Princess Lala
Princess Lala Phinisi
Kalong Island fruit bats at sunset
Updated 11 October 2026
Kalong is the sunset stop of day one on every Princess Lala sailing. You watch from the boat, not from the shore, as thousands of flying foxes leave the mangroves about 15 minutes after sunset. Sunset falls between 17:49 and 18:27 through the year, and supper follows at the long table.
Everyone ends up at the same rail
By the end of day one everyone is standing at the same rail. You have climbed Kelor, snorkelled off the jetty at Manjarite, and stopped at Strawberry Rock when the sea allowed it. Then comes the long, slow light of the evening, and the boat sails on for 50 to 70 minutes to Kalong.
Kalong is a small mangrove island, and thousands of flying foxes sleep in its trees by day. It is not a landing stop. The show is watched from the boat, so there is no tender to catch, no path to climb and no tide to read. That makes it the easiest evening of the sailing.
It is on day one of every route we sail, two-day, three-day and four-day, open trip and private charter. Two-day guests and three-day guests watch it together.
How long the show lasts
The bats leave at dusk, about 15 minutes after sunset, so arrive on deck early. They do not go all at once. They leave in a long stream, thousands of wings crossing the dusk over 30 minutes, and then the sky is empty.
The sunset comes first, then a short pause, then the stream. If you are watching with children, tell them to look at the mangroves and not at the sun once the colour has gone from the sky.
Where the boat lies for the show is the captain's call and the weather's. The table below lists the best window and the crowd months for the stop.
- Best window
- Sunset
- Difficulty
- easy
- Tide
- Makes no difference
- Busiest months
- July, August, December
What it is not: bats leave at dusk, about 15 minutes after sunset: arrive early · not a landing stop: the show is watched from the boat
Real photo from a Komodo Explorer trip · 5 photos
Sunset times through the year
Sunset off Kalong falls between 17:49 and 18:27 across the year. The table below works it out month by month and adds the time the bats begin to leave, which is the number to remember.
Whatever the month, be on deck before the time in the table and not at it. July, August and December are the busiest months on the water, and the other months give you more of the rail to yourselves.
| Month | Sunset | Bats fly from about |
|---|---|---|
| January | 18:27 | 18:42 |
| February | 18:26 | 18:41 |
| March | 18:15 | 18:30 |
| April | 17:58 | 18:13 |
| May | 17:49 | 18:04 |
| June | 17:50 | 18:05 |
| July | 17:57 | 18:12 |
| August | 18:00 | 18:15 |
| September | 17:58 | 18:13 |
| October | 17:55 | 18:10 |
| November | 18:01 | 18:16 |
| December | 18:14 | 18:29 |
Computed for the location and accurate to within a few minutes.
Camera, layer and where to sit
A long lens and a charged camera help. Bring a light layer too; it is on the list for this evening.
On the open trip the photographer who comes with the fare carries three kinds of camera, so you can watch the bats and leave the photographing to someone else. On a private charter the photographer and guide are on request, quoted separately.
As for seats, the bow sundeck has green turf and bean bags and a sofa under the awning. Two canvas deck chairs stand on the shaded side deck, and the stern table sits under a timber roof close to the water. A child on a bean bag, a grandparent in a deck chair and a photographer at the rail all see the same sky.
And then dinner
The light goes, and the last bats go with it. Supper closes day one for every guest, whichever fare you hold, and it comes to the long table or the stern table while tea and coffee wait at the end of the room for the late cup. Nobody is hurried.
Two-day and three-day guests eat the same dinner here. The fares part ways only on day two. The long table has sea-view windows along it, so a seat there keeps the last of the light in front of it, and the stern table keeps the sky.
FAQ
How long does the bat flight at Kalong last?
30 minutes. The flying foxes leave the mangroves in a long stream, beginning about 15 minutes after sunset, so be on deck before the sun goes. The sunset table on this page lists the sunset and the time the bats begin for every month.
Can we go ashore on Kalong?
No. Kalong is not a landing stop. The bats are watched from the boat, which means no tender, no climb and no tide to plan around, and it suits every age and every level of fitness on board.
What time is sunset at Kalong in March, July and November?
In March it falls at 18:15, in July at 17:57 and in November at 18:01. Across the year sunset runs from 17:49 to 18:27, and the bats begin to leave about 15 minutes after it.
What camera gear works best for the bats?
A long lens and a charged camera help, and the charging is best done before dinner so the battery is full when the bats leave. On the open trip the photographer is part of the fare; on a private charter ask us and we quote one separately.
Do two-day guests also watch the bats at Kalong?
Yes. Kalong is on day one of every sailing, and day one is the same for the two-day and the three-day fare. Both sit down to supper together afterwards. The two fares part ways at the end of day two.
Check availability — Princess Lala
Princess Lala is sailed by her own crew; bookings and payments are handled by PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia.