking panoramic views. The trek takes approximately two hours to complete on rocky terrain with stunning views of the surrounding islands and the turquoise waters of the Flores Sea. At the top, you’ll be rewarded with a stunning view of the park, making it a great place to watch the sunset and take amazing photos. Gili Laba Darat hike is a must do activity for adventure enthusiasts and nature lovers visiting Komodo National Park.
GILI LABA DARAT EXCURSION
In this blog post, I will share everything you need to know about the Gili Laba Darat to Labuan Bajo hike.
How to reach Gili Laba Darat viewpoint
Komodo National Park is a rather difficult place to get to and around once you are in the region. I was in 3 days Komodo cruisewhich was honestly one of the highlights of my year.
Many cruises will include a trek to Padar Island or Gili Laba, so check the cruise itinerary you choose or arrange with the tour operator.
You can Click here to compare cruises and to check the availability and prices of tours in the Raja Ampat region.
Excursion to Gili Laba for sunrise
Waking up on a cruise in the middle of beautiful Komodo National Park made the 3:30am start a little easier to deal with. The sun wasn’t even close to making its first appearance as we descended the stairs and hopped into the smaller motorboat. Our cruise was docked near Gili Laba so we only had a short boat trip before cruising onto shore and jumping off the boat onto the sand.
Our mission for the morning was to make the short but steep trek up to the Gili Laba viewpoint. We arrived slightly unprepared with no flashlights and questionable footwear, but despite the steep climb, it’s a pretty easy hike. I recommend wearing a pair of shoes although many people in our group opted for flip flops and some even went barefoot. A phone light or flashlight will make traveling a little easier and safer.
From bottom to top it took about fifteen minutes with a couple of breaks. It is a trek similar to Padar Island hike which is the best known viewpoint in Komodo National Park. I was expecting a good view but wasn’t sure if it could surpass the view from Padar.
I think Padar Island is still the best viewpoint in the area, but Gili Laba definitely surprised me. It was a fantastic viewpoint overlooking a cerulean blue bay. From the viewpoint, we could see the reef below the boats moored in the bay.
Sunrise was as good as we could have wished for. The pre-sunclimb the colors were vibrant reds and oranges before the sun crept over the horizon painting the sky pastel purples and pinks. Once the sun fully rose, the back of the hike was perfectly lit for taking scenic photos of the surrounding mountains and crystal clear water.
On the way down we took a different route. This time we headed towards the center of the island before heading back towards the beach. This route was much easier and had less incline. If you are not one for stairs or steep climbs, you can use this backpath to go up and down and it will be much safer. That said it wasn’t dangerous at all in my opinion.
We were up and down at our leisurely pace with lots of photos and drone flights in a couple of hours. We returned to the boat for breakfast and started the rest of our day at 9am after enjoying one of the best sunsets of my 2017 so far!
Tips to Know Before Hiking Gili Laba (Gili Lawa)
- Check what time the sun will rise and arrive ashore an hour before this time. This way you will have enough time to climb and relax as the sun slowly rises. There’s nothing worse than having to run up a mountain because the color is already on fire!
- Wear closed shoes as the ground is rocky and quite slippery.
- Bring a flashlight or phone light to light your path so you can find a good foundation for each step.
- Bring some water and maybe some morning snacks.
- If you don’t like steep inclines there is a return route, which had a much more gradual incline.
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