Princess Nabila
Princess Nabila Phinisi
Padar Island sunrise trek on a Komodo boat trip
Updated 12 October 2026
Padar is the first stop of day 2 on the Princess Nabila 3D2N, and the viewpoint over three bays is a climb of 25 to 45 minutes away. Gili Lawa takes its place when the park quota is full. Sunrise falls at 06:18 in July and 05:31 in November. The park ticket costs IDR 250,000 for a foreign visitor and is paid separately.
The message for your group the evening before
Padar is the stop that divides a party. It comes first on day 2, it is a climb, and for 25 guests the question is who goes up and who stays aboard. Settle that the evening before, not at the tender.
Paste this list into the group chat.
- Tomorrow's first stop is Padar or Gili Lawa. The park quota decides which, and nobody can promise Padar in advance.
- The table below gives the time to leave the boat for your month. In November that time falls before 04:30.
- Each guest carries a head torch, water and shoes with grip. Flip-flops stay aboard.
- Breakfast comes after the walk on the printed day.
Send it as one message and ask every guest for a thumbs-up. In a party of 20 or more, the guest who has not read it is the one the tender waits for. A couple on the open trip can run the same list as a checklist of their own.
| 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 |
Times are computed for the location and are accurate to within a few minutes.
Landing a full boat at the foot of the ridge
The tender is a white open fibreglass boat with a red-painted bow deck and an outboard at the stern. Its seat count is not printed, and 25 guests need several trips of it. Count that landing time into the morning first and the climb second.
Allow 25 to 45 minutes of climbing for the main viewpoint, and longer for the upper ridge. Parts of the path are loose and steep, which spreads a mixed group out along it. Agree one time for everybody to start down, whether or not they have reached the top.
Not everyone has to climb. A guest who stays aboard misses the reason for the stop, and the rest of the day is unchanged. Tell us that number before you sail.
- Best window
- Sunrise
- Time ashore / in water
- 25–45 min
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Tide
- Not tide-dependent
- Busiest months
- July, August, December
What it is not: no dragons on Padar · not a beach stop: the point is the ridge viewpoint
Taken on a real Komodo Explorer trip · 12 photos
When the quota says Gili Lawa
The printed 3D2N reads Padar, with Gili Lawa in its place when the Padar quota is full. Both are ridge walks. The route lists shoes with grip and water for Gili Lawa and no head torch, so if your date is switched, send the group the corrected kit list.
A private 4D3N treats them as two stops, Padar on day 2 and Gili Lawa on day 3. That gives a group two ridge walks, although neither is promised while the quotas decide.
Say the either/or aloud when you sell the trip inside your company. A group told "Padar" that then walks Gili Lawa feels short-changed. A group told "Padar or Gili Lawa" does not. Gili Lawa has no page of its own on this site.
Ticket, drone and charging
The park ticket covers the day and is bought online in each visitor's name. A foreign visitor pays IDR 250,000, and the Indonesian weekday and weekend rates are on the park-fees page. Ranger and pier charges come on top and can change.
Drone flights need a park permit. The open trip includes documentation with GoPro, mirrorless camera and drone. On a private charter it is on request and quoted separately.
Charge cameras and head torches the afternoon before. Each cabin has between one and three round two-pin sockets, and a full boat shares them.
FAQ
What time does the Padar climb start?
In July the sun comes up at 06:18, in November at 05:31, and guests are on the ridge before it. Read the leave time and the ridge time for any month off the table above. Between those two months the start moves by 47 minutes.
Is the Padar walk hard for older guests?
The grade is moderate. Footing is loose and steep in places, and the viewpoint sits 25 to 45 minutes up the slope. Tell us how many guests will not climb, because that number is easier to plan for the night before than to find out on the beach.
Is Padar always on the route?
On the open trip, Padar or Gili Lawa is printed as one stop and the park quota decides which. A private 4D3N lists both. On a private 3D2N the stops are agreed in the quote, and the park quota still applies.
Will we see dragons on Padar?
No. Dragons live on Komodo and Rinca, and the ranger-led dragon walk is the next stop on day 2, with breakfast on board in between. Padar is the viewpoint over three bays, reached by a climb on a loose and steep path.
Can we fly a drone from the ridge?
Only with a park permit. Documentation with GoPro, mirrorless camera and drone is included on the open trip. On a private charter it is on request and quoted separately, so raise it when you ask for the quote and not at the pier.
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.