A Komodo sharing boat trip is a liveaboard where you pay for one berth in a cabin and sail with other guests, instead of hiring the whole boat. In Labuan Bajo it is sold as an open trip. Ours run three days and two nights, and a berth starts at IDR 6,000,000 (about $336) per person with meals, snorkel gear and harbour transfers included.
We fill four boats this way: the Ballona, the Elbark, the Semesta and the Akassa. Prices below are from our tour pages in October 2026. Park fees and flights are extra on all of them.
What "open trip" means in Labuan Bajo
Open trip is the Indonesian name for a shared departure. The boat sails on a fixed date and route, each cabin is sold separately, and the price is quoted per person. The opposite is a private trip, where one group pays for the whole boat and sets its own timetable.
Most cabins sleep two, and couples and friends book one together. If you travel alone you either pay for both beds and keep the cabin, or join the share-cabin waitlist and pay for one bed, paired with another solo guest of the same gender.
Is a shared Komodo sailing trip right for you?
It suits couples, friends and solo travellers who are happy with a set route and other people at dinner. Couples in their 70s and families with children over five have done this trip. Snorkeling is optional at every stop, and the walks with the rangers are gentle.
It is the wrong trip if you cannot manage a 30 to 45 minute climb on uneven ground, because Padar at sunrise is the centre of day two. It also disappoints anyone who wants to choose the stops, since a shared boat keeps its timetable. The sea is generally calm from April to November, and the heavy hull anchors in protected coves at night, but bring tablets if you are prone to seasickness.
Getting to Labuan Bajo for the trip
Boarding starts at 08:30, so fly in the day before. Jakarta is about 2 hours 30 minutes away on a direct flight, Surabaya 1 hour 30 minutes and Bali 1 hour 15 minutes. The harbour is ten minutes from the airport, and our Labuan Bajo airport guide covers the taxi fare, while the Labuan Bajo itinerary fits the other days around the boat.
The sharing boats we run, and the price of a berth
Two tour pages cover the four boats. Each pair sails one route, so you choose the boat and the cabin, not the itinerary.
- Size
- 32 m, 8 cabins, up to 25 guests
- Cheapest cabin
- Deluxe Suite or Family Suite, lower deck
- From, per person
- IDR 6,000,000 (about $336)
- Size
- 9 cabins on 3 decks
- Cheapest cabin
- Banda Neira or Savu, lower deck
- From, per person
- IDR 6,500,000 (about $364)
- Size
- 32 m, 8 suites, 18 guests
- Cheapest cabin
- Jupiter or Mercury, lower deck
- From, per person
- IDR 6,000,000 (about $336)
- Size
- 25 m, 3 suites, 10 guests at most
- Cheapest cabin
- Bumi, upper deck
- From, per person
- IDR 9,500,000 (about $532)
| Boat | Size | Cheapest cabin | From, per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ballona | 32 m, 8 cabins, up to 25 guests | Deluxe Suite or Family Suite, lower deck | IDR 6,000,000 (about $336) |
| Elbark | 9 cabins on 3 decks | Banda Neira or Savu, lower deck | IDR 6,500,000 (about $364) |
| Semesta | 32 m, 8 suites, 18 guests | Jupiter or Mercury, lower deck | IDR 6,000,000 (about $336) |
| Akassa | 25 m, 3 suites, 10 guests at most | Bumi, upper deck | IDR 9,500,000 (about $532) |
The top cabins cost about twice the cheapest ones: IDR 11,500,000 for Misool on the Elbark and IDR 13,000,000 for Moon on the Semesta. The route, the food and the guide are the same whichever cabin you sleep in, and our best Komodo liveaboard comparison goes through the cabins deck by deck.
From June to August the Akassa and the Semesta charge more, and each suite shows both rates on the tour page. The Semesta's two lower-deck tiers are the exception. They cost the same in August as in February.
Labuan Bajo, Flores
Pick a boat, then pick a cabin
Three days on the Ballona or the Elbark with Padar at sunrise, the dragons at Loh Liang, Pink Beach and Manta Point. Every cabin has its own bathroom.
Where the three days go
The Ballona and the Elbark collect guests at 08:30 and reach Taka Makassar, Manta Point and Padar on the first afternoon, then anchor off Kalong for the bats at dusk. Day two starts with Padar at 05:00, then Pink Beach, the ranger walk at Loh Liang and a quiet reef at Pengah. Kelor and Manjarite fill the last morning, and the boat is back in port between 11:00 and 12:00.
The Akassa and the Semesta sail the same park in a different order. Kelor, Manjarite and the bats come first, Padar at sunrise and the dragons at Komodo Village on day two, and Taka Makassar and Kanawa on the last morning before a 13:00 return. The Akassa and Semesta three-day trip lists it stop by stop.
Both routes are set out hour by hour, next to the one-day speedboat version, in our Komodo island tour guide.
Labuan Bajo, Flores
Ten guests, or eighteen
Three days on the Akassa or the Semesta: Kelor, Manjarite and the bats on day one, Padar before sunrise, then Taka Makassar and Kanawa on the last morning.
What the berth price covers, and what it leaves out
On the Ballona and the Elbark the price covers the cabin, all meals, free-flow coffee, tea and water, snorkel gear, a paddleboard and a canoe, an English-speaking guide, an onboard photographer and the transfer from your hotel or the airport to the harbour.
Park fees are never inside a berth price. Foreign visitors pay IDR 250,000 a day and Indonesian citizens IDR 50,000, or IDR 75,000 on public holidays, plus a harbour fee of about IDR 25,000 and a ranger fee shared by the group. Flights, alcohol and crew tips are also yours to cover. Our Komodo trip cost breakdown adds it up for two people.
As a working figure, park fees for a three-day trip are usually quoted at about IDR 650,000 per foreign visitor, so the cheapest berth comes to about IDR 6,650,000. You may bring your own alcohol on the Ballona and the Elbark with no corkage. A drone needs a park permit of IDR 2,000,000 per drone per day, so tell us a week ahead.
Children and infants
On the Ballona and the Elbark children get 25% off and infants sail free. On the Akassa and the Semesta children under two are free and the full rate applies from three. Since 1 April 2026 every visitor, child or adult, needs a dated park slot booked through SiOra, so send passport details when you book.
A one-day or four-day open trip
If three days is too long, the shared option is the one-day speedboat trip at IDR 1,450,000 per person, out at 06:30 and back by 17:00. If you want longer, berths on the four-day boat to Lombok start at IDR 6,850,000.
The crossing carries 20 to 25 guests and spends two of its four days on open water, so it is a different trip from a loop around the park. It ends in Lombok, which suits anyone heading west afterwards.
When the whole boat is the better deal
We do not sell a two-day trip by the berth. The Akassa sails two days and one night as a whole boat: IDR 56,500,000 for up to four guests, or IDR 64,000,000 for five to ten. With ten on board that is IDR 6,400,000 each, close to a shared berth, and nobody else is aboard. Ask about the two-day Akassa charter before a large group books separate cabins.
Deposit, changes and what happens in bad weather
On the Ballona and the Elbark a 50% deposit confirms the berth and full payment is due 14 days before departure. If you cancel more than 30 days ahead you lose the deposit and owe nothing more. Inside 30 days the full price is payable. Dates can be moved up to a month before sailing if there is space.
Weather is handled differently. If the harbour master refuses a sailing permit, we offer new dates or refund the boat part of the price. For severe weather or a government restriction you can reschedule or take a full refund less bank fees. The Akassa and the Semesta have stricter terms: a 30% deposit, and no refund inside two months.
How to book a berth
You can book a Ballona or Elbark berth straight from the tour page, for any day that is at least two days away. The Akassa and the Semesta are confirmed by enquiry. For a group, a child or a solo berth, plan the trip with us and we will price it for your dates.
Written by
Asik Travel Editorial
Local travel editors
We write from the islands we sell, with first-hand notes from our guides and operators.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Komodo sharing boat trip?
From IDR 6,000,000 (about $336) per person for three days and two nights on the Ballona or the Semesta, IDR 6,500,000 on the Elbark and IDR 9,500,000 on the Akassa. Meals, snorkel gear and harbour transfers are included. Park fees, flights and crew tips are extra.
What is an open trip in Labuan Bajo?
Open trip is the local name for a shared departure. The boat sails a fixed route on a fixed date, cabins are sold one by one and the price is per person. A private trip is the opposite: one group pays for the whole boat and sets its own schedule.
Can a solo traveller join a Komodo sharing boat trip?
Yes. Most cabins sleep two, so a solo guest either pays for both beds to keep the cabin private, or joins the share-cabin waitlist and pays for one bed, paired with another solo guest of the same gender. Tell us which you prefer when you ask about dates.
Is there a 2D1N sharing boat trip to Komodo?
Not by the berth with us. Our two-day, one-night trip is the Akassa as a whole boat: IDR 56,500,000 for up to four guests or IDR 64,000,000 for five to ten. With ten guests that is IDR 6,400,000 each, close to the price of a shared berth.
Are Komodo park fees included in a sharing boat trip?
No. Park fees are paid on top of every berth price. Foreign visitors pay IDR 250,000 a day and Indonesian citizens IDR 50,000, or IDR 75,000 on public holidays, plus a harbour fee of about IDR 25,000 and a ranger fee shared by the group.
Is there a one-day or four-day sharing boat trip in Komodo?
Yes to both. The one-day shared trip is a speedboat at IDR 1,450,000 per person, leaving at 06:30 and back by 17:00. The four-day shared trip is the crossing to Lombok on the Lady Grace, with berths from IDR 6,850,000. We do not sell a two-day trip by the berth.
