A Komodo boat trip with photo and drone video: documentation, light and permits

Seats on the 3D2N open trip come with a local guide and photo and video documentation, made with a drone, a mirrorless camera and a GoPro. The seat prices for the three boats start at IDR 3,000,000 (≈ USD 184) per person and reach IDR 10,950,000 (≈ USD 672).

A private charter does not include either. Both are available on request and quoted separately, and nothing is added to the fare without that quote. Guests who book a private charter for a photo purpose should ask for the quote in the first message, before the dates are fixed.

Documentation does not replace your own camera. It adds one more set of eyes. The brochures do not print how many images or minutes of edit a seat yields, so we say nothing about the count.

Two stops come with a time window. On the private route, Padar is the first named stop of day 2, and Kalong is the sunset at the end of day 1. On the open trip the order shifts: Padar falls on day 1, and Kalong on day 2.

Padar is a climb of 25 to 45 minutes to the main viewpoint, over three bays of differently colored sand. Sunrise falls between 05:31 and 06:18 across the year, and the captain sets the start time on the day.

At Kalong, guests watch from the boat. Sunset falls between 17:49 and 18:27 across the year, and the flying foxes leave the mangroves about 15 minutes later, in a stream that lasts roughly half an hour. A long lens helps there.

A drone needs a permit inside the park. Flying one without it is illegal, and the park charges a fee per drone and per day.

We do not print the fee, since no brochure lists it and the figure belongs to the park. We quote the current amount in writing, and the permit is arranged before the flight, not on the beach. If you bring a drone yourself, say so at booking.

The open-trip documentation lists a drone among its tools, and who holds that permit is confirmed in writing before you pay. On a private charter, a photographer or drone operator is one of the services we list, and the park permit remains required. If you plan aerial shots of your own, ask in the first message, because a permit takes time to arrange.

Lamborajo 2 and Lamborajo 3 each list a front sun deck and a top sun deck, with sun chairs and bean bags. Lamborajo 1 lists one sun deck with lazy chairs and bean bags. Kalong has no landing, and the show is watched from the boat deck, so the front and top decks matter most there.

Lamborajo 3 adds a large jacuzzi on deck, and Lamborajo 2 lists a jacuzzi too. Lamborajo 1 lists neither. On a full boat every deck is shared, so a good spot is a matter of arriving early.

No brochure promises sunrise or light conditions, and Manta sightings are not guaranteed. We list the decks and the stops, and the light is what the day gives.