Arfisyana
Arfisyana Indah Phinisi
Two light windows, one boat, and a group photo with nobody missing
Updated 8 November 2026
A Komodo group photo trip on Arfisyana gives a camera club of up to 20 two light windows: the Kalong bat flight on day one and Padar at first light on day two. The fare follows headcount, so at 12 guests each share is IDR 5,000,000 (≈ USD 307).
Group photo on Padar at dawn, before the crowd
Day two opens on Padar, and it opens early. The wake-up call comes before first light, the tender lands the group at the foot of the climb, and the walk takes 30 to 45 minutes. Count back from the sunrise time on the table below. In September sunrise is 05:56; in November it is 05:31.
Plan the group photo before you leave the boat. Decide who holds the tripod, who stands where, and at which spot you stop. The path is narrow in places, so a row of 20 belongs on the open ground near the top, not on the climb itself.
Bring the long lens for the ridgelines and the wide one for the bays. Keep a spare card in your pocket, since the batteries drain faster than you expect on a cold, early start. There is no shortage of light after the sun clears the hills; there is a shortage of patience when a group of 20 waits for one person to change a lens.
Other boats reach Padar too. An early start is the only way to have the viewpoint to yourselves, and that is why the climb comes first on day two.
| 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.
Kalong at dusk: the bat flight seen from the deck
Day one ends at Kalong. The boat anchors for the evening. At dusk the flying foxes pour off their roost and cross the sky in long lines. In September the sun sets at 17:58. The flight starts around then and lasts a while.
You shoot it from the deck. No landing, no tender, no walk. Everyone has a place at the rail, and the sun deck sits above the rest of the boat. A fast lens helps, and a tripod helps more, because the light drops quickly after the sun is gone.
Do not chase it. Frame the sky, pick a gap in the treeline, and let the bats cross it. A few photographers shoot a hundred frames and keep three. That is normal.
Dinner follows at anchor, with the lights of the saloon behind you. Make the camera club eat first and download later; cold food and a card reader do not mix. The captain picks the anchorage by weather, so the exact spot can shift from one trip to the next.
| 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.
Rooming a camera club: pairs, bunks and the Masters
A camera club has odd habits. People wake at different times, charge in different corners and carry bags that do not fit a bunk. Plan the rooms around the gear, not around the friendships.
Put pairs in the two Master Cabins. Each has a double bed, a private bathroom, air conditioning and a sea-view window, and each takes an extra bed on request. Put the rest in the Sharing Rooms, which hold 4, 6 and 4 on bunk beds. Not every bunk suits a tall sleeper with a camera bag.
A club of 12 fits easily: 3 + 3 in the Masters and the Sharing Room of 6, which leaves two rooms empty for the bags. A club of 20 fills everything.
Power is the honest limit. Sockets are not listed for this boat, so bring power banks and spare batteries, and charge everything the night before you sail. Keep lenses in a dry bag, since salt air and a camera body make poor friends.
A photo trip costs the same per head: the split for 12 and 20
A photo trip is not a different product. It is the standard 3D2N, with the same boat and the same fare bands, and the same share for each person. At 12 guests each share is IDR 5,000,000 (≈ USD 307). At 20 guests it is IDR 3,500,000 (≈ USD 215).
The gap is the band. Twelve guests pay the 9-12 fare divided by 12, and twenty pay the 17-20 fare divided by 20, so a bigger club pays less each. If your club is stuck at 16 guests, ask whether four more can come. Sometimes they can.
Cost per head: the park package is paid on top, and so are tips, flights and hotels. The fare buys the same things on every route, and the charter page lists them line by line.
Treasurer's tip. Collect the shares with a date, and keep the name list as it appears on passports or ID. A club that sorts that out in week one spends the trip shooting, not chasing.
Photographer or guide: documentation is on request, quoted apart
No guide and no documentation sit inside a whole-boat fare. Each is optional and priced alone. Want a photographer for the group shots? Say so with the headcount, and the quote reaches you in writing before a line is added.
Rangers lead the Komodo Island walk, and that is separate from a guide for the whole trip. A guide on request would walk the group through the day. A photographer on request would take the pictures. Ask for one, both or neither.
We do not promise a drone permit, and none sits in the fare. Flying one in the park needs a permit that goes through Komodo Explorer, so ask early and expect a straight answer for your dates.
Expect the best group photographs on this route at Padar, at Pink Beach and on the deck at Kalong. Leave an hour of slack at each, and nobody will feel rushed.
FAQ
Which stops does the camera club actually reach?
The standard route chains nine stops over three days, from Kelor on the first afternoon to Kanawa on the last morning. The Kalong bat flight falls on day one, Padar at first light on day two. Weather and the captain can change the order, so keep one flexible morning.
Can the club photograph underwater?
Snorkel gear is on board, and every stop with a reef allows a swim. Underwater camera housings are not listed for this boat, so bring your own. Diving is not sold, and nobody on the boat will promise a manta sighting on a given day.
What does the whole-boat fare cover for a photo trip?
The fare covers the boat, its crew, all meals, drinking water, tea and coffee, snorkel gear, towels and pickup both ways in Labuan Bajo. The park package per head, tips, flights and hotels stay outside. A guide or a photographer is something you request, priced on its own.
Check availability — Arfisyana
Arfisyana is booked through PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia, our booking partner for the whole-boat charter. We answer on WhatsApp every day, 08:00 to 20:00 (WITA).