Last updated: September 2026 · Prices & availability verified for the 2026/2027 season
Groups ask our reservations desk the same three things, in the same order: which boat takes all of us, whether the price is for the boat or for each person, and how many nights we should book. This guide answers them the way the desk does on WhatsApp every day: headcount first, then the guest band on the rate card, then who sleeps where, cabin by cabin, then the package total. It covers the four VIP phinisi on the 2027 private charter rate card: Malca Voyages, Ayvara Cruises, Catnazse Liveaboard and Naturalia.
Quick answer: Match your headcount to the rate-card guest band, then to the cabin plan. Four phinisi on our private yacht charter in Komodo rate card, Malca, Ayvara, Catnazse and Naturalia, take 2 to 24 guests in one hull. A 3D2N whole-boat package starts at USD 6,000 (Malca, 1 to 12 guests, 2027 rate) and is priced per boat per package, not per person. Park fees are quoted separately.
The method is simple: match the boat to your headcount, not to the cabin count on a brochure. If you already know your number, the fastest route is a private whole-boat charter in Komodo sized to it.
One boat, one package price: how a Komodo private charter is priced
A private charter is a whole-boat booking. The rate card for Malca, Ayvara, Catnazse and Naturalia prices each boat per package, by duration and by guest band, and that package total is what appears on your quotation. Two guests and twelve guests inside the same band pay the same total. The price steps up at the band boundary: the thirteenth guest on Malca and Catnazse, the ninth on Ayvara, and the ninth and again the seventeenth on Naturalia.
That is the fact groups actually need. Ten guests on a boat with a 1 to 12 band cost the same as twelve, and two late-joining friends change nothing on the total until you cross the line. It also means per-night multiplication is not how the sheet works: the 2D1N, 3D2N and 4D3N totals are separate rows, not multiples of one nightly figure. Malca’s card also carries an additional-guest row above her 13 to 18 band; her boat page lists her at up to 21 guests, and the desk confirms how that row applies to your exact number before it quotes.
Every rate in this article is a 2027 B2C publish rate for the whole boat, per package, from the sheet issued 11 September 2026 and checked 12 September 2026. The sheet says so itself: Rates are presented for review and are not a booking offer. Itinerary, services, taxes, payment and cancellation terms must be confirmed in the individual quotation. The figure that binds is the one on your written quotation. Class-by-class comparisons for other vessels sit on the Komodo yacht charter rate and comparison hub, and the wider luxury yacht charter Komodo fleet is quoted on request.
Which boat fits your headcount
Start with the guest limit printed on the boat page, not the sum of the berths. Two of the four pages list a limit that differs from the total of the cabin berths (Malca’s cabins add up to 19 against a listed 21; Catnazse’s to 20 against a listed 18), so the desk works from the listed limit and confirms the berth plan for your group in writing. Cabin details are read from each boat page on 12 September 2026. For Malca, Ayvara and Catnazse the relationship label in the last column follows the boat page.
| Barco | Cabañas | Guests as listed on the boat page | Rate-card guest bands | Cabins that sleep 3 or 4 | Operating relationship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malca Voyages (30 m) | 7 | Up to 21 | 1 to 12; 13 to 18; additional guest | Master Ocean View (4), Quad Room (4), Triple Room (3) | Owned and operated by Komodo Luxury |
| Ayvara Cruises (25 m) | 7 | 15 | 1 to 8; 9 to 15 | Master Cabin (3, queen plus one extra bed) | Owned and operated by Komodo Luxury |
| Catnazse Liveaboard (34.4 m) | 8 | Up to 18 | 1 to 12; 13 to 18 | Family Room Grandis 3 and 4 (4 each, queen plus bunk) | Owned and operated by Komodo Luxury |
| Naturalia (33.45 m) | 8 | Up to 24 | 1 to 8; 9 to 16; 17 to 24 | Coral (3), Sandal (3), Breeze (4), Aurea (4), Tide (4) | VIP phinisi charter departing Labuan Bajo, booked through the Komodo Luxury reservations desk |
2 to 8 guests: all four boats in their lowest band
At this size every boat sits in its lowest band, so the choice is about the cabins you will actually use. Four couples on Ayvara take four of her seven ensuite cabins and leave three empty: two in the balcony Deluxe cabins, one in the Master, one in a Superior with the same queen bed. Six guests on a seven-cabin boat is comfort, not waste; the spare cabin becomes the dry room or the quiet room, and nobody queues for a bathroom after the afternoon snorkel. Because the package is the package, a couple’s shortlist comes from the luxury phinisi collection on cabin quality, not on hull length. The desk’s rule for 2 to 8 guests: pick the boat whose best two or three cabins you want, and let the rest stay empty.
9 to 12 guests: where the bands start to differ
Malca and Catnazse stay in their 1 to 12 band up to twelve guests. Ayvara moves to her 9 to 15 band at the ninth guest, and Naturalia to 9 to 16. Ten guests need five cabins at two each; on a seven- or eight-cabin boat that leaves cabins free, which is the layout the desk prefers for ten adults. On Malca that is the Deluxe, the Superior, Double Room 1 and 2 and the Master’s double bed, with the Quad Room and Triple Room empty. Twelve on Catnazse is six doubles (two Santalum suites, two Grandis deluxe, two Cafasa superiors) with both Family Rooms held back, or four adults in two doubles plus two families of four in the Family Rooms. Families with children get their own walk-through in our private charter for families with kids guide.
13 to 18 guests: keeping two berths per cabin for adults
Thirteen is the boundary on Malca and Catnazse, where the package total steps up. On Catnazse, sixteen adults keeps two berths per cabin for everyone: six doubles plus the two Family Rooms used at two each, bunks unused. Push to eighteen and the Family Rooms carry a third or fourth person, which is where families put children, not two adults who met last week. Malca’s 13 to 18 band runs the same way, with her Master, Quad Room and Triple Room carrying the numbers above eight. Ayvara tops out at 15 on the sheet. Naturalia holds 13 to 16 inside her 9 to 16 band before the 17 to 24 band begins. Multi-generation groups usually split by bed type rather than by age: grandparents in the balcony cabins, parents in the doubles, children in the four-berth rooms; our multigenerational family charter guide walks through that allocation.
19 to 24 guests: one hull, or a conversation with the desk
On the 2027 rate card, Naturalia is the single-hull answer for 17 to 24 guests: 8 cabins and 24 listed berths, including three four-berth cabins. Malca’s page lists her at up to 21 guests, and the rate card handles guests above 18 through the additional-guest row, which the desk applies to your exact headcount. Larger hulls in the Komodo Luxury Collection, Komodo Signature and Komodo Prestige, are quoted on request from our fleet page rather than from this sheet. Above 24 guests, tell the desk your number before you fix dates; that is a conversation about route and available boats, not a line on a table. For named-boat comparisons across use cases, including partner vessels, see the use-case comparison of Komodo yachts.
Can three people share one cabin?
Yes, in the cabins built for it, and on a whole-boat charter there is no stranger-sharing question: every cabin is yours, so the decision is who goes where. The three- and four-berth cabins are the ones in the table above. What each holds, from the cabin blocks read on 12 September 2026: Malca’s Master and Quad Room take four (a double bed with private balcony, and a double bunk), her Triple Room three on single bunks; Ayvara’s Master takes three on a 160 by 200 cm queen plus one extra bed; Catnazse’s two Family Rooms take four on a queen plus a bunk; Naturalia’s Coral and Sandal take three on a queen or king plus a single, Breeze and Aurea four on two queens, and Tide four on a double plus two singles with two bathrooms of its own. Every cabin on all four boats has its own bathroom and air conditioning.
Read the bed type, not the berth number. A queen plus an extra single is a family of three; two queens is two couples or a family of four; a queen plus a bunk is parents and two children. Extra-bed and cot practice differs by boat, so the desk confirms it per cabin at quotation. Deck position is on each boat page; ask the desk which cabins sit nearest the engine room or generator. For cabin categories on a shared departure, Komodo boat tour cabin types covers the open-trip side.
What 3D2N and 4D3N cost per boat on the 2027 rate card
Basis: per private charter, per package, whole boat, 2027 B2C publish rates, USD, checked 12 September 2026. Komodo National Park fees are quoted separately per person.
| Boat and guest band | 2 días y 1 noche | 3 días 2 noches | 4 días 3 noches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malca Voyages, 1 to 12 guests | 5,300 | 6,000 | 9,000 |
| Malca Voyages, 13 to 18 guests | 6,000 | 6,700 | 10,050 |
| Malca Voyages, additional-guest row (application confirmed by the desk) | 250 | 300 | 450 |
| Ayvara Cruises, 1 to 8 guests | 5,500 | 6,200 | 9,300 |
| Ayvara Cruises, 9 to 15 guests | 6,200 | 7,000 | 10,500 |
| Catnazse Liveaboard, 1 to 12 guests | 6,400 | 7,800 | 11,700 |
| Catnazse Liveaboard, 13 to 18 guests | 7,400 | 8,800 | 13,100 |
| Naturalia, 1 to 8 guests | 7,600 | 8,500 | 12,800 |
| Naturalia, 9 to 16 guests | 8,500 | 9,500 | 14,200 |
| Naturalia, 17 to 24 guests | 9,500 | 10,400 | 15,600 |
Against the 2026 sheet, Malca and Ayvara carry the same figures for 2027, while Catnazse and Naturalia are listed higher. One worked example, as arithmetic on the published total and nothing more: Malca 3D2N at USD 6,000 for 1 to 12 guests is USD 3,000 per person for a couple and USD 500 per person for twelve, before park fees. Longer packages run to 7D6N on Malca, Ayvara and Naturalia and to 12D11N on Catnazse. For the shared-cabin alternative and the per-person comparison, read private charter vs open trip cost per person.
What the package includes and what is quoted separately
Across the four boat pages the package covers the crew, all meals on board, drinking water, tea and coffee, a guide, snorkelling equipment with life jackets, drone, GoPro and mirrorless documentation (raw footage only), and pickup and drop-off within the Labuan Bajo mainland area near the harbour. For Malca, Ayvara and Catnazse the pages print the day-one pickup between 08:00 and 09:00; the desk confirms the time on your booking. Return on the last day follows the itinerary; our pickup and return times guide covers flight timing.
Quoted separately: Komodo National Park entrance and ranger fees, charged per person as a dated ticket and non-refundable once bought; the desk arranges them against your passenger list (full name, passport number, gender and nationality per guest), and the park entry permit guide explains the mechanics. Also by quotation: alcohol, scuba diving, a dedicated photographer beyond the standard documentation, and an add-on speedboat. Taxes and other cost components are stated on the individual quotation for the boat you book.
2D1N, 3D2N or 4D3N for a group?
2D1N is on the private rate card; the shared open trip currently runs as a fixed 3D2N, so a group that wants a single night at sea does it by chartering, with the route set at quotation. 3D2N is the itinerary printed on the boat pages: Kelor, Manjarite and Kalong on day one; Padar at dawn, Pink Beach, Komodo Island, Manta Point and Taka Makassar on day two; Sebayur on the morning of day three before the sail back to Labuan Bajo (Catnazse and Naturalia add Siaba on day three). Groups of twelve or more feel every beach landing and snorkel stop, because the tender makes more runs; groups of that size often choose 4D3N so no stop is rushed. Tell the desk your headcount and it will advise on duration. Destinations can change for weather and field conditions. For the stop-by-stop version see the 3 days 2 nights Komodo itinerary.
Mixed group: divers and non-divers on one boat
Open trips are snorkel-only. On a private charter, diving is a quotation item: tell the desk how many of you dive and at what certification level, and it arranges the dive plan and equipment for those guests while the rest of the group snorkels the same sites from the tender. Which of the four boats carry dive equipment, and which work with a dive operator on your dates, is confirmed per boat at quotation. See also Komodo yacht charter for non-divers and private charter with a dive master.
If fewer people come than planned
Your quotation fixes the boat and the guest band, and under the published policy payments are non-refundable; a participant who cancels may nominate a replacement person. If your headcount drops after the deposit, tell the desk before the balance is due: how a change across a band boundary is handled depends on the quotation and on the vessel’s own terms. The other direction is easier: adding guests inside the same band changes nothing on the total, adding guests across it means a revised quotation, and the boat page’s listed limit is the ceiling.
Booking a group charter: hold, deposit, balance and permits
The desk checks availability for your exact dates and confirms in writing. Once you decide, the team re-verifies the boat during office hours (09:00 to 17:00 WITA), places a 2 x 24-hour hold and sends the reservation form with your personal deposit link; the booking becomes valid once that link is sent by the team and the deposit is made.
The published payment schedule reads: a 50% down payment secures the booking, with full payment no later than 30 days before the departure date. For bookings made one year in advance, a 30% deposit confirms the charter, an additional 20% is paid 120 days before the trip, and the remaining balance is due 30 days before departure. The terms and conditions of the respective vessel apply to certain vessels. Children aged 3 years and above are charged the full rate. One representative signs the terms for the group, and every guest should read them; passenger details go on the reservation form for the park permits. On timing, how far ahead to book a Komodo charter answers without guessing, and the private trip Komodo package page has the same booking flow in shorter form.
Three questions worth asking before you sign, whichever operator you are talking to:
- What is the guests-per-cabin figure at my headcount, and which cabins stay empty?
- Which cabins have a third or fourth berth, and what is it? A single bed, a bunk and an extra bed are three different nights of sleep.
- Which band does my headcount sit in, and what happens if two people join or drop out? The answer should come back in writing, with the package total named.
If your group is smaller than four and the whole-boat total does not suit you, a scheduled departure is the honest alternative: cabins priced per person on a fixed 3D2N. Those are on the shared open-trip Komodo departures page, with Komodo liveaboard cabins and small-group Komodo sailing trip departures priced per berth; every format from day trip to private charter is on the Komodo boat tour page.
Questions our reservations desk hears
How many cabins do we need for 10 guests on a private Komodo charter?
Five cabins at two guests each is the minimum; a seven- or eight-cabin boat with cabins left empty is the layout the desk prefers for ten adults. On Malca that is five doubles with the Quad Room and Triple Room free; on Ayvara any five of her seven queen-bed cabins. Ten guests sit in the 1 to 12 band on Malca and Catnazse, and in the second band on Ayvara and Naturalia.
Is a Komodo private charter priced per boat or per person?
Per boat, per package. The 2027 rate card for Malca, Ayvara, Catnazse and Naturalia lists one total for the whole boat by duration and guest band, so two guests and twelve guests in the same band pay the same total. Park fees are per person and quoted separately.
¿Pueden tres personas compartir un camarote en un crucero « phinisi » por Komodo?
Yes, in the cabins built for three or four: Malca’s Master, Quad and Triple rooms, Ayvara’s Master with its extra bed, Catnazse’s two Family Rooms, and Naturalia’s Coral, Sandal, Breeze, Aurea and Tide. The third berth is a single bed, a bunk or an extra bed depending on the cabin, so ask which before assigning two adults to it.
Which charter boat takes a group of 18 to 24 guests in one hull?
On the 2027 rate card, Naturalia: 8 cabins, up to 24 guests as listed on her page, with a 17 to 24 guest band (3D2N USD 10,400; 4D3N USD 15,600, per boat, per package, checked 12 September 2026). Malca’s page lists up to 21 guests, with guests above 18 handled by her additional-guest row as the desk confirms; Catnazse tops out at 18. Larger Collection yachts are quoted on request.
Do we still pay for the whole boat if two people drop out?
The quotation is for the boat and the band, and the published policy makes payments non-refundable; a guest who cancels may nominate a replacement person. If the drop takes you below a band boundary, tell the desk before the balance is due; how it is handled follows the quotation and the vessel’s terms, in writing.
Which boat works for a group where only half of us dive?
Any of the four can host a mixed group on a private charter, because diving is a quotation item for the guests who dive while the others snorkel the same sites. Which boat carries dive equipment or works with a dive operator on your dates is confirmed by the desk per boat.
Is 2D1N enough for a group, or should we book 3D2N?
2D1N is on the private rate card (from USD 5,300 per boat, per package, on Malca for 1 to 12 guests, 2027 rate) and gives a group one night at sea. 3D2N is the full printed itinerary, with Padar, Pink Beach, Komodo Island and Manta Point on the middle day. Groups of twelve or more often choose 4D3N so nothing is rushed; send the desk your headcount and it will advise.
Send the desk your headcount, your dates and who is sharing a cabin with whom, and we reply with two or three layouts that genuinely fit, with the band, the package total and the cabins named; we check availability for your exact dates before anything is held. Start from the private yacht charter Komodo page, or WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 / [email protected].
