Princess Lala
Princess Lala Phinisi
A Komodo photography trip by boat, from Padar at sunrise to Kalong at dusk
Updated 11 October 2026
On the open trip, every Monday & Friday, a photographer with a GoPro, a mirrorless camera and a drone sails with you and is part of the fare, from IDR 3,250,000 (≈ USD 199) a head. Padar is walked at first light, Kalong watched at sunset. Your own drone needs a park permit that you arrange and pay for.
The photographer who sails with the open trip
On every open trip two people are on board who are neither crew nor guests: the local guide and the photographer. The photographer carries a GoPro for the water, a mirrorless camera for the ridges and the deck, and a drone for the frames nobody can take from the ground. The work is part of your fare. You do not book it and you do not pay for it separately.
That changes how you travel with a camera of your own. You can leave the phone in the cabin at Manta Point and swim, because someone else has the GoPro. You can be in the photograph on the ridge instead of behind it. Ask us how and when the files reach you.
On a private charter it works differently, and you should know before you compare fares. The charter fare covers the boat, the crew and the meals. The photographer comes on request and is quoted separately, as is the guide.
Open-trip fares for the three days run from IDR 3,250,000 (≈ USD 199) a head in Cabin 3 to IDR 4,750,000 (≈ USD 291) in Cabin 1, and the two-day fare on the same sailing starts at IDR 2,750,000 (≈ USD 169). Both include the photographer for as long as you are on board.
First light on the Padar ridge
Day two begins in the dark. You go ashore with a torch and shoes that grip, and climb for 25 to 45 minutes on a steep path with loose stones to the main viewpoint, where three bays lie below you, each with sand of a different colour. Then the sun comes up.
The month sets when it comes up. In July sunrise at Padar is at 06:18, the latest of the year; in November it is at 05:31, the earliest, and you leave the boat that much sooner. The table lists sunrise for every month, with the time to leave the boat and the time to be on the ridge, so you can decide the evening before whether the tripod is worth carrying.
If you are planning a picture and not only a walk, know that there are no dragons on Padar; the point of the island is the view from the ridge. And on the open trip the park's quota decides if your group walks Padar at all. When the quota is full the walk moves to Gili Lawa, which is a hill walk too, but not the three-bay frame. On a charter the route includes Padar. If that one photograph is the reason for the journey, tell us, and we will talk about a charter and about dates.
| Month | Sunrise | Leave the boat by | On the ridge by |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 05:54 | 04:49 | 05:34 |
| February | 06:05 | 05:00 | 05:45 |
| March | 06:06 | 05:01 | 05:46 |
| April | 06:04 | 04:59 | 05:44 |
| May | 06:07 | 05:02 | 05:47 |
| June | 06:14 | 05:09 | 05:54 |
| July | 06:18 | 05:13 | 05:58 |
| August | 06:12 | 05:07 | 05:52 |
| September | 05:56 | 04:51 | 05:36 |
| October | 05:39 | 04:34 | 05:19 |
| November | 05:31 | 04:26 | 05:11 |
| December | 05:38 | 04:33 | 05:18 |
Computed for the location and accurate to within a few minutes.
Kalong at sunset, from the bow
The first evening needs no walking. The boat lies off Kalong, a mangrove islet where flying foxes roost by the thousand, and you watch from the deck. Nobody lands. The bow sundeck is the place for it, with green turf underfoot, bean bags to sit in and room to stand with a long lens.
The order of events matters. The sun sets first, at 17:49 in May, the earliest of the year, and at 18:27 in January, the latest. The bats leave about a quarter of an hour after that, in a long stream that lasts half an hour, and by then the light is going fast. A long lens and a charged battery help. So does a light layer for the evening. The table below lists the sunset for each month and the time from which to expect the bats.
Dinner is at the long table afterwards. The cabins have power sockets, so batteries and phones charge while you eat, and that is the hour to look through the day: the viewpoint on Kelor, the jetty at Manjarite, and whatever the bats gave you.
The Wi-Fi comes from a crew hotspot and drops between islands, so plan to send nothing until you are back in Labuan Bajo.
| 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.
Where to stand on the boat herself
A phinisi is a subject as well as a platform, and Princess Lala has a few corners worth knowing before you board.
- Cabin 1, on the upper deck, has three-sided windows and a balcony of its own with a bean bag on it. It is the cabin for someone who wants to photograph from bed, and it costs IDR 4,750,000 (≈ USD 291) per person on the three-day open trip.
- Cabin 6, on the main deck, has the other private balcony, with a bench. It costs IDR 4,650,000 (≈ USD 285).
- The side deck has two canvas deck chairs in the shade, the place to sit with a camera at midday, when the light is hard.
- The stern table is open to the air under a timber roof. Grilled whole fish and a stone mortar of sambal are photographed there with the sea behind them.
Every cabin, not only the masters, has a sea-view window, so even from Cabin 3, at IDR 3,250,000 (≈ USD 199), you see what the light is doing before you get up.
Her sails are blue. When they are set she is easy to find from the top of a ridge. Beach landings are by tender, so keep the camera in a dry bag between the boat and the sand.
Flying your own drone, and other limits
You can bring a drone. Flying it inside Komodo National Park is another matter: the park requires a permit and charges a fee for each drone, and both are yours to arrange and pay for in advance. Neither is part of any fare we sell. Ask us for the current procedure before you pack it. Without the permit your drone stays in its bag, and on the open trip the photographer's does the flying.
Some frames are not in our gift. Pink Beach is pale pink, not bright pink, and its colour follows the light and the tide. Taka Makassar's sandbar shows only at low tide. Manta rays at Manta Point are common and never guaranteed. And the itinerary itself answers to the sea, the weather and the park quota.
If you are a working photographer who needs a fixed shot list, a boat that waits in one bay until the light is right, or a connection to deliver files from the water, then the open trip does not suit that work. The whole boat solves the first two, within what the sea and the park allow, and not the third: IDR 38,000,000 (≈ USD 2,331) for up to four guests over three days, with the pace agreed on board and not shared with a group.
Underwater, you have a snorkel and mask from the boat and no fins, and there is no scuba on board. Bring fins if you shoot while you swim.
FAQ
Is drone footage really part of the open-trip fare?
Yes. Photo and video documentation by the open-trip photographer, drone included, is on the list of what the open-trip fare includes, in every cabin, from IDR 3,250,000 (≈ USD 199) a head. It is the photographer's drone, flown by the photographer. On a private charter the documentation is not in the fare and is quoted separately on request.
Do I need a permit to fly my own drone in Komodo National Park?
Yes. The park requires a permit and charges a fee for each drone, and you arrange and pay for both yourself, in advance. Neither is part of our fare, which also leaves out the park entrance fee. Ask us for the current procedure before you travel. Without the permit the drone does not fly.
How early do we leave the boat to photograph sunrise from the Padar ridge?
Early enough to climb for 25 to 45 minutes and be at the main viewpoint before the sun, which rises at 05:31 in November, 06:04 in April, 06:18 in July and 05:56 in September. You go ashore in the dark with a torch. The table on this page gives the leaving time for every month, and the guide confirms it the evening before.
Which cabin is best for taking photographs?
Cabin 1. It is on the upper deck, with three-sided windows and a balcony of its own, bean bag included, and costs IDR 4,750,000 (≈ USD 291) per person on the three-day open trip. Cabin 6 has the other balcony, on the main deck, at IDR 4,650,000 (≈ USD 285). If the fare matters more than the balcony, every cabin has a sea-view window and the bow sundeck is open to all.
Can I charge camera batteries and upload pictures on board?
You can charge, because the cabins have power sockets. Uploading is another matter. The Wi-Fi comes from a crew hotspot on the mobile network and drops between islands, and the boat has no satellite link. Bring spare cards and send your files from Labuan Bajo, where the three-day trip ends before lunch on day three.
Can a private charter stay longer at one place for the light?
A charter is the product to ask for it. The boat is yours, we agree the pickup hour with you and the pace of the day is discussed on board. What stays fixed is the sea, the weather and the park's rules, and the captain decides where the boat can be. Three days for up to four guests cost IDR 38,000,000 (≈ USD 2,331); the photographer and the guide are quoted separately.
Check availability — Princess Lala
Princess Lala is sailed by her own crew; bookings and payments are handled by PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia.