Soe Besar Vanrei
Soe Besar Vanrei Phinisi
The months for a family boat, read for sea and light
Updated 8 November 2026
When to go to Komodo with children and grandparents: April to June and October bring the calmest sea and clear water, and July and August are dry but windy. Soe Besar Vanrei sails open trips on Fridays and Mondays, and the first date after the November 2026 docking is Friday, 4 December 2026.
The year by month: dry, wet and the shoulders
The dry season runs from April to November and the wet season from December to March. Inside the dry season the months differ. April to June and October are calm and clear with moderate crowds. July and August are dry but windy, the transits turn choppy and the anchorages fill. September is the month the wind eases and the water clears.
From December the showers return and the sea roughens, and February is the heaviest month. Rain comes in short, hard downpours. Visibility drops, and the harbour authority closes routes more frequently. A wet-season trip is possible with a spare day in hand, and the crowds are thin.
For manta rays no month is a promise. Sightings occur through the year at different sites, and the studies disagree about which months are best. Soe Besar Vanrei is in dock for maintenance in November 2026, so the table counts that month as closed for this boat.
Caveat: the matrix below describes the sea and the sky, not a guarantee of either.
| Month | Sea | Visibility | Mantas | Crowds | Rain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | rough | low | peak | low | wet | Wet season, rough sea, low visibility and quiet sites. Padar sunrise 05:54. |
| February | rough | low | peak | low | wet | The heaviest month of the wet season: rain, rough sea and the most route closures. Padar sunrise 06:05. |
| March | moderate | medium | good | low | wet | The last wet month. Showers ease and the sea starts to settle. Padar sunrise 06:06. |
| April | calm | high | fair | medium | dry | The dry season opens with calmer sea and clearer water. Padar sunrise 06:04. |
| May | calm | high | fair | medium | dry | Dry, calm and clear: a dependable month for snorkel stops and walks alike. Padar sunrise 06:07. |
| June | calm | high | fair | medium | dry | Dry and clear, with the south-east wind starting to build. Padar sunrise 06:14. |
| July | rough | medium | peak | high | dry | Dry but windy: a rougher open sea and busy anchorages. Padar sunrise 06:18, the latest of the year. |
| August | rough | medium | peak | high | dry | The windiest dry month and the busiest anchorages of the year. Padar sunrise 06:12. |
| September | moderate | high | peak | medium | dry | The wind eases and visibility improves. Padar sunrise 05:56. |
| October | calm | high | fair | medium | dry | Calm, clear and hot, with fewer boats than in July and August. Padar sunrise 05:39. |
| November | calm | high | fair | low | dry | The last calm month of the dry season, and the month this boat is in dock. Padar sunrise 05:31, the earliest of the year. |
| December | moderate | medium | peak | medium | wet | The wet season begins: showers return, the sea turns rougher and late December fills with holiday travelers. Padar sunrise 05:38. |
Swipe for more
Light by month: Padar sunrise, Kalong sunset
Light shapes the day for older guests more than the temperature does. Padar sunrise falls at 05:31 in November, the earliest of the year, and at 06:18 in July, the latest. A guest who climbs for the sunrise leaves the boat well before it, so a July trip is easier on anyone who dislikes a very early start.
Kalong is the evening stop. Sunset there falls at 17:50 in June and 18:01 in November, and the flying foxes leave after the sun is down. The tables below give every month, so a child's bedtime can be set against the light.
Padar has little shade, so the earliest light is also the coolest. A family that wants the view and not the heat has the same advice in every month: go early or stay aboard.
| Month | Sunrise | Leave the boat by | On the ridge by |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 05:54 | 04:49 | 05:34 |
| February | 06:05 | 05:00 | 05:45 |
| March | 06:06 | 05:01 | 05:46 |
| April | 06:04 | 04:59 | 05:44 |
| May | 06:07 | 05:02 | 05:47 |
| June | 06:14 | 05:09 | 05:54 |
| July | 06:18 | 05:13 | 05:58 |
| August | 06:12 | 05:07 | 05:52 |
| September | 05:56 | 04:51 | 05:36 |
| October | 05:39 | 04:34 | 05:19 |
| November | 05:31 | 04:26 | 05:11 |
| December | 05:38 | 04:33 | 05:18 |
Computed for the location; accurate to a few minutes. The crew shifts wake-up with the actual swell.
| 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. The crew shifts wake-up with the actual swell.
School holidays and the busy weeks
We have no calendar of school terms on file, so check your own. The busy weeks that we do see are July to September, when anchorages and quotas fill first, and the last days of December, when holiday visitors arrive and the wet season has begun.
A daily visitor cap of one thousand has applied to Padar, Rinca, Komodo and the dive sites in the park since 1 April 2026, in three sessions through the day. Liveaboard guests count against it on every park day. The way the places are shared out is not clear, so we say plainly: book early and ask us.
Low crowds run from November to March, with April to June and October as the shoulders. A family with school-age children rarely gets to choose, and the practical rule is to choose the week first and the month second.
Weather, closures and who decides
The harbour authority in Labuan Bajo issues the sailing permission after reading the forecast and checking the vessel. It closes park routes for several days at a time when the sea runs too high. That happens mostly in the wet season, and it happened once in a dry-season wind spell in August 2026, when only Rinca stayed open. The captain also has authority to change the route for safety, and swaps in a sheltered anchorage at no extra charge.
We do not promise sailings regardless of weather. If Soe Besar Vanrei cannot sail because of a breakdown or a port or park order, we provide a boat of equal or higher class on the same date at no extra charge, or a full refund within 2 days.
The wording is deliberate. The refund is for a boat that cannot sail, not for a stop that is skipped on a day that did sail. Mantas, dragons and a calm sea are never guaranteed.
How early to lock sixteen berths
The boat sleeps 16 guests in seven cabins, with a seventeenth bed on the Master Suite extra bed. A family of three generations rarely moves its dates, so the date comes first. For July to September, plan on four to six months ahead. For the shoulders, six to ten weeks is enough.
The open trip sails on Fridays and Mondays only, and a cabin is held with a 50 percent deposit, with the balance due 30 days before sailing. A charter holds the whole boat on the same terms. The next open-trip date after the November docking is Friday, 4 December 2026, as of 8 November 2026.
Reservations for 2027 are open. Rates for 2027 are on request and the 2026 list is the reference. If the card changes before your final payment, we tell you first and you can cancel free.
FAQ
Does a weather warning cancel the sailing?
The harbour authority and the captain decide, after reading the forecast. Sailing is not promised regardless of weather. If the boat cannot sail, we supply a boat of equal or higher class on the same date at no extra charge, or a full refund within 2 days. Keep a spare day at the end of the trip.
When is the sea calmest for older guests and small children?
April to June and October are calm and clear with moderate crowds. July and August are dry but windy, with choppy transits. December to March is the wet season, with the roughest water. Soe Besar Vanrei is in dock in November 2026, so those dates are not sailing.
Is the wet season a bad idea with a family?
It is possible, with more cancellations and a rougher sea, especially December to February. Showers are short and hard, visibility drops and crowds are thin. Add a spare day and ask us what the weather terms say before you pay. For grandparents or toddlers, the dry months are the easier choice.
When are manta rays around?
Sightings occur through the year at different sites, and no month guarantees them. Studies disagree about which months are best, so we promise none. Manta Point is a stop on day 2 of the 3D2N, and the current there is strong, so a life jacket is advised.
Check availability — Soe Besar Vanrei
Bookings for Soe Besar Vanrei run through the Komodo Explorer team in Labuan Bajo. We plan the voyage, take payment and answer in writing before you board; the boat keeps its own captain and crew.