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Komodo Sharing Open Trips

Pick a sharing liveaboard or phinisi from Labuan Bajo. Compare trips and dates, per-person pricing, book over WhatsApp.

Labuan Bajo · Komodo National Park · 107 trips

107 vessels

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What you usually only learn at the pier

Three things guests ask about most often, usually once it is too late to arrange them.

The costs to sort out before you board

The trip prices in this catalogue do not include the Komodo National Park ticket, and it is not a small fee: IDR 350,000 per person for Indonesian citizens and IDR 650,000 for foreign visitors. The ticket is arranged by the Open Trip Komodo team. Beyond that, what people forget is small change for the ranger who walks with you on Komodo Island, extra drinking water if you drink a lot, and a tip for the crew if you feel they earned it. No operator requires a tip, but the crew on these boats work from the hour you wake up until you sleep.

Why the hour you anchor matters more than the order of the islands

Almost every boat calls at the same islands, so what separates one trip from another is not the list of places but the hour the boat arrives. Kalong Island only means something if you anchor as the sun drops, because what you came for is the thousands of flying foxes leaving the mangroves as the sky darkens; anchoring at two in the afternoon means you are looking at an ordinary mangrove island. Padar is climbed before daylight, not for romance, but because the trail is open with no shade and the middle of the day on that ridge is punishing. Manta Point depends on the current that day, and the captain decides whether it is safe. If an itinerary promises exact times for every stop, that is a sign it was copied rather than sailed.

Reading the price: per person, per bed, or per boat

In this catalogue open trip prices are per person, and that is what makes the comparison fair. What to check one level deeper is the cabin: a double cabin is sold per person for two people, while a sharing cabin is sold per bed, so you only pay for your own bunk and your cabin mates can be anyone. A private charter is a different layer again, priced per boat per date, so it starts to make sense once your group is large enough to fill the boat. When two boats in the same class look far apart on price, the difference is usually not the route but the number of guests on board, whether bathrooms are ensuite or shared, and the age of the boat.

Life on board

Photos from our own open trip guests, across different boats.

Three guests leaning over the bow of the boat above blue sea
A guest photographing a bay full of boats at dusk
Guests relaxing on deck bean bags at sunset
Guests toasting on deck facing the sea at sunset
Guests chatting on deck as the sun sets
A guest on the beach looking at an anchored phinisi

Frequently asked questions

An open trip means you buy a seat or a cabin on a boat shared with other travelers, and you pay per person. A private charter means a whole boat belongs to your group for those dates, and you pay per boat. Open trips are far cheaper for solo travelers and couples; a charter starts to make sense once your group is big enough to fill the boat, and that is where the route and the schedule become yours to set.
What separates them is the boat and the cabin, not the route. Superyacht and Luxury compete on cabin size, ensuite bathrooms and more crew per guest. Deluxe and Superior are usually air conditioned cabins with some bathrooms shared. Regular keeps the price down with simpler cabins, and Speedboat is not an overnight boat at all, it is for day trips. The three day two night route itself is similar across classes, because what decides the order of stops is the weather and the national park.
April to October has the calmest sea, and it is also the busiest season, so the good boats fill up fast in July and August. January and February bring the biggest swell and schedules can shift, because the captain decides what is safe. Beyond that, what shapes your experience is the hour rather than the month: Padar is climbed at sunrise, and mantas depend on the current that day.
No, and this is what surprises guests at the pier most often. The park ticket is paid separately: IDR 350,000 for Indonesian citizens and IDR 650,000 for foreign visitors, per person, not included in the package price, and arranged by the Open Trip Komodo team.
Your seat is locked once the full payment goes through the official payment page, and nothing is billed afterwards. Cancel 30 days or more before departure and you get a full refund; the closer to departure, the less comes back, and less than 7 days before departure there is no refund because the seat can no longer be resold.