A 3-day, 2-night corporate run-of-show on a Komodo phinisi

Three days is the shortest run that fits Padar, Komodo Island and Manta Point without a rushed afternoon. The table gives the whole route, block by block, with an owner for each. The captain sets the order of stops, the anchorage and the timing on the day, by weather and park rules; times on this page are a sample.

Day two opens at Padar before sunrise. The sun rises there at 06:18 in July and between 05:31 and 06:18 across the year, and guests leave the boat about an hour earlier.

Your PIC owns the head count and the pace; the captain owns the order, the anchorage and the weather call; the rangers own the walks inside the park; our producer owns the written call time and the return time.

Day one is the gentle day. Boarding is a roll call against the manifest, a cabin read-out against the rooming list and lunch while the boat leaves the harbour. Kelor comes first because it is the nearest of the stops: a short, steep hill walk to a viewpoint over the bay, where sturdy shoes matter more than fitness. The Menjerite snorkel stop follows, with mask and snorkel on board for every guest.

Kalong is the evening. It is a mangrove islet between Komodo and Rinca where thousands of flying foxes roost, and it is watched from the boat, not landed on. The bats leave about fifteen minutes after sunset and stream out for roughly half an hour, so the captain has the boat in position before the sun goes down. Sunset there falls between 17:49 and 18:27 across the year, and at 17:57 in July.

Producer's checklist for the first evening. Roll call against the manifest, cabins against the rooming list, diets confirmed with the chef, and the day-two wake-up time written on a card at the dining table. Where the boat anchors for the night is decided by the captain and the weather; the group sleeps aboard.

Day two carries five stops and the longest walks of the run, so it deserves the plainest plan. The Padar viewpoint climb takes about half an hour to three-quarters of an hour on a path that is loose and steep in places. Pink Beach follows for a swim or snorkel; its sand is pale pink from fragments of red coral.

Komodo Island is a ranger-guided walk in closed shoes, and nobody walks the trails without a ranger. The dragons are wild, and the park cannot guarantee a sighting; the rangers split a large group on the day. Taka Makassar is a sandbar that shows only at low tide. Manta Point is a guided drift along a reef in current; a life jacket is advised, sightings depend on tide and current, and the order of Manta Point and Taka Makassar often swaps.

Mixed fitness. Split the group by walking pace on Padar, not by department. Name a fast group and a slow group, agree one meeting point, and let the slow group take the viewpoint at its own speed while the boat waits at its anchorage. Dinner is on board.

The last morning is short on purpose. Kanawa is a small island with white sand and shallow reefs, an easy snorkel for a group that has already walked Padar and Komodo Island. After it the boat returns to Labuan Bajo.

The return time on the last day is confirmed in writing; book flights only after that confirmation. Arrive in Labuan Bajo one day before sailing to avoid cancelled or delayed flights, and on the way out choose a flight with a margin; a team that has been at sea for three days does not need a connection with ten minutes to spare.

The hand-off is a short list. Luggage counted off the boat, the manifest closed against the people who stepped ashore, extras settled by whoever pays them, and crew tips, which are never in a fare, handed over by your PIC if the group wishes. The producer then closes the file in writing.

The boats have no separate space for meetings. Zada Ulla and Zada Nara list a Smart TV and local Wi-Fi, with no speed promised, and Zada Ulla, Zada Nara and Zada Mega list a karaoke area.

A 45-minute session therefore means a speech, a prize-giving or a round-table at the dining table, or on deck during a sailing leg when the water is calm. Print what people must read, and keep slides for a venue ashore.

Our pick is the first evening, after Kalong. Dinner is done, nobody has a walk ahead until morning, and the day-two wake-up call can go out at the end of the session.

Rates are per boat. Zada Ulla at 20 guests is IDR 110,000,000 · about USD 6,748 for the whole boat, or IDR 5,500,000 · about USD 337 per person, below the share on Zada Nara at 14 guests, IDR 7,500,000 · about USD 460, on Zada Zen at 12, IDR 7,080,000 · about USD 434, and on Zada Mega at 10, IDR 8,500,000 · about USD 521.

2026 rates, IDR, per boat, guide and documentation extra. One 2026 list covers each boat; for a specific weekday or weekend date, the rate is confirmed on request. Zada Ulla's cost per head rises when a new band starts, at the 15th and 21st guest, so a party of 15 pays more per person than a party of 14.