Petrol, Parking & Practical Scooter Tips in Labuan Bajo

The little practical stuff — where to fill up, what to put in, where to park — is rarely covered in travel guides, but it's what you'll deal with every day on a scooter. Here's how it works in Labuan Bajo.

Where to buy petrol

Pertamina petrol stations

Pertamina is Indonesia's state fuel company, and its stations (look for the red, blue and green logo) are the best place to fill up. There are stations on the main roads in and around Labuan Bajo, including on the way towards the airport and out of town towards Ruteng. Google Maps will show you the nearest.

How it works: ride up to the pump for motorbikes, open your fuel cap (on many scooters it's under the seat or behind a flap on the footboard), and tell the attendant the grade and either "full" (penuh) or an amount in rupiah. Pay the attendant directly. Cash is easiest.

Roadside bottled fuel

You'll see wooden racks of glass bottles filled with yellow liquid outside small shops. That's petrol (bensin eceran), sold by the litre at a small mark-up. It's handy in villages or when the station queue is long. Quality is usually fine for the odd top-up, but use Pertamina stations when you can.

Pertalite or Pertamax?

• Pertalite — the standard, cheaper grade (RON 90). Fine for all our small scooters.
• Pertamax — higher octane (RON 92). Slightly more expensive; some riders prefer it for the bigger 155–160cc scooters.

Fuel prices are set nationally and do change, but they're low by European, American or Australian standards. A full tank on a small scooter typically costs about the price of a coffee.

How far does a tank go?

Roughly, on a full tank:

• Small automatics (BeAT, Scoopy, Mio, Fazzio, Vario): comfortably a day or two of riding around town and to nearby sights.
• NMAX and PCX: a bit more range thanks to bigger tanks, even with two people.
• Long trips: top up whenever you pass a station on the road to Ruteng or across Flores. Stations can be far apart in the mountains.

Your scooter arrives with fuel to reach the nearest station. When you return it, roughly the same level is fine.

Parking

Almost everywhere — shops, cafés, beaches, caves, viewpoints — there's a parking attendant (tukang parkir), often in an orange vest. They help you park, keep an eye on your bike and sometimes help you reverse out.

• The fee is usually IDR 2,000–5,000 for a scooter.
• Pay when you leave.
• Keep small notes handy — no one has change for a 100,000 note.

Keeping your scooter safe

• Lock the steering (turn the handlebars left and turn the key to lock) every time you park.
• Take the key. It sounds obvious, but it's the number one mistake.
• Use the under-seat storage for helmets and bags, not the seat or footwell.
• Park in well-lit places at night, ideally inside your hotel gate.
• Helmets: lock them under the seat or take them with you.

Little things that make life easier

• A phone mount for maps (bring one from home, or buy one cheaply in town).
• Small notes and coins for parking and fuel.
• A zip-lock bag for your phone and documents in the rain.
• Sunglasses — the dust and glare on dry-season roads are real.
• Save our WhatsApp (+62 811-3836-363) before you ride off.

Fuel & parking questions