About Alore
The first thing I noticed was the smell – salt, teak, and coffee brewing on the top deck at 5:30 AM. We’d anchored near Padar the night before, and the silhouette of its jagged peaks was just beginning to glow. I stepped out of the cabin, barefoot on the cool wood, and there was no one else around yet. Just the sound of water slapping the hull and the distant cry of a sea eagle. It felt less like a boat and more like a quiet retreat that happened to be floating in one of the most dramatic places on earth.
Alore is 49 meters of hand-rigged phinisi, but it doesn’t feel massive. With only one cabin, it’s clearly built for one group at a time – we had it with five friends, and the space never felt crowded. Our room had twin beds pushed together, AC that actually worked, and an en suite bathroom with real water pressure. Not every boat in Komodo gets that right. The dive deck at the back had racks, rinse tanks, and two sets of tanks already prepped when we arrived – a small thing, but it meant we weren’t waiting around.
Our days followed the classic 3D2N loop, but the rhythm felt relaxed. We landed on Kelor in the late afternoon on Day 1, scrambled up the hill for views over the Banda Sea, then snorkeled in calm, turtle-dense water just off the beach. Dinner was served under string lights on the upper deck – grilled mahi-mahi, spicy eggplant, and a papaya salad so fresh it tasted like it was cut ten minutes before.
Day 2 started with a cold drink and a scramble up Padar before sunrise. The trail’s steeper than it looks, but the view from the top – three bays fanning out in different shades of blue – made it worth every breath. After a long lunch back on board, we did the Komodo dragon walk at Rinca. Saw six of them, including one massive male lounging under a tree. Then Pink Beach, where we actually stayed in the water for over an hour – the sand really does have that rosy tint, and the coral just offshore is healthy. Snorkeled at Manta Point in the afternoon light, and yes, three mantas came close enough to see the scars on their wings.
Final morning, we motored to Taka Makassar – sometimes called the sandbar of Komodo. At low tide, it’s a long stretch of white sand with water so shallow you can walk for minutes in any direction. We were the only boat there for nearly an hour. Then a quick stop at Kanawa for one last snorkel among clownfish and blue tangs before the return to Labuan Bajo. The crew packed us lunch and cold drinks for the ride back – helpful, since the airport transfer left at 4 PM sharp.
The only downside? No Wi-Fi. Not even a weak signal. But honestly, after the first day, no one in our group asked for it.
