Princess Lala
Princess Lala Phinisi
Padar Island at sunrise
Updated 11 October 2026
Padar is the first stop of day two on every Princess Lala sailing, a ridge walk before breakfast. The climb to the main viewpoint takes 25 to 45 minutes on a loose, steep path, and sunrise falls between 05:31 and 06:18 across the year. Park entry costs IDR 250,000 a day for an international visitor and is not in the fare.
Why day two starts on a ridge
Day two begins with Padar, and it begins before breakfast. You leave the boat about 65 minutes before sunrise, ashore by tender with a torch in your hand, and the sky changes colour while you are still on the path. Breakfast is waiting on board when you come down.
The walk is for one view. From the main viewpoint you look over three bays, each with sand of a different colour, and that picture is the whole point of the stop. Padar is not a beach stop. It has no dragons either; the dragons are on Komodo and Rinca, and that walk comes later the same day.
Padar belongs to day two of both fares, on the open trip and on a private charter. Day one ends with the bats at Kalong and dinner on board. Day two opens here. The four-day private charter keeps the same order for its second day.
How hard is the climb?
Moderate is the honest grade. The climb to the main viewpoint takes 25 to 45 minutes, and the upper ridge takes longer, so you decide on the way up if you want it. Parts of the path are loose and steep. Shoes with grip matter more than anything else you bring, and sandals are the one pair we ask you to leave in the cabin.
Children who walk hills at home will manage it, with a hand held on the loose stretches. A grandparent who is steady on a staircase but less sure on gravel should say so to the guide before the walk starts, not halfway up the slope. Nobody is timed. Take water, and take a torch; a phone torch does the job for the first steps in the half-light.
If the climb is the part of the trip you dread, tell us before you book and we will talk it through.
- Best window
- Sunrise
- Time ashore / in water
- 25–45 min
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Tide
- Makes no difference
- Busiest months
- July, August, December
What it is not: no dragons on Padar · not a beach stop: the point is the ridge viewpoint
Real photo from a Komodo Explorer trip · 12 photos
When to set the alarm
Sunrise falls around 05:31 in November and 06:18 in July, so the hour you leave the boat moves through the year. The table below works out sunrise for Padar month by month, with the time you step off the boat and the time you should be on the ridge. Allow 65 minutes between leaving the boat and sunrise.
July, August and December are the months when the path is busiest, and in the other months you share the ridge with fewer people. On the open trip the photographer is part of the fare, so you can be in the picture at the viewpoint instead of taking it. On a private charter the photographer and the guide are on request, quoted separately.
| 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 and accurate to within a few minutes.
What the park quota can change
On the open trip the park decides how many boats climb Padar on a given morning. When Padar is full, Gili Lawa takes its place: a northern island with a hilltop viewpoint over its bays and a reef close by for snorkelling. The rest of day two stays as planned, with breakfast, the dragon walk and the swim at Pink Beach to follow.
We cannot tell you in advance which morning will be full. If Padar is the one place you will not trade, say so before you book, and we will tell you plainly what an open trip can and cannot promise. That conversation costs you nothing, and it is better held over a message than at the foot of the slope.
Fees, shoes and the table afterwards
Park entry is not in the fare. Under PP 36/2024 an international visitor pays IDR 250,000 a day; an Indonesian visitor pays IDR 50,000 midweek, IDR 75,000 on a weekend. Ranger and other levies are extra, and cash is the easiest way to settle them.
Have ready: shoes with grip, a torch and water.
Then it is the walk down, sand shaken out of your shoes at the tender, and the table. Breakfast is set when you come back: tea and coffee from the station at the end of the long table, or a seat at the stern table if you would rather eat beside the water. You earned the second helping. If someone stayed on board for the climb, the table is where you compare notes.
FAQ
What time do we leave the boat for Padar?
About 65 minutes before sunrise. Sunrise on Padar is 05:31 in November and 06:18 in July, so the leaving time moves with the month. The table on this page lists it for every month, and you can set your alarm from it.
Is the Padar climb too steep for grandparents or young children?
It is graded moderate. The main viewpoint takes 25 to 45 minutes, and parts of the path are loose and steep, so sturdy shoes matter. Children who walk hills at home and grandparents who are steady on gravel manage it. Anyone unsure should tell the guide before the walk starts, and tell us before you book; we talk it through with you.
Can I see a dragon on Padar?
No. Padar has no dragons; it is a ridge viewpoint and not a wildlife stop. The dragon walk comes later on day two, led by a park ranger on Komodo, or on Rinca when the quota says so. Padar is for the view over three bays and for the early light.
What happens if the park quota is full for Padar?
On the open trip Gili Lawa takes Padar's place. It is a northern island with a hilltop viewpoint over its bays and a reef nearby for snorkelling. The rest of day two is unchanged: breakfast on board, the dragon walk, Pink Beach, Manta Point and Taka Makassar. The park charge is IDR 250,000 per day for foreign visitors, the same as on any other day.
Do I pay anything extra to climb Padar?
The climb is part of day two, and it is in our fare. What the fare does not carry is park entry. A visitor from abroad pays IDR 250,000 a day, and a visitor from Indonesia pays IDR 50,000 Monday to Friday, or IDR 75,000 on Saturday or Sunday. Ranger and other levies come on top, so keep some cash in your day bag.
Check availability — Princess Lala
Princess Lala is sailed by her own crew; bookings and payments are handled by PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia.