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Tour Overview
A Komodo tour of 4 days and 3 nights is the shortest itinerary that covers both halves of Komodo National Park without rushing. Boats leave Labuan Bajo on Flores, sail south to Padar and Pink Beach, north to the manta channel and Rinca, and return on the fourth morning. Everything below applies to the whole fleet running this route, from open-trip cabins on a traditional phinisi to private yacht charter.
Why four days is the standard Komodo itinerary
The park is bigger than it looks on a map. A komodo tour 3D2N trip has two full sailing days and usually forces a choice between the southern sites (Padar, Pink Beach, Komodo Island) and the northern ones (Manta Point, Batu Bolong, Kanawa). Four days gives you both, plus enough slack that one bad-weather morning does not delete a headline stop. It is also the shortest duration most VVIP operators will sell for a private Komodo charter, which is why the price gap between 3D2N and 4D3N is smaller than the extra night suggests.
Beyond four days you are into 5D4N and longer, which adds range rather than repetition: Gili Lawa Darat, the Sabolon islands, or a crossing east toward Alor and the Banda Sea.
Departures, transfers and the shape of a day
Boarding is at Labuan Bajo harbour, normally early afternoon on Day 1, with a pickup from Komodo Airport (LBJ) or your hotel included by most operators. Days start early: the Padar ridge and the manta channel are both far better before the day boats arrive from town, so a 5am tender is normal and the crew will have coffee ready. Afternoons are slower, with a snorkel stop, a beach, and dinner at anchor. Nights are spent moored in sheltered bays rather than under way.
Return is late morning on Day 4, which is tight for a same-day flight out of LBJ. Book the afternoon departure or, better, stay one more night in Labuan Bajo.
Park fees and SiOra registration
Statutory Komodo National Park entrance is charged per person, per day—not per registered visit. The final SiOra total depends on the registered travel days and any applicable activity, vessel or special-use charges. See What the Park Costs on this page for the verified statutory schedule, legal basis and source date.
Reserve through SiOra before travel; Ministry guidance recommends H-1. An operator can assist, and self-service is available at the Komodo Visitor Center and KP3 terminal. Payment is cashless. A 1,000-visitor daily quota has applied since 1 April 2026 to the main visitor islands and 23 dive sites. Official public guidance does not state one universal refund or rescheduling rule for every reservation, so confirm the current SiOra change and weather-disruption terms in writing before issuance.
When to go
April to October is the settled season: flat water, reliable visibility, and every boat in the park. Manta sightings at Karang Makassar are good year-round but peak in the cooler months from July to September, which is also when the crossing to the northern sites is calmest. January and February bring the strongest winds, and a share of the fleet repositions east to Raja Ampat for the season, which thins the choice of 4D3N departures considerably.
Quick Facts
- Tour typeOpen Trip, Private Trip
- Duration4D3N
- Start pointLabuan Bajo Harbour, Flores. Komodo Airport (LBJ) or hotel pickup is included by most operators, with boarding in the early afternoon of Day 1.
- End pointLabuan Bajo Harbour, Flores. Alongside late morning on Day 4, with airport or hotel drop-off to follow. An afternoon flight out is safer than a midday one.
- Meeting / pick-up pointLabuan Bajo Harbour, Flores. Most operators include a Komodo Airport (LBJ) or hotel pickup on Day 1
- AccommodationOnboard - Cabin
- TransportationWooden Phinisi Boat, Luxury Phinisi
- Guide languagesEnglish, Indonesian
- DifficultyEasy
- Departure scheduleEveryday
- Minimum guests to depart2
- Maximum guests35
- Suitable forFamily, Couples, Solo Travelers, Luxury Travelers
- From$180 per person
- Whole-boat charter$2010 total
Boats On This Route
38 boats in our directory run this route. 24 sell cabins on a shared departure, $180 to $935 per person. 14 are whole-boat charter only, $2,125 to $7,820 for the boat. On a cabin booking you pay per berth and share the vessel. On a whole-boat charter you pay for the boat, so a couple sailing alone pays the full rate. Prices are the published entry-level rate and move with season and cabin grade. Komodo National Park entrance and ranger fees are excluded from every figure.
Showing 12 of 38 eligible boats.
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from $355 per person
How These Boats Compare
Ranges are the spread across the boats listed on this page and update automatically as the fleet changes. Komodo National Park entrance and ranger fees are excluded from every figure.
Gallery
Day-by-Day at a Glance
- Day 1Labuan Bajo → Kelor Island (overnight at anchor)
- Day 2Padar Island → Pink Beach → Komodo Island (overnight at anchor)
- Day 3Karang Makassar → Taka Makassar → Batu Bolong or Siaba Besar → Kalong Island (overnight at anchor)
- Day 4Kanawa Island → Labuan Bajo
Itinerary
Labuan Bajo, Kelor Island and the first night at anchor
Pickup from Komodo Airport or your hotel, then straight to the harbour to board. Luggage goes below while the crew runs through the boat and the safety brief, and you are usually under way by early afternoon. The first stop is Kelor Island, a short hop from town with a steep grassy climb for the view and clear water off the sandbar for a first swim. Dinner is served at anchor in the lee of the island, and the boat stays put overnight rather than sailing in the dark.
Lunch, DinnerPadar sunrise, Pink Beach and Komodo Island
An early tender to Padar Island for the ridge walk, about forty minutes at an unhurried pace and worth doing before the day boats arrive from Labuan Bajo. Breakfast is waiting when you get back. The rest of the morning is at Pink Beach, where crushed red coral tints the sand and the reef starts a few metres off it. In the afternoon the boat moves to Komodo Island for a ranger-led walk, then anchors nearby for the night.
Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerManta channel, Taka Makassar and Kalong at dusk
North to Karang Makassar, the shallow channel where reef mantas feed on the current. This is a drift snorkel with a guide and a tender following, and it is the single stop most people book the trip for. Taka Makassar, a bare sandbar that appears and disappears with the tide, is a short move away, followed by an afternoon reef stop at Batu Bolong or Siaba Besar depending on conditions. The day ends at Kalong Island, where thousands of flying foxes lift off the mangroves at dusk.
Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerKanawa Island, then back to Labuan Bajo
A final morning snorkel at Kanawa Island over shallow reef straight off the jetty, or a lie-in on the sun deck if the previous three days have caught up with you. Brunch is served while the boat makes the crossing back. Arrival in Labuan Bajo is late morning, with transfer to the airport or your hotel. Same-day flights out are possible but tight; an afternoon departure is safer.
BreakfastWhat's Included
- IncludedHotel Pickup / Drop-off, Accommodation Onboard, 3 Meals Daily, Snacks, Coffee & Tea, Drinking Water, Snorkeling Equipment, Local Guide / Ranger, Towels & Toiletries
- Not includedKomodo National Park Entrance Fee, Crew Gratuity, Dive Equipment Rental, Nitrox Surcharge, Travel / Dive Insurance, Flights, Alcoholic Beverages, Spa & Massage, Laundry, Personal Expenses
- Komodo National Park feeNot included
- What to bring
Bring the passport or KTP used for the SiOra reservation and save the e-ticket offline before boarding. Park entry and related charges should be registered and paid cashless before departure; carry rupiah for onboard extras and gratuities, not as a substitute for the park reservation.
- Four days of clothes you are happy to rinse in salt water. Nothing dries properly at sea and no boat on this route runs laundry
- Reef-safe sunscreen and a long-sleeve rash guard. Three consecutive days of open deck catches people who felt fine on Day 1
- Head torch for the pre-dawn tender to Padar on Day 2
- Motion sickness tablets taken before boarding. The Day 3 run north to Karang Makassar is the most exposed leg of the route
- Dry bag, plus a smaller one for a phone on the tender transfers
- Your own mask if fit matters to you. Loan sets are provided but sizes are limited
- Power bank and a spare cable. Generators run on a schedule, not around the clock
- Something to read for the long afternoon crossings, which the three-night version does not have
- Personal medication, and cash for crew gratuity on the last morning
- CancellationModerate
- Policy detail
Boat booking: Cancellation and date-change terms belong to the individual operator and can differ between shared cabins and private charter. Before paying, confirm the deposit, balance due date, refund schedule, weather-cancellation handling and any replacement-date option in writing.
SiOra park reservation: This is separate from the boat booking. Official public guidance confirms advance e-ticketing and cashless payment, but does not state one universal refund or rescheduling rule for every reservation. Before issuance, ask the handling operator to confirm the current SiOra amendment, cancellation and weather-disruption terms in writing. Treat the boat booking and park reservation as separate until both changes are confirmed.
- Notes
Park charges: Komodo National Park access is separate from the boat fare unless the selected operator explicitly lists it as included. Statutory entrance is charged per person, per day—not per visit. The final SiOra total depends on the registered days plus any applicable activity, vessel or special-use charges. See What the Park Costs on this page for the verified statutory schedule and source date.
Reservation and payment: Reserve through SiOra before travel; Ministry guidance recommends H-1. An operator can assist, and self-service is available at the Komodo Visitor Center and KP3 terminal. Payment is cashless. Ask for an itemised total before issuance.
Equipment and guiding: Snorkelling equipment, drinking water, coffee and tea are included on the boats listed here. Dive equipment, tanks and Nitrox remain separate, and crew gratuity is discretionary. The onboard guide is part of the boat service. If an operator adds a site, ranger or guiding-service line, ask them to identify what it covers instead of treating it as part of the statutory entrance fee.
KomodoInsider-verified. Last checked .
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a 4 day 3 night Komodo tour cost?
of the
boats on this page sell single cabins on a shared departure, from
per person on
up to
on
. The other
are whole-boat charter, quoted from
for the boat and running to
at the top of the range. Park access is separate unless an operator explicitly includes it. SiOra charges follow the registered travel days and any applicable activity, vessel or special-use charges; see What the Park Costs on this page for the verified schedule.
Is 4 days 3 nights better than 3 days 2 nights in Komodo?
It is the same circuit with slack in it. Days 1 and 2 are close to identical on both. What the fourth day buys is a second run at the manta channel when the current is wrong, a morning at Kanawa Island, and one spare weather window. If your dates are tight or budget is the constraint, the 3 days 2 nights version of this route still covers every headline sight, Padar and the dragons and Pink Beach and the mantas, and puts you back in Labuan Bajo a day earlier.
Can I dive on a 4 days 3 nights Komodo trip?
This is the shortest itinerary on which a real dive schedule fits, but it depends on the boat rather than the route. Diving is excluded from every package here: tanks, equipment rental, nitrox and guide fees are charged on top and need arranging before departure rather than on the morning. Leave a surface interval before flying. The usual 18 to 24 hour no-fly guidance after repetitive dives applies, which is another reason not to book a same-day flight out of Labuan Bajo on Day 4.
Which islands does the 4D3N Komodo route cover?
Kelor Island on the afternoon of Day 1, then Padar, Pink Beach and Komodo Island on Day 2. Day 3 runs north to Karang Makassar for the mantas, Taka Makassar, a reef stop at Batu Bolong or Siaba Besar, and Kalong Island at dusk for the flying foxes. Day 4 is a last snorkel at Kanawa Island before the crossing back. Stops shift with tide, current and wind. The ranger-led walk and the manta channel are the two most weather-sensitive.
How early do the days start?
Day 2 is the early one. The tender leaves for Padar in the dark so the ridge walk is done before the day boats arrive from Labuan Bajo and before the heat, which means coffee at around 4.30 to 5am. Day 3 also starts early because Karang Makassar works best on a particular tide. Day 1 and Day 4 are the relaxed ones. Nights are spent at anchor in sheltered bays rather than under way, so the boat is not sailing through your sleep.
What happens if the weather turns?
The crew reorders the itinerary rather than cancelling stops. Padar and the manta channel are the two that get moved, and a reef stop or a beach usually fills the gap. This is the practical argument for the extra night: on a two-night trip a single bad morning deletes a headline sight, and on this one there is normally somewhere else in the schedule to put it. Full cancellations are rare outside January and February.
Why are so many boats on this route charter only?
Four days is the shortest trip most private phinisi will sell, so the upper half of this route is charter territory rather than cabin territory.
of the
boats here take the whole boat only, from
. Taking a boat privately starts to make sense from around six people; below that a cabin on a shared departure is almost always cheaper. Only
boats on this page sell single cabins, so solo travellers and couples should check availability early or look at the shorter route.
When is the best time of year for a 4 days 3 nights Komodo tour?
April to June and September to November are the settled windows: flat crossings, good underwater visibility, and a Padar ridge that is not shoulder to shoulder at sunrise. July and August are dry and calm but the busiest and most expensive. Manta sightings at Karang Makassar hold up year-round and are most reliable in the cooler months. January and February bring the strongest winds and the thinnest choice of departures, as part of the fleet repositions east for the Raja Ampat season. On four days the weather matters less than on a shorter trip, because there is usually a spare morning to move a stop into.
What the Park Costs
| What you pay | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Park entrance, foreign visitor | Rp 250,000 ≈ $14 | per person, per visit Identical on weekdays and public holidays. Already includes trekking, wildlife observation and snorkelling inside the park. |
| Park entrance, Indonesian visitor, weekday | Rp 50,000 ≈ $3 | per person, per visit Raised from Rp 35,000 in October 2024. |
| Park entrance, Indonesian visitor, weekend or public holiday | Rp 75,000 ≈ $4 | per person, per visit The holiday uplift applies to the Indonesian rate only. |
| Park entrance, Indonesian student group | Rp 25,000 ≈ $1 | per person, per day Group bookings only. |
| Scuba diving permit | Rp 25,000 ≈ $1 | per diver, per day Charged on top of the entrance fee. Snorkelling is not charged separately. |
| Vessel entry | varies | Assessed on the engine capacity of the boat, so it is normally settled by the operator rather than by passengers. |
- Booking runs through SIORA, the park's own system, and is handled by a licensed operator before arrival. There is no ticket window at the gate.
- A daily cap of 1,000 visitors applies across the park, split between Komodo, Rinca and Padar and the dive sites around them.
- Entry runs in sessions rather than all day, which is why a boat's arrival time is set by the park and not by the crew.
- A drone permit is separate, expensive, and has to be requested well in advance.
Statutory rates set by Peraturan Pemerintah No. 36 Tahun 2024, in force since 30 October 2024. Checked 25 August 2026. Amounts are payable in rupiah; dollar figures are converted at Rp 17,900 and rounded. A rise in the foreign rate was under government review in April 2026 and had not taken effect.
Verification & Booking Notes
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Who This Suits
Right for you if you want both halves of Komodo National Park without choosing between them. The fourth day is less about extra sightseeing than about slack: a second run at the manta channel when the current is wrong on Day 3, a morning at Kanawa that the shorter trips cut, and one spare weather window that two nights does not give you.
It is also where the private phinisi tier starts. Four days is the shortest trip most of them will sell, which is why
of the
boats on this page take the whole boat only, from
. Groups of six and up, families travelling together, and anyone who wants the schedule to be theirs rather than the departure list are the natural fit.
Think again if your dates are tight. You are alongside late on Day 4, which does not pair well with a midday flight out of Labuan Bajo, and Days 1 and 2 overlap heavily with the 3 days 2 nights version of this route. If the priority is the headline sights on the smallest budget, the shorter trip covers them.
Worth knowing on availability: only
of the boats here sell single cabins, from
per person on
. Solo travellers and couples will find far more cabin choice on the 3D2N route. Anyone nervous in open water should read Day 3 first, because the manta stop is a drift snorkel in moving current rather than a swim from a beach.
Cruise Areas
- Komodo
Activities
- Diving
- Snorkeling
- Trekking
- Island Hopping
- Wildlife Watching
- Sunset Viewing
- Photography
Location
Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
Kayangan Harbour, Lombok