Princess Nabila
Princess Nabila Phinisi
Taka Makassar sandbar: when it shows and what a group does there
Updated 12 October 2026
Taka Makassar is a crescent sandbar in shallow reef and one of the last two stops of day 2 on the Princess Nabila 3D2N, 20 to 30 minutes from Manta Point. The bar shows only at low tide, so the tide sets the order of the two stops. The private 2D1N leaves it out. Bring a hat and reef-safe sunscreen.
Low tide or no sandbar
For a party of 25 this is the lightest stop of day 2: 30 to 60 minutes in shallow water, with no climb and no current to sort swimmers for. The one thing to manage is the tide.
At low tide the bar stands out of the water and the group walks on it. At high tide it is covered, and nobody walks there. Promise your group a snorkel in shallow reef around a crescent of sand, and the walk only if the water has dropped. A guest told "sandbar" who meets a sheet of water has been given the wrong word, and the fix is a better word at the briefing.
On the day the captain reads the tide, and the tide settles which of Taka Makassar and Manta Point comes first. The printed route lists the pair as interchangeable for that reason, and a swap is the plan working.
- Best window
- morning
- Time ashore / in water
- 30–60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Depth
- 1–5 m
- Current
- mild
- Tide
- Depends on tide
- Busiest months
- July, August
What it is not: the sandbar is visible only at low tide · not a place to walk if the tide is high: it may be underwater
A short stop at the end of a long day
By the time the boat reaches the sandbar, a group has done the ridge walk, the dragon walk, Pink Beach, lunch and the Manta Point drift. Energy is lower than at breakfast. The stop is easy on purpose, with shallow water and a mild current.
The table gives morning as the best window for the sandbar in general. On our route it comes after lunch, so you get whatever the tide offers that afternoon. Say so to the group in advance, and nobody measures the stop against a morning photograph.
Guests waiting for a tender run have shade under the white canvas awning on the open deck at the front of the upper deck. After the sandbar comes dinner on board. For guests on the open trip's two-day sailing, it is the last stop before the return to Labuan Bajo.
Taken on a real Komodo Explorer trip · 12 photos
Hats, water and the tender
Shade on the sand is minimal. Each guest carries a hat, water and reef-safe sunscreen, and the route lists a hat and water as the two things to have ready.
A full boat reaches the sand in several tender trips. Tell the guests who go in later runs to put the hat on before they board the tender and not after they land. Mask and snorkel are supplied. In water this shallow, fins would be a convenience and not a need, and they are not on board.
Snorkelling here is covered by the park entry ticket, and pier charges stay outside the fare.
Which trips include the sandbar
- Open-trip 3D2N: yes, on day 2, before or after Manta Point.
- Open-trip two-day sailing: yes, the same day 2, then back at the pier between 19:00 and 20:30.
- Private 3D2N: yes, on day 2, before or after Manta Point.
- Private 4D3N and 5D4N: yes, on day 3, together with Manta Point and Siaba.
- Private 2D1N: no. The route ends day 2 at Manta Point.
- Full-day charter: no. The planning sample is Kelor, Manjarite and Kanawa.
If the sandbar is the reason a guest booked, choose the open trip or one of the longer private plans. Even then the tide decides what the guest finds on arrival.
FAQ
What if the tide is high when we arrive?
At high tide the sandbar is covered and nobody walks on it. The captain reads the tide on the day and can swap the order with Manta Point, so the sandbar is visited when the water is lower. The shallow reef around it is still there to snorkel.
How far is the sandbar from Manta Point?
The leg between the two takes 20 to 30 minutes. On the printed day 2 the pair can swap, so which comes first depends on the tide. Both come after the buffet lunch, and on the open trip Taka Makassar closes the day's stops, ahead of dinner on board.
Is Taka Makassar on a 2D1N trip?
On a private 2D1N, no: the route ends day 2 at Manta Point. On the open trip, two-day guests ride the same sailing as the three-day guests, and the printed day 2 puts the sandbar before their return to Labuan Bajo, so they do visit it.
What should guests carry onto the sandbar?
A hat, water and reef-safe sunscreen, because shade on the sand is minimal. Mask and snorkel come with the boat. Fins are not supplied, and in water this shallow nobody needs them. Guests in the later tender trips put the hat on before they board.
Is the sandbar suitable for weaker snorkellers?
Yes. The sandbar is graded easy, with a mild current and water 1 to 5 metres deep around it. Shallow water suits the weaker snorkellers, and it is a gentler stop than Manta Point earlier the same day. A guest who sat out the drift can join here.
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.