**Labuan Bajo boat hire almost always includes the crew (captain, deckhands, and often a guide), fuel, drinking water, basic safety gear like life jackets, and — on day tours and liveaboards — meals and snorkelling equipment. What it rarely includes: Komodo National Park entrance fees, dive-tank rental, tips, and your flights. Always confirm line by line before you pay.**
That short answer hides a lot of variation. A IDR 50,000 public boat ticket and a IDR 25,000,000-per-day private phinisi both count as “boat hire,” but what lands in the price is wildly different. This checklist breaks down what you should expect to be covered, what almost always sits outside the quote, and the questions that stop a cheap-looking rate from turning into a bill full of surprises. All prices below are stamped as of 2026 and are subject to change, so treat them as planning figures and verify with the operator and park authorities.
What is always included in a Labuan Bajo boat quote?
Across every boat class leaving the harbor — from the open-deck public ferry to a luxury liveaboard — a handful of things come standard. If a quote leaves any of these out, that is a red flag worth asking about.
- Crew — At minimum a captain and one or two deckhands. On tours and cruises, add a guide who runs the snorkelling and the island walks.
- Fuel — The boat’s own running costs. You do not top up the tank yourself.
- Basic safety equipment — Life jackets on board and, on liveaboards, a safety briefing before departure. Neptune Liveaboards, for example, runs guests through name and passport checks, cabin assignment, and a safety briefing before the boat leaves.
- Drinking water — Refillable water is standard on almost every shared trip.
- The vessel itself and its route — Whether that is a fixed public schedule or a set day-tour loop.
For a fuller breakdown of exactly what falls inside each boat class, our [boat hire inclusions](/labuan-bajo-boat-hire/) page lays out the standard-versus-extra split side by side, and it is the reference most travellers cross-check before committing to a departure.
What’s included depends on the boat class
The word “included” means something different at each price tier. Here is how the four common ways to get on the water compare, as of 2026.
| Boat class | Typical price (2026) | Crew | Meals | Snorkel gear | Park fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public local boat (harbor to Komodo Village) | IDR 50,000 per person | Yes | No | No | Not included |
| One-day shared speedboat tour | USD 50-80 per person | Yes + guide | Usually lunch + water | Usually basic set | Not included |
| Multi-day shared liveaboard | From ~IDR 3,334,000 (~USD 205) pp | Yes + guide + cook | All meals | Usually included | Not included |
| Luxury phinisi (shared cabin) | From IDR 8,800,000+ (~USD 545+) pp | Full crew + guide + chef | All meals | Included | Not included |
| Private charter (whole boat) | IDR 12,000,000-25,000,000+ per day | Full crew | All meals | Not included |
Two patterns jump out. First, meals and snorkel gear scale up with price — the IDR 50,000 public boat is pure transport, while a liveaboard feeds you three meals a day. Second, and this catches nearly everyone: park entrance fees are excluded at every single tier, cheap or luxury.
What is almost never included?
These are the line items that live outside the boat quote. Budget for them separately so the final number does not sting.
- Komodo National Park entrance fees. A commercial one-day island-hopping speedboat tour lists Komodo National Park and Padar Island entrance at about IDR 450,000 (USD 33) per person, collected separately. A 2026 guide confirms Komodo tour prices exclude park entrance fees, which are paid directly to park authorities. The park is managed under Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
- Dive tanks and dive gear. Snorkelling kit is often thrown in; scuba gear and tanks almost never are. If you plan to dive, quote that separately.
- Tips for crew. Not mandatory, but customary and never baked into the headline price.
- Flights and airport transfers. Denpasar (DPS) to Labuan Bajo (LBJ) economy one-way runs roughly IDR 1.2-2.5M on Garuda or Batik and IDR 700,000-1.5M on Lion or Wings, and busy dates can roughly double that. From Komodo Airport, a taxi to the ferry harbor takes about 15-20 minutes and costs around IDR 100,000; a motorbike ojek is about IDR 20,000 with light luggage.
- Alcohol and premium drinks. Water is standard; a bar tab is not.
- Travel insurance. Always yours to arrange.
How is it priced — per person or per boat?
This distinction changes your whole calculation. Shared, open trips are priced per person and run on fixed departure days. Private charters are priced per boat and can depart on flexible dates.
- Per person (shared): Public boat at IDR 50,000, speedboat day tours at USD 50-80, liveaboards from ~IDR 3,334,000. You pay for your seat; strangers fill the rest.
- Per boat (private): A standard phinisi for 8-12 guests runs IDR 12,000,000-25,000,000 per day (about USD 750-1,550), with higher-end charters reaching IDR 19,000,000-53,500,000+ per day. Split across a full group, the per-head cost can undercut a shared luxury cabin.
So a private charter that looks expensive at IDR 20,000,000 becomes reasonable at IDR 2,000,000 each across ten friends — and you control the departure date instead of waiting for a fixed sailing.
What questions should you ask before you pay?
Run this checklist against any quote before money changes hands. It is the fastest way to compare two operators fairly.
- Is the Komodo park fee in this price, or paid separately? (Almost always separately — around IDR 450,000 per person for the one-day combination.)
- Which meals are included, and is drinking water unlimited?
- Is snorkel gear provided, and does that include a mask, fins, and a life vest?
- How many stops, and which islands? A strong day tour hits four to six stops such as Padar, Pink Beach, Komodo or Rinca, Manta Point, and Taka Makassar.
- What time does the boat leave, and from where? Speedboat day tours typically depart 05:30-06:30; liveaboard boarding often runs 11:00-12:30 at the jetty.
- Is this per person or per boat? (See above — it changes everything.)
- What happens in bad weather? January to March brings wind, heavy rain, and big waves that can cancel or alter departures. The reliable dry-season window runs roughly April to November or December, when seas are calm and visibility is excellent.
When you book, what should the final number look like?
Add three buckets: the boat quote, the park fees (roughly IDR 450,000 per person for a standard Komodo day), and the extras (tips, dive gear, drinks, transfers, insurance). For a shared speedboat day tour, that realistically means the USD 50-80 boat price plus about IDR 450,000 in park fees plus small extras — not the headline figure alone.
The whole point of a neutral directory is that no single official site lists, compares, and prices every boat class from the harbor; the information stays scattered across operators and guides. Bajo Harborline, operated by Komodo Luxury — a real operator founded in 2015 in Labuan Bajo — exists to close that gap, with bookings handled directly by its reservations team.
If you want a specific quote broken down line by line, message the concierge on WhatsApp at 628113823875 or email sales@komodoluxury.com, and ask them to itemise exactly what is included so there are no surprises at the jetty. All figures here are current as of 2026 and subject to change; confirm park fees directly with park authorities before you travel.