Patungan Pinisi
Patungan Pinisi
The cheapest month to charter a boat in Komodo
Updated 27 October 2026
The cheapest month to charter a boat in Komodo does not show on our rate card: the three boats publish one 2026 price with no month-by-month step, from IDR 36,500,000 (≈ USD 2,239) (rate card dated 27 October 2026). The month changes the weather and the crowds, not the fare.
Why the price stays flat all year
Let us be straight about the fare. Each boat has one 2026 rate card, dated 27 October 2026 and valid through 31 December 2026, and the whole boat is priced by head count. The prices on this site are that card.
For Christmas, New Year and other holiday dates, we confirm the price for your exact date when you ask, before any deposit. If a boat changes its card, the page changes and the date moves.
The Monday and Friday seats follow the same rule. They run on Monday & Friday through early January 2027, each seat at its cabin fare.
Book 2027 now at the 2026 price list; if the 2027 rate changes before your balance is due, you are told first and can cancel free.
So the cheapest month for your wallet is the one where you fill the boat. The month changes everything else about the trip.
Weather and crowd by month
Here is what the month does change. Seas are calm in April, May, June, October and November, moderate in March, September and December, and rough in January, February, July and August. Underwater visibility is high from April to June and from September to November, medium in March, July, August and December, and low in January and February.
Crowds follow the holidays. July and August are the busy months at every stop. January, February, March and November are the quietest, with low crowds. The other months sit in the middle.
Padar sunrise moves across the year, from 05:31 to 06:18, so the alarm moves with the calendar. The table below sets all twelve months side by side.
Read it by what your group cares about. A group that wants calm seas and few boats looks at November. A group that wants manta rays looks at January, February, July, August, September and December.
| Month | Sea | Visibility | Mantas | Crowds | Rain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | rough | low | peak | low | wet | Wet season. Heavy showers, the roughest seas of the year and low visibility. Manta season is at its peak; sightings are not guaranteed. |
| February | rough | low | peak | low | wet | Wet season. Rough seas and low visibility, with few other boats on the water. Manta season is at its peak. |
| March | moderate | medium | good | low | wet | The last wet month. Showers ease and the sea settles. Visibility is medium and mantas are around. |
| April | calm | high | fair | medium | dry | The dry season begins. The sea is calm and underwater visibility is high. |
| May | calm | high | fair | medium | dry | Dry, calm and clear. Snorkeling and trekking days run on plan. |
| June | calm | high | fair | medium | dry | Dry and clear. The south-east wind starts to build toward July. |
| July | rough | medium | peak | high | dry | Dry, with a windier sea and many boats at the anchorages. Manta season picks up. |
| August | rough | medium | peak | high | dry | The windiest dry month and the busiest anchorages. Mantas are in season. |
| September | moderate | high | peak | medium | dry | The wind eases and visibility is high. Manta season continues. A shoulder month with a calm feel. |
| October | calm | high | fair | medium | dry | Calm, clear and hot, with fewer boats than July and August. |
| November | calm | high | fair | low | dry | The end of the dry season. The sea is calm, the water is clear and the sites are quiet. |
| December | moderate | medium | peak | medium | wet | The wet season starts and mantas return. The last week of the month is busy with holiday travelers. |
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The weeks that fill first
Boats fill around school holidays and national long weekends. July and August are the high-crowd months, and late December is busy with holiday travelers. If your dates sit in one of those weeks, book early and expect fewer boats free.
Fully booked dates on the Monday and Friday schedule are not offered, so the calendar only shows what is open. A private charter works from the boat's own diary, and we check it for you.
Our 2027 holiday planner names the weeks to check, from the long weekends to the school breaks. Read it before you fix a date in the group chat.
A tip that costs nothing: pick a date that is not a holiday. Ask whether anyone in the group has a fixed week, and let the others bend.
Rainy months and the sea
The wet season runs from December to March. January and February bring heavy showers and the roughest seas of the year, with lower underwater visibility. It is also when manta sightings are at their best, and the water is quiet, because crowds are low.
March is the last wet month. Showers ease, seas settle and visibility is medium. April opens the dry season with calm seas and some of the best underwater visibility of the year.
November, a question groups ask, is not rainy. It is the end of the dry season: calm seas, clear water and quieter sites. No month is dry for certain, and clouds and haze change the plan whatever the calendar says.
If the sea turns rough, the captain decides the order of stops and the anchorage on the day.
A saving tip that works in any month
Fill the boat. The whole boat is one number, and each extra friend lowers the share. On Nusantara Karya, 10 guests pay IDR 4,400,000 (≈ USD 270) each. At 12 guests it is IDR 4,000,000 (≈ USD 245) and at 14 it is IDR 3,430,000 (≈ USD 210). On Arham Jaya 2 the same head counts give IDR 4,150,000 (≈ USD 255), IDR 3,710,000 (≈ USD 228) and IDR 3,180,000 (≈ USD 195).
Arrive the day before. A delayed or canceled flight on the sailing day costs a morning, and a morning is one stop.
Avoid public holidays and the peak weeks when the group can. Fewer boats are free in those weeks, and the price for a holiday date is confirmed when you ask.
Park tickets sit outside all of this. Weekday domestic guests pay IDR 50,000, weekend domestic guests pay IDR 75,000 and international guests pay IDR 250,000. A private charter leaves out the guide and documentation too.
FAQ
Which month is cheapest to charter in Komodo?
No month, on our rate card. The three boats publish one 2026 price with no month-by-month step, from IDR 36,500,000 (≈ USD 2,239). The month changes the weather and the crowds. For 2027, you book at the 2026 price list.
Is November rainy?
No. November is the end of the dry season, with calm seas, clear water and quieter sites. Rain is the wet season's business, which runs from December to March. No month is dry for certain, so clouds and haze can still change the plan.
Do prices rise in July and August?
The printed rate card has one price per band through 31 December 2026; for a holiday date we confirm the price when you ask. What rises is the crowd. July and August are the busiest months, with high crowds at every stop and windier seas. Book early for those weeks, since the boats fill.
When are the seas calm?
April, May, June, October and November have calm seas. March, September and December are moderate. January, February, July and August are rough. Visibility is highest from April to June and September to November.
What are the busiest weeks?
July and August, and late December around the holidays. School breaks and national long weekends fill boats too. Fully booked dates on the Monday and Friday schedule are not offered, so ask us for the private diary of the boat you want.
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