Journey of Andro: The Tour Guide in Labuan Bajo Who Changed His Life Through the Sea and Stories of Tourists

If you visit Labuan Bajo, there’s a good chance you’ll meet Rubio Meiliandro Stenleyfizer, better known as Andro, a tour guide who will take you on an unforgettable journey to see the Komodo dragons up close. To many tourists who have traveled with him, he is affectionately called “Kakak Komodo” (Brother Komodo). His warm demeanor and easy smile make people feel comfortable right away. The way he tells stories about the sea, beautiful beaches, hidden islands, and the wild Komodo dragons in their natural habitat makes you feel like you’re walking with a friend who has known the area for years.

In this article, we’ll follow Andro’s journey as a tour guide and how this job has changed his entire life. From simple conversations with guests, dealing with weather challenges, to the natural beauty he sees every day, he has learned so much about life and responsibility. Andro’s story is not just about a job; it’s a journey of self-discovery through the sea, long travels, and personal stories shared by the tourists he meets along the way!

The Beginning: Between Family Expectations and an Unexpected Calling

Andro grew up in a tiny village, not more than 40 minutes from Labuan Bajo city in East Nusa Tenggara. Like most village kids in his area, Andro’s parents had sky-high expectations for his future. He was expected to follow the traditional route and become a civil servant (PNS). 

For his parents, being a civil servant was the ultimate symbol of success & why not ? A steady salary at the end of every month was their idea of the perfect life. Growing up, Andro had big dreams, much to the delight of his parents, a stable life. A regular routine, wearing a uniform and leading a comfortable life.

“I mean, back in the village, people still think that getting a government job is the key to success,” Andro chuckles, “And its a pretty safe bet, too.”

But life has a way of throwing curve balls our way. A decision from an uncle changed Andro’s perspective on his future. His uncle believed in Andro and suggested that he pursue a vocational school for tourism instead of the usual high school path most of his friends took.

To start with, Andro had no idea what a vocational school was, he was in for a surprise. Curiosity and the urge to explore led him down a different path from what his family had in mind. And that’s when his life started to take off in a whole new direction. What had begun as a desire for a steady life as a civil servant turned into a journey to become a tour guide. After finishing the Tourism Business course, Andro started off as a tour guide in 2017, just when Labuan Bajo was slowly starting to make a name for itself as a tourist destination.

“You see, back then guests were trickling in, but good luck finding a tour guide,” Andro recounts, remembering the early days when the tourism industry in Labuan Bajo was still finding its feet.

As a fresh graduate, Andro had to put in a ton of hard work to build the basic knowledge & skills he needed for the job. He picked up English, got a deeper understanding of Komodo National Park and the surrounding islands and learned to adapt to a challenging industry.

Initially, Andro worked as a freelancer and on a good day, he might earn 200-300 thousand rupiah. But for him, it wasn’t about the money. What mattered was the incredible experiences he had on each trip. Andro & his friends would often be tasked with guiding guests to Labuan Bajo.

Not too long after, a big break came along. Andro was introduced to Indonesia Juara Trip, a new travel agency, through a mutual acquaintance. To start with, he worked freelance with a flexible schedule, guiding guests on weekends only.

In the early days, Indonesia Juara Trip was still using small boats that could take about 14 people at a time. The facilities were pretty basic, with small cabins & single beds. Most of the guests were local tourists. The new experiences helped him get more insight into the tourism industry.

But as tourism in Labuan Bajo picked up steam, so did the demand for more exclusive experiences. To meet the needs of guests, Indonesia Juara Trip started using larger Phinisi boats by the end of 2018.

“By then, other operators were already using bigger boats, but Indonesia Juara Trip was still using smaller ones till about 2018-2019,” Andro explains. This change brought new challenges for him as a tour guide.

The guest demographic started to tilt in favor of international travelers and that required a different approach. He had to learn to be more discreet, give guests the space to have some quality time and handle complaints more professionally.

“Yeah, before we could be a bit more laid back with guests, but now many are families or couples from high-end backgrounds. We give them space & answer only when they ask,” Andro explains.

This shift taught him that tourism isn’t just about visiting new places, but about tailoring experiences to each individual’s character and needs. And over time, he figured that being a tour guide is not just about dispensing information, but about connecting people with nature & giving them memories to cherish forever.

Constant Learning: From Tour Guide to Content Creator

You might think being a tour guide is all about standing in front of a bunch of visitors and giving them the lowdown on the places they’re visiting. But for Andro’s job, it’s a whole lot more than that!

Being a tour guide is hard work.  You’re constantly learning new skills. You’ve got to brush up on your communication skills, learn some slick storytelling techniques, and even get to grips with some pretty advanced technology. 

Documentation was a particular bugbear for Andro, but he’s made it a key part of the tour package he offers. So, now when he takes people to see the sights, he’s not just pointing out pretty views – he’s also making sure to capture every fantastic moment along the way.

“Honestly, you have to be able to use a camera, a GoPro. even a drone – which was a nightmare to get the hang of at first!” he chuckles, “But we use that stuff on every trip, so I’ve got used to it now.”

Andro used to be completely clueless about drones, but because it was such a key part of his job he did some research and taught himself how to use the thing. And, just like that, every trip is an opportunity to learn something new. 

“At first I found it really tough but now I’ve got to a point where I’m pretty good in fact, my documentation is on a par with some pretty big-name content creators,” he says with a grin.

He says he’s learned tonnes by being thrown in at the deep end like that. “The thing is, we learn as we go, so every trip is an opportunity to learn something new and apply it straight away,” Andro says.

Andro’s career didn’t just stop there, with the whole social media thing just taking off, he found a way to make a pretty big impression online. He started calling himself “Kakak Komodo” as a way of making it easier for people to remember him and the place he hails from.

“I want to make it easy for people to remember where I’m from Labuan Bajo, its where it all started,” he says.

Then, in 2020, Andro was given the chance to work with a load of big-name people coming to Labuan Bajo. He documented their adventures and, in doing so, accidentally went viral.

“My stuff went mental on TikTok – followers went through the roof and now I use my platform to talk about my adventures as a tour guide and the experiences I’ve had, as well as carrying out interviews with the guests I meet on my travels about how they found their time in Labuan Bajo,” he says really enthusiastic now.

Since then though, Andro has been a pretty big name online, putting out content on TikTok and Instagram and more, giving people a glimpse of his job as a tour guide. And that “Kakak Komodo” name has taken off too. Now, when he meets new people, they all greet him by that name.

With so many people now knowing who he is, Andro feels like his job has changed for him. He’s not just a guide anymore, he’s now a sort of ambassador for Labuan Bajo, showing off its beauty to a wider crowd and also inspiring people to explore Indonesia in a way that’s really meaningful to them.

Unimaginable Life Changes

Andro’s life journey has brought a whole host of unexpected twists and turns. When he first decided to chuck it all in and become a tour guide, he never could have imagined that his new career path would lead him face to face with the very people he used to only catch glimpses of on the telly.

“Loads has changed, to be honest. I mean, I never thought to myself,  ill be guiding celebrities in no time, I used to just sit at home and watch them on TV – now I’m actually showing them around in person” he chuckles with a flash of excitement in his eyes.

Meeting all the big names, who he used to only see on TV, really brought a whole new level of excitement to his job. This experience wouldn’t have been possible, if it wasn’t for the fact that he took on the job of becoming a guide in the first place. But meeting all the famous people wasn’t the only big change that came Andro’s way.

This new career path also gave him the chance to meet all sorts of other amazing people who ended up being super inspiring and teaching him loads of valuable life skills. He even picked up some technical know-how and communication skills that he never could have gotten from school. And it was all down to all the crazy adventures he had as a guide – not just showing people round the great outdoors, but also getting them to grips with how to use all the tech and who’s who in the industry.

“I’ve learned loads from my guests – loads of them have genuinely inspired me to do more with my life,” Andro says, with his eyes shining with appreciation. The skills he picked up were pretty diverse.

Economic wise, his life got a lot more exciting too. Andro is dead chuffed that he’s been able to keep his financial goals in reach. He was even able to get married and start a small family, all thanks to the cash he was earning from his tour guiding job.

“I was even able to marry my sweetheart and back in our culture, marriage is a right expensive business. I reckon that if I hadn’t worked as a guide, it would have been pretty tough for me to save up that kind of cash,” he grins from ear to ear.

More recently, Andro even managed to buy a house for his little family. Okay, it’s not the Ritz, but he is proud as punch that he’s been able to give them a decent home.

“Alright so it’s not that posh but ,it’s our home and that’s all that matters,” he says with a beaming smile.

Andros’ life story doesn’t stop there though. Even as the career was going gangbusters, Andro had still been itching to go back to college. Since he left vocational school, he had been hanging out for the chance to get a degree – but it seemed like the right time had never come along just yet.

His mates all told him to get stuck in and get some work done before bothering with further education. So he did just that – he worked hard for a few years and eventually plucked up the courage to have a word with his parents about going to college. As it happened they were pretty keen for him to get an education after all, and were really keen for him to get a proper degree.

“For my parents it’s all about education, it’s super important for him, especially back home in the village. There’s a bit of a stigma if a lad doesn’t go to university, so I feel like it would be a real let down for them if I didn’t finish my studies,” he says, with a glimmer of hope in his voice.

So he chatted with his parents and then ran it by Agung Afif, the CEO of his employers – and Andro was pleasantly surprised by his response. Agung was super supportive and offered a solution that meant Andro could keep working and studying at the same time.

“Honestly I was really torn, if I go to college I’d have to give up my job as a tour guide. Because if I study I’d have to focus on that and it would be really hard to keep working,” Andro explains.

Now Andro is doing an internship and getting his thesis sorted and he is really hoping to finish all of it in good time and graduate. That will be the icing on the cake, and the best present he could give his parents.

“I feel really lucky because the boss and everyone at work is super supportive, I just hope it’s all smooth sailing from here and I can get the degree in the end,” he says with a note of hope in his voice. “I am grateful and I’m going to do my best to see it through to the end.”

Walk with Andro and Explore Komodo Island with Komodo Luxury and Indonesia Juara Trip!

Andro’s journey as a tour guide is not just a story about a job, but a life journey full of challenges, lessons, and dreams that have come true. From humble beginnings, with a strong determination to pursue education, to becoming “Kakak Komodo” known by many, Andro has shown that through hard work and persistence, amazing things can be achieved. His success is not only seen in his career achievements but also in the life changes that have brought him to a much better place, both personally and financially.

For Andro, every guest he takes to Labuan Bajo is not just a tourist, but a friend who shares in his life’s journey. And now, when you visit Labuan Bajo, you can meet Andro and enjoy an unforgettable adventure on Komodo Island.

Join us for an exclusive trip to Komodo Island, experience the stunning natural beauty with Komodo Island tour package, and meet Andro, who will guide you through this incredible journey. With Komodo Luxury and IndonesiaJuara Trip, you’ll experience the luxury of sailing on a comfortable Phinisi boat while witnessing the wonders of Komodo Island. Andro and his team are ready to share fascinating stories and in-depth knowledge about the island, making your trip even more special.

Don’t miss the chance to explore Komodo Island in an unforgettable way. Contact us now to plan your luxurious journey, and create beautiful memories with Komodo Luxury and IndonesiaJuara Trip!