Vhale
Vhale Phinisi
The whole boat, one sum, and the ledger beside it
Updated 4 November 2026
An all inclusive private boat charter in Komodo on Vhale is one fare for the whole boat: IDR 148,000,000 (≈ USD 9,080) for 3D2N, the same for one guest or 28. At twenty-four guests that is IDR 6,170,000 (≈ USD 379) a head. The park package, flights, hotels, alcoholic drinks, tips, guide and photo documentation sit outside.
A single sum for the entire boat, whatever the head count up to 28
The charter is priced the way a long lunch is shared, as one sum on the table and a conversation about who owes what afterwards. Hire Vhale entire for 3D2N and the bill reads IDR 148,000,000 (≈ USD 9,080), the same sum for one guest as for 28, with no smaller tier beneath it and no charge for an extra head.
The other routes keep the same rule. One day on the water is IDR 93,300,000 (≈ USD 5,724), two days and one night is IDR 118,750,000 (≈ USD 7,285), and four days and three nights is IDR 160,000,000 (≈ USD 9,816). The fare is written for a party of twenty to thirty; a smaller party pays the same whole-boat fare. The fare is one sum for the boat, rounded; the ledger below lists what sits outside it.
- One day. A sample route, with the hours set with your date.
- 2D1N. Pickup before 11:00, back at the quay around 17:30 on day two.
- 3D2N. Pickup before 11:00, back at the quay at 12:00 on day three.
- 4D3N. A sample route, with the order and the hours set with the captain.
| Guests | per boat | per person |
|---|---|---|
| 1–28 | IDR 93,300,000 (≈ USD 5,724) | IDR 3,330,000 |
| Guests | per boat | per person |
|---|---|---|
| 1–28 | IDR 118,750,000 (≈ USD 7,285) | IDR 4,240,000 |
| Guests | per boat | per person |
|---|---|---|
| 1–28 | IDR 148,000,000 (≈ USD 9,080) | IDR 5,290,000 |
| Guests | per boat | per person |
|---|---|---|
| 1–28 | IDR 160,000,000 (≈ USD 9,816) | IDR 5,710,000 |
Checked 4 November 2026 · Prices valid from 4 November 2026
Dividing the sum by twenty, twenty-four or twenty-eight
Division is where a whole-boat fare becomes a decision. On the 3D2N route, twenty guests pay IDR 7,400,000 (≈ USD 454) each, twenty-four pay IDR 6,170,000 (≈ USD 379), and twenty-eight pay IDR 5,290,000 (≈ USD 325). Each figure is the fare shared out and rounded, nothing more.
Below twenty we give no per-head figure, because the fare was written for a full table, and a party of eight or twelve that divides it anyway will find the result sits heavily on the plate. For them the seat prices on the open trip make the cheaper afternoon, and it is better to hear that now than after the deposit has gone. The compare page works the sum both ways.
The ledger: carried by the fare, and written beside it
Here is the ledger, in the order it keeps on every page that shows a price. Left-hand column, what the fare carries: the car from your hotel or the airport and back again, every meal on board, the snacks, the mineral water, tea, coffee, milk and juice that keep coming without a tally, and the snorkel gear, together with the boat itself, its cabins and Vhale's crew of 9.
Right-hand column, what sits outside it: the park package for your trip type, flights, hotels before and after, alcoholic drinks and tips; and because this is a charter, the guide and the photographer too, each quoted separately if you want them. A card link adds 3 percent. The left column is settled once the deposit lands. The right one is yours to arrange, and we help with every line.
Included
- Hotel or airport transfer in Labuan Bajo, before and after the trip
- The boat: 12 air-conditioned cabins, crew of nine
- Meals on board (full board)
- Snacks, and free-flow mineral water, tea, coffee, milk and juice
- Snorkelling gear and life jackets
- 2 paddle boards
- Speaker and karaoke set
- Open trip: tour guide and photo/video documentation (mirrorless, drone, GoPro) included; private charter: on request, quoted separately
Not included
- Komodo National Park package (entrance ticket, ranger and local levies)
- Flights to and from Labuan Bajo
- Hotels before and after the trip
- Alcoholic drinks
- Tips for the crew and guide
- 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.
If Vhale is unavailable the day you want her
A wooden boat and her engines keep their own counsel, which is why the charter carries a promise for the day Vhale cannot go. Should she be kept in harbour on your dates, we put a boat of her class or better under your party on those very dates and charge nothing for the swap; if you would rather not, every rupiah you paid is back with you inside 2 days. You choose, and we write the choice down.
A promise of this sort is worth more for being dull: no clever clause sits behind it, and choosing the refund carries no penalty. The captain and the harbour decide whether the boat goes out, and our part is to keep your dates intact. If the replacement is a smaller boat or a lower class, we do not offer it as a replacement; it becomes a different proposal, and you can decline it and take the refund.
- Boat unavailable. A swap to a boat of her class or better, free, or the whole payment returned inside 2 days; your pick.
- Weather closure. The captain's choice stands, and where a stop is closed we propose another in its place at the same fare.
- You cancel. Cancel yourself and the refund follows the calendar: at least 60 days ahead, 50 percent returns; with 30 to 59 days left, 25 percent; nearer than that, nothing.
Longer than four days, or next year
Four days is the longest route we price, and anything longer is a different conversation, held on request, with no number to quote in advance. The same goes for a date next year: open-trip dates for 2027 exist in Vhale's calendar, and fares for 2027 are put in writing before any payment.
Some parties find a Monday or Friday on the open-trip list and wish the date were theirs alone. Turning that date into a private charter is possible on request when the boat is free of other guests on it. The fare is then the whole-boat fare, not a seat multiplied by twenty. Ask early, since the answer depends on what the calendar holds.
Three messages, and the date is reserved for you
Three messages reserve a date. The first tells us the date, the route and how many of you there are. In the second we reply with the fare, a plan for the cabins and the ledger written out for your trip. The third carries your 50 percent deposit, and from that moment the date belongs to you. The balance is settled 30 days before you sail, and nothing else is asked of you in between.
Between those messages we answer in the same WhatsApp thread, and the person replying has read what came before. Names, passports and the question of who sleeps where can all wait until the date is safely yours.
- Answered on WhatsAppSend dates, group size and route
- 50 percent of the totalDeposit confirms the date
- 30 days beforeBalance before sailing
Payment — all methods available
Secure payment by Stripe, Airwallex, American Express, Visa, Mastercard.
Fees: card payment link 3%, PayPal 7.2%, EDC card machine 3%. Your issuing bank may add its own charges. Deposit 50% to confirm, balance 30 days before departure. You can also settle the balance in Labuan Bajo on the departure day, in cash or by card on the EDC machine.
FAQ
What does each person pay on a private charter, and what is added?
At twenty guests the 3D2N fare is IDR 7,400,000 (≈ USD 454) a head, at twenty-four IDR 6,170,000 (≈ USD 379), at twenty-eight IDR 5,290,000 (≈ USD 325). On top come the park package, flights, hotels, alcoholic drinks, tips and a card fee of 3 percent if you pay through our link.
Does the charter come with a guide?
No. Guide and photographs come only on request when you charter, and they are quoted apart from the whole-boat fare. The open-trip seat, by contrast, carries both. Tell us which you want and we put a figure beside it before you decide.
Can a Monday or Friday date become a private charter?
Yes, on request, when the boat is free of other guests on that date. The fare is then the whole-boat fare for your route, one sum for the party and not a seat price multiplied. Ask early, because the calendar decides the answer.
What happens if Vhale cannot sail on my dates?
We put a boat of Vhale's class or better under you on the same dates at no cost, or return every rupiah within 2 days. You choose between the two, and we write the choice down.
Are the prices all-in, and what is added?
The fare is one rounded sum for the boat. Anything outside it is named on the quote before you pay: the park package, flights, hotels, alcoholic drinks, tips, and the guide and photographs if you ask for them.
Check availability — Vhale
Bookings for Vhale are made with the Komodo Explorer team in Labuan Bajo; the boat sails with its own crew of nine.