Komodo photography boat trip, built around the light

Four boats, one for each size of party. Akassa Cruise has 3 suites, Derya and Giona have 4 cabins each, and all three take up to 10 guests. Semesta Voyages has 8 suites and takes up to 18.

Look at the Derya sundeck first: two white daybeds under a white sail awning, beside the mast. The cards below carry the cabins, the decks and the fares of each boat.

Every stop has its hour and its direction: sunrise from the east, sunset in the west. Padar sunrise falls between about 05:31 and 06:18 WITA across the year, and sunset between about 17:49 and 18:27.

• Padar: first light, east. The ridge climb takes 25 to 45 minutes, so you leave the boat well before the sun.
• Pink Beach: morning. The sand is pale pink from red coral fragments, and its tone shifts with light and tide.
• Komodo Island: morning. Ranger-guided treks run 45 to 120 minutes, with little shade.
• Kalong: dusk, west. Flying foxes leave the mangroves, and you watch from the boat.
• Kelor: the first stop of day 1. A short hike reaches a bay viewpoint.
• Manta Point: morning. The current is strong, so a life jacket is advised. Sightings are not guaranteed.
• Taka Makassar: morning. The sandbank shows mainly at low tide.
• Kanawa: midday. White sand over a shallow reef, about 90 minutes.

Light is weather. Cloud and haze change a morning, and no hour is guaranteed.

This site is built around the private charter. If you'd rather buy a seat than a boat, there is one shared departure a week, 3D2N from Friday to Sunday, on all four phinisi.

Cabins on the Friday open trip are sold by the person, from IDR 4,600,000 (≈ USD 282), with a local guide and photo or video documentation included. A date goes ahead once its minimum cabins are booked, 2 on three boats and 3 on Giona. We confirm availability in writing before you pay.

The next one leaves on Friday, 6 November 2026. The departures page lists every date by boat, and the cabins page lists every seat fare.

Photographers and creators pick the boat for its deck. Derya's white sundeck, from IDR 62,000,000 (≈ USD 3,804) for the whole boat, gives shade at midday and open sky at first light.

Couples want a door that opens on the horizon. Akassa Cruise has private balconies on Laut and Langit, from IDR 70,000,000 (≈ USD 4,294), and Derya's Padar VIP Suite does the same for less.

Friends and small groups divide the boat. Giona carries 6 to 10 guests from IDR 52,000,000 (≈ USD 3,190), and Semesta Voyages carries 11 to 18 from IDR 106,000,000 (≈ USD 6,503).

Each of the three has its own page with a boat, the hours and the numbers. A drone needs a park permit first, and we don't promise drone footage.

Pickup in Labuan Bajo is free, from your hotel, the airport or the harbor, in both directions. A larger vehicle for a big party is quoted as its own line.

Special dinners, decoration and a photographer are quoted within hours, and nothing is added without a written quote. Drone flying in the park starts with a permit, and drone footage is never part of the promise.

If the boat can't sail, you move to a phinisi of equal or higher standard on the same date at no extra cost. A full refund within 14 days is the alternative.

PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia, NIB 1805260128363, is the booking partner for the four boats of Akassa Project. We sell the trip and answer your questions, and the boats' crews run it at sea. Park fees and the guide stay outside the fare, and at sea the captain has the last word on the plan.