How to get to Saleh Bay: choosing a route to Labuhan Jambu

By Saleh Bay Whale Shark Editorial Desk

Sourced figures: prices in the table carry their source and check month. Fees and fares change, and they are third-party figures, not our offers.

How to get to Saleh Bay comes down to three routes: fly to Sumbawa Besar (SWQ), fly to Bima (BMU), or ferry from Lombok to Poto Tano, then continue by road to Labuhan Jambu. Whale shark boats leave before dawn, so that last road leg decides whether you need a night near the harbour.

Where is Saleh Bay, and where exactly are you going?

Saleh Bay is the largest bay on Sumbawa, on the north central part of the island, according to Wikipedia. That fixes the Saleh Bay location, though it is too broad for a travel plan. The address you actually need is the departure village, Labuhan Jambu in Tarano district, described in the guide to Labuhan Jambu. If you are still deciding whether to come, read the Saleh Bay whale shark overview first.

Wikipedia gives Sumbawa as 15,448 square kilometres with a mid 2025 population estimate of 1,673,700. Arriving somewhere on the island is therefore a different thing from arriving near the boats. For a Saleh Bay map search, enter Tarano and both spellings of the village, because the sources place the boats there.

Which airports serve Sumbawa?

Two airports serve the island, Sumbawa Besar and Bima, and no Saleh Bay airport exists under that name. The route lists below were checked in November 2026. Flight networks change, so confirm with the airline before you build anything on them. This page does not quote schedules or fares because those move too quickly to be reliable here.

The Jakarta claim is the one to treat with care. The Langkah Travel lists it while Wikipedia and FlightsFrom show only Lombok and Bali from SWQ, so assume no direct Jakarta flight until an airline shows you one. Every route listed above is domestic, so travellers from abroad should expect to connect. Published sources identify Lombok and Bali as the links into SWQ, with Makassar as an added option into BMU.

How does the ferry route work?

The sea route runs from Kayangan on Lombok to Poto Tano on Sumbawa. Haqqi Tours, a ticket agent, says ASDP operates the crossing around the clock and gives about 1 hour 30 minutes. The Langkah Travel says about two hours. Round-the-clock service does not tell you when the next boat leaves or how long a queue might be, so leave slack on this leg.

The bigger block of time comes after you land. Kompas describes a day trip from Lombok that crosses by boat and then drives about four hours to the village. Ocean Earth Travels lists a private per-car transfer from Poto Tano harbour, with its figure in the price table on this page. Detailed planning for this option, including packages sold from the Lombok side, belongs to the Lombok to Saleh Bay guide.

How do you reach Labuhan Jambu by road?

The road from the airport is the harder half of the journey. From Sumbawa Besar airport, published estimates disagree. Kompas reports about two hours to the village. Ocean Earth Travels says about three hours. A one-hour gap matters when you are working back from a boat, so plan on the longer figure if a missed departure would cost you the trip. The Sumbawa Besar to Labuhan Jambu page goes into this leg alone.

From Bima, none of the sources gives a road time. The only indirect signal is cost: Ocean Earth Travels lists its Bima airport transfer at the same per-car figure as Poto Tano, and well above Sumbawa Besar airport. A price list is not a distance, and no road on this page carries a kilometre figure.

Public buses, shared cars, road surface and whether a normal car manages the last stretch are also absent from the sources. Ask whoever will drive you, and get the answer before you commit to a night drive. This guide does not run cars. The transfer rows in the price table on this page are one operator's published listings.

Why does the early start decide the plan?

Each published itinerary puts you on the water in the small hours, although the details differ between companies.

Now work backward. Taking a 04:00 boat and the Kompas road estimate, you would leave the Sumbawa Besar side at about 02:00. Taking the same boat and the Ocean Earth Travels estimate, you would leave at about 01:00. Neither calculation allows for meeting a boat crew or a slow stretch of road. Few people will want that on the same night as a flight, which is why the realistic question is where to sleep, covered in the guide to staying near the boats.

SB Excursions, an operator, frames the whole trip this way: Sumbawa is two islands east of Bali, either route eats most of a day each way, two nights are a practical minimum and three are comfortable. It sells these trips, so it has a reason to suggest more time, but the arithmetic above points the same way.

How to get to Saleh Bay: which route suits which trip?

• Starting in Bali. SWQ has a listed direct flight from Bali, and it is the airport with published road times to the village. The Bali to Saleh Bay page compares the options.
• Starting in Lombok with time in hand. The ferry and road route avoids a flight, and Kompas puts the drive at about four hours after the crossing.
• Starting in Lombok with less time. Lombok has the most flights into SWQ in the November 2026 listing, but check current days of operation.
• Coming from Makassar. BMU is the only airport on record with a Makassar route, so ask for the road time before you weigh that route.
• Arriving at BMU for any other reason. Ask for a road time in writing before booking, since published sources give no estimate to compare it against.

Only Sumbawa Besar has a published road time to the village, and no source compares it with Bima.

What do people ask about reaching Saleh Bay?

Which airport is closest to Saleh Bay?

No source says. SWQ alone has published road times, and one operator lists its transfer from there below its Bima figure, though a price is not a distance.

How do you get to Labuhan Jambu?

Reach Sumbawa by air into SWQ or BMU, or by ferry from Kayangan on Lombok to Poto Tano, then continue by road to Tarano district. Public transport is not documented in the sources, so most published plans rely on a car.

Can you reach Saleh Bay from Bima?

Yes. Bima's airport lies about 10 kilometres south of the town, per Wikipedia, and Ocean Earth Travels lists a private transfer from it to Labuhan Jambu. Published sources give no road time, so ask for one in writing.

How long is the road from the airport to Saleh Bay boats?

Kompas reports about two hours from the Sumbawa airport, and Ocean Earth Travels says about three hours from Sumbawa Besar airport. The two estimates conflict. Plan around the longer one if a missed boat would end your trip.

Do you need to stay overnight before a Saleh Bay whale shark trip?

In most cases, yes. Ocean Earth Travels lists a 04:00 boat, so a same-morning drive from Sumbawa Besar would start around 1am or 2am, depending on the road estimate. SB Excursions, an operator, calls two nights a practical minimum.

Which sources support this page?

• Wikipedia: Saleh Bay
• Wikipedia: Sumbawa
• Wikipedia: Sumbawa Besar airport
• Wikipedia: Bima airport
• FlightsFrom: SWQ listing
• The Langkah Travel: Saleh Bay guide (operator)
• Haqqi Tours: Lombok to Sumbawa ferry (ticket agent)
• Kompas: whale shark tourism in Saleh Bay
• Ocean Earth Travels: Saleh Bay whale sharks (operator)
• Ocean Earth Travels: snorkelling itinerary (operator)
• SB Excursions: Sumbawa whale shark season (operator)

How do I reach the desk?

Send the desk your arrival airport or ferry day and how many nights you have, and it will reply with what it can and cannot help arrange. A request can become a paid booking, which gives us a commercial interest. No car, boat or schedule is promised here; only a written offer, naming the price, any fee and the contracting company, binds anyone. WhatsApp +62 811-3941-4563 or email bd@juaraholding.com.