Akassa Collection
Light notes · Akassa Collection (Akassa Cruise, Derya, Giona, Semesta Voyages)
Labuan Bajo itinerary for a private boat trip, step by step
Updated 26 October 2026
A Labuan Bajo itinerary for a private boat comes together in five moves: fix the party and the dates, pick one of four boats, pay the deposit, fly in the day before and board from 10:00. The boat is back in Labuan Bajo by 14:00 on the last day, so book the flight home after 14:00. Ask us for your fare.
Fix the party and the dates first
Two facts shape everything else: how many of you there are, and which days you have. Settle those before you open a map.
The head count picks the boat. Up to 10 guests: Akassa Cruise, Derya or Giona. Giona is the lowest price, Derya and Akassa Cruise give more space, and Akassa Cruise with 3 suites is the most private. 11 to 18 guests: Semesta Voyages. Eleven people don't squeeze onto a 10-guest boat, and we won't sell it that way.
Dates pick the light. The dry season runs from April to November. July and August bring the windiest seas and the busiest anchorages. October and November are calm, clear and quieter. Sunrise at Padar falls at about 05:31 in November and about 06:18 in July, so the same climb starts in a different hour of the dark.
Keep one spare date in the diary. Light is weather: clouds and haze change the plan, and no hour of light is guaranteed. A weather closure moves a stop, never the booking terms below.
Write the head count on one line and the dates on another. Those two lines are the whole brief for a quote.
Choose a route, then read the stops
You can sail 2D1N, 3D2N or 4D3N. The 3D2N puts Padar at the start of day 2 and keeps day 3 for the sandbars, which is why we build most plans on it.
On the sample 3D2N route, the days go like this.
- Day 1. Boarding at Labuan Bajo harbor from 10:00. Kelor Island, lunch on board, Manjarite Island, then Kalong at dusk for the flying foxes.
- Day 2. Padar Island first, breakfast on board, Komodo Island, Pink Beach and Manta Point.
- Day 3. Taka Makassar and Kanawa Island, lunch on board, then back to the harbor.
A 2D1N keeps the first two days and drops day 3. A 4D3N adds Gili Lawa Darat and Sebayur Island on day 3, and Kanawa, Rangko Cave and Bidadari Island on day 4.
Mark the two hours that carry the light. Padar on day 2 is first light, with the sun in the east. Kalong on day 1 is dusk, with the sun in the west. Sunset falls between 17:49 and 18:27 across the year. The bats leave the mangroves about 15 minutes after the sun is down.
It's a sample, not a timetable. The captain picks the order of stops and the anchorage on the day, and weather can swap two stops. Manta sightings are not guaranteed. The night's mooring is the captain's call too, made around the weather.
Ask, pay the deposit, settle the balance
Send us the party size, the dates and the boat you lean towards, and ask for the price in writing. We answer with the fare for your band and the date of the rate card, 26 October 2026.
A good first message holds five items: guests, dates, route, boat, and the light you are after, sunrise, sunset or both. That saves a round of back-and-forth.
A 50% deposit confirms the date. The balance is due 30 days before departure. Payment runs by credit card link, Wise, Revolut, PayPal, QRIS, Alipay, WeChat Pay or bank transfer in rupiah. PayPal adds 7.2%.
Changes cost less when you make them early. Cancel with 60 days or more of notice and the refund is 50%. With 30 to 59 days it is 25%. A reschedule at 14 to 29 days costs IDR 500,000; at 13 days or less it counts as a cancellation. Dates and availability are confirmed in writing before you pay.
If the boat cannot sail, we put you on a phinisi of equal or higher standard on the same date at no extra cost. The cause can be a breakdown or a port or park order. The other option is a full refund within 14 days.
- A written reply the same daySend dates, group size and route
- 50 percent of the totalDeposit confirms the date
- 30 days beforeBalance before sailing
Arrive one day early
Arrive in Labuan Bajo one day before sailing. Flights into the town are canceled and delayed, and a late arrival on boarding morning costs you the first stops.
Boarding opens at the harbor from 10:00 on a private charter. Pick-up and drop-off at the harbor are in the fare. Hotels around Labuan Bajo are listed on the hotels page, and the first-time page covers visas and money.
Pack for the route. Shoes with grip for Padar and Kelor, a head torch, reef-safe sunscreen, a passport or ID for the manifest, cash for tips and small purchases, personal medicines. A power bank goes in too, because no boat promises a charging point in the cabin.
On day 2 the Padar climb starts before dawn. Guests leave the boat about 65 minutes before sunrise, and the climb to the main viewpoint takes 25 to 45 minutes. Sturdy shoes matter, because parts of the path are loose and steep. Kelor on day 1 is the warm-up: a short, steep climb of 15 to 30 minutes to a viewpoint over the bay.
Park tickets and check-out day
Park tickets are not in the fare. Under PP 36/2024 the entry ticket is IDR 250,000 per foreign guest and IDR 50,000 per Indonesian guest on a weekday, with IDR 75,000 on the higher tariff. Ranger levies are separate.
Tickets are dated, so the date on your ticket is the date you visit, and there is little room to swap days. We book each ticket against the date of your itinerary.
On the last day the boat is back at the harbor and check-out is by 14:00. Book the flight home for after 14:00, never before, and treat noon as the time of your last photograph.
Two things never come with the fare. The guide and photo or video documentation are not part of a private charter. They are on request and quoted separately. And a drone needs a park permit, so we promise no drone footage.
Full prices are on the charter page, and the day-by-day route is on the 3D2N page. For the short version of these steps, see the booking steps page.
Related pages
Sources
FAQ
How far ahead should I book a private boat?
As soon as the party and the dates are fixed. The 50% deposit holds the date, the balance falls due 30 days before departure, and we confirm availability in writing. June to August is priced on a higher card, so ask for that quote before you settle the budget.
Do I have to arrive the day before?
It is advice, not a rule, and we give it for one reason: flights into Labuan Bajo are canceled and delayed. Boarding opens from 10:00 on the first day. Arriving the day before puts you at the harbor with the whole morning in hand and the first stops safe.
What time do I leave on the last day?
Check-out is by 14:00 on the last day of a private charter, so book your flight for after 14:00. The captain decides the order of stops on the day, so keep the last morning free of anything you cannot move.
Check availability — Akassa Collection
PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia is the booking partner for the four Akassa Project boats; we sell, answer and stand behind your booking.