Pink Beach, Komodo: the pale pink sand and the reef beside it

The pink tint comes from fragments of red coral mixed into the sand. In soft light the beach looks rose or peach. In flat noon light it looks nearly beige. The colour depends on light and tide, so the sand is pale pink and the photos that show hot pink have been adjusted.

It is not a landing for a long walk, and it is not a dragon site. The beach is where people snorkel, swim and sit, and the reef begins close to shore, at depths from one to eight metres. The current is mild. For an average swimmer it is the easiest reef of the trip.

The brochure names the stop Long Beach (Pink Beach), and describes it as the place for snorkelling or paddle boarding. You may see either name on an itinerary.

Mornings usually give calmer water and softer light, and the stop sits in the morning on every route. The snorkel runs 45 to 90 minutes. Expect hard and soft coral, reef fish and, with luck, turtles; animals are never guaranteed, and the guide will not promise one.

Shade is thin on the beach, so a hat and reef-safe sunscreen matter more than a towel. Visibility is high in April to June and September to November, and lower in January and February. July and August are crowded, with other boats anchored in the same bay.

Two stand-up paddleboards come with the boat. They are shared by every guest, so ask the guide for a turn at the start of the stop, not the end. The tender, a Yamaha 40 hp speedboat, runs guests to the beach.

Pink Beach is on every route. On the 1D, it follows Padar and lunch, about 60 to 90 minutes of sailing away. On the 2D1N and 3D2N, it is the second stop of day two, after the Padar sunrise and breakfast. On the 4D3N it also falls on day two.

From Pink Beach to the Komodo Island landing is another 30 to 60 minutes. That is why the day works as a chain: Padar, Pink Beach, Komodo. On the 3D2N, the chain continues to Pimpe and the Kalong sunset.

The sequence is the one in the brochure. The captain may shorten the stop if the next stop needs daylight, and the guide will say so on the beach.

If you want a calmer view of the same bay, ask the guide to move your snorkel to the start of the stop, when fewer boats have arrived. Early arrivals get clearer water and a quieter beach.

Pink Beach is not tide-dependent in the way Taka Makassar is. The tide still changes how the colour looks, and low tide shows more sand and more coral fragments. High tide covers some of it.

Wind is the bigger caveat. A strong wind from the wrong direction makes the water choppy and lifts the sand into the water, and the captain can move the snorkel to a calmer part of the bay. In the wet months, December to March, rain reduces visibility.

The bay is shared. In July and August you will see many boats. If you dislike crowds, choose the calm months of October and November, and be in the water early. We cannot promise an empty beach, and we would not trust anyone who did.