Short answer. Kelor, Manjarite and Sebayur are the near islands close to Labuan Bajo that open and close almost every Komodo itinerary. Kelor is a steep short climb with a big view, Manjarite is the gentle first snorkel, and Sebayur is the last reef before the run back to harbour.
These three get one line each in most itineraries and no explanation at all, which is a shame, because they are doing real work. They exist on the schedule for geographical reasons, they are genuinely good, and understanding what they are for makes the first afternoon and the last morning far less confusing.
Why do these islands open and close every route?
Geography. Labuan Bajo harbour sits on the western tip of Flores, and the great sites — Padar, Komodo, Karang Makassar — are several hours west and south. A boat casting off at 10:00 cannot reach them in a useful state on day one, and a boat needing to be alongside before lunch on the final day cannot start from there either.
Kelor, Manjarite and Sebayur sit in the band of islands within an hour or two of the harbour. They turn what would otherwise be dead transit time into two genuinely good stops at the front and one at the back. Every operator in Labuan Bajo works this way, which is why the itineraries look so similar at the edges.
| Island | Position in the route | What you do | Time needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelor | Day one, around 11:00 after a 10:00 departure | Steep short hill climb, swim, photography | About an hour |
| Manjarite | Day one, around 13:40 after lunch on board | First snorkel of the trip, sheltered | Around an hour |
| Sebayur | Day three, around 08:00 | Final reef snorkel before the harbour run | Around an hour |
Kelor: twenty minutes that surprise people
Kelor is small, and the hill on it looks trivial from the water. It is not. The path is steep, loose and unshaded, and it takes most people fifteen to twenty-five minutes to the top in full sun. Every trip, someone goes up in flip-flops and regrets it on the way down.
What you get for it is the first proper view of the archipelago: the boat at anchor below, the white sand hook of the beach, and layer after layer of dry hills fading away west. It is the photograph that convinces people they made the right decision about the holiday, and it happens ninety minutes after leaving harbour.
The beach itself is good for swimming and there is snorkelling off the sand. If the climb is not for you, staying at the bottom is a perfectly good afternoon.
Manjarite: the gentle introduction
Manjarite is a sheltered snorkel site, and its job on the itinerary is to be easy. It is the first time most guests get in the water, usually straight after lunch on board, and it is deliberately not the dramatic drift at Karang Makassar. Calm water, a coral slope, plenty of reef fish, and a crew watching from the tender while people work out whether their mask leaks.
Use it for exactly that. Sort out the mask fit, the fin size and the vest here rather than discovering the problem in a current on day two. Snorkelling gear and life vests are on the operator’s published inclusion list, so ask the crew to swap anything that does not fit. The full water programme across the trip is described on the island-hopping and snorkelling page.
Sebayur: the last reef
Sebayur closes the trip. On the published route it falls at around 08:00 on day three, before lunch and the return to Labuan Bajo harbour. The water is usually glassy at that hour, the light is low and clean, and the reef is a good one — hard coral in the shallows with reef fish in numbers.
There is a psychological function too. Ending on a quiet, easy swim rather than a rushed transit sends people home with the right last impression, and it gives the crew time to handle the return timing against everyone’s afternoon flights. Flight-margin advice is in the guide to getting to Labuan Bajo.
Do these stops change between itineraries?
The pattern holds across durations, with the near islands doing the same job at both ends. A two-day, one-night trip compresses them: Kelor, Manjarite and Kalong on the single afternoon, then the main sites the next day, which is set out on the 2D1N private charter page. A four-day route keeps them and adds Rangko Cave, Seraya and Sabolo or Bidadari at the back end instead, covered on the 4D3N itinerary page.
What does change is which of them you actually stop at, because the crew works to the tide and the sea state. Substitutions among the near islands are normal and are not a downgrade.
Times are the published pattern, not a promise. The slots above come from the operator’s published hour-by-hour three-day timetable read 31 July 2026. Stop order and duration change with tide, swell, ranger scheduling and how many boats are working the same anchorage.
Practical notes for the near islands
- Grippy footwear for Kelor. The descent is the part that catches people out.
- Water for the climb, even though it is short. It is fully exposed.
- Do the mask-and-fin fitting at Manjarite, not at Manta Point.
- Rinse and dry gear after Sebayur; you will be packing within a couple of hours.
- Keep a dry set of clothes accessible on the last morning for the harbour and the airport.
How these stops fall against the calendar month by month is covered in the seasonal sea guide, and the wider operator publishes the operator’s seasonal calendar for departures across the fleet.
Sailing with Lady Grace
Ask which near islands your departure plans to use, and how the last morning is timed against your flight.
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Lady Grace is operated by Komodo Luxury in Labuan Bajo. Quotes, availability, deposit terms and cancellation terms are issued by the operator in writing before payment.
