Bombana Sailing Komodo
Bombana Sailing Komodo
Kalong Island: flying foxes at sunset on day 1
Updated 23 October 2026
Kalong Island is the sunset stop on day 1 of the 3-day sailing trip on Bombana 1 and Bombana 2. Thousands of flying foxes leave the mangroves about 15 minutes after sunset, in a stream that lasts around 30 minutes. You watch from the boat, not from land.
The show starts at dusk
Kalong is a mangrove islet where thousands of flying foxes roost. At dusk they leave the mangroves in a long stream, and that stream is the stop. The bats go about 15 minutes after sunset, and the flight lasts around 30 minutes.
The table below gives sunset at Kalong for every month, and it moves: in July it is 17:57 and in November 18:01. Sunset falls between about 17:35 and 18:55 over the year.
Bats are wild, and they keep their own timetable. The numbers vary from night to night, and so do the shapes the flight makes. We can't promise a particular count.
| Month | Sunset | Bats fly from about |
|---|---|---|
| January | 18:27 | 18:42 |
| February | 18:26 | 18:41 |
| March | 18:15 | 18:30 |
| April | 17:58 | 18:13 |
| May | 17:49 | 18:04 |
| June | 17:50 | 18:05 |
| July | 17:57 | 18:12 |
| August | 18:00 | 18:15 |
| September | 17:58 | 18:13 |
| October | 17:55 | 18:10 |
| November | 18:01 | 18:16 |
| December | 18:14 | 18:29 |
Computed for the location; accurate to a few minutes.
Be on deck before the sun goes
Arrive early. That's the advice. The sun sets the schedule, not the boat, so the best place is a spot on deck with open sky in front of you before the light drops.
Kalong comes after the Manjarite snorkel and before dinner on day 1. Your guide tells you when the boat is in position.
Easy level, route day 1: the second table has the facts at a glance. The whole show is watched sitting down. Take a drink, take a layer, and take your time over choosing a spot.
- Best window
- Sunset
- Difficulty
- easy
- Tide
- Not tide-dependent
- Busiest months
- July, August, December
What it is not: bats leave at dusk, about 15 minutes after sunset: arrive early · not a landing stop: the show is watched from the boat
Photos from the route · 5 photos
Not a landing stop
Kalong is not a landing stop. You don't go ashore, and you don't walk the mangroves. The show is watched from the boat, which is why a steady deck matters more than a good pair of shoes.
That also means the weather has more say than usual. Cloud can mute the sunset, and rain can cut the evening short. The flying foxes still leave at dusk, and you'll see them go. A colourful sky is up to the weather.
If you're looking for a hike on day 1, Kelor is the one. Kalong is the quiet end of the day.
Camera notes for low light
A long lens and a charged camera help. Low light is hard on small sensors, so keep both elbows against your body, brace on the rail, and take a burst of shots when the stream is thickest. Then stop.
Phones manage better than they used to, and a night or low-light mode helps. Turn the flash off, because it does nothing at that distance and it annoys the person next to you.
Don't spend the whole 30 minutes looking at a screen. Take a burst, put the camera down, and watch. The sunrise and sunset photo page has more on shooting both ends of the day.
Kalong closes day 1
Day 1 runs Kelor, Manjarite and Kalong, then dinner. Kalong is the last stop of the day on the 2-day, 3-day and 4-day routes, and it is printed the same way on all three, so every length of trip ends its first day with the same flight of bats.
After the show comes dinner. Where the boat spends the night is the weather and the captain's decision that day. Day 2 then opens at Padar, before sunrise.
Bombana 1 and Bombana 2 both run this plan on every Monday & Friday sailing. See the 3-day route for the order and the meals.
FAQ
How long does the flying fox flight at Kalong last?
It lasts around 30 minutes, starting about 15 minutes after sunset. The stream is thickest in the middle. Numbers vary from night to night, as these are wild animals, and cloud or rain can shorten the evening.
Can we get off the boat at Kalong?
No. Kalong isn't a landing stop, and the show is watched from the boat. It sits at the end of day 1 on the 3-day route, after the Manjarite snorkel and before dinner, on both Bombana 1 and Bombana 2.
Will the bats fly on my sailing date?
They leave their roost at dusk. We can't promise a count, a colour in the sky or a calm evening. Kalong is on day 1 of every route, and the captain decides on the day.
What camera settings work for the Kalong bats?
There's no magic setting. A long lens and a charged battery help, and so do steady elbows and a low-light mode on a phone. Sunset falls between about 17:35 and 18:55 depending on the month, so check the table for your date.
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