Can I take a speedboat directly from Riung to Labuan Bajo or Komodo?

Not as a standard public service. The overland road route via Bajawa or the coast is the normal way to travel between Riung and Labuan Bajo; boat travel between the two is not a regular commercial route, and any speedboat charter would need to be arranged privately at a cost this site has not found a published rate for.

Are speedboats safer than the traditional wooden boats used in Riung?

Safety depends more on the individual boat's condition, life jacket availability, and weather judgment than on hull type. Ask about life jackets and check the boat's condition before departure regardless of which type you charter.

Is a speedboat necessary to see the flying foxes at Pulau Ontoloe?

No — the standard local boats used for Riung island-hopping already include a pass by Pulau Ontoloe at dusk as part of a typical day-trip route; no faster boat is required for this.

Do Komodo speedboat prices include park entrance fees?

No — Komodo National Park entrance and ranger fees are charged separately from the boat charter price, per the park's PP No. 36/2024 tariff schedule.

Are there realistic Riung to 17 islands speedboat options for a single day?

Yes, but usually only as one-off arrangements. A few skippers in Riung keep larger outboard engines that effectively function as a small speedboat, and can shorten the crossing to the outer islands. There is no timetable or shared service. Treat any Riung speedboat charter to 17 islands as a private negotiation arranged a day in advance, and budget more than a standard wooden boat.

Can I arrange a Flores speedboat charter to Riung 17 islands from another town?

From Labuan Bajo or Maumere, arranging a direct Flores speedboat charter to Riung 17 islands is uncommon and expensive, because operators are based near Komodo. Most travellers instead use overland transport to Riung, then charter a local wooden boat. If you want a through-boat, you would be looking at a customised multi-day charter from a phinisi operator; the costs are outlined on the phinisi charter for Riung and Flores page.

Speedboat

Faster, smaller, and only worth it when the day is short.

What a speedboat buys you around Riung and the north Flores coast, and when a wooden boat is simply the better choice.

A small speedboat at Riung is cheaper per boat than a wooden one, but it is smaller, harder in swell and carries no shade.

Priced per boat, per day.
Small party only. No roof on most of them.
Buys transit time, not comfort.

The trade

What speed costs you

On a calm day it is a good choice. On a choppy one it is a long six hours.

Faster between stops

More time in the water and less in transit — the real argument for one.

Photo: Komodo Luxury.

Empty sand beach along the Flores coastline

No shade

Most have no roof. Six hours of open sun on the water is a decision, not a detail.

Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Bay full of moored boats below dry savannah hills

Harder in swell

A light hull slams where a wooden boat rolls. In anything above a light chop, take the wood.

Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Aerial view of a small green island ringed by turquoise shallows — Photo: Komodo Luxury.

Along the coast

Where a speedboat genuinely wins

Transfers along the north Flores coast, and any day where you are trying to fit the islands around a bus departure.

For a full leisurely day in the park, the wooden boat is more comfortable and only a little more money.

Frequently asked questions

Ready to put dates on it?

Riung boats are arranged locally, at the pier. For the Komodo leg or a full Flores itinerary, the reservations desk answers on WhatsApp.

Book with Komodo Luxury

Faster, smaller, and only worth it when the day is short.