A liveaboard in Flores costs from USD 300 per person for an ensuite cabin on a scheduled shared departure, or from USD 3,250 per night for a whole private boat. Luxury charter tiers run USD 4,500 to USD 30,000 per night, and every guest also needs the IDR 650.000 dated Komodo National Park ticket. Here is the full, honest breakdown.
This guide uses 2026 published rates, not estimates. 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. When we quote a price below, it is a rate we actually sail at.
The Two Ways to Pay: Per Cabin or Per Boat
Every liveaboard price in Flores follows one of two structures: per person for a cabin on a scheduled shared departure, or per boat per night for a private charter. Knowing which structure a quote uses is the single fastest way to compare boats honestly.
| How you book | Pricing basis | 2026 published range |
|---|---|---|
| Shared scheduled departure | Per person, per cabin | USD 300 – 800 |
| Deluxe private charter | Per boat, per night | from USD 3,250 |
| VIP private charter | Per boat, per night | USD 4,500 – 9,000 |
| VVIP & superyacht phinisi | Per boat, per night, +11–12% VAT | USD 10,000 – 27,000 |
| Flagship (Komodo Signature, 78.2 m) | Per boat, per night | USD 30,000 |
Shared departures suit couples and solo travelers who want the reefs without paying for empty cabins. Private charter makes financial sense surprisingly early: a group of eight on a deluxe boat often pays less per person than four master-grade shared cabins would cost, and sets its own itinerary. The full fleet, route by route, is on our Flores liveaboard page.
Shared-Departure Cabin Prices, Per Person
Shared cabins are the entry point to the Flores Sea: the same anchorages and the same crew standard as a charter, at a fraction of the whole-boat rate. These are the 2026 per-person cabin prices on scheduled departures from Labuan Bajo, cabins shared on a twin or double basis.
| Vessel | Cabins & capacity | Per person, per cabin |
|---|---|---|
| Ahsana Liveaboard | 9 cabins, up to 25 guests | USD 300 (Family) – USD 560 (Master) |
| Magika Liveaboard | 9 cabins, up to 22 guests | USD 310 – USD 520 (Master Ocean) |
| Sundari | 8 cabins, up to 20 guests | USD 330 – USD 480 (Master Balcony) |
| Naturalia | 8 cabins, up to 24 guests | USD 430 – USD 800 (main-deck suite) |
The spread inside one boat matters more than the spread between boats. A family cabin low in the hull and a master suite with a private balcony sail the same route and eat from the same galley — the difference you are paying for is space, light and position on deck.
Private Charter Tiers: Per Boat, Per Night
Private charter rates scale with hull size, cabin count and crew depth, from USD 3,250 per night for a deluxe phinisi to USD 30,000 for the 78.2-meter flagship. All tiers include full crew, chef, fuel and standard excursions; only the VVIP and superyacht tier adds 11–12% VAT on top.
The deluxe tier — from USD 3,250 per night — already buys ensuite cabins, a dedicated chef and a boat that answers to nobody’s schedule but yours. The VIP tier, USD 4,500 to 9,000 per night, is where our owned fleet leads: vessels like Mosalaki (5 cabins, 12 guests, USD 6,400 per night) and Naturalia (8 cabins, 24 guests, USD 7,800 per night) carry larger suites and dedicated guides. Above that, VVIP and superyacht phinisi run USD 10,000 to 27,000 per night, and the flagship Komodo Signature — ten balcony cabins across 78.2 meters — sails at USD 30,000 per night. Longer eastern routes, including the crossing covered on our Maumere to Alor liveaboard page, are quoted per itinerary because fuel and repositioning legs differ.
What the Rate Includes — and the Fees It Doesn’t
Published rates in Flores are close to all-inclusive: meals, drinking water, tea and coffee, crew, fuel for the standard route, snorkeling gear and — for certified divers on dive-equipped boats — guided dives. What sits outside the rate is a short, predictable list, and an honest operator will put it in writing before you pay a deposit.
- Komodo National Park entrance: IDR 650.000 per person, sold as a dated ticket for a named day — it is not included in boat rates and cannot be skipped.
- Ranger, trekking and diving surcharges inside the park, itemised per activity on your final invoice.
- VAT of 11–12% on VVIP and superyacht charters — lower tiers publish rates with no VAT surcharge.
- Drone permit: USD 130 per unit per day inside the national park.
- Premium alcohol, spa treatments and specialists such as private photographers or marine-biologist guides, arranged on request.
- Crew gratuity: discretionary, customarily 10–15% of the charter fee, handed to the captain to share across the full crew.
Ready to put real numbers against your own dates? Message us on WhatsApp at +62 811 3823 875 or write to [email protected] — you will have a tailored quote within 24 hours.
Season, Lead Time and What They Do to Price
The Flores Sea is at its calmest from April to October, and that is when demand — and pressure on the best boats — peaks. Rates themselves are published year-round; what changes with the season is availability, not honesty.
July and August are the busiest weeks of the year, and the most requested vessels are reserved 12 to 18 months ahead for those dates. April–June and September–October deliver the same calm water with easier availability, and are the windows we most often recommend. From roughly December to February the sea is livelier and some boats use the period for maintenance or reposition east — sailings still run, but route flexibility matters more. If your dates are fixed, book the boat first and build the land itinerary around it, not the other way around.
Why Some “Luxury” Prices Look Too Good
A genuine luxury liveaboard carries 12 to 24 guests with a full crew; much of what is advertised as luxury in this market is an open-trip boat carrying 28 to 38 passengers on a fixed loop. The price difference is real — but so is the difference in what you get.
In our competitor research, open-trip bunks marketed as luxury typically run USD 350–750 per person. That figure looks competitive next to a USD 800 main-deck suite — until you compare guest counts, crew ratios and what “ensuite” actually means on board. Three questions expose the difference in one email: How many guests does the boat carry at capacity? Is the price per cabin or per bunk? What exactly is excluded? We publish per-cabin and per-boat rates with inclusions stated, our 9 owned vessels are always listed separately from the 200+ partner boats we work with, and the guest rating behind those numbers — 4.9/5 from more than 1,500 travelers — belongs to Komodo Luxury’s operation, on the water, not to a booking page.
Three Honest Budget Scenarios
Real trips make the price structure clearer than any table. Here are three ways travelers actually buy this experience, using 2026 published rates.
- A couple, master-grade shared cabin, 3D2N: USD 480–560 per person on Sundari or Ahsana — roughly USD 960–1,120 for two, plus two IDR 650.000 dated park tickets and in-park activity fees.
- A family of eight, deluxe private charter, 2 nights: from USD 3,250 per night — USD 6,500 for the whole boat, every cabin ensuite, itinerary set by you.
- Twelve friends, VIP vessel, 3 nights: Mosalaki at USD 6,400 per night comes to USD 19,200 — USD 1,600 per person for a fully crewed private phinisi with chef and dedicated guide.
None of these numbers include the dated park ticket, and none of them need an asterisk. That is the test worth applying to any quote you receive.
Get an Exact Price for Your Dates
Published ranges answer the research question; your dates, group size and cabin preferences answer the real one. Tell us when you want to sail and who is coming — on WhatsApp at +62 811 3823 875 or by email at [email protected] — and our team in Labuan Bajo will return a tailored quote within 24 hours, with every inclusion and every fee stated up front.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a liveaboard in Flores cost per person?
From USD 300 to 800 per person for an ensuite cabin on a scheduled shared departure from Labuan Bajo. On a private charter the per-person cost depends on group size: twelve guests on a USD 6,400-per-night VIP vessel for three nights works out to USD 1,600 per person.
How much is the Komodo National Park entrance ticket?
IDR 650.000 per person, sold as a dated ticket valid for a named day. It is never included in boat rates, and ranger, trekking and diving surcharges inside the park are itemised on top.
What is included in a private charter rate?
Full crew, chef, all meals, drinking water, fuel for the standard itinerary, snorkeling gear and guided dives for certified divers on dive-equipped boats. Excluded: park fees, premium alcohol, spa services and a customary 10-15% crew gratuity.
When is the most expensive time for a liveaboard in Flores?
Rates are published year-round, but July and August see the heaviest demand, and the most requested boats sell out 12 to 18 months ahead. April-June and September-October offer the same calm seas with easier availability.
Is a private charter better value than a shared cabin?
From about eight guests, usually yes. A deluxe charter from USD 3,250 per night split among eight costs less per person than master-grade shared cabins, and the boat sails your itinerary rather than a fixed loop.
Why are some "luxury" liveaboard prices so much lower?
Many are open-trip boats carrying 28-38 passengers, priced per bunk with inclusions that vary by boat. In our competitor research these bunks typically run USD 350-750 per person. Ask for capacity, pricing basis and exclusions in writing before comparing.