This page contains affiliate and referral links. If you charter, book, or buy through them we earn a referral fee, paid by the broker or platform, at no cost to you. We have not adjusted our rankings for the referral rate. Full breakdown on our how-we-make-money page.
A 40 to 50m motor yacht Komodo in the dry-season window (April to November 2026) runs $205,000 to $288,000 per week plus 25 to 32 percent APA, takes 8 to 12 guests, and bases out of Labuan Bajo on the western coast of Flores at 8.5 degrees south latitude. The Komodo charter ground runs three discrete cruising legs at the bracket: the central Komodo National Park at 15 to 35 nautical miles southwest of Labuan Bajo, the Rinca and southern park run at 25 to 45 nautical miles southwest, and the outer Sumba and southern Flores reach at 80 to 150 nautical miles south. The active 40 to 50m fleet using Komodo through a typical dry-season window is 5 to 8 yachts, the most accessible Indonesian charter ground at the bracket and the structural family-charter and shore-programme product within East Indonesia.
Why the bracket runs Komodo at all
The dragons and the park. Komodo National Park covers Komodo Island, Rinca Island, Padar Island, and the surrounding marine ground. The Komodo dragon population (roughly 5,700 across the park as of the 2023 census) draws the structural shore programme that Raja Ampat cannot match. Charter clients in this bracket run Komodo for the combination of the shore product (the Padar viewpoint hike, the Komodo and Rinca dragon walks, the Pink Beach landings) and the diving and snorkelling (the Manta Point, Batu Bolong, Crystal Rock, Castle Rock sites).
The infrastructure. Labuan Bajo on Flores carries the eastern Indonesian charter base at the bracket with the Komodo international airport (LBJ) at 4 kilometres from the port, the deepwater anchorage off the town quay, and the customs and immigration handle on foreign-flagged yachts. The provisioning chain runs through Jakarta and Bali (Denpasar) with weekly direct flights. The destination runs more accessible than Raja Ampat on the inbound and outbound transit by 6 to 8 hours of flight time.
The currents. The Linta Strait between Komodo and Padar and the Sape Strait between Komodo and Sumbawa run tidal current at 4 to 7 knots peak and reverse with the lunar cycle. The captain prior tenure on the Linta and Sape current windows is structural. The diving programme runs the slack-tide window on Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, and Batu Bolong, and the slack window runs 25 to 45 minutes. The Linta and Sape transit on the wrong tide is structurally compromised. Confirm captain prior Komodo tenure at inquiry.
The off-season. The northwest monsoon (December to March) brings the wet season and the destination compresses for charter at the bracket. April through November is the structural dry-season window. The April to June and October to November windows are the shoulder weeks with rates 10 to 18 percent below the July to September peak. The Komodo National Park entry fees increased in 2023 and the per-guest park entry is IDR 750,000 to 5,000,000 depending on permit type. Confirm permit type and per-guest cost at contract.
What the cruising area gives the bracket
The central Komodo National Park at 15 to 35 nautical miles southwest of Labuan Bajo carries the marquee shore product with the Padar viewpoint (the three-bay panorama from the central summit), the Pink Beach landings on Komodo's south coast, the Komodo dragon walk at Loh Liang, and the Rinca dragon walk at Loh Buaya. The bracket holds at anchor in 14 to 24 metres on sand bottom on the leeward lees of Padar and Komodo. The Pink Beach anchorage is the destination's most-built shore-programme position.
The Rinca and southern park run at 25 to 45 nautical miles southwest of Labuan Bajo carries the diving and current product with Manta Point (Karang Makassar), Tatawa Besar, Mawan, and the southern Padar approach. The bracket holds at anchor in 12 to 20 metres on sand bottom. The Manta Point manta-ray cleaning station is the destination's most-built diving position and the slack-tide window decides the diving programme. Captain prior tenure on the Manta Point tidal window is structural.
The southern Rinca and Horseshoe Bay (Cannibal Rock) and the southern Sumba reach at 60 to 150 nautical miles south of Komodo carry the outer expedition product with Pulau Mules, Pulau Mesa, and the Sumba coast. The bracket runs the southern reach as a 3 to 5-night extension on the longer charter with the captain's prior tenure on the southern current window carrying the variable. Cannibal Rock is the destination's outer diving marquee and the Sumba landings run the surfing and the cultural shore programme at Pasola season (February to March, closed dry-season).
The Wae Rebo cultural shore programme runs through the Labuan Bajo helicopter rotation to the Manggarai highland village at 1,200 metres altitude. The shore programme runs the half-day inland visit and the helicopter or 4x4 land transit. Useful for the multi-day charter with a non-marine shore brief.
Weekly rate map for 2026 dry season
Rates below are firm dry-season pricing for April through November 2026, before APA at 25 to 32 percent and gratuity at 10 to 12 percent. Peak weeks (mid-July through mid-September) run at 1.10 to 1.20 times the published rate.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht and large catamaran (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 40 to 43m | $205K to $235K per week | $178K to $205K per week |
| 43 to 47m | $235K to $265K per week | $205K to $235K per week |
| 47 to 50m | $260K to $288K per week | $228K to $258K per week |
Komodo rates run roughly 5 to 8 percent below the equivalent Raja Ampat dry-season week at the same LOA on the headline rate and the APA runs 3 to 5 percent below on a lower provisioning import-cost differential and easier fuel logistics. The destination is the structural value at the East Asian dry-season window for the family or non-dedicated-diving charter brief.
What is in the bracket in this bracket
Cabins. Five to six. The 40 to 50m Komodo standard runs the 5-cabin layout at 8 to 10 guests on the standard dry-season week and the 6-cabin product at the upper end runs the multi-family week. The Komodo charter runs a higher family ratio than Raja Ampat on the back of the shore programme.
Crew. Ten to thirteen. The Komodo crew bench runs Indonesian-deck and Western-officer with strong Australian and South African presence on the captain and engineer side and an Indonesian guide and dive-master combination on the local-knowledge side. Substitution flies in via Labuan Bajo (LBJ) and Bali (DPS) on a 24 to 36 hour lead time. Captain prior tenure on the Linta and Sape tidal windows, on the Manta Point slack window, and on the Padar and Komodo anchor positions is the variable that decides whether the charter runs cleanly.
Tenders. A primary 9 to 11m fast tender plus a 6 to 7m secondary, with the dive tender configuration on the secondary. The Padar viewpoint landing (at the southern beach, with a 30-minute walking-pace climb to the summit), the Pink Beach landings, the Komodo and Rinca dragon walks, and the Manta Point slack-window dive programme work the tender hard. The Komodo programme runs more shore-tender work than Raja Ampat by 30 to 40 percent.
At-anchor stabilizers. Load-bearing. The Linta and Sape strait currents and the southwest swell at the southern Komodo anchorages run the at-anchor product hard. The Pink Beach anchorage and the southern Padar anchorages carry the swell and the stabilizers earn their keep. Specify at-anchor stabilizers at inquiry.
Helipad. Useful. Labuan Bajo international runs the inbound and outbound guest logistics within 15 minutes of the port. The helipad runs the Wae Rebo cultural day-trip rotation, the southern Sumba surfing rotation, and the medical contingency. Useful for the multi-day charter with the inland shore brief, optional on the standard park-focused week.
Park permits and the conservation programme. The Komodo National Park entry permits, the dragon trekking permits at Loh Liang and Loh Buaya, the Manta Point conservation tag, and the Pink Beach landing permits all run through the park authority at Labuan Bajo. The captain prior tenure on the permit chain is the variable. Confirm the permit chain at contract 30 to 45 days prior.
Trip shapes that fit the bracket
The 7-night Komodo and central park round-trip. Embark Labuan Bajo, two nights central Komodo (Padar viewpoint, Pink Beach landing, dragon walk), two nights Rinca and Manta Point, one night southern Padar, two nights return run with Tatawa, Mawan, and Sebayur diving. The standard dry-season week at the bracket. Suits the family week tied to the shore programme and the dressed week with the Labuan Bajo shore restaurants on the embarkation and disembarkation nights.
The 10-night Komodo and southern park extension. Embark Labuan Bajo, two nights central Komodo, two nights Rinca and Manta Point, three nights southern Komodo and Horseshoe Bay (Cannibal Rock, southern Padar), two nights return with the Sebayur diving, one night Labuan Bajo. The extended dry-season charter at the bracket with the southern diving leg. Suits the diving-focused couples week and the multi-family week with the Cannibal Rock extension.
The 14-night Komodo and Sumba expedition. Embark Labuan Bajo, four nights central Komodo and Rinca, four nights southern reach (Cannibal Rock, Pulau Mules), four nights Sumba coast (cultural landings, surfing on the southern coast), two nights return. The marquee Komodo charter at the bracket. Suits the dedicated expedition couples week and the multi-family week with the cultural-led Sumba brief. Booking lead time 10 to 14 months for the Sumba shore programme and the Indonesian permit chain.
For destination context see Asia charter season, 40-50m Raja Ampat, and Indonesian CAIT permit explained.
What the bracket does not do well at Komodo
The wet-season charter. The northwest monsoon (December to March) closes the Komodo dry-season window. The wet-season Indonesian charter runs the Raja Ampat dry season at that calendar window or the Andaman northeast monsoon at Phuket, not Komodo. Build the Komodo charter into the April to November window.
The compressed five-night charter. The Labuan Bajo embarkation and the anchor positions in the central park compress the five-night charter to a shore-programme highlight reel without the southern Rinca diving and the Cannibal Rock leg. The five-night charter does not run the diving programme cleanly. Build the charter to 7 nights minimum.
The non-shore-programme charter. The Komodo product is the shore programme combined with the diving. The non-shore-programme couples week compresses to the Manta Point and the Castle Rock diving programme and the destination runs comparable to Raja Ampat at a smaller diving ground. Build the brief around the shore programme combination or take the destination off the shortlist for the diving-dedicated couples week.
The Padar viewpoint at peak. The Padar central summit viewpoint runs to capacity through July to September on the cruise-ship arrival window. Confirm the Padar landing window at contract and build the climb into the sunrise slot (06:00 to 07:30) outside the cruise-ship visitor window.
The pick
For a family of 10, 7-night Komodo and central park round-trip in mid-July at the dry-season peak: a 43 to 45m motor yacht with the 5-cabin plus pullman layout, a captain holding prior Linta-Sape tidal-window tenure, a full tender complement with the shore-tender configuration, and the Padar sunrise climb, the Komodo dragon walk, the Pink Beach landing, and the Manta Point slack-window dive arranged at contract. Budget: $250K plus APA at 28 percent, all-in roughly $340K. Booking lead time: 8 to 12 months.
For a couples-only 14-night Komodo and Sumba expedition in late September at the dry-season window: a 45 to 47m motor yacht with the 6-cabin layout, helipad for the Wae Rebo and Sumba rotation, full tender complement with dive configuration, the captain experience for the Cannibal Rock southern current window and the Sumba coast surfing landings, and the southern Sumba cultural and Pasola off-season programme arranged at contract. Budget: $278K per week, all-in for 14 nights roughly $735K including APA and park permits. Booking lead time: 12 to 14 months.
Inventory
The live 40 to 50m Komodo and East Indonesia dry-season inventory through the 2026 season updates weekly.. For broker-side inquiry, see the brokers pillar and the Asia charter season report.