If you are pricing island tours from Labuan Bajo, here is the short answer for 2026. A shared cabin on a Komodo liveaboard runs roughly IDR 3.5 to 12.5 million per cabin, depending on the boat and the itinerary. Private charters, from a one-day boat for your own group to a multi-day phinisi with full crew, span roughly IDR 52 to 280 million per trip, with vessel class and duration doing most of the work in that spread. Komodo National Park fees are charged on top of nearly every boat price you will be quoted, so treat any figure you see as the boat cost, not the final cost.
Those are wide ranges, and they are wide for a reason. In Labuan Bajo, “island tour” covers products that share a harbor and almost nothing else: a seat on a shared day boat, a private day charter, and a two-night liveaboard are priced on entirely different logic. The format you choose sets your budget bracket before you look at a single boat name.
We write this from the position of a charter desk. Operating under Juara Holding Group, active in Indonesian travel since 2015, our desk quotes across many vessels rather than selling one hull, which means we see real asking prices week after week. This page lays out what each format costs, what pushes the number up or down, and how to read a quote before you compare three of them.
Island Tour Prices from Labuan Bajo at a Glance
Every trip into the islands falls into one of three formats, each with its own pricing logic.
- Shared trips: you buy a seat or a cabin and the operator fills the rest of the boat. Liveaboard cabins run roughly IDR 3.5 to 12.5 million per cabin; day-boat seats are cheaper and priced per person.
- Private day charters: the whole boat for one day, priced per trip. These occupy the lower portion of the private range, which begins around IDR 52 million.
- Overnight private charters: a phinisi or motor yacht with cabins and crew for one to three nights. Depending on vessel class and length, these climb toward IDR 280 million per trip.
Shared Trips: Seats and Cabins
Shared day trips
A seat on a shared day boat is the least expensive way into the islands. You are buying one place on a fixed route with a fixed schedule, usually covering Padar, a dragon trekking stop, and a pink beach, alongside whoever else booked that day. Prices are quoted per person and vary widely between operators, as does the standard of the boats themselves, which is why we do not print a single headline number for this format. If you compare shared day trips, weigh vessel condition and safety equipment at least as heavily as price, because this end of the market is where corners get cut first.
Shared liveaboard cabins
The middle path. You book a private cabin on a scheduled multi-day departure and share the deck, dining, and itinerary with other guests. Expect roughly IDR 3.5 to 12.5 million per cabin. The spread reflects the boat more than the route: an entry-level liveaboard with compact bunks sits at the bottom of the range, while a boutique phinisi with en-suite cabins and a stronger galley sits at the top. If you are weighing a cabin against taking the whole boat, our guide to full-boat versus cabin charters walks through the break-even math.
Private Day Charters
A private day charter gives your group its own boat, crew, and route, leaving Labuan Bajo in the morning and returning by sunset. Pricing is per trip rather than per person, so the cost per head falls quickly as your group grows. Day charters sit in the lower portion of the private range, which starts around IDR 52 million per trip for a capable, well-crewed vessel and rises with speed, comfort, and capacity. Faster boats cost more and earn it, because fitting Padar, Komodo, and a pink beach into one day is ultimately a fuel and horsepower question. Our Komodo day charter page covers routes and timing in detail.
Overnight Liveaboard Charters
Chartering a whole liveaboard privately is the format most of our clients ultimately book, because it removes the day-trip clock. Two-day, one-night itineraries reach the core sites without rushing; three- and four-day itineraries add the quieter northern and southern anchorages. Priced per trip, private overnight charters span the full IDR 52 to 280 million range, with duration and vessel class as the two levers. A modest phinisi on a short itinerary sits low in the range; a premium phinisi with large en-suite cabins, a professional galley, and a bigger crew over three or four days approaches the top. Our overnight phinisi charter page explains how these itineraries are built.
What Moves the Price Up or Down
Across every format, a small set of variables explains nearly all of the variation between quotes.
Vessel class
The single biggest factor. Hull size, cabin count and finish, crew numbers, kitchen standard, tenders, and safety equipment separate a bottom-of-range boat from a top-of-range one. Two phinisi can run the identical route at prices far apart, and both can be fair for what is actually on board.
Duration and route
Each additional day adds crew time, fuel, and provisioning, though the per-day rate usually softens on longer trips. Routes that push to the far north or south of the park burn more fuel than the core circuit and are priced accordingly.
Group size
On private charters the boat price is fixed, so eight guests pay the same trip total as four, at half the per-person cost. Larger groups need larger hulls, though, so at some point adding guests moves you up a vessel class rather than simply diluting the price.
Season and demand
Peak months carry firmer pricing and thinner availability; quieter months open room to negotiate. We keep the full breakdown on a separate page comparing low season and high season charter prices, so here we will only say that your dates can move the number meaningfully.
Park Fees and Other Costs on Top
Komodo National Park charges entrance and activity fees per visitor, and these are almost always excluded from the boat price. The fee schedule is set by the park authority and has been revised more than once in recent years, so we itemize fees at current rates on every quote rather than print figures here that may go stale. Budget for them as a real line item, not a rounding error, and expect ranger escort fees for dragon trekking to appear on the same list.
Since April 2026 the park has also operated a daily visitor cap of 1,000 people. The cap does not change boat pricing directly, but it compresses availability: in busy weeks, permits become the constraint rather than boats, which strengthens the case for booking early over negotiating late. For a complete breakdown of what a charter price typically covers and excludes, from meals to snorkel gear to fuel, see our guide to what is included in a charter price.
How to Compare Quotes Fairly
When two quotes for the same dates sit far apart, the gap is usually definitional rather than one side being unreasonable. Confirm both cover the same duration and route. Check whether park fees, fuel for longer routes, and equipment sit inside or outside the number. Make sure you are comparing whole-boat prices with whole-boat prices, not one full charter against one cabin. And ask what the boat actually is, because photographs age better than hulls do. A desk that quotes across many vessels can tell you quickly whether a price is low because it is a good deal or low because something is missing from it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Komodo island tour from Labuan Bajo cost?
As broad 2026 guidance: shared liveaboard cabins run roughly IDR 3.5 to 12.5 million per cabin, and private charters run roughly IDR 52 to 280 million per trip depending on vessel class and duration. Shared day-boat seats are cheaper still and priced per person. Komodo National Park fees are additional in nearly every case.
Are Komodo National Park fees included in the boat price?
Almost never. Park entrance, activity, and ranger fees are charged per person and itemized separately from the charter. Any quote we issue lists them at current rates so the final number holds no surprises on departure day.
Is a private charter worth the premium over a shared trip?
For groups of four or more, usually yes. Because private boats are priced per trip, the per-person cost of a private day charter for a full group can land close to premium shared options while giving you your own route, schedule, and deck. Solo travelers and couples on tighter budgets are typically better served by a shared cabin.
Does the 1,000-visitor daily cap make trips more expensive?
Not directly, since boat prices are set by operators rather than the park. Indirectly, the cap tightens supply in peak weeks, which keeps pricing firmer and makes late-booking discounts rarer. Its main effect is on availability, so secure permit-sensitive dates early.
Why do two quotes for the same itinerary differ so much?
Vessel class, mostly. The same three-island route can be run by a basic boat or a premium phinisi, and the gap between them is legitimate. When the boats are comparable, look at what each quote excludes; a low headline number with park fees, fuel, and equipment left out often costs more in the end than an honest all-in figure.
Get an Exact Price for Your Dates
Ranges plan a budget; a real quote books a trip. Tell us your dates, group size, and which format you are leaning toward, and our desk will come back with two or three vessels at current pricing, park fees itemized, and an honest note on which one we would choose. Message us on WhatsApp at +62 811-3941-4563 or email bd@juaraholding.com. We answer with numbers, not brochures.