New Pandawa

New Pandawa is a 19-metre boat for up to 14 guests, sailing Komodo National Park out of Labuan Bajo. She runs three-day, two-night open trips twice a week and can be chartered whole for two to five days.

The boat

She is 19 metres long with a 4-metre beam and a Mitsubishi engine, and a crew of six runs her. Meals are served at a long table in the dining area, with windows on both sides. The bow is laid out with floor cushions and a low table, the best seat on board at sunset, and there is a shaded lounge with sofas on deck. Snorkelling gear is on board, with a liferaft and life jackets.

The cabins

Four cabins, all with air conditioning, towels and a charging point.

• Master room: the only cabin on the upper deck, with a double bed, its own bathroom and a private balcony with two chairs. An extra bed can be added for a third guest.
• Suite room: a main-deck cabin for two with a double bed, windows on both sides and its own bathroom.
• Family room: a main-deck cabin with a double bunk for two or three guests and its own bathroom.
• Sharing room: a main-deck cabin with three double beds as bunks for up to six guests, using a shared bathroom. It can be booked from one person, the cheapest way on board.

Itineraries

• Day 1: Kelor island for the short climb to the viewpoint, snorkelling at Manjarite, then Kalong at dusk, when the flying foxes leave the mangroves.
• Day 2: the walk up Padar, Pink Beach, the Komodo dragons with a park ranger on Komodo island, then Taka Makassar and Manta Point, where mantas are often seen but never certain.
• Day 3: a last swim at Kanawa, then back to Labuan Bajo.

That is the three-day open trip, which departs every Monday and Friday. Private charters run from two to five days, the longer ones adding Siaba, Sebayur, Sture and Bidadari, and the crew can change the order for weather.

What is included, and what is not

• Included: hotel or airport pick-up and drop-off in Labuan Bajo, all meals on board, snacks, coffee, tea and drinking water, snorkelling gear, a tour leader and local guide, and on open trips, photos and drone footage of the trip.
• Not included: Komodo National Park fees and ranger, paid separately (IDR 650,000 per foreign guest, about USD 35 or EUR 30), flights, hotels in Labuan Bajo, personal expenses and tips for the crew.

Who she suits

Couples who want a balcony cabin for a Komodo trip without the price of a big boat, and small groups who can fill the sharing room. New Pandawa is a cruising and snorkelling boat, not a dive boat. Prices are per person on the open trip, or per boat for a charter. Ask us for dates.