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Four nights, private charter

5-Day Komodo Itinerary

Five days is not a scheduled package — it is a four-night charter. Which is the point: the extra nights buy the north, and a pace where nothing is rushed.

Sebayur Island seen from the water, with boats moored offshore

In short

A five-day Komodo trip means a private charter of four nights, because scheduled departures run to fixed lengths — 3D2N, 4D3N, 7D6N — while a charter is priced per night and can run any length you want.

  • Four nights on a Deluxe phinisi is about USD 6,200 for the vessel, whoever is aboard.
  • The extra nights buy Gili Lawa, Sebayur and time that is not spent moving.
  • If you want a scheduled departure instead, the nearest published lengths are 4D3N and 7D6N.
  • Six days in Flores is the realistic total — fly in the day before.
A beach set-up on white sand with a red-sailed phinisi offshore

Day by day

What four nights actually gets you

The 3D2N circuit, then two days most visitors never see. The route is agreed with the captain, so this is a shape rather than a schedule.

  1. Day one · out to Kalong

    Board late morning, checkout snorkel on the way south, and anchor off Kalong Island for dusk as the flying foxes leave the mangroves. Dinner on deck, first night at anchor.

  2. Day two · Rinca and Padar

    A ranger-led dragon walk on Rinca in the cool of the morning, then reposition so you are on the Padar ridge for the following sunrise rather than fighting for it mid-morning.

  3. Day three · Pink Beach and mantas

    Padar at first light, breakfast aboard, then Pink Beach and a drift snorkel over the cleaning station at Manta Point. Taka Makassar in the afternoon when the tide uncovers the sandbar.

  4. Day four · the north

    Kanawa's reef and then up to Gili Lawa — the part of the park a three-day trip cannot reach. Ridge walk at golden hour, and an anchorage most boats have already left.

  5. Day five · Sebayur, then home

    A last snorkel off Sebayur, lunch under way, alongside in Labuan Bajo early afternoon with the transfer waiting.

Komodo National Park has been protected since 1980 and UNESCO-inscribed since 1991. The northern sites are where that protection is most visible, because far fewer boats go.

What the fourth night actually buys

Not more stops for their own sake. The third and fourth nights buy the northern anchorages — Gili Lawa, Sebayur — which sit far enough from Labuan Bajo that day boats and short charters cannot reach them and turn round.

They also buy slack. On a two-night trip every morning has a fixed job. On four, a day can be given to a reef because the visibility is good, or to doing nothing because the bay is empty and nobody wants to move.

If that sounds like a luxury rather than a necessity, it is — and the two-night trip is genuinely enough for a first visit. We would rather you booked that than stretched to four nights and felt the difference was thin.

The sun deck of a phinisi yacht at anchor in Komodo National Park

Three things to know about a custom length

Booking outside the published packages changes a few practicalities.

Dates are yours

A charter sails when the vessel is free rather than on a weekly schedule. That is the main reason people book one — if your window is fixed and narrow, no scheduled departure may exist inside it.

Book on the boat

Vessel availability rather than seat availability decides everything. In the April–November dry season the well-reviewed boats go six to ten weeks ahead, and the named ones further.

Same terms either way

A 50% deposit confirms, balance 30 days before departure, deposit non-refundable on cancellation. Booking a year ahead splits 30% / 20% at 120 days / balance at 30.

Want a scheduled departure instead of a charter? The published lengths are 3D2N, 4D3N, 7D6N, 9D8N and 11D10N. We will tell you which is closest to your window.

Four nights

What it costs by tier

Nights multiplied by the published nightly rate, whole vessel, in USD. Excludes the park ticket.

Entry point

Deluxe

From $6,200

four nights, whole boat

USD 1,550 a night at the entry rate. En-suite cabins, crew and full board — enough boat for most groups.

Most requested

VIP

From $7,200

four nights, whole boat

From USD 1,800 a night. Ayvara and Malca class, where deck space per head starts to matter on a longer trip.

VVIP

From $15,200

four nights, whole boat

From USD 3,800 a night for elite phinisi. Suite cabins and a crew ratio you notice across four nights rather than two.

Entry rates multiplied by four. Divide by your group to compare against a per-person cabin — on a longer trip that arithmetic turns over sooner than people expect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you sell a five-day package?
Not as a scheduled departure. The published packages are 3D2N, 4D3N, 7D6N, 9D8N and 11D10N. A five-day trip is a four-night private charter, which is bookable on any dates the vessel is free.
Is four nights better than two?
It reaches the northern sites, and it gives you slack. Whether that is worth roughly double depends on the trip. For a first visit two nights genuinely covers the park; four is for people who want to stop moving.
What do the extra days add?
Gili Lawa and Sebayur, mainly — anchorages far enough north that short trips cannot reach them. Plus the freedom to give a whole day to one reef when conditions are good.
Can I share a four-night trip with others?
Not usually — shared departures run to the published lengths. If cost is the constraint, the 3D2N share cabin from USD 300 per person is the honest alternative, and we will say so.
How many days do I need in Flores?
Six. Fly in the day before, sail five, fly out on the afternoon of the last day rather than straight off the boat — later still if anyone has been diving.

Price four nights properly

Send your window and headcount. We will name the vessels free across those nights, price all three tiers, and tell you whether a shorter scheduled departure would serve you better.