The five things that move the price
Two people can pay wildly different amounts for the same island on the same day. These are the variables that separate them.
Guide · Money
What a day at Kanawa actually costs
Every fare on this page is an indicative band, not a quote — because the real number depends on your boat, your date and whether your route crosses into the national park. Here is what drives it, and what you should have in writing before you pay.
- Last checked
- August 2026
- Read
- 5 minutes
- Currency
- USD and IDR
The short answer
- Fares are quoted per booking rather than published, because the real number depends on your boat, your date and your route.
- A seat on a scheduled boat is priced per person; a private hull is priced per boat, so it falls per head as your group grows.
- Ask Komodo Luxury for a figure with your dates and headcount. It comes back in writing, itemised, usually the same day.
- Komodo National Park fees are separate, set by the park authority, and never bundled into a fare.
This page explains what moves a price rather than listing rates. Fares move with season, fuel and vessel availability, so a published band would be out of date before it helped you. Only the written quote you approve is binding — that is deliberate, and it is the number to hold Komodo Luxury to.
Day trips, per person
Seat-in-boat products, priced per head. Send a date and a headcount for the figure. The USD 90 floor is the published starting fare for a shared Komodo speedboat day tour, taken from Komodo Luxury and checked on 25 August 2026; a Kanawa-only seat is quoted on its own and can sit below it.
| Factor | Indicative fare | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Shared open boat | Quoted per booking | The crossing, a day on the island, basic snorkel gear. Fixed departure and return. |
| Guided snorkelling day | Quoted per booking | An in-water guide, fitted gear, and three to four hours actually in the water. |
| Three-island Komodo day | Quoted per booking | A full day across several stops. Park fees extra where the route enters the park. |
| Grand Komodo day | Quoted per booking | The longest scheduled route, dragons included. Park and ranger fees extra. |
Private boats, per boat
Charters are quoted for the hull, so the per-person cost falls as your group grows. A speedboat split six ways is often cheaper per head than two guided seats. USD 800 is where Komodo Luxury opens its private day charters inside the national park, checked on 25 August 2026 — read it as the floor for a full-day hull, not as a Kanawa round trip, which is priced separately.
| Factor | Indicative rate | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Speedboat, hourly | Quoted per booking | Minimum two hours. Transfers, a short reef session, a sunset run. |
| Speedboat, full day | From USD 800 per boat, per day | Eight to ten hours, three to five stops, your own schedule. |
| Phinisi day charter | From USD 5,800 per boat, full day | Sunrise to sunset on a wooden sailing ship. Ten to twenty guests, by class. |
| Group and corporate | Quoted per booking | Multi-boat days for forty to a hundred guests, on one invoice. |
| Private day for two | Quoted per booking | The honeymoon format: own boat, own timing, optional dinner and photographer. |
If you only need the crossing
There is no public ferry to Kanawa. Every crossing is privately operated, so a transfer is booked rather than bought at the pier.
| Factor | One-way | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Shared boat, per person | Quoted per booking | Quoted per booking |
| Private speedboat, up to 6 | Quoted per booking | Quoted per booking |
| Private speedboat, 7 to 12 | Quoted per booking | Quoted per booking |
National park fees, and when they apply
Kanawa itself sits outside the Komodo National Park boundary, so a Kanawa-only day generally involves no park entrance ticket. This is the single most common source of surprise on a bill, in both directions.
The moment a route extends to Padar, Pink Beach, Manta Point, Rinca or Komodo, park entrance and activity fees apply. They are set by the park authority, change from time to time, and are charged at the rate published on the date of your quote. No operator can promise you a park fee — anyone who quotes one as fixed is guessing.
Ranger accompaniment, where an itinerary requires it, is a separate line again. It is arranged with the charter and stated on the quote.
What is normally not in the fare
None of these are hidden. They are simply not part of a boat fare, and they are the things people forget to budget.
How to make sure the number holds
Four habits that make a price argument impossible later.
- Get the total in writing before you transfer anything.
- Ask explicitly whether park fees are inside or outside the figure.
- Confirm what happens if weather cancels the departure, in the same message.
- Check whether the fare is per person or per boat. It is the most expensive misreading available.
- Do not treat any published band, including the ones above, as a quote.
- Do not pay a deposit before you have the route and inclusions in text.
If any operator — including this one — will not put the total in writing before payment, that is the answer to your question about them.
Price a specific day
The four products most people are actually choosing between.
- Shared day trip The cheapest way onto the island.
- Guided snorkelling Gear, a guide, and time in the water.
- Speedboat charter Per boat, hourly or full day.
- Boat transfer Just the crossing, both directions.
- Deluxe wooden boat More deck and shade, per boat.
- Kanawa to Lombok The 4D3N crossing onward, one way.
Ask for the real number
Send your date, group size and which stops matter. You get an itemised written quote back — fare, what is included, and park fees stated separately — before anything is paid.
Practical money questions people ask about Kanawa
Are there fresh water showers available on Kanawa Island, and do they cost extra to use?
Kanawa Island has basic shower facilities, but you should not rely on them being fully functional or truly “fresh” at all times. Water comes over from Labuan Bajo and outages are common, especially late in the day. When working, they are usually included for day guests rather than metered. Bring a light towel, biodegradable soap, and assume a salty rinse is your backup plan.
What is the availability and cost of hammocks or sunbeds on Kanawa Island?
Hammocks and sunbeds come and go with the season and whoever is currently maintaining the old resort area. Some days you find a few usable loungers under the trees; other days everything is broken or stacked away. There is usually no formal “rental” system — it’s first-come, first-served. If you want certainty, bring a compact travel hammock or a beach mat and treat anything on the island as a bonus, not a guarantee.
Do you need a snorkelling guide at Kanawa, and how is that priced?
For the shallow water near the beach, most guests snorkel unguided; the house reef flat is only 1 to 3 metres deep and easy to read. A guide earns the cost if you are not confident in open water, if children are with you, or if you want to work further along the reef wall. Guiding is charged per person or per group by the operator rather than at a fixed island rate, so ask for duration and coverage in writing when you book out of Labuan Bajo.
Is there dormitory accommodation on Kanawa Island, and what does it cost?
Dormitory-style buildings did exist, but accommodation on the island has run on and off for several years. No source confirms a dorm is operating normally today, or what its capacity and rate would be. Do not sail out assuming a bed is waiting. Treat any older listing you find as an archive entry and confirm the current position directly with an operator before you commit.
Has overnight accommodation on Kanawa Island reopened?
The bungalow infrastructure is still standing, but 2024 and 2025 reports describe power cuts, water outages and rooms that have not been maintained. There has been no formal announcement that accommodation closed for good, and equally no evidence it is running normally. If you intend to stay, treat the status as partially functional at best and make the operator confirm specifics: which room types are available, the state of power and water, and how check-in and payment work.
If you stay overnight on Kanawa, are meals included?
Older packages sometimes listed breakfast and occasionally dinner, but the pattern shifted with whoever was managing the island. Assume nothing about breakfast, dinner or an all-inclusive rate without it in writing. Ask precisely what the room price covers, how many meals a day, and what happens if the kitchen runs out of supplies or the power drops. Carry dense snacks as a fallback.
How is a full guided snorkelling day priced, rather than just the crossing?
A properly structured snorkelling day, with a guide in the water, several stations and lunch on board, is sold as a tour package out of Labuan Bajo. It is priced per person on a shared boat and per vessel on a private charter, and that single distinction moves the number more than anything else. Compare the shared open-trip departures around Komodo first, then ask for a written quote that puts Kanawa in the route.
If you add Padar or Manta Point to a Kanawa day, how do the park fees work?
The moment the route crosses into the park, at Padar, Rinca, Komodo or Manta Point, the day splits into two lines: the boat, and the statutory park fee. The boat is charged per seat or per vessel per day depending on whether you join a shared trip or charter privately. The park fee follows PP No. 36/2024 and is paid separately from the boat price, at USD 40-50 per foreign visitor per day. Make sure your quote keeps those two components apart.
Untuk mengubah semua ini menjadi perjalanan yang terjadwal rapi, kirim tanggal, jumlah orang, dan rencana singkat (Kanawa saja atau plus Komodo) ke +62 811-3823-875 atau email sales@komodoluxury.com. Anda bisa menelusuri opsi rute sehari di halaman destinasi Kanawa Island Komodo Luxury dan membandingkan format tur di daftar Komodo one-day trip packages sebelum meminta penawaran tertulis.