Princess Nabila
Princess Nabila Phinisi
Kelor Island hill walk: the first stop out of Labuan Bajo
Updated 12 October 2026
Kelor is the first stop on every Princess Nabila route: a steep hill walk of 15 to 30 minutes to a viewpoint over the bay, then a swim. Labuan Bajo to Kelor is a sail of 50 to 70 minutes. On the open trip it falls in the afternoon, after the 10:30 to 11:55 pickup and lunch. Bring shoes with grip.
Fifty to seventy minutes out, and the afternoon it fills
For a group of 25, Kelor is the first time everyone lands, climbs and swims together. It shows you who walks fast, who walks slowly and who sits out, and it does so while nothing else is competing for the day.
Day 1 on the open trip runs in this order. Pickup falls between 10:30 and 11:55, with your exact time sent the day before. Boarding follows, then the buffet lunch from the restaurant island. Kelor comes after lunch and Manjarite after Kelor.
The table lists morning as the best window for Kelor. On this route the stop is an afternoon one, so nobody should expect morning light in the photographs.
- Best window
- morning
- Time ashore / in water
- 15–30 min
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Tide
- Not tide-dependent
- Busiest months
- July, August
What it is not: short steep hill, not a long trek · not a dragon site · often the last stop of a trip, so do not expect to have energy left for much more
A short hill for a long party
Fifteen to thirty minutes is the range for the climb, and the slower end is the figure to plan with for a mixed group. A group of 25 reaches the shore in several tender trips, which adds time before anyone starts up. The path is dry and steep, the viewpoint looks over the bay, and then comes the swim.
The boat carries a wooden platform with rails and a ladder to the water on its starboard side, midship, and guests were filmed swimming off the bow. A guest who skips the hill still has the swim.
Ask guests who will skip the climb to say so in advance. The boat has stairs between its decks and no lift, so the same list tells us who needs a main-deck cabin. Give the climbers a turn-back time before they start. On a path this short the fast walkers finish long before the slow ones, and a time agreed on the boat keeps the party together.
Taken on a real Komodo Explorer trip · 8 photos
Use Kelor as the test for Padar
Padar waits on the morning of day 2. It is graded moderate, with 25 to 45 minutes of climbing on a loose, steep path. Kelor is the same kind of walk in miniature, on the afternoon before, so how your group copes with it tells you who will want to go slowly up Padar and who will want to go first.
After Kelor the organiser has one job. Note who was last up, who sat out and who came down early. Then tell those guests, quietly and the same evening, what the Padar start looks like: the head torch, the early hour, the loose footing.
Our full-day charter starts at Kelor as well. Our planning sample for that day is Kelor, Manjarite and Kanawa, and the stop list is agreed with your quote.
The swim, the ticket and what comes next
Swimming after the walk is part of the printed stop, so the group cools off in the water before the boat moves on to Manjarite. Dragons wait for the Komodo or Rinca walk on day 2.
Pack the day bag for Kelor in the cabin before lunch: swimsuit under the walking clothes, a towel, water and the shoes with grip. Everything else stays aboard. A bag that is ready before the tender leaves saves the whole party standing around on the platform while one guest goes back for sunscreen.
Fees follow the rule of the whole trip. A park ticket is bought online per person and per day, and a foreign visitor pays IDR 250,000. Ranger and pier charges come on top. The park-fees page sets the three ticket rates side by side.
FAQ
How steep is the Kelor hill?
Kelor is graded moderate. The climb to the viewpoint over the bay takes 15 to 30 minutes on a dry path where shoes with grip matter. Each guest sets their own pace, and the slower end of the range is the one to plan with.
What time do we reach Kelor on the open trip?
No clock time is printed for the stop. Pickup runs 10:30 to 11:55, then come boarding and the buffet lunch, and Kelor follows after the sail of 50 to 70 minutes. Tell the group to expect an afternoon stop.
Can the group swim at Kelor?
Yes. The printed stop is a hill walk and a swim. Mask and snorkel are on board, and Manjarite is the snorkelling stop that follows. For the hill itself the shoes with grip matter more than the swimsuit.
Does the full-day charter start at Kelor?
In our planning sample, yes: Kelor, then Manjarite, then Kanawa, with the boat at the pier before sunset. The rate card prints a full-day price and no stop list, so the list comes with your quote.
Who can skip the Kelor climb?
Anyone. The hill is 15 to 30 minutes, the swim stays part of the stop for everybody, and guests who stay below miss only the view. Tell us the number early, because the same list shows who should take a main-deck cabin, which needs no stairs to reach the restaurant.
Check availability — Princess Nabila
Princess Nabila sails with its own crew, and PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia handles the booking, the payment and the trip file.