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Phinisi Day Charter to Kanawa Island & Komodo
Charters · Phinisi

Phinisi Day Charter to Kanawa & Komodo

A private traditional wooden sailing ship for one full day — cast off at sunrise, dock at sunset. The deck, the crew and the schedule are yours, and nobody else is aboard.

Request a Quote The shared boat instead
Duration
Sunrise to sunset
Guests
10 to 20 typical
Vessel
Two-masted phinisi
Overnight
No — day only

What a phinisi day is, and what it is not

A phinisi is Indonesia’s two-masted wooden sailing ship, built in the boat-building traditions of South Sulawesi. On a day charter the whole vessel is yours from sunrise to sunset — which mostly means you decide when to linger at a snorkel site and when to move on. That single freedom is what a fixed-itinerary group boat cannot give you.

  1. The whole boat

    Deck, dining area, crew and schedule, for your group only.

  2. Your pace

    Stay in the water as long as the snorkelling is good. Nobody is waiting on a timetable.

  3. The sail home

    Wooden decks, warm light, the Flores hills ahead. This is the part guests actually remember.

  4. No cabins

    Day only. Cabins are not part of this product and multi-day cruising is a different trip.

Guests who want to wake up near the reef usually pair a day charter with a night ashore, arranged through the Kanawa Island stay desk. The boat collects you the following day.

A sunrise-to-sunset day

Routes are flexible and the captain adjusts to sea conditions, but a well-paced charter day out of Labuan Bajo usually runs like this.

  1. 05:30 Hotel pickup in Labuan Bajo and transfer to the harbour.
  2. 06:00 Cast off. Coffee and a light breakfast on deck as the sun comes up over the bay.
  3. Morning Padar Island viewpoint climb, then Pink Beach for the first swim and snorkel of the day.
  4. Midday Cruise to Kanawa. Lunch on board at anchor over the house reef, then unhurried snorkelling straight off the boat or the jetty.
  5. Afternoon Manta Point, the Taka Makassar sandbar, or simply more time at Kanawa — your call on the day.
  6. Sunset The sail home in golden light.
  7. ±18:00 Dock in Labuan Bajo and transfer back to your hotel.

Because the boat is private, any element can be swapped. Photographers often reverse the route to catch Padar in afternoon light; families with young children frequently skip the viewpoint climb and take a longer, calmer block at Kanawa.

What a phinisi day costs in 2026

Quoted per boat, per day. Rates depend on vessel class, group size and route.

Quoted per booking. Indicative only, not fixed quotes. Final pricing varies with the specific vessel, season, fuel routing and national park fees, which are charged separately at prevailing rates. Send your date over WhatsApp for a firm written quotation.

  • Standard phinisi

    Ask for price

    Up to 10–15 guests

  • Premium phinisi

    Ask for price

    Up to 10–20 guests

  • Luxury phinisi

    Ask for price

    Small groups, full service

How to book a phinisi day

  1. Send date and group size

    On WhatsApp, plus any must-see stops.

  2. Receive boat options

    Matched by group size, style and budget, with a quote.

  3. Confirm with a deposit

    You get written confirmation of route, inclusions and pickup time.

  4. Final briefing

    The day before — weather check, pickup point, last route changes.

  5. Sail

    Sunrise out, sunset return.

Phinisi day questions

The four that decide whether this is the right boat for your group.

Can we see Komodo dragons on a phinisi day charter?

Yes — a ranger-guided stop at Rinca or Komodo can be built into a private charter, though it makes for a longer day and usually replaces one snorkel stop. Say dragons are a priority when you enquire and the route is structured around it.

Is a day charter suitable for non-swimmers or children?

Yes. Life jackets are carried for everyone, crew accompany snorkellers in the water, and Kanawa’s house reef starts in calm shallow water — one of the gentlest entries in the park. Non-swimmers have the beach, the jetty and the deck.

Can we sleep on the phinisi overnight?

No. This product is strictly a single day with no overnight component. If you want to stay out in the islands, the natural pairing is a night ashore on Kanawa, with the boat collecting you the next day.

What happens if the weather turns bad?

The captain has the final say on safety. In marginal conditions the route moves to sheltered sites; where sailing is not possible at all we reschedule or work out a fair resolution directly — agreed in writing before you pay.

One boat, one crew, one unhurried day

Send your preferred date and group size and the desk will come back with boat options and a firm quote — usually within hours. High season (July–August, and the Christmas–New Year window) sells out for the better boats, so two to four weeks ahead is sensible.

Request a Quote

The charter desk

WhatsApp
+62 811 3823 875
Email
sales@komodoluxury.com
Based in
Labuan Bajo, since 2015

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