Gammara Phinisi
Gammara Phinisi
The dark between two sunrises, from an anchored deck
Updated 3 November 2026
Milky Way photography on a Komodo boat trip needs a dark sky, no moon and a deck at anchor, which Gammara Phinisi gives two photographers for IDR 36,500,000 (≈ USD 2,239) each on 3D2N. Padar sunrise is 06:12 WITA in August. Clouds can hide the stars.
A photographer's clock: dawn, dusk and the dark between
Day 1 gives you the evening. Sunset at Kalong falls at 18:00 WITA in August, and the bats leave the mangroves about 15 minutes later in a long stream. You watch from the boat, and a long lens earns its weight there. Charge everything the night before.
Day 2 gives you the morning. Padar means leaving the boat about 65 minutes before sunrise, which is 06:12 WITA in August, then climbing for 25 to 45 minutes on loose, steep ground. Bring a headtorch and shoes with grip. The viewpoint looks over three bays of differently coloured sand. Pink Beach follows, where morning light is softer and the water calmer.
Between the two lies the dark. The boat spends each night at anchor, where depends on the weather and on the captain's decision that day, and you cannot choose the anchorage from a booking form. Light and weather set the frame. You set the exposure.
| 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.
Milky Way over the anchorage, and the moon's veto
The Milky Way needs three things at once: a clear sky, distance from lights and no moon. Komodo has the distance. The moon and the clouds are not ours to give.
New moon is the darkest week, and a full moon washes the core out entirely. Ask us for the moon phase on your dates before you fix them, and if you are free to move, move toward new moon. Southern Cross and Scorpius are well placed in the dry months, and both are worth a frame even when the Milky Way is not.
We cannot promise a clear night. Clouds can hide the stars for an entire trip, and rain does not respect a booking. What we can promise is that the boat will be at anchor on a steady deck, away from the harbour, with nothing sailing past your lens.
Sky note. Switch screens down and give your eyes 20 minutes. A red torch keeps night vision, and a white one costs you the sky.
Rail, cabin and lights-off for the long exposure
The social deck is open and outdoors, and it is where a tripod stands. Bring your own; none is listed. A boat at anchor still moves with the swell, so long exposures suit the calm nights and short ones suit the rest.
Deck lights can be switched off for a while if the crew agree. Ask on the first evening, not at midnight. A red torch is kinder to everyone else on deck than a white one.
For sleeping, Jasmine and Lily on the upper deck have king beds and an ocean view. The lower-deck Deluxe cabins have double beds. Two photographers take a cabin each, or one cabin between them. Cameras sleep in air-conditioned rooms with you, and batteries charge where sockets allow; the brochure prints none, so ask us before you rely on one.
| Cabin | Rooms | Beds | Sleeps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Cabin Jasmine | 1 | 1 king bed | 2 |
| Suite Cabin Lily | 1 | 1 king bed | 2 |
| Deluxe Cabins Ivy, Azalea, Hazel and Iris | 4 | 1 double bed | 8 |
| Berths in total | 6 | 12 |
Aerial pictures and photographers: only on request
A drone needs a park permit, and the permit is not part of any boat price. Ask us before you pack one. On request we apply for it, you pay the fee, and the permit decides what you may fly and where.
A photographer is not included on a private charter either. If you want a second pair of hands for sunrise on Padar or the beach dinner, it is arranged on request and quoted separately. The open trip includes documentation, but that is a shared boat, and the pictures are of the group.
We do not name cameras or lenses. Your kit is your own, and so are the batteries and the memory cards. Bring more of both than you think you need.
Cost of a small photography charter
Photographers stay on the 3D2N whole boat for the dark nights: IDR 73,000,000 (≈ USD 4,479) for the band of 1 to 6 guests. Two photographers pay IDR 36,500,000 (≈ USD 2,239) each, three pay IDR 24,330,000 (≈ USD 1,493) each, and six pay IDR 12,170,000 (≈ USD 747) each. A longer trip adds nights at anchor, and each night is another chance at a clear sky. The 4D3N charter is IDR 100,000,000 (≈ USD 6,135).
The open trip is the lean version: two seats in Lily at IDR 7,850,000 (≈ USD 482) each, sailing on Monday & Friday. The deck is shared with other guests, so the lights stay on and the schedule stays fixed.
Park tickets are quoted as a package with your trip and are never in the boat price. A guide, documentation, a drone permit and drinks are not in it either. Checked on 3 November 2026.
| Group size | 3D2N | 4D3N | 5D4N | 6D5N |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | IDR 36,500,000 | IDR 50,000,000 | IDR 67,500,000 | IDR 85,000,000 |
| 4 | IDR 18,250,000 | IDR 25,000,000 | IDR 33,750,000 | IDR 42,500,000 |
| 6 | IDR 12,170,000 | IDR 16,670,000 | IDR 22,500,000 | IDR 28,330,000 |
| 8 | IDR 9,750,000 | IDR 13,120,000 | IDR 17,500,000 | IDR 21,880,000 |
| 10 | IDR 7,800,000 | IDR 10,500,000 | IDR 14,000,000 | IDR 17,500,000 |
| 12 | IDR 6,500,000 | IDR 8,750,000 | IDR 11,670,000 | IDR 14,580,000 |
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per person · Whole boat ÷ group size
FAQ
Will the Milky Way show from the boat, and when is it best?
It shows on a clear night away from lights, and it is best around new moon. Komodo is dark, but clouds can hide the stars, and no one can guarantee a sky. Ask us for the moon phase on your dates, and expect the boat to be at anchor throughout the night.
Can we take aerial shots, and who arranges the permit?
A drone needs a park permit, and the permit and its fee are not in the boat price. Ask us before you pack one. We apply on request, tell you the cost in writing and add nothing without your agreement. A photographer is also on request and quoted separately.
How early do we leave the boat for the Padar sunrise?
About 65 minutes before sunrise, which is 06:12 WITA in August. The climb to the viewpoint takes 25 to 45 minutes, so you arrive before the light does. Bring a headtorch and shoes with grip. The captain decides on the day if the weather is wrong.
Check availability — Gammara Phinisi
Bookings for Gammara Phinisi are made with the Komodo Explorer team in Labuan Bajo.