Sebayur Island (Sebayur Besar) is a small island about 18 km west of Labuan Bajo in Flores, Indonesia, sitting right on the border of Komodo National Park. It is home to Komodo Resort, the first resort ever built in Komodo, 16 years ago. The resort is private property: apart from its guests, only visitors with an advance restaurant or bar reservation are allowed. Its house reef runs for about a kilometre along the shore, with turtles, blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, manta, eagle and mobula rays, and healthy hard and soft coral. Diving on the house reef is not allowed, and snorkelling is controlled and supervised by the resort's staff. A 15-minute trail behind the beach climbs to the island's peak for a Padar-style view at sunrise or sunset. Sebayur is 30 minutes from Labuan Bajo by speedboat, or 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes by wooden boat.
Most people heading to Komodo have heard of Padar, Pink Beach and Manta Point. Far fewer have heard of Sebayur, even though many of them pass it on the way to the park. It is one of the small islands scattered between Labuan Bajo and the northern dive sites, and it is where Komodo Resort opened 16 years ago as the first resort ever built in Komodo. For the guests who stay with us it is home base: the beach they wake up on, the reef they snorkel and the hill they climb for the evening light.
Where Is Sebayur Island?
Sebayur lies in the Flores Sea about 18 km from Labuan Bajo, the harbour town on the western tip of Flores that serves as the gateway to Komodo National Park. It sits among the cluster of small islands between the town and the heart of the park, together with Kanawa, Sabolan, Seraya and Bidadari. Kanawa Island is about 5 km to the east.
There are two islands with the name. Sebayur Besar ("big Sebayur") is the larger one, and it is where Komodo Resort and the new Hilltop Komodo Resort are. Sebayur Kecil ("small Sebayur") is a much smaller island close by, known for the reef along its shore. When people say "Sebayur" they usually mean Sebayur Besar, and when a snorkelling tour says "Sebayur" it often means the reef at Sebayur Kecil.
Is Sebayur Inside Komodo National Park?
Sebayur sits right on the park border. The practical difference is that the island, its reef and several dive sites nearby fall outside the park boundary, so diving those sites does not require the daily park entrance fee. The famous central sites (Batu Bolong, Manta Point, Tatawa, Siaba) are inside the park and are about 20 to 30 minutes away by boat.
That position is what makes the island useful. You are past most of the crossing from Labuan Bajo before your day starts, but you are not paying park fees to swim off your own beach.
What Is on Sebayur Island?
Sebayur is a dry, hilly island typical of the region: savannah grass on the slopes that turns golden in the dry season, a white sand beach, and a fringing reef. There is no village or settlement on Sebayur itself. A local village sits nearby and can be visited with advance booking; ask the resort team to arrange it.
On the beach side is Komodo Resort, the first resort ever built in Komodo. It opened 16 years ago, long before Labuan Bajo became the busy gateway it is today, and it is still the island's home. The resort is private property, open to its guests and to visitors with an advance restaurant or bar reservation. It has 31 bungalows built from local teak wood along the sand, a restaurant, a beachfront pool, the Beach Bar, the Sebayur Spa and a PADI 5-Star dive centre with its own jetty and fleet of boats.
Up on the ridge is Hilltop Komodo Resort, our second property on the island, opening in April 2027. Its bungalows are raised on stilts along the ridge, with their own restaurant, spa and infinity pool, and a view across the islands much like the one from Padar.
Sebayur is also one of the few places in the area where drones are allowed. They are banned inside the national park, but you can fly over Sebayur, with care and well away from the bungalows and other guests.
The Sebayur House Reef
The house reef is the main reason Sebayur keeps coming up in conversations about Komodo snorkeling. It runs for about a kilometre along the island, directly in front of the resort, a short walk down the jetty from your bungalow.
What you can expect to see:
- Turtles, often resting on the reef or feeding in the shallows
- Blacktip and whitetip reef sharks patrolling the edge of the reef
- Rays, including manta rays, eagle rays and mobula rays
- Healthy hard and soft coral from the shallows down the slope
- Schools of reef fish, plus smaller life such as nudibranchs for those who look closely
No diving on the house reef. The Sebayur house reef has a strict no-diving rule, put in place and enforced by Komodo Resort to protect the coral and the turtles and sharks that live on it. No scuba diving takes place on the house reef, including by the resort's own dive centre. All diving happens at the dive sites around the island, by boat.
Snorkelling is controlled. Snorkelling on the house reef is allowed, but it is controlled and regulated by Komodo Resort's management and staff. The staff decide when and where guests can snorkel based on tides, current and the condition of the reef, so check in with them before you go in, and follow their instructions in the water.
How to get in. Use the wooden ladder at the end of the main jetty, not the beach. The shallow corals near the shore are delicate, and walking out over them damages a reef we are working hard to protect. From the ladder you are straight over the reef.
When to go. Early morning and late afternoon are the calmest and the light is best for photos. Like everywhere in the region the reef is affected by tides and current, which is why the staff set the snorkelling times.
Diving Around Sebayur
The house reef is for snorkelling only, but Sebayur is a practical base for diving in Komodo because so much of the northern and central park is close. By boat from the resort's jetty:
- Sebayur Kecil, minutes away: a reef wall that drops off near the shore, good for snorkelling and gentle dives.
- Siaba Besar ("Turtle City"): calm, shallow and almost always turtles, an ideal first dive in Komodo.
- Tatawa Besar and Tatawa Kecil: sloping reefs covered in soft coral, with gentle drift.
- Manta Point (Karang Makassar): the classic manta cleaning station in season.
- Batu Bolong and Castle Rock: the famous current-swept sites for experienced divers.
A standard day from the resort is two or three morning dives at a four-to-one diver to guide ratio, with the afternoon free for the pool, the spa or a supervised snorkel on the house reef. Discover Scuba Diving sessions in Komodo and Komodo night dives also run at nearby sites rather than on the house reef. See our guide to Komodo dive sites for the full list.
The Hike to Sebayur Peak
Just behind the resort a trail climbs to the island's peak in about 15 minutes. It is short, but steep in places and fully exposed, so it is best done at sunrise or sunset, with shoes rather than sandals and water in your hand.
From the top you look out over the islands stacked behind each other in the channel, the same kind of view people travel to Padar Island to photograph, but without the crowds or the early boat. At sunset the hills turn gold and the sun drops behind the islands to the west; at sunrise the first light comes up behind Flores.
How to Get to Sebayur Island
- Fly to Labuan Bajo. Komodo Airport (LBJ) has direct flights from Bali, Jakarta and other Indonesian cities. See how to get to Komodo and our Bali to Komodo guide.
- Transfer to the harbour. The airport is a short drive from the harbour in Labuan Bajo.
- Take the boat to Sebayur. By speedboat the crossing takes about 30 minutes; by traditional wooden boat about 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes.
Guests staying at Komodo Resort get a complimentary airport pickup and a scheduled boat transfer in both directions. The boat leaves Labuan Bajo for the resort daily at 12:45 PM and leaves the resort for Labuan Bajo at 8:30 AM, so it is worth booking a flight that lands in time for the 12:45 boat. Outside those times the resort can arrange a private boat transfer at an extra charge, booked in advance. Boats do not sail at night, so late-afternoon arrivals may need a night in Labuan Bajo. See our terms and policies for details.
Komodo Resort is private property. Apart from resort guests, the only visitors allowed are those with an advance reservation at the restaurant or bar. Boats and day trips cannot stop at the resort's beach or jetty without one, so if you would like to come for lunch, dinner or sunset drinks, book ahead with the resort.
Sebayur Kecil appears on many day-trip and snorkelling tour itineraries out of Labuan Bajo.
Best Time to Visit Sebayur
Sebayur follows the same seasons as the rest of the region (see the best time to visit Komodo):
- April to November (dry season): calm seas, clear skies and the best visibility on the house reef. July and August are the busiest months.
- December to March (wet season): greener hills, short tropical showers and fewer visitors. The central sites are rich in plankton, which is when mantas are most reliable at Manta Point.
The house reef is good all year, which is one of the advantages of staying on an island with a reef of its own: if the weather keeps the boats in, the snorkelling is still right off the jetty.
Staying on Sebayur
There is no simpler way to see the island than to stay on it. Komodo Resort, the first resort ever built in Komodo, has been welcoming guests to Sebayur for 16 years. Its 31 beachfront bungalows sit along the sand, steps from the house reef. From April 2027, the Hilltop bungalows offer the same island from the ridge, with a panorama across the channel.
Staying on Sebayur rather than in Labuan Bajo means the long crossing is done once, on arrival day, rather than every morning, and that the reef, the peak and the sunset are a few minutes' walk away.
