Komodo photography cruise: Padar at first light, Kalong at dusk

First light. Padar first, on day 2 of the 3D2N, with the three bays in the low sun. Then breakfast on board and a ranger-led walk on Komodo, where the shade is thin and the light flattens by ten o'clock. Pink Beach is better early, when the water is calm and the sand has its pale pink tint, the color of red coral mixed into the sand.

Hard light. Hard light, so shoot underwater: reef at Manjarite and Pink Beach, then the sandbar at Taka Makassar or the current drift at Manta Point. The Taka Makassar sandbar shows only at low tide.

Last light. Kalong at dusk on day 1, then the deck after dinner. Stops and their order follow the weather and the captain's decision, which is why this page promises places, not exact shots.

On a private charter the guide and photo and video documentation are not included; both are available on request and quoted separately. If you want someone to photograph you and your party, ask us before booking and we quote it as a separate line. Photographer and drone are listed in our services as on request, and nothing is added to a fare without a written quote.

A drone needs a park permit, which is not part of the fare and is not a fee we can invent here. Ask us for the current permit conditions at the time you book. Komodo National Park tickets and ranger fees are never part of the fare. International guests pay IDR 250,000 per person per day for the entry ticket.

Thalassa 1 has a shaded sundeck with bean bags, an open sundeck, and an upper-deck balcony with a 32-inch LED TV; the two Master Sea View cabins have a private balcony of their own, on the upper deck. Thalassa 2 has an open sundeck, an upper-deck balcony, a dining room and a lounge.

Both boats carry a canoe and 2 SUP boards, which give a low angle on the hull at Pink Beach. On the whole-boat charter of Thalassa 1, 3D2N is IDR 50,500,000 (≈ USD 3,098) for 1 to 5 guests; on Thalassa 2 it is IDR 112,500,000 (≈ USD 6,902) for 12 to 16 guests, fuel included. The Charter page lists every band.

Komodo dragons are wild, and no sighting is promised. Manta rays feed here in season, from December to February and July to September; no crew can promise them on a given day. Cloud decides whether Padar glows or goes grey, and the captain picks Taka Makassar or Manta Point as the tide asks.

The decision on the day belongs to the captain. What we can promise is that the boat is at the right anchorage for the morning, with time for the climb. The Padar page and the Kalong page give the details for each stop.