A phinisi charter in Flores puts a traditional two-masted Indonesian sailing yacht — rebuilt to modern luxury standards — at your private disposal. Charters depart Labuan Bajo for Komodo National Park and the Flores Sea with full crew and chef, from USD 5,300 per night for an owned VIP vessel. Every itinerary is planned one-to-one via WhatsApp.
Flores Luxury is the luxury travel brand of Juara Holding Group for Flores and Komodo. Voyages are operated with our sister company Komodo Luxury — a fleet of 9 owned vessels and a network of 200+ partner boats, rated 4.9/5 by more than 1,500 guests and named Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice 2025 & 2026. This page covers everything a private phinisi charter involves: the boats themselves, real published rates, routes, life on board, and the four-hundred-year-old craft behind the hull under your feet.
What Is a Phinisi?
A phinisi is a traditional two-masted Indonesian sailing vessel, developed by the Konjo boatbuilders of Bulukumba in South Sulawesi and still built by hand today. Modern luxury phinisi keep the silhouette and ironwood hull, and add ensuite cabins, a professional galley and full crew.
The classic rig carries two masts and, in its traditional form, seven sails — a configuration Bugis and Konjo sailors refined over centuries of trading runs across the archipelago. In 2017, UNESCO inscribed the art of phinisi boatbuilding on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, recognising the shipwright villages of Bulukumba where keels are still laid by eye and joined by hand.
What changed in the last two decades is the interior. Charter phinisi are either rebuilt from working hulls or launched new from the same yards, then fitted out to yacht standard: air-conditioned ensuite cabins, sun decks with daybeds, tenders for shore landings, and navigation and safety systems that meet modern charter requirements. The result is unlike any motor yacht — a tall wooden ship under sail, with the comfort of a boutique hotel.
You will see the name spelled both ways — pinisi in Indonesian, phinisi in most English charter listings. They are the same vessel; strictly speaking the word describes the rig rather than the hull, which is why the boats vary so widely in size while remaining unmistakably one family. In Flores waters, a phinisi at anchor has become the signature image of the destination itself.
Our Phinisi Fleet
The fleet behind this page is 9 owned vessels — operated end to end by our sister company Komodo Luxury with in-house crews — alongside a separately labelled network of 200+ vetted partner boats. You always know which is which before you book.
The owned fleet spans three tiers: VIP phinisi from 25 to 40 metres, and two flagship superyachts — Komodo Signature at 78.2 metres and Komodo Prestige at 66 metres, each with balconies on every cabin. Deck plans, cabin photography and full specifications for each vessel are available on request via WhatsApp, and the complete luxury phinisi Komodo fleet pages carry current availability.
| Vessel | Length | Cabins | Guests | Rate (whole boat, per night) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Komodo Signature | 78.2 m | 10 (all with balcony) | 20 | from USD 30,000 |
| Komodo Prestige | 66 m | 8 (all with balcony) | 16 | from USD 25,000 |
| Neptune | 40 m | 7 | 20 | from USD 8,900 |
| Naturalia | 33.45 m | 8 | 24 | from USD 7,800 |
| Catnazse | 34.4 m | 8 | 18 | from USD 5,900 |
| Ayvara | 25 m | 7 | 15 | from USD 5,500 |
| Malca | 30 m | 7 | 21 | from USD 5,300 |
| Pinta | 30 m | 5 | 13 | from IDR 77.000.000 |
| Mosalaki | 28 m | 5 | 12 | from IDR 104.000.000 |
Rates are published whole-boat figures for 2026; some carry 11–12% VAT, itemised in your quote. Ayvara sails with Starlink internet on board. Matching is the real service here: a honeymoon couple, a family of twelve and a dive group of twenty need three different boats, and because the same team operates the vessels year-round, we know which hull suits which group before the first message is answered. If you would rather book a single cabin on a scheduled departure than a whole boat, our liveaboard sailings from Labuan Bajo run the same waters with per-cabin pricing — and if your taste runs to modern hulls over wooden ones, we also charter private motor yachts in Flores.
Luxury Phinisi vs Standard Phinisi
The word “luxury” is applied loosely in Labuan Bajo: across the listings we monitor, boats sleeping 28–38 guests in bunk cabins are routinely marketed as luxury phinisi. The genuine article is defined by space per guest, crew ratio, and what happens in the galley — not by the word on the brochure.
Here is what actually separates the tiers, so you can read any listing critically:
- Guests per metre of boat. A luxury phinisi carries 8–20 guests on a 30–40 m hull. When a similar hull advertises 25+ berths, cabins have been subdivided and shared bathrooms follow.
- Ensuite, air-conditioned cabins. Standard boats often run fan-cooled bunks with shared heads. Luxury vessels give every cabin its own bathroom, climate control and hot water.
- A dedicated chef. On standard trips the deckhand cooks. A luxury charter carries a trained chef preparing set menus around your preferences, dietary needs included.
- Crew ratio. Expect a crew of 8–15 on a luxury phinisi — captain, chef, engineer, dive or cruise guide, and deck crew — rather than the 4–5 hands of a standard boat.
- Private itinerary. A standard open trip follows a fixed loop on a fixed date. A private charter sails your route, at your pace, on the dates you choose.
- Safety and tenders. Modern navigation electronics, serviced life rafts, and proper tenders for dry shore landings — checked, not assumed.
Charter Rates & What’s Included
Published whole-boat rates across the owned fleet and 200+ partner phinisi run USD 1,800–18,700 per night in 2026, depending on class. Every charter is quoted individually — send your dates and group size and you receive a tailored quote within 24 hours.
| Charter class | Published rate (per boat, per night) | Typical guests |
|---|---|---|
| Boutique private phinisi | from USD 1,800 | up to 5 |
| Classic luxury phinisi | USD 3,800–4,900 | 8–12 |
| Premium phinisi | USD 5,700–8,900 (some + 11–12% VAT) | 6–20 |
| Superyacht-class phinisi | USD 10,000–15,000 + VAT | 10–26 |
| Heritage flagship phinisi | USD 17,000–18,700 + 12% VAT | 10–12 |
For trip budgeting: a classic-class 3D2N charter starts around USD 7,600 all-in on the boat, a 4D3N from USD 11,400, and a five-night 6D5N from USD 19,000 — the nightly rate multiplied by nights aboard, before park fees. Two honest notes on reading rates: figures marked with VAT are quoted before the 11–12% tax, which we always show as its own line, and per-boat pricing means a full boat costs the same whether four or fourteen guests board — so larger groups often find the per-person mathematics lands below a scheduled cabin trip.
An all inclusive phinisi charter in Komodo typically covers:
- Full professional crew and a private chef with full-board dining
- All cabins ensuite with air conditioning, linens and towels
- Snorkelling equipment, kayaks or paddleboards where fitted, and tender transfers for every landing
- Fuel, harbour fees and drinking water, coffee and tea for the published itinerary
Quoted separately: Komodo National Park entry — the IDR 650.000 per person dated ticket — plus ranger and trekking fees, dive packages, alcohol, and crew gratuity. We arrange the park tickets for you and itemise every line in the quote, so the number you approve is the number you pay. Many guests fold their charter into a longer journey ashore; our tailor-made Flores journeys combine sea days with the island’s volcanoes and villages.
Ready for numbers on your dates? Message us on WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 or write to [email protected] — a charter specialist replies with a tailored quote within 24 hours.
Signature Routes
Most phinisi charters sail the western triangle of Komodo National Park — Padar, Komodo and the manta channels — on two to four-night loops from Labuan Bajo. Longer voyages open the quiet north coast and the wild east of the Flores Sea.
Because the charter is private, these are starting points rather than fixed products. Your captain plans each day around tide, wind and crowd patterns — reaching the Padar viewpoint before the day boats arrive, holding Manta Point for the slack-tide window, choosing the night’s anchorage for shelter and silence rather than schedule. The routes below are the frames we quote most often:
| Route | Nights | Signature anchorages | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Komodo Essentials | 1–2 | Padar sunrise, Pink Beach, Komodo dragons at Loh Liang | First visits, short windows |
| Grand Komodo | 3–4 | Taka Makassar sandbar, Manta Point, Gili Lawa Darat ridge | The full national park at ease |
| North Flores Coast | 4–6 | Sebayur, Gili Bodo, the islet maze off Riung | Empty anchorages, snorkelling |
| East to the Wild | 7–10 | Maumere Bay, the Pantar Strait, Alor | Divers and true expedition sailing |
| Westbound Crossing | 3–4 | Komodo, Satonda crater lake, Moyo waterfalls, Lombok | Sailing between islands, one-way |
On the north coast run, the marine park of Riung’s 17 Islands rewards a full day at anchor under the flying-fox colonies. Eastbound, the Maumere to Alor voyage is the least-sailed water in the region — whales on migration, reef walls, villages beyond the road network. Westbound, your phinisi can make the classic Lombok to Flores crossing in reverse, ending at Lombok’s beaches instead of an airport queue. The Flores Sea is at its calmest from April to October; our month-by-month guide maps sea state, manta season and booking windows.
Life on Board: Cabins, Crew, Chef
A charter day runs to your rhythm: sunrise on deck, a landing or a reef before breakfast, sailing through the middle of the day, and an anchorage chosen for the sunset. The crew — typically 8 to 15 across captain, chef, engineer, guide and deck hands — handle everything else.
Cabins on the owned fleet are ensuite and air-conditioned, ranging from doubles tucked into the bow to full-beam master suites; on the flagships, every cabin opens to its own balcony. Common spaces are where a phinisi earns its keep — broad teak sun decks, shaded dining areas, and bow nets strung over the water for the hours when nobody wants to do anything at all.
The galley sets the tone of the trip. Your chef plans menus around the group before departure — Indonesian classics, fresh-grilled fish bought from passing fishermen, Western breakfasts, children’s plates, or a strictly plant-based week; dietary requirements are cooking instructions, not complications. Dinner is served on deck whenever the weather allows, which in the dry season is almost always.
Between anchorages the guide runs the day’s landings: dragon treks with rangers at Loh Liang, the Padar viewpoint before the heat, snorkelling lines over the manta cleaning stations. Nothing is compulsory. The boat is yours; the plan bends to the group, not the other way around.
Phinisi for Occasions
A private phinisi turns a date on the calendar into the setting itself — one boat, your people, and an empty horizon. The most requested occasions are honeymoons, proposals and milestone birthdays, each planned quietly with the crew in advance.
For couples, the classic form is a candlelit dinner on the aft deck at anchor, arranged with the chef while you are ashore at sunset. Our Flores honeymoon journeys build entire itineraries this way — secluded sandbars, a private Pink Beach picnic, suites ashore before or after the sailing. Proposals follow the same playbook with one extra conspirator on the crew; small deck weddings and prewedding photography charters are arranged case by case with our events partners in Labuan Bajo.
Families and friends’ groups charter for the opposite reason: room to spread out. A 7–8 cabin vessel absorbs three generations without anyone sharing a bathroom, and the crew adjust the day’s pace to the youngest and oldest aboard. Corporate groups and retreats take the larger hulls — up to 24 guests on Naturalia — with the same private-itinerary logic.
Craftsmanship & Heritage
Every phinisi traces its line to the shipwright villages of Bulukumba — Tana Beru and Ara — where Konjo master builders still lay keels on open beaches, working from memory and proportion rather than drawings. It is the only living tradition of its kind at this scale anywhere in the world.
The hulls are ironwood and teak, joined with wooden dowels and caulked by hand; a large vessel takes a village team a year or more to build, and her launching is marked by the annyorong lopi ceremony, in which the community physically pushes the finished ship to the sea. UNESCO’s 2017 inscription recognised exactly this — not the boats alone, but the knowledge held by the builders.
For guests, the heritage is not an abstraction. It is the reason the deck under your feet is solid timber rather than moulded fibreglass, the reason the ship carries sail at all, and the reason Indonesian crews handle these vessels with visible pride. Chartering a phinisi keeps working yards, sailmakers and crews employed inside their own tradition — luxury travel that funds the culture it borrows from, rather than replacing it.
Sewa Kapal Phinisi (Bahasa Indonesia)
Untuk tamu domestik: kami melayani sewa kapal phinisi di Labuan Bajo, Flores dan Taman Nasional Komodo — kapal privat penuh, bukan open trip. Armada kami mencakup 9 kapal milik sendiri dan 200+ kapal partner terverifikasi, dengan kru lengkap dan chef pribadi di setiap keberangkatan.
Harga sewa kapal phinisi bersifat per kapal per malam, mulai dari USD 1,800 untuk kelas boutique hingga kelas flagship; tarif kapal milik mulai USD 5,300 per malam. Tiket masuk Taman Nasional Komodo (IDR 650.000 per orang, tiket dated) diurus tim kami dan dirinci transparan dalam penawaran. Kirim tanggal dan jumlah tamu Anda via WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 — penawaran khusus dikirim dalam 24 jam, dalam Bahasa Indonesia atau Inggris.
Plan Your Phinisi Charter
Tell us your dates, group size and the pace you want — sails-up expedition or slow anchorages — and we will match the right vessel from the owned fleet or the partner network, with a tailored quote within 24 hours. Message WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 or email [email protected]. Voyages are operated with Komodo Luxury, rated 4.9/5 by 1,500+ verified guests and named Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice 2025 & 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a phinisi charter in Flores cost?
Published whole-boat rates run USD 1,800–18,700 per night in 2026. Boutique phinisi for up to 5 guests start from USD 1,800 per night, classic luxury vessels run USD 3,800–4,900, premium vessels USD 5,700–8,900, and superyacht-class phinisi USD 10,000 and up. Owned VIP vessels start from USD 5,300 per night; every charter is quoted individually within 24 hours.
What does an all inclusive phinisi charter include?
Full crew and a private chef with full-board dining, ensuite air-conditioned cabins, snorkelling equipment, tender transfers for all landings, fuel and harbour fees for the published itinerary. Quoted separately: the Komodo National Park dated ticket at IDR 650.000 per person, ranger fees, dive packages, alcohol and crew gratuity — all itemised in your quote before you commit.
Can two people charter a private phinisi?
Yes. Boutique-class phinisi carrying up to 5 guests start from USD 1,800 per night, which makes a couples' charter realistic rather than theoretical. Honeymooners often take a small vessel for 3–4 nights through Komodo National Park, with the chef and crew arranging private dinners on deck at anchor.
How many days do you need for a phinisi charter in Komodo?
Two nights (3D2N) covers the essentials — Padar, Pink Beach, the dragons and a manta site — at a humane pace. Three nights (4D3N) is the sweet spot, adding Taka Makassar and the northern anchorages. Voyages of 7–10 nights reach the north Flores coast or sail east toward Maumere and Alor.
Where do Flores phinisi charters depart from?
Labuan Bajo, the westernmost town on Flores and the gateway harbour of Komodo National Park. It is roughly a 90-minute flight from Bali, and your crew meets you at the airport for the short transfer to the harbour. One-way routes can also end at Lombok on the westbound crossing.
Do you own the boats you charter?
The operating fleet is 9 owned vessels run by our sister company Komodo Luxury with in-house crews, alongside a separately labelled network of 200+ vetted partner boats — you always know which you are booking. Komodo Luxury is rated 4.9/5 by more than 1,500 verified guests and was named Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice 2025 & 2026.
When is the best season for a phinisi charter in Flores?
April to October brings the calmest water on the Flores Sea and reliable sailing weather; April–June and September–November combine dry conditions with lighter crowds. Manta encounters peak in the cooler months. Luxury vessels book out earliest for July–August and the year-end holidays, so confirm dates 3–6 months ahead.
Is a phinisi comfortable if I get seasick?
More than most expect. Phinisi are heavy-displacement wooden hulls that ride swell slowly rather than slamming, itineraries hug sheltered island channels, and nights are spent at calm anchorages. In the April–October dry season most crossings are gentle; your captain re-routes around any rough patch, which is a freedom open trips do not have.
What is the difference between a phinisi and a motor yacht charter?
A phinisi is a traditional two-masted wooden sailing vessel with broad teak decks and a crew culture rooted in Indonesian seafaring — slower, quieter and more atmospheric. A motor yacht trades that character for speed and range. Both charter privately from Labuan Bajo with crew and chef; many guests decide purely on aesthetics.
How do I book a phinisi charter?
Send your dates, group size and interests via WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 or [email protected]. A charter specialist matches vessels from the owned fleet and partner network and returns a tailored quote within 24 hours, with deck plans and cabin photography. A deposit confirms the vessel; the balance follows the schedule set out in your quote.