Gandiva
Gandiva Phinisi
Five kinds of light, and where on the route each one falls
Updated 3 November 2026
Komodo sunset and sails photos for a couple on a private boat depend on three moments: Padar before sunrise, the sails from the tender and Kalong in backlight. Four guests on Gandiva pay IDR 25,000,000 (≈ USD 1,534) each on the whole boat, 3D2N; the camera is yours unless you add a photographer.
Where the sun stands at each stop, three days running
Over three days the route puts you in five kinds of light, and where the sun sits matters more than the name of the stop. In the order the 3D2N route delivers them: shot 4 on day one, shots 1 to 3 on day two, shot 5 on any day the anchorage is calm. Day three is midday sun and shallow water, a day for frames taken from the surface.
- Shot 1, blue hour, Padar. Before the sun. Head torch on, the bays still dark, the sky going from navy to pale. Hold still for the long exposure.
- Shot 2, first light, Padar. The sun clears the horizon and the three bays take their different sand colours. Shoot wide first, then choose a bay.
- Shot 3, soft side light, Pink Beach. Morning water is calmer and the light lower. The sand reads pale rather than loud, so crouch in the shallows and shoot across it.
- Shot 4, backlight, Kalong. The sun sets behind the subject. Silhouettes of the mangroves, the boat and the bats leaving.
- Shot 5, the sails, from the tender. The hull and two masts seen from outside, in late light, when the captain finds a calm anchorage.
Padar's sun is up at 06:07 in May and at 05:39 in October. The table gives each month. You keep the list and the camera, unless you add a photographer.
| 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; accurate to a few minutes. The crew shifts wake-up with the actual swell.
Padar before sunrise: the ridge, the head torch, the first light
Leave about an hour before the sun and you'll have the blue hour. Take a head torch, a spare battery and one lens you trust. The main viewpoint asks for 25 to 45 minutes on foot, over ground that slips; the upper ridge adds more. Good shoes beat extra kit.
Under the viewpoint lie three bays, each with sand of its own colour, and first light finds them one by one. Take your time at the top. Shoot the dark first, let the sky brighten, then turn around and photograph the people who climbed with you.
On a private charter the party from your boat is you. The ridge is shared with guests from other boats, so go early and leave room in the frame for strangers.
The sun rises in the east, so stand where the bays open to the sky. Wear a layer you can shed on the climb and keep the lens cap in a pocket, not on the ground.
Kalong in backlight: bats, sails and the last gold
There is no landing at Kalong; the mangrove islet is watched from the deck. Allow a quarter of an hour after sunset. Then the flying foxes leave the roost in a stream that runs for about half an hour. Sundown comes at 17:49 in May and 17:55 in October; the table has the other months.
This frame is all about backlight. Expose for the sky, let the mangroves and the hull go dark, and wait for the first bats to cross the gold. Bring a long lens and a full battery. Leave the flash in the bag.
A sunset is never ours to promise; cloud writes the sky, and the captain chooses where she lies. What we do promise is a day planned to have you on deck twenty minutes before the sun goes, camera ready.
Light check. The sun sets in the west. Keep it behind the subject, let the sky set the exposure, and bring a light layer for the cooler deck.
| 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; accurate to a few minutes. The crew shifts wake-up with the actual swell.
The sails as a subject, shot from the tender
The boat's photographs show her exterior under sail, and the hull is 28.5 m with two masts. From the water she is a different subject from the boat you sleep on. Wind and the captain decide whether the sails are set on your day, and under engine she cruises at 6 to 9 knots.
The tender is a speedboat with a 40 hp Yamaha engine, used for landings and for snorkel drops. On a calm anchorage, ask whether it can take you a short way off for a photograph of the boat. The captain decides, and we do not promise it.
Shoot from low in the tender, wait for the boat to settle, and put the sky above her rather than the land. Keep the camera in a dry bag between frames: spray reaches a small boat quickly.
Drone, camera, photographer: who pays for which
Each arrangement is billed differently. The open-trip fare already holds a guide plus photo and video documentation, by camera, GoPro and drone. A private fare carries neither; we price each one on request. A photographer is a third arrangement, a service we add on request and quote in writing first.
The national park drone fee is outside the fare on both. We apply for the permit ahead, and we quote the fee as its own line. A drone flight needs that permit.
Put simply: a private charter has no photographer on board unless you add one. You bring the camera and keep the shot list; a photographer covers the hours that matter if you ask for one.
The cost of a photo party of four
Picture two couples in two cabins. On an open sailing, Arjuna and Nakula cost 2 x IDR 11,500,000 (≈ USD 706) and 2 x IDR 10,000,000 (≈ USD 613), with the guide and the documentation included. Add the two lines. The other three cabins belong to other parties.
On a private charter, four guests pay IDR 100,000,000 (≈ USD 6,135) for the whole boat, which is IDR 25,000,000 (≈ USD 1,534) each. A photographer, a drone flight and a guide are extra, quoted before they are added. The charter wins on privacy and on time at each stop; the seats win on price.
Neither line contains the park ticket. January and February 2027 are maintenance.
| Group size | 2D1N | 3D2N | 4D3N |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | IDR 40,000,000 | IDR 50,000,000 | IDR 60,000,000 |
| 4 | IDR 20,000,000 | IDR 25,000,000 | IDR 30,000,000 |
| 6 | IDR 14,170,000 | IDR 17,500,000 | IDR 21,670,000 |
| 8 | IDR 10,620,000 | IDR 13,120,000 | IDR 16,250,000 |
| 10 | IDR 9,000,000 | IDR 11,000,000 | IDR 14,000,000 |
| 12 | IDR 7,500,000 | IDR 9,170,000 | IDR 11,670,000 |
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per person · Whole boat ÷ group size
FAQ
What time do we set off for the Padar sunrise?
About an hour before sunrise, with a head torch. Sunrise at Padar changes with the month: 06:18 in July, 05:31 in November. Ask the cruise director the evening before for the exact leaving time.
Will the sunset at Kalong be a good one?
No. Cloud writes the sky, and where the boat lies is for the captain. We plan the day so you are on deck twenty minutes before sunset with the camera ready. The bats leave about fifteen minutes after.
Check availability — Gandiva
Gandiva sails with its own crew; Komodo Explorer is the booking partner and answers for your reservation.