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Dry season runs April to October · Peak dates book 12 months ahead

Trust

An Independent Read

We compare the Komodo charter market and publish what we can evidence. We are not the operator, and the difference matters.

Phinisi sailing into a Komodo sunset with the sun low behind her sails

This site exists to answer one question honestly: what does a Komodo charter actually cost, and what do you get. The vessels belong to operators; we compare them.

  • Rates are published as ranges, because that is how operators quote them.
  • Figures are traced to the operator, regulator or office that issues them.
  • Where a figure cannot be confirmed, the page says so rather than estimating.
Phinisi at anchor in a sheltered Komodo bay

The premise

Why an independent guide is worth reading

Almost everything written about Komodo charters is written by someone selling one. That is not dishonest, but it means the pages that would tell you a boat is wrong for you do not exist. This site is built to say that. It is also why you will find pages here arguing that a day trip, a shared cabin or a dive liveaboard is the better answer.

Bookings are made directly with the operator. We take nothing on top of the charter rate.

185
Komodo vessels surveyed for rates
145
That publish a starting figure
40
That quote on request instead
0
Awards or rankings claimed

How we work

The rules we hold ourselves to

Six of them, and each one costs us something.

Trace every figure

Prices, distances and park fees come from the operator page, regulator or government office that issues them.

Mark the unconfirmed

Where a number cannot be verified, the page says so. An estimate presented as a fact is the failure mode here.

Publish the ranges

A thirteen-fold spread in nightly rates is the truth of this market. Averaging it away would be more comfortable and less useful.

Say when not to charter

Several pages here argue for a cheaper option. If a whole boat is wrong for you, that should be findable on this site.

Claim no awards

No rankings, no accreditations, no years-of-experience figures we cannot evidence with a link.

Correct in public

When something here turns out to be wrong, it is changed and the change is noted rather than quietly overwritten.

Large phinisi under sail off the Komodo islands

What we are not

We do not own boats

Every vessel described on this site belongs to an operator in Labuan Bajo. We do not crew them, maintain them or insure them, and any page claiming otherwise would be wrong. What we do is compare what they publish, ask the questions listed on the safety page, and pass an enquiry to the operator with your dates attached.

Questions

About us, answered

Do you own the yachts?

No. Every vessel described here belongs to an operator based in Labuan Bajo. We compare what they publish and pass enquiries on.

How do you make money?

Through the operators, not through you. The charter rate you are quoted is the operator rate; nothing is added on top for using this site.

Where do your prices come from?

From operator pages, surveyed and cross-checked. Where a vessel publishes nothing, we say so rather than estimating — 40 of the 185 we looked at fall into that category.

Why no awards or team photos?

Because we cannot evidence any. A site that publishes unverifiable credentials has no standing to tell you which operator to trust.

What if something here is wrong?

Tell us and it gets corrected. Several figures on this site changed after operators pointed out we had read their page wrong.

Ask us something hard

If a page here does not answer your question, or answers it badly, that is worth knowing. So is a figure you think is wrong.