You cannot book Komodo National Park entry yourself. Since April 2026, every park ticket is issued through SiOra, the park’s online booking system, and only licensed operators can register visitors in it. So booking Komodo works like this: you book a boat trip with a licensed operator, send them your passport details, and they lock in your park entry. Simple, as long as you leave enough time.
Time is the real currency here. The park admits a maximum of 1,000 visitors per day across its main sites, so entry can and does sell out. Book your boat 3 to 4 days ahead in quiet months, and 2 to 3 weeks ahead in June, July and August.
Rules last checked August 2026.
Who this is for
Anyone planning a Komodo day trip, dive trip or liveaboard out of Labuan Bajo who wants to understand the 2026 booking system before handing over money. If you’re after the numbers instead, our Komodo fees guide has the full cost breakdown. If you want the detail behind the daily limit itself, that lives in our visitor cap explainer.
What SiOra is, and why you can’t use it yourself
SiOra is the online registration and ticketing system run by the Komodo National Park authority. Every entry is registered by name against a specific date, site and time session. There is no ticket office at the harbour and no walk-in option. If your name is not in the system before your boat leaves, you are not entering the park.
The part that surprises people: individuals cannot create bookings. Only licensed tour and boat operators have SiOra access. That is deliberate. It pushes every visitor through operators the park can hold accountable, and it means choosing a legitimate operator matters more than it used to.
The quota, in one paragraph
The daily cap is 1,000 visitors, split by site: roughly 350 for Komodo Island, 300 for Rinca, 200 for Padar and 150 for the Manta Point area. When a site’s allocation is gone for a date, it is gone. Padar and Manta Point fill first, which matters if a sunrise photo from Padar’s viewpoint is half the reason you’re coming. The full story of the cap, and what it changed on the water, is in our guide to the Komodo visitor cap.
How booking actually works, step by step
- Choose your trip and date. Day trip or liveaboard, shared boat or private charter. Decide this before anything else in your Labuan Bajo plans.
- Book with a licensed operator. Ask them directly whether they register guests in SiOra. A legitimate operator answers without hesitation.
- Send passport details for everyone travelling. Full names exactly as printed, nationality and passport number. The park checks names at entry.
- The operator registers you in SiOra against your date, sites and entry session. This is the moment your spot in the quota is secured.
- You receive a QR code ticket. Digital is fine. Screenshot it in case the harbour signal drops.
- Bring your passport on the day. Rangers match names to the registration before you go ashore.
How far ahead to book
| When you’re visiting | Book your boat |
|---|---|
| November to March (wet season, quietest) | 2 to 3 days ahead |
| April, May, September, October | 3 days to 1 week ahead |
| June to August (peak) | 2 to 3 weeks ahead |
| Any date including Padar or Manta Point | Add a few days of margin. Smallest quotas, first to sell out |
Treat these as working rules, not laws. A rainy Tuesday in February may have space the same morning. A Saturday in July will not.
Timed sessions: what they mean for your day
Entries are tied to timed sessions across the day rather than an all-day pass. Your operator picks the sessions when they register you, then plans the route around them. This is why boats leave the harbour when they do, and why one boat does Padar first and dragons after lunch while another runs the reverse. You don’t choose your session directly. If you care about a specific moment, like Padar early before the heat, say so when you book. The earlier you book, the more likely your operator can get the session that fits.
What your operator handles, and what they can’t
- They handle: SiOra registration, your entry sessions, usually the collection of park fees, and the ranger and harbour logistics on the day.
- They can’t: conjure space on a sold-out date, fix a misspelled name after registration, transfer your ticket to someone else, or refund the park. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.
If weather cancels the sailing, the boat and the park ticket are separate questions. Most operators will move you to another day if quota allows, but ask how they handle cancellations before you pay, not after.
When your date is full
If an operator says quota is gone for your date, it’s true. Nobody is upselling you. Your options are a different date or a different site mix. Rinca often has space when Komodo Island doesn’t, and the dragons are the same animal. What you should not do is leave the Komodo day to the end of your stay hoping something opens up. Book the boat first, then build the rest of the trip around it.
What it costs
Park entry is a flat IDR 250,000 per foreign visitor per day, plus a harbour fee, shared ranger fees and a small surcharge if you’re diving. Your operator almost always collects all of it. The complete table, including what a couple actually pays for a standard day trip, is in our Komodo National Park fees guide.
Tips and mistakes to avoid
- Book the Komodo day before you book anything else. Flights and rooms are flexible. Quota is not.
- Copy passport names exactly. A typo at registration becomes a problem at the park gate.
- Ignore anyone at the harbour selling same-day entry. If it isn’t in SiOra, it isn’t a ticket.
- Ask whether park fees are included in the quoted boat price. Operators split this both ways and it muddies comparisons.
- For Padar at sunrise in peak season, three weeks ahead is a reasonable margin, not an excessive one.
- Screenshot the QR ticket the moment it arrives.