Two days on a private yacht in Komodo

Two stops from the longer charters are missing here: Manta Point and Sebayur. Manta Point is a drift along a reef in current, and sightings depend on tide and current; Sebayur is a swim and snorkel stop more than an hour and a half from the harbour. The three-day charter carries both.

Nor is there a second morning. Day 2 carries four stops and the return, so the order matters, and the captain places Taka Makassar early or late as the tide requires.

What one night aboard does give is Kalong at dusk, dinner on a yacht that belongs to the party, and a night in a named suite. With only two days in Labuan Bajo, no shorter route includes all three. A party with a third day to spare makes better use of the yacht on the longer charter, and the quote will say so.

Voyage 1 has a single band for 1 to 12 guests, with an extra-guest rate for the 13th to the 16th. Voyage 2 has two bands, 1 to 10 and 11 to 16. The table gives the whole-yacht figure and each person's share at three sizes.

The Voyage 1 figure for 14 is the base rate plus two extra guests at IDR 6,500,000 (≈ USD 399) each; Voyage 2 enters its second band at the 11th guest. Rates are 2026 rates for the whole yacht, per yacht and not per person, and the park ticket, flights, hotel, insurance and crew gratuities are paid by you. On a private charter the guide and the photo and video documentation are not included; both are available on request and quoted separately. The charter page carries every length and band.

A short window tends to mean a short list. A principal, a partner and two or three guests sit comfortably on either yacht for two days, while the rest of the family stays at the hotel.

Suite assignment for a principal and two guests. On Voyage 1 the principal takes Paris, the main-deck master suite with a queen bed and a jacuzzi on its private balcony. Athena and Praha, each with a queen bed and an en-suite bathroom, go to the two guests. On Voyage 2 the principal takes Borobudur, the upper-deck master with a king bed and that yacht's only jacuzzi balcony; one guest takes Eiffel, the second upper-deck king suite, and a third takes Big Ben, a queen suite on the main deck. No other suite on either yacht is listed with a balcony.

Those ashore need nothing from the yacht except the return time, which comes with the quote.

The brief

• Names as on the passports, and who sleeps in which suite.
• Diets and allergies for the crew, by the date the quote is accepted.
• The arrival flight and the hotel, so the pickup is exact.
• Anyone who will not climb Padar or walk at Komodo.

Pickup in Labuan Bajo is part of the booking, from the airport, a hotel or the harbour. The time and the meeting point are confirmed in writing, and so is the return time on day 2, so onward flights can be booked around it.

Arrive in Labuan Bajo the day before sailing, so a cancelled or delayed flight does no harm, and book the onward flight for the evening of day 2 or later. The page on arriving in Labuan Bajo lists the cities that fly there and the papers to carry.

One KEXI park package per guest bundles the entrance ticket (PP 36/2024) with the ranger fee and local levies; the package is paid on top of the boat price unless the quote marks it as included.