Gili Laba Darat Hike In Komodo National Park, Labuan Bajo

Gili Laba Darat, situated in the Komodo National Park, offers a challenging and rewarding hiking experience with breathtaking panoramic views. The trail takes approximately two hours to complete on rocky terrain with stunning views of the surrounding islands and turquoise waters of the Flores Sea. At the summit, you’ll be rewarded with an awe-inspiring view of the park, making it an ideal spot for watching the sunset and taking amazing photos. The Gili Laba Darat hike is a must-do activity for adventure enthusiasts and nature lovers visiting the Komodo National Park.

GILI LABA DARAT HIKE

In this blog post, I’ll share everything you need to know about the Gili Laba Darat hike in Labuan Bajo.

Gili Laba hike for sunrise

Waking up on a liveaboard in the middle of the stunning Komodo National Park made the 3:30 am start a little easier to deal with. The sun was not even close to making its first appearance as we clambered down the stairs and jumped into the smaller speedboat. Our liveaboard was docked near Gili Laba so we only had a short boat trip before cruising into the shore and leaping 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 came slightly underprepared with no torches and questionable footwear but despite the steep ascent, it is quite a simple hike. I do advise wearing a pair of shoes although many people in our group opted for flip-flops and some even went barefoot. A phone light or torch will make the trip up a little easier and safer.

From bottom to top it took us about fifteen minutes with a couple of breaks. It is a similar trek to the Padar Island hike, which is the more well-known viewpoint in Komodo National Park. I was expecting a good view but I wasn’t sure it could outdo the view from Padar.

I think Padar Island is still the best viewpoint in the area but Gili Laba definitely surprised me. It was an awesome viewpoint looking out over a cerulean blue bay. From the viewpoint, we could see the reef underneath the boats docked in the bay.

The sunrise was as good as we could have asked for. The pre-sunrise colors were vibrant reds and oranges before the sun crept over the horizon painting the sky with pastel purples and pinks. Once the sun fully came up the backside of the hike was perfectly lit to take landscape photos of the surrounding mountains and crystal-clear water.

On the way down we took a different path. This time we headed further into the middle of the island before looping back around towards the beach. This path was much easier and had less of an incline. If you aren’t one for stairs or steep climbs you can use this back path to go both up and down and it will be much safer. Having said that 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 headed back to the boat for breakfast and started the rest of our day at 9 am after enjoying one of the best sunsets of my 2017 so far!

Tips to know before you hike Gili Laba (Gili Lawa)

• Check what time the sun will rise and arrive at the shore an hour before this time. That way you will have enough time to trek up and relax as the sun slowly rises. There’s nothing worse than having to rush up a mountain as the color is already on fire!
• Wear enclosed shoes as the ground is rocky and quite slippery.
• Bring a torch or a phone light to illuminate your path so you can find good footing for each step.
• Bring water and maybe some early morning snacks.
• If you don’t like heavy inclines there is a back route, which had a far more gradual incline.