How much does a private phinisi cost per person?

Private phinisi are priced per boat, not per person. Riley's 3D2N private trip is listed at USD 4,350 per package for 1–8 persons (checked 16 September 2026). Park fees and drinks come on top, and a smaller group pays the same boat price.

Do phinisi boats in Komodo actually sail?

They carry the traditional masts and sails, but most Komodo phinisi travel under engine power to keep to park schedules and reach anchorages before dark. Crews may hoist sails in calm, suitable conditions, often for a stretch of open water or photos. If sailing under canvas matters to you, ask the desk which vessels do it regularly.

Is a phinisi cruise worth it compared with a speedboat day trip?

It depends on time. A shared speedboat day tour covers several sites fast. A phinisi adds nights at anchor, sunrise at Padar without a dawn transfer, and meals on deck. Travellers with two or more days usually find the overnight format less rushed.

Do phinisi cabins have private bathrooms and air conditioning?

It varies by ship and by cabin category. Master and ocean-view cabins on higher-end phinisi usually have ensuites, while budget triples and quads on shared trips may differ. The desk can send the cabin list and facilities for each vessel, so check before paying for a specific grade.

The phinisi Elbark with sails raised off a Komodo island

Private & luxury · traditional ships

Komodo phinisi cruise: a wooden ship, built by hand

An overnight trip through Komodo National Park aboard a Bugis-Makassar sailing ship from Labuan Bajo. Shared cabins are priced per person on 3D2N departures; the whole ship is priced per vessel.

Match a phinisi to your group

The short version

A phinisi is the wooden cargo schooner of South Sulawesi, converted for guests. You can buy one cabin on a 3D2N open trip, or the whole ship on a charter.

Two masts, seven sails, and several deck levels that work as dining room, lounge and sundeck
Riley 3D2N private trip: USD 4,350 per package for 1–8 persons (checked 16 Sep 2026)
Shared cabins are quoted per person, by vessel and cabin grade
The national park fee is extra, paid once per trip

Plate I

What a phinisi is, and why it suits Komodo

A phinisi — also written pinisi — is the wooden cargo schooner of South Sulawesi, built by Bugis and Makassar shipwrights. The best-known yards sit around Tana Beru in Bulukumba regency, where hulls are still shaped largely by hand from hardwoods such as ironwood and teak.

UNESCO added the art of boatbuilding in South Sulawesi to its intangible cultural heritage list in 2017. The classic rig is two masts and seven sails.

Today's Komodo phinisi keep the hull and rig but cruise mostly under engine power, and crews raise sails when conditions allow. What a converted cargo ship gives guests is space: a broad beam, a steady platform at anchor, and several deck levels.

Broad beam, so the ship stays steady at anchor overnight
Separate decks for dining, lounging and sun, rather than one shared space
Timber hulls and masts photograph unlike anything else in the park

A traditional phinisi lying at anchor in a Komodo bay at sunset

Two masts, seven sails — the rig the Bugis yards have built for generations.

Plate II

One cabin or the whole ship

The vessel for each open-trip date is assigned by the desk, so if a wooden phinisi matters to you, say so when you send your dates.

The shared indoor lounge aboard the phinisi Elbark

Share cabin on an open trip

Priced per person, by cabin type, quoted on request
Roughly 8–22 fellow guests aboard
Fixed route: Padar, Pink Beach, Komodo Island, Manta Point
Typically departs Monday–Wednesday and Friday–Sunday
Best for couples, solo travellers and smaller budgets

A phinisi under full sail alone in Komodo National Park

Private phinisi charter

Priced per vessel, by duration and group size
Only your group aboard
Stops built around your priorities, within park rules
Any date the ship is free
Best for families, friends, celebrations and honeymoons

Weekday open-trip prices are quoted on request for your dates and cabin, and 2D1N open trips are on request too.

Plate III

Published phinisi charter rates for 2026

Komodo Luxury prices for named ships, as of 16 September 2026 and subject to change. Each figure applies to that vessel only.

Scroll the table sideways for every column

Published phinisi charter rates for 2026
Vessel	Duration	1–8 guests	9–10 guests
Riley	2D1N	USD 3,350 per package	USD 3,600 per package
Riley	3D2N	USD 4,350 per package	USD 4,650 per package
Riley	4D3N	USD 5,600 per package	USD 6,050 per package
Lady Grace (10 cabins)	2D1N	Quote on request (1–10)	See the surcharge note
Lady Grace (10 cabins)	3D2N	Quote on request (1–10)	See the surcharge note

Lady Grace lists an additional charge beyond its 11–20 guest band: IDR 4,000,000 per person on 2D1N, IDR 5,500,000 on 3D2N and IDR 7,000,000 on 4D3N (checked 16 September 2026). Its listing describes 10 cabins for up to 10 guests yet also shows that 11–20 band, so ask the desk how overnight berths work before planning around it. Open trips include the boat, all meals, snorkelling equipment and a guide; the park fee is extra and alcohol is charged separately.

Plate IV

How phinisi cabins are laid out

Layouts differ by ship, but most Komodo phinisi follow the same pattern. Ask for the deck plan of your assigned boat before you pay a deposit.

Master cabin

Usually the largest room, with ocean-view windows and an ensuite.

Upper deck or stern

A superior ocean-view cabin aboard Malca Voyages

Ocean-view doubles

Windows at water level. The usual choice for a couple who do not need the master.

Mid grade

A lower-deck double room aboard Malca Voyages

Lower-deck doubles and twins

Compact rooms, and the quietest berths on the ship at anchor.

Below the main deck

A quad ocean-view cabin aboard Malca Voyages

Triples and quads

Where friends and families on a budget end up on an open trip.

Share-trip favourites

Plate V

The gap between cabin grades is real

On Malca Voyages open-trip departures, Komodo Luxury prices each category separately and quotes it per person for your date.

Scroll the table sideways for every column

The gap between cabin grades is real
Cabin	What it is	Per-person price
Master ocean view	Largest room, ensuite, ocean-view windows	Quote on request
Deluxe ocean view	Mid-grade double with windows at water level	Quote on request
Superior ocean view	Compact double, ocean-facing	Quote on request
Double room	Lower-deck double or twin	Quote on request
Triple cabin	Three berths, shared by a party	Quote on request
Quad ocean view	Four berths — a family of four fills it alone	Quote on request

Ensuites and air conditioning vary by ship and by grade. Master and ocean-view cabins on higher-end phinisi usually have their own bathroom; budget triples and quads may not.

Plate VI

A day on a phinisi deck

Days start early. Padar's viewpoint is best at first light, and the reported 2026 entry sessions begin around 05:00. Breakfast is on the main deck once you are back aboard.

Late mornings bring Pink Beach and Manta Point, with snorkel gear waiting at the stern. Afternoons belong to the sundeck: bean bags, a book, the next island sliding past. Rangers lead the dragon walks at Komodo Island or Rinca.

Many itineraries finish the day near Kalong Island, where fruit bats leave the mangroves at dusk. Nights are spent at anchor: after-dark movement in high-risk park zones was reportedly restricted from 10 January 2026, so crews reach their anchorage before nightfall.

Manta and dragon sightings are never guaranteed
Longer charters add Taka Makassar's sandbar and Kanawa

The sun deck of the phinisi Elbark, with loungers under shade

The sundeck is where most of an afternoon at sea actually happens.

When to plan a phinisi cruise

Phinisi sail all year. Two reported 2026 rules affect how you plan the days.

Most open-trip departures cluster in the April–November dry season, when seas are calmer and visibility better.
December–March brings more weather-related changes to the route and the timing.
A park-wide cap of about 1,000 visitors a day was reported as enforced from 1 April 2026, with time-slotted entry sessions.
Digital pre-registration with passport details reportedly runs through operator manifests, so send details early.
From Bali, take a Denpasar (DPS) to Labuan Bajo (LBJ) flight the day before departure.

Plate VII

How booking a phinisi works

Five steps, and the reservations team confirms the ship directly.

Send dates and guest count

On WhatsApp or by email, with any flexibility on the dates.
Choose the format

A shared cabin on an open trip, or the whole ship on a charter.
Get matched

The desk shortlists phinisi that fit your group size, dates and budget, with the price for each.
Confirm and register

Share passport details for the park manifest and pre-registration.
Arrive a day early

Land in Labuan Bajo the day before and board at the harbour.

Before you book

Phinisi questions

Private & luxury

If a phinisi is not the ship

The other charter pages, and the hub that explains how whole-boat pricing works.

Or start from the complete format guide

Match a phinisi to your group size

Tell the reservations team your dates, how many are coming, and whether you want a shared cabin or the whole ship. They reply with the phinisi that are free and what each costs today.

WhatsApp the desk Prefer email? sales@komodoluxury.com