Nine landings, each with its own best hour

Every stop has a time of day at which it is best, and a voyage is largely the work of meeting each stop at that time. Padar belongs to sunrise and Kalong to dusk; Pink Beach, the ranger walks on Komodo and Rinca, Manta Point and the Taka Makassar sandbar suit the morning; Kelor opens the first day, and Sebayur and Kanawa are gentle midday swims.

Each tile below opens the page for one stop, with the climb, the water and the hours set out, and the map shows where they lie.

Which stops you meet depends on the route. The captain agrees the sequence with the weather, the harbour and the tide, so read the days below as a sketch.

The full day calls at Padar, Pink Beach and Rinca. On the 2D1N the first day runs Kelor, Rinca, Kalong; the second runs Padar, Pink Beach, Taka Makassar, Manta Point.

The 3D2N follows the open-trip plan. Its first day goes Kelor, Manjarite, Kalong. On the second day come Padar at sunrise, Pink Beach, Komodo Island, the Taka Makassar sandbar and last of all Manta Point. The third morning belongs to a Kanawa snorkel, with the harbour reached at 12:00. A private 3D2N may be reshaped with the captain, and the private sample for it names Sebayur.

The 4D3N adds Gili Lawa and Siaba on day three, and Rangko Cave on the last morning. Komodo Island is on the 3D2N alone. The other routes call at Rinca for the dragons.