SMY. MONALISA PHINISI SAILING

LIVEABOARD DIVE CRUISES

Mona Lisa offers the unltimate in flexible scheduling for diving in Komodo. You can join any day from Bali - fly to Labuan Bajo and transfer by speedboat to the liveaboard as she cruises in the waters of the national park. Mona Lisa is a traditional wooden "phinisi" schooner. Built in 1996, she was completely refurbished in 2006 and is fitted with modern marine safety equipment. She is designed to comfortably accommodate 12 people in six teakwood cabins. Her black-sailed silhouette is well-known in the area as she sails around the Komodo World Heritage Site.

There are six cabins, some of which can be configured either as double or twin share. Single travellers are catered for, provided that they are willing to share a twin cabin with another single guest. Children under 12 may stay in their parents' cabin at 50% of the adult rate. All cabins are air-conditioned and have an ensuite bathroom with a hot shower and a sink.
 

The teak interiors lend the ship a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The main deck hosts a salon which doubles as the dining room, and a library offering a collection of books about the fauna, flora and history of the visited areas. There is also a TV and a DVD player for immediate viewing of your photos. The bar offers beer, wine and other alcoholic drinks; soft drinks, mineral water and coffee/tea are freely available all day.
 

On the upper deck there are deck chairs and space for relaxing both in the sun as well as in the shade. Meals are of international standard with a focus on seafood.

Mona Lisa carries sets of dive gear for rent (15 US$ per day) and Nitrox is also available on board at a cost of 25 US$ per day (unlimited nitrox dives over seven days).
 

The trips combine leisure sailing and diving in a way that makes Mona Lisa an ideal choice for divers travelling with non-divers; there is something for everyone. On-shore excursions are available at several locations in addition to the many excellent dive sites Mona Lisa visits in the Komodo National Park.

Mona Lisa has an Indonesian crew of nine and a multilingual cruise director, as well as an experienced dive master who knows the sites well.
 

Mona Lisa Cruises - Itinerary

Start Any Day! No Schedule! Ultimate Flexibility!

Mona Lisa operates year round inside Komodo National Park, with a speedboat transfer running every day between Labuan Bajo airport and Mona Lisa. This means that you can start any day. The speedboat transfer from airport to the boats is only 45 minutes to one hour. Airport pick up and speedboat transfer are included in the package price. Including the flight from Bali, it's only about 3 hours from Bali airport to the heart of Komodo National Park!

Example Itinerary.

Remember You can start any day.

Prices Season 2008 / 2009

Komodo National Park
Divers 320 US$ per night
Non-Divers 275 US$ per night
Plus domestic return flight Bali - Labuan Bajo - Bali: US$ 220
Komodo National Park fees approx 45 US$
No schedule - start any day! Minimum stay 3 nights.
All prices are per person
 

Monday : North Komodo (night @ mooring Gili Lawa Darat)
(For this example we start on Monday): Flight Bali – Labuan Bajo 10am. Pick up from Labuan Bajo airport. Speedboat transfer to the Mona Lisa boat (depending on sea conditions this nice speedboat ride takes about 45 minutes). Check out dive. Darat Passage South: start your adventure on this pretty coral reef, swim wih turtles, and watch coral trout, anchovies, small tuna and trevallies feed in the bay. Along the bottom of the slope fish life increases, and you may see garden eels sway and white tip reef sharks sleep on the sandy bottom. Night dive inside Gili Lawa Darat bay

Tuesday : North komodo (night @ Karang Makassar mooring)
Darat Passage North, Gililawa Darat Island: the reef slope is very rich in marine life. Towards the channel, you can see turtles, a school of giant sweet lips, sharks and batfish. Crystal Rock: exhilarating and very colorful dive with excellent soft coral coverage. Expect clouds of anthias and scorpion fish, frog fish and moray eels. Castle Rock: admire curious batfish, schooling barracuda, trevally and mackerels. Numerous sea fans host pygmy seahorses. Night dive @ Karang Makassar mooring

Wednesday (night @ Pantai Merah mooring)
Batu Bolong: this reef is covered with colorful corals, invertebrate life and brilliant reef fish. Observe napoleon wrasse, dogtooth tuna, and rainbow runners. Tatawa Kecil: rocks, caves, and beautiful coral gardens grace the reef on the western side of the island. The highlights of this dive are definitely the dugongs and manta rays. Snorkeling for mantas. Sailing to Pantai Merah. Batu Tiga: an excellent “big fish” dive. Large boulders in deeper water to the west offer excellent habitat for grouper, mantas, giant trevally, and other pelagic fish. Night dive at Pantai Mera

Thursday (night @ Pulau Padar)
Pantai Merah/Pink Beach: you will encounter a great variety of fish here, and a good selection of critters such as leaf scorpion fish, blue ribbon eels, crocodile fish, and nudibranchs. Optional hike to see the Komodo Dragons. This magnificent reptile is one of the few remaining links to the days when dinosaurs roamed the planet. Pinnacle dive (bay): critters galore. Loh Namu: near the southern corner of this reef, large boulders spread out over the drop-off. Are you ready for large schools of coral trout, malabar groupers, huge Napoleon wrasse, and even a giant T gigas clam? Sailing to Padar, night dive at Padar.

Friday (night @ Pulau Padar)
Pillaarsteen: amazing reefs cape. Large schools of fusiliers swim along the reef slope, which is covered with a magnificent variety of soft corals. Be prepared for sharks and turtles! Three Sisters / Tiga Dara: a pristine reef with excellent coral coverage and rich fish life. The Padar Rock (critter dive). The Padar Rock (night dive).

Saturday (Night @ Karang Makassar or Gini Lawa Darat)
Payung Island: If you’re looking for a different experience, you’ve found it! This unique underwater landscape with its huge rocks, canyons and crevices to explore, will give you the illusion of a wreck dive. Fish and invertebrate life is diverse and abundant: big schools of surgeons and yellow snappers, rocky reefs covered with soft coral, gorgonians and feather stars. Indihiang: this is drift-diving paradise: many big fish and good coral diversity can be seen along the steep walls. Top attractions include potato cod, large Napoleon wrasse and schools of giant trevallies and snappers. Sailing to Karang Makassar/ snorkeling. Mini Wall: the whole north face of this island is great diving: garden eels on the sandy slopes, shrimp gobies and sweet lips. With some luck, you’ll spot some mandarin fish in the beautiful coral gardens.

Sunday (night @ mooring Gili Lawa Darat)
Returning customers transfer back to Labuanbajo. Guests that stay on board choose between diving the Darat Passage, Tatawa Besar, Tatawa Kecil, Crystal Rock or Castle Rock before returning to Gili Lawa Darat for the night (night dive possible).