Coral Trail
See coral restoration up close.
The reef outside your room is a working project.
Conservation
- Underwater coral branches with black-and-white and striped fish swimming around them
- Coral fragments growing in the nursery
- Divers planting colonies back onto the reef
- Photogrammetry survey on the restored reef
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
/
4
A reef, nurtured in front of the resort.
# 01
The Project
Komodo National Park protects some of the richest waters on Earth, and the resort sits at its doorstep. Our job is to protect and nurture the reefs in front and ensure their survival into the future: to repair what's been damaged in the past and to share what we learn with our guests and with the community around Labuan Bajo. The aim is simple: a reef that's healthier every year, for people who have yet to be born.
- 435 m²of restoration area footprint
- 80%live coral cover at the jetty site
- 5,971corals planted
- 4,500+guests have planted
As of August 2026
How a coral fragment becomes a reef.
# 02
Our Method
- 1 · Grow
It starts with a coral fragment. Naturally broken coral fragments and coral cuttings carefully collected from selected colonies on our reefs are grown on nursery ropes or cement cookies for about a year. We have 4 main coral nurseries, cultivating an assortment of coral genera, species and genotypes (different individuals of the same species). - 2 · Plant
From nursery to seabed, by hand. Divers plant each colony back onto the reef — with cement, stake-and-rope squares, coral frames, or artificial reef units made from upcycled bottles. - 3 · Measure
Frames, ropes, artificial structures and areas of outplants are tagged, maintained and monitored. Regular photogrammetry surveys of our main restoration areas turn thousands of photos into 3-D maps that track live coral cover over time.
Before and after, on the record.
# 03
Our Progress
Every coral planted is photographed on day one and selected areas are photographed year on year. Here's what a few years on the reef looks like.
01 / 03
The reef is thriving in these restoration areas: 122 species of fish have been recorded from the AYANA Jetty area alone.
Plant a coral on your stay.
# 04
Join In
The project is run by our team of marine biologists, based at the Marine Discovery Center. Explore our coral-related activities below. All ages welcome.
