Gammara Phinisi
Gammara Phinisi
Pink Beach, pale sand and soft morning light
Updated 3 November 2026
Pink Beach in Komodo is tinted by crushed red coral mixed into pale sand, so the colour is pale pink and depends on light and tide. Gammara reaches it on the morning of day 2, after the Padar climb, for a snorkel of 45 to 90 minutes.
Pale sand tinted by crushed red coral
The pink comes from fragments of red coral mixed into the sand. It is a tint, not a dye. In flat midday light the beach reads as cream. In low morning light, when the red fragments catch the sun from the side, the same sand turns the colour of the inside of a shell.
Pink Beach is the second stop of day 2 on the 3D2N route, straight after Padar. The 2026 brochure lists it as a snorkelling stop. Some brochure itineraries also call it Long Beach, for the snorkelling and paddle boarding stop, and the paddle board on Gammara is the reason that name matters to you.
Reef runs close to the shore, so you can enter the water a few strokes from the sand. Depth is between 1 and 8 metres, and the current is mild. Plan 45 to 90 minutes for the whole stop.
This is a place for the water first and the sand second. Do not expect a bright pink beach: expect pale pink, and expect it to change.
How the colour changes from morning to noon
Morning gives calmer water and softer light, and that is when the tint shows best. The 3D2N route puts Pink Beach early on day 2, which suits it.
As the sun climbs, the light flattens. The sand lightens and the pink fades toward cream. Tide plays its part, because the strip of sand the water has just left looks deeper in colour than the dry sand above it.
A plain phone is enough for a pale beach. Look closely at the sand at the edge of the water, where the red fragments are easiest to see.
We will not promise a particular shade on your day. Cloud, tide and the time of day decide it, and the captain decides how long the boat stays.
Real photo from a KEXI trip · 12 photos
Entering the water; the boat's waiting place
The captain chooses where Gammara waits, and the tender runs you in to the sand and back. Life jackets, snorkel gear and towels are on the private-charter included list, so you carry nothing but a hat.
Enter from the sand, kick out over the shallow reef and drift along it. The water is easy for first-time snorkellers. If one of you prefers to stay dry, the beach is a quiet place to sit. You can also ask the crew about the paddle board once the boat is anchored, because calm morning water suits it best.
A shirt over your swimsuit protects your shoulders on the long float, and shade is thin on the sand itself.
Keep clear of the coral and let your hands trail behind you.
Pink Beach or the Taka Makassar sandbank
Both are sand and both are snorkel stops, and the 3D2N route visits both on day 2. They are different places. Pink Beach is a fixed beach with reef close in. Taka Makassar is a sandbank that the tide gives and takes.
If the day shortens, you make the choice with the captain. Pick Pink Beach for the colour and the easy entry. Pick Taka Makassar for the open sandbank and the turtles, and only when the tide is low enough to show it.
Both are mild-current stops. Neither tests your nerve. Manta Point, later on day 2, is the one that asks more of a swimmer.
Tell us which of the two you would keep, and we will say whether your route and date allow it.
FAQ
Is Pink Beach really pink?
Pale pink, not bright pink. The tint comes from fragments of red coral in the sand, and the shade changes with the light and the tide. Morning light and wet sand near the waterline show it best. Expect a soft colour rather than a postcard one.
Can we swim at Pink Beach if we are not strong swimmers?
The water is mild and the reef is close to the shore, between 1 and 8 metres deep. Life jackets are included on the boat. Stay near the sand and drift along the shallow edge. The captain decides on the day if the sea is calm enough.
Check availability — Gammara Phinisi
Bookings for Gammara Phinisi are made with the Komodo Explorer team in Labuan Bajo.