Elbark Cruises
Elbark Cruises
A whole boat, or one cabin: where the sums cross
Updated 27 October 2026
Komodo private charter or shared cabin, which to choose on Elbark Cruises: the answer is a head count. On 3 days, 14 guests chartering the whole boat pay IDR 11,290,000 (≈ USD 693) each, which undercuts the IDR 11,500,000 (≈ USD 706) Misool fare. With fewer guests, or against any cheaper cabin, buying the cabin costs less.
Your party size, put through the arithmetic
Begin with the head count and divide. On a 3-day charter the boat costs IDR 140,000,000 (≈ USD 8,589) for up to ten guests. Ten guests pay IDR 14,000,000 (≈ USD 859) each, fourteen pay IDR 11,290,000 (≈ USD 693) each and eighteen pay IDR 9,780,000 (≈ USD 600) each.
Now put the shared-trip fares next to them, each one per person with two in the cabin. Misool is IDR 11,500,000 (≈ USD 706), Weh and Mentawai IDR 9,350,000 (≈ USD 574), Selayar and Rote IDR 8,350,000 (≈ USD 512), Toraja and Alor IDR 7,000,000 (≈ USD 429), Banda Neira and Savu IDR 6,500,000 (≈ USD 399).
Treat it as fare against fare, not a booking plan. Nobody can book Misool nine times over, and a charter and a cabin come with different inclusions. The table does the arithmetic; the sections below cover what arithmetic misses.
| Format | nights | From | Sunrise stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speedboat day trip (other operators) | 0 | — | no |
| Open trip on Elbark Cruises | 2 | IDR 6,500,000 per person | Padar, with the timing set by the captain |
| Private charter on Elbark Cruises | 1/2/3/4/5 | IDR 120,000,000 per boat | Padar, with the timing set by the captain |
| Dive liveaboard (other operators) | 3–7 | — | yes |
Three days of charter set beside every cabin fare
Same 3 days, fare against fare. The boat never beats the cheapest cabin, even with 18 aboard: IDR 9,780,000 (≈ USD 600) a head stays above the IDR 6,500,000 (≈ USD 399) of Banda Neira or Savu. Nor does it beat Weh and Mentawai, because that figure is still higher than IDR 9,350,000 (≈ USD 574).
Selayar and Rote, Toraja and Alor: the result is the same. From 1 guest to 18, the charter share never drops below the fare of any cabin cheaper than Misool.
Per day, per head, longer charters only change the comparison within the charter ladder itself. Fourteen guests pay IDR 13,710,000 (≈ USD 841) each for four days and IDR 16,000,000 (≈ USD 982) each for five. There is no shared seat at those lengths to set against them.
| Group size | 2D1N | 3D2N | 4D3N | 5D4N | 6D5N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | IDR 60,000,000 | IDR 70,000,000 | IDR 85,000,000 | IDR 100,000,000 | IDR 115,000,000 |
| 4 | IDR 30,000,000 | IDR 35,000,000 | IDR 42,500,000 | IDR 50,000,000 | IDR 57,500,000 |
| 6 | IDR 20,000,000 | IDR 23,330,000 | IDR 28,330,000 | IDR 33,330,000 | IDR 38,330,000 |
| 8 | IDR 15,000,000 | IDR 17,500,000 | IDR 21,250,000 | IDR 25,000,000 | IDR 28,750,000 |
| 10 | IDR 12,000,000 | IDR 14,000,000 | IDR 17,000,000 | IDR 20,000,000 | IDR 23,000,000 |
| 12 | IDR 10,670,000 | IDR 12,420,000 | IDR 15,080,000 | IDR 17,670,000 | IDR 20,170,000 |
| 14 | IDR 9,710,000 | IDR 11,290,000 | IDR 13,710,000 | IDR 16,000,000 | IDR 18,140,000 |
| 16 | IDR 9,000,000 | IDR 10,440,000 | IDR 12,690,000 | IDR 14,750,000 | IDR 16,620,000 |
| 18 | IDR 8,440,000 | IDR 9,780,000 | IDR 11,890,000 | IDR 13,780,000 | IDR 15,440,000 |
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per person · Whole boat ÷ group size
Party size where a private hire beats the Misool fare
Misool is where the lines cross. With 13 guests the boat works out at IDR 11,810,000 (≈ USD 725) each, still just above IDR 11,500,000 (≈ USD 706). Add a fourteenth and the share falls to IDR 11,290,000 (≈ USD 693), below it.
From 14 guests upwards, then, three days of the whole boat cost each person less than a place in the dearest cabin. And the charter brings everything else with it: all nine cabins, the sundeck, and no strangers at breakfast.
Since no party can fill Misool nine times, read the crossover as a yardstick. For a big party the real comparison is a mix of cabins on one shared sailing against the whole boat, and that is the next section.
Parties for whom one cabin remains cheaper
Couples, families of four and groups of six or eight friends all pay less on the shared trip. A pair in Banda Neira pays twice IDR 6,500,000 (≈ USD 399). Eight people across the four lower-deck cabins spend far less than the IDR 140,000,000 (≈ USD 8,589) a charter costs.
Even eighteen guests spread across all nine cabins pay less, in total, than a 3-day charter, and the saving is genuine. The catch: all nine must be free on one listed Friday or Monday, and the shared trip runs 3 days only, on its own calendar and its own route.
Small parties, a single 3-day window and tight budgets point to a cabin. Four to six days, your own stop order, a free choice of weekday or a boat with nobody else aboard point to the charter.
| Cabins | Deck | per person |
|---|---|---|
| Misool | Upper deck | IDR 11,500,000 (≈ USD 706) |
| Weh | Upper deck | IDR 9,350,000 (≈ USD 574) |
| Mentawai | Upper deck | IDR 9,350,000 (≈ USD 574) |
| Selayar | Main deck | IDR 8,350,000 (≈ USD 512) |
| Rote | Main deck | IDR 8,350,000 (≈ USD 512) |
| Toraja | Lower deck | IDR 7,000,000 (≈ USD 429) |
| Alor | Lower deck | IDR 7,000,000 (≈ USD 429) |
| Banda Neira | Lower deck | IDR 6,500,000 (≈ USD 399) |
| Savu | Lower deck | IDR 6,500,000 (≈ USD 399) |
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Open-trip departures: 3 days, on Fridays and on some Mondays, sold by the cabin. A date without a flag is open for enquiry, and we confirm your cabin on WhatsApp before you pay. Next departures: 6 November 2026, 9 November 2026, 13 November 2026, 20 November 2026
Checked 27 October 2026 · 2026 rate card
Guide and photographer: in a cabin fare, absent from a charter
Buy a shared-trip cabin and the cruise director guide and photographer come with it. Charter the boat and neither does. For a charter we quote a guide and photo or video documentation as separate items, and you see each figure before agreeing.
Park tickets are in neither. City-area pickup and drop-off, snorkelling gear, the paddleboard and canoe, meals and local Wi-Fi are in both.
Put simply, a charter price buys a boat, and a cabin fare buys a place on a guided trip. Add a guide to the charter and the gap closes a little; we quote it so you compare like with like.
Included
- Hotel / airport / city-area pickup and drop-off in Labuan Bajo
- The boat: 9 air-conditioned cabins, each with an ensuite bathroom and hot water
- All activities and excursions as per the itinerary
- Onboard meals
- Snacks and beverages
- Free-flow coffee, tea and water
- Personal tumbler (take home)
- Movie and karaoke entertainment
- Local Wi-Fi on board
- Snorkelling gear, paddleboard and canoe
- Private charter of 3 nights or more: beach dinner setup at no charge
- Open trip: cruise director / guide and photographer included; private charter: guide and documentation on request, quoted separately
Not included
- Entrance fees, including the Komodo National Park fee and the drone ticket for the park
- Travel insurance
- Flights to and from Labuan Bajo
- Personal expenses
- Alcohol
- Private charter: guide and photo/video documentation (available on request, quoted separately)
Komodo National Park package per guest: 3D2N: IDR 650,000 per foreign guest, IDR 350,000 per Indonesian guest; 4D3N: IDR 750,000 per foreign guest, IDR 350,000 per Indonesian guest. It includes the government entrance ticket, the ranger fee and local levies.
FAQ
Is the whole boat cheaper than cabins?
Only against the dearest cabin. Over 3 days, 14 guests chartering the boat pay IDR 11,290,000 (≈ USD 693) each, under the Misool fare of IDR 11,500,000 (≈ USD 706). Every other cabin stays cheaper per head than the charter, even at 18 guests. What the charter adds is length, privacy and your pick of day.
Is the guide included in both?
No. On the shared trip the cabin fare covers the cruise director guide and a photographer. A private charter covers neither; both are quoted separately if you want them. Park tickets sit outside both products.
Which is easier to organise for a big family?
The charter. A single boat, a single price and one 50% deposit replace several cabin bookings on a date that can sell out under you. You choose the day, the cabins and the length, up to 6 days. A family of four or fewer is the exception: book cabins.
What is the difference between an open trip and a private trip?
An open trip shares the boat with other parties: you book a cabin, 3 days and 2 nights, on Fridays and some Mondays, from IDR 6,500,000 (≈ USD 399) per person. A private trip is the whole boat for your party, for 2 to 6 days, from IDR 120,000,000 (≈ USD 7,362) for up to 10 guests.
Check availability for Elbark Cruises
Elbark Cruises is booked through PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia. We confirm your cabins, take the payment and arrange the pickup. The boat sails with its own crew.