A 3D2N Komodo cruise on Naturalia covers eight anchorages across roughly four to six hours of sailing per full day. Shared cabins run USD 400–800 per person; the whole boat is USD 8,700 for 1–8 guests, USD 9,700 for 9–16 and USD 10,700 for 17–24. Park fees are extra.
The 3D2N itinerary, hour by hour
The operator’s published sequence for Naturalia’s 3D2N runs Sebayur, Manta Point and Taka Makassar on the first afternoon; Padar, Pink Beach and Komodo Island on the second day; Kelor and Manjarite on the way home. That order is deliberate — it puts the boat close to the Padar anchorage overnight so the ridge climb happens at first light rather than in the heat.
| Time (indicative) | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-dawn | — | Anchor off Padar, tender ashore for the ridge climb | — |
| Early morning | — | Padar sunrise viewpoint, descend to the beach | Snorkel or swim at Kelor, short summit trek |
| Mid-morning | Hotel or airport transfer, boarding and safety brief in Labuan Bajo | Sail to Pink Beach, snorkel the shallow garden | Sail to Manjarite, final snorkel |
| Midday | Sail out, lunch under way | Lunch on board while repositioning | Lunch under way back to Labuan Bajo |
| Early afternoon | Sebayur — snorkelling on the soft-coral slope | Komodo Island, ranger-led trek from Loh Liang | Alongside in Labuan Bajo, transfer to hotel or airport |
| Mid-afternoon | Manta Point (Karang Makassar) drift snorkel | Reposition toward the evening anchorage | — |
| Late afternoon | Taka Makassar sandbar | Free deck time, swim from the boat | — |
| Evening | Dinner on the dining deck, night at anchor | Dinner, lounge or karaoke, night at anchor | — |
Times are indicative operating windows, not a fixed timetable. The Manta Point and Taka Makassar order swaps regularly depending on current and wind, and the Padar start moves with the sunrise — see the month-by-month sunrise table on our Padar page.
How much sailing is actually involved
The honest answer to “how much of the trip is spent moving?” is: less than people fear, but spread out. Nobody publishes a distance chart for these waters, so here are the operational leg times we work with. Treat them as ranges, because a heavy 161-tonne phinisi doing 7–9 knots against an afternoon current is not doing the same leg time as a light day boat.
| Leg | Typical sailing time | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Labuan Bajo → Kelor | about 1 hour | Verified across operators |
| Labuan Bajo → Kanawa | about 1–1.5 hours | Operational range |
| Labuan Bajo → Sebayur | about 1.5–2 hours | Operational range |
| Kelor → Manjarite | about 0.5–1 hour | Operational range |
| Manjarite → Kalong | about 1 hour | Operational range |
| Kalong → Padar (overnight run) | about 3–4 hours | Operational range |
| Padar → Pink Beach | about 1–1.5 hours | Operational range |
| Pink Beach → Komodo Island | about 0.5–1 hour | Operational range |
| Komodo → Manta Point (Karang Makassar) | about 0.5–1 hour | Operational range |
| Manta Point → Taka Makassar | about 20–30 minutes | Operational range |
| Taka Makassar → Siaba Besar | about 1–1.5 hours | Operational range |
| Siaba Besar → Kanawa | about 1–1.5 hours | Operational range |
| Rinca → Kalong | about 0.5–1 hour | Operational range |
What the fare includes and what it does not
| Included in the fare | Not included |
|---|---|
| Accommodation on board for the whole trip | Komodo National Park entrance and ranger fees |
| All meals on board | Alcoholic drinks and drinks outside the standard list |
| Mineral water, coffee and tea | Personal snacks |
| English-speaking guide | Crew gratuities |
| Snorkelling equipment and life vests | Flights to and from Labuan Bajo |
| Hotel or airport transfer within mainland Labuan Bajo | Drone permit (request at least 7 days ahead) |
| Premium trip documentation — drone, GoPro and mirrorless | Personal expenses, laundry, dive packages |
The exclusion that catches people out is the park fee, so here it is in full.
| Component | Foreign visitor | Indonesian visitor |
|---|---|---|
| Park entrance, per person per visit (PP 36/2024) | IDR 250,000 flat | IDR 50,000 weekday / IDR 75,000 weekend and public holiday |
| Trekking, wildlife observation, snorkelling | Included in the entrance tariff | Not itemised separately in the official source |
| Ranger and local retribution collected on site | Operator-collected, varies by island and group size | |
| Drone permit | IDR 1,000,000, apply at least 7 days before departure | |
The IDR 650,000 (Komodo/Padar) and IDR 900,000 (Rinca) figures you will see quoted elsewhere are not the PP 36/2024 entrance tariff. They are bundled totals: national park PNBP plus regional retribution plus ranger and trail-management charges. The IDR 3,750,000 “conservation membership” proposed in 2022 was cancelled and does not apply.
How the price compares to the open market
This is where publishing numbers matters. Below are competitor figures taken directly from their own public pages in 2026, next to Naturalia’s published rates. No adjustment, no spin.
| Published reference point | Price as published | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Shared boat, 3D2N (Komodo Touristic listing, 2026) | USD 271.57–544.87 per person | Larger sharing vessels, 20–35 guests |
| Shared boat, 4D3N from Labuan Bajo (same source) | from USD 334.39 per person | Same class, extra night |
| Mid-tier phinisi from-price (Phinisi Trip, 2026) | IDR 6,000,000–8,350,000 per person | 30–40 m boats, 7–12 cabins, 20–40 guests |
| Naturalia Cruise cabin rate | USD 400–800 per person | 33.45 m, 8 en-suite cabins, 24 guests maximum |
| Resort-brand luxury cruise (AYANA Lako di’a, 2026) | IDR 29,542,000–56,700,000 | Hotel-operated cruise product |
| Naturalia whole-boat charter | from USD 7,800 per night | Entire 24-berth vessel and crew |
The pattern is clear: Naturalia sits above the large sharing boats carrying 30-plus guests and well below the resort-brand cruise products, in a band where you are paying for an eight-cabin, 24-guest maximum rather than for a brand name. If you want to see how the same 3D2N shape is priced across other hulls, the operator’s cruise-style Komodo boat tour list list runs the full range.
Best for
Best for: first-time visitors who want every headline site without a fourth day; couples and families who prefer two nights at anchor over a rushed day trip; groups of 8–24 chartering privately, where the per-head cost drops to roughly USD 446–1,088. Less suitable for: divers wanting multiple tanks a day, and anyone travelling December to March who cannot accept itinerary changes for weather.
Frequently asked questions
What does a 3D2N Komodo cruise on Naturalia cost?
On a shared departure you pay by cabin: USD 400 per person in Lagoon 1 or 2, up to USD 800 per person in Sandal. Chartering the whole boat for 3D2N is USD 8,700 for 1-8 guests, USD 9,700 for 9-16 and USD 10,700 for 17-24. Komodo National Park fees are separate.
How many hours a day is the boat actually sailing?
Roughly four to six hours of sailing spread across each full day, in legs of 20 minutes to 1.5 hours between stops, plus one longer overnight or pre-dawn run of about three to four hours toward Padar. You are never sitting on a single long crossing in daylight.
Which islands does the 3D2N cover?
The operator’s published Naturalia 3D2N sequence is Sebayur, Manta Point and Taka Makassar on day one; Padar, Pink Beach and Komodo Island on day two; Kelor and Manjarite on day three. Order shifts with tide and wind, particularly the Manta Point and Taka Makassar pairing.
What time does the trip start and finish?
Boarding is late morning in Labuan Bajo on day one after your included hotel or airport transfer, and the boat is back alongside around the middle of day three. Book any onward flight for late afternoon on the final day, not midday.
Are national park fees included in the price?
No. Park entrance under PP 36/2024 is IDR 250,000 per foreign visitor per visit, and IDR 50,000 weekday or IDR 75,000 weekend and holiday for Indonesian visitors. Ranger and local retribution charges are collected on site and vary by island.
Is three days enough for Komodo?
For the headline sites, yes: Padar, Pink Beach, Komodo Island and Manta Point all fit comfortably in a 3D2N. What you lose is the buffer. A 4D3N adds south Komodo and a spare morning, which is what you want if you are travelling in the windy July-August window.
Can I dive from Naturalia on a 3D2N?
Naturalia is a cruise and snorkelling vessel, not a dedicated dive liveaboard. Dive packages are arranged separately through the reservations desk and are not part of the published fare.
What is the food like and are dietary needs handled?
All meals are included and cooked on board, served either on the Panoramic Dining Deck or in the air-conditioned Dining Lounge. Halal, vegetarian, allergy and other requirements are handled if you state them at booking rather than on embarkation day.
How many people will be on board?
A shared departure carries a maximum of 24 guests. That is the hard ceiling set by the eight-cabin plan, so the boat cannot be oversold beyond it.
What is the deposit and cancellation policy?
A 50% deposit secures the date, with the balance due 30 days before departure. Bookings made inside 30 days are paid in full. The deposit is non-refundable if you cancel.
Booking & enquiries
Shared 3D2N departures run on Fridays, with additional weekday departures on the published 2027 calendar. Naturalia Cruise is operated and marketed by Komodo Luxury (part of Juara Holding Group, working in Labuan Bajo since 2015). Reservations, cabin availability and written quotations go through the Komodo Luxury reservations desk: WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 or [email protected]. Payment terms are published and unchanged: 50% deposit to hold the date, balance due 30 days before departure, full payment if you book inside 30 days. The deposit is non-refundable on cancellation.
Where these numbers come from
Vessel dimensions, cabin layout, engine and generator data, charter tiers and cabin rates on this page are the figures published by the operator, Komodo Luxury, on its Naturalia charter listing. National park tariffs are taken from PP No. 36 Tahun 2024 as socialised by Balai Taman Nasional Komodo. Sunrise and sunset times are computed for Padar Island (8°39′S, 119°35′E) in WITA (UTC+8) and are accurate to about three minutes. Sailing times between anchorages are operational ranges, not fixed schedules — they move with tide, wind and ranger queues, and we write them as ranges for that reason. Rates are quoted for the 2027 season and were last reviewed on 1 August 2026; always confirm the current rate in writing before transferring a deposit.