Komodo affordable boat tour: the cheapest cabin and the true total

The Balinese Room is the entry price: IDR 6,950,000 (≈ USD 426) per person on the 3D2N open trip. Western and Japanese rooms cost IDR 8,500,000 (≈ USD 521). The gap pays for a balcony in the upper rooms and a bathtub in the Western ones, and the Balinese room has neither. It has portholes, a double and a single bed, an ensuite with hot shower and air conditioning.

It gives you something back. The lower deck moves least, which is a real saving if seasickness would waste a day of an expensive trip. It sits nearest the engine, so a light sleeper pays in noise. We would say pick on stomach and sleep, not on the photo.

Every guest on the open trip gets the same boat, route, table, chef and guide. The fare buys the cabin; nothing else changes.

One caution about false economy. A guest who books the cheapest room, then lies awake on the first night because the engine sits under the pillow, has saved a little and lost a lot, so ask yourself honestly what kind of sleeper you are before the price decides for you.

A fare is not a trip cost. The 3D2N fare covers pickup, cabin, meals, soft drinks, snorkelling gear, the paddleboards, a guide and documentation. It leaves out five things you should price before booking.

• National park fees: IDR 250,000 per international guest per day, IDR 50,000 per domestic guest on weekdays and IDR 75,000 at weekends. Ranger, pier and snorkel levies are separate and can change.
• Flights to Labuan Bajo, and a hotel night the day before.
• Tips for the crew of 7.
• Alcohol, which you can bring yourself.
• A drone permit, if you fly your own.

We will not wrap those into a bundle to make the headline look lower. The VAT rate of 11 percent is already inside the fare. Payment by PayPal carries a 7.2 percent fee, so Wise, Revolut or a bank transfer is cheaper for most guests.

Sometimes, when the group is large. A full boat of fourteen guests on 3D2N works out at IDR 7,860,000 (≈ USD 482) per person, and eighteen guests at IDR 7,220,000 (≈ USD 443). Compare that with IDR 8,500,000 (≈ USD 521) per person in an upper-deck room on the open trip. A group of friends splitting a charter may pay less per head than strangers pay on a shared departure, and it controls the dates.

A group of two to five pays the 3D2N one-to-five band of IDR 100,000,000 (≈ USD 6,135) for the whole boat, which is a poor deal for a pair. For a couple or a solo guest, the open trip is almost always the cheaper route.

If dates are flexible, use that. The open trip has 122 start dates, and the next is Monday, 12 October 2026. Not every date has the same demand, and peak weeks in July and August fill first.

If price is the first filter, we are the wrong choice. A speedboat day trip from Labuan Bajo will cost less than any night aboard. A basic shared liveaboard with a fan cabin will cost less than an air-conditioned phinisi. We sell a young hull, built in 2020, with ensuite rooms, hot water and a crew of 7, and that costs more.

What we promise is smaller than a discount. The price on the page is the price. The fee list is honest. The limits come up front, ahead of the deposit of 50 percent: only patchy local Wi-Fi (no satellite internet), no stabilisers, no compressor.

If the open trip still fits, send us the date and the cabin.

A few tips from the desk, for what they are worth. Travel in a calm month such as October or November, when crowds are lower. Pay by bank transfer, Wise or Revolut instead of PayPal. Book the Balinese Room if the sea is kind to you and the Western Room if you want a bath. Split the cost of a hotel night in Labuan Bajo with whoever you travel with.