About Lamborajo III
The first morning, I woke before dawn to the smell of strong Javanese coffee and the low hum of the engine cutting through calm water. Outside my cabin, the deck was already set with warm towels and a view of jagged islands forming a ring around the horizon – we were approaching Padar from the north, and the sky was turning peach and lavender. No announcements, no rush. Just the crew moving quietly, setting up the bow for sunrise. That’s when I realised this wasn’t going to be a standard group tour.
We had three cabins on board, and only eight guests total – a mix of couples and solo travellers who booked shared Superior Cabins. The 38-metre Lamborajo III felt spacious but never empty. The Royal Master Cabin up front had a private terrace that one couple used every evening with a bottle of red, while the rest of us gathered around the dining table under the stars, served by a private chef who made fresh sambal every afternoon. On Day 2, after hiking with rangers at Komodo Island and seeing dragons up close near Loh Liang, we cooled off with a long snorkel at Manta Point. I counted six mantas gliding past Batu Bolong’s current – one came so close I saw the spots on its belly.
One surprise was how much time we actually spent in the water. At Pink Beach, we swam right up to the shore where the sand gets its colour from crushed coral, and later that afternoon, we anchored in a quiet cove near Sebayur where the crew launched the kayak and paddleboards. I paddled out at dusk and watched the sky reflect off the water in streaks of violet. On the final morning, we reached Taka Makassar – the sandbar only appears at low tide, and we were the only boat there. The shallow water was so clear you could see every shell and tiny fish. We snorkeled for an hour before packing up for Kanawa, where we did one last drift along a sloping reef full of parrotfish and clownfish.
The boat itself had teak decks that stayed cool under bare feet, ceiling fans in every cabin, and a shaded upper deck with long benches perfect for afternoon naps. Showers had hot water, towels were replaced daily, and there was always cold water, fresh fruit, or iced tea waiting after snorkeling. The crew of eight knew when to be present and when to disappear. No loudspeakers, no forced schedules. We missed the Kalong Island bats one evening because the wind was too strong to safely launch the dinghy, but the captain offered us an alternative: a quiet sunset drink on a secluded beach near Kanawa instead.
I came back with salt-crusted hair, a few new dive buddies, and a real sense of having seen Komodo properly – not just checked boxes. The three days felt balanced: enough adventure, enough downtime. I’d say Lamborajo III is ideal for people who want comfort without formality, and space without excess. The kind of boat where you eat grilled mahi-mahi on deck at 8pm, wrapped in a towel, watching the moon rise over Rinca.
