What a LASHA Charter Really Costs in 2026

The charter rate is the number everyone quotes — and only part of the number you pay. As the vessel’s official site we publish our rate bands in full, so the base figure is never a mystery. A clean budget still needs four lines, not one: the charter itself, the park and entrance fees invoiced per guest, the gratuity your crew will have earned by day two, and the flights that bring your group to Labuan Bajo. This guide prices all four with 2026 numbers, then works two complete budgets: three nights in Komodo for 14 guests, and five nights east toward Raja Ampat for 12.

What Makes Up the Cost of a LASHA Charter?

Every line below except the gratuity appears in writing before you pay anything. The charter rate and the per-guest park fees sit on the same itemised quote from the charter desk; the gratuity is cash-in-hand at disembarkation and entirely your call; the flights your group books directly.

Charter Rate: From $10,800 per Night

Our published 2026 rate bands split into two route clusters. The near cluster — Komodo, Alor, Sumbawa and Bali — carries a two-night minimum and floors at $10,800 per night for the whole boat: all 10 ensuite cabins across four decks of a 52.5-metre, 466 GT phinisi, for up to 26 guests. The far cluster — Raja Ampat, Banda Sea and Wakatobi — is a seasonal expedition programme with a five-night minimum, from $11,600 per night. Both clusters price in two tiers on every guest-count row: leisure, and a dive tier set above it that adds tanks, weights and dive logistics from our dedicated dive deck — the structure is laid out in full on the LASHA liveaboard page.

The base band covers 1–14 guests. From the 15th paying guest the rate steps up per person per night — $700 leisure and $750 dive on the near cluster — to the 22-guest ceiling, and the free-of-charge allocation begins at the same point: one complimentary place at 15 paying guests, rising to four at 21–22. That FOC scale is how a full charter brings up to 26 guests aboard. Every row, both clusters, both tiers, sits in the published 2026 tables on our rates page.

Park and Entrance Fees: US$25–35 per Guest per Night

Park and entrance fees are the second line on the invoice and the one first-time charterers most often forget to multiply. They are billed per guest per night at US$25–35 depending on route: multi-night sailings sit at the lower end of the band, short formats at the upper. The fees are set by the park authorities rather than by us, are itemised separately on your quote, and can change between booking and boarding — the desk confirms the current tariff when you fix dates. The multiplication matters at group scale: 14 guests on a three-night Komodo sailing at $25 adds $1,050 to the budget; 22 guests over five nights at $35 would add $3,850.

Crew Gratuity: What the Norms Say

No gratuity line appears on a LASHA invoice, because none exists — tipping is discretionary. The working norm in Indonesian crewed-charter waters is 5–10% of the charter total, handed to the captain on the last morning and pooled across the entire crew: bridge, deck, galley and service. On a $29,400 three-night charter that is $1,470–2,940; groups that have run the dive deck hard or asked for repeated route changes tend toward the top of the band. Bring it in cash (USD or IDR both work) or ask the charter desk to arrange a transfer before disembarkation.

Flights to Labuan Bajo

Your charter begins at Labuan Bajo, and Komodo International Airport (LBJ) sits roughly ten minutes from the harbour. Direct flights arrive daily from Bali (about 70 minutes in the air) and Jakarta (about two and a half hours), with one-way fares typically $70–150 from Bali and $120–250 from Jakarta — book early for August and the peak dry-season months, when cabins and airfares tighten together. Airline-by-airline detail, transfer timings and what boarding day looks like are covered in our Labuan Bajo flights and harbour guide. For the far-cluster expeditions, the embarkation port is confirmed per sailing when the seasonal schedule is fixed.

Worked Budget: 3 Nights in Komodo, 14 Guests

Fourteen guests is the charter floor, so the arithmetic is clean. Three nights at $10,800 comes to $29,400 for the whole boat. Park fees at $25 per guest per night add 14 × 3 × $25 = $1,050. A 5–10% gratuity is $1,470–2,940. Flights from Bali at $150–300 per person return put the group’s air budget at $2,100–4,200. All in: roughly $34,000–37,600 for the group — about $2,430–2,690 per guest for three nights on a private 52.5-metre phinisi, flights included.

Worked Budget: 5 Nights East, 12 Guests

Now the far cluster. Twelve guests fit the 1–14 base band, so five nights from $11,600 comes to $58,000 for the vessel. Entrance fees across remote eastern waters at $25–35 per guest per night add $1,500–2,100. Gratuity at 5–10% is $2,625–5,250. Flights at $200–350 per person return add $2,400–4,200. All in: from about $59,000–64,100 — roughly $4,900–5,350 per guest for a five-night expedition. Higher than Komodo, deliberately so: these are long remote crossings with a five-night minimum, priced for the fuel, provisioning and positioning they demand.

How to Read Your LASHA Quote

Every quote from the charter desk arrives in writing and itemised: the charter rate on one line, park and entrance fees per guest on another, and any relocation fee shown separately — one applies when you board in Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa or Alor outside scheduled positioning windows, since our home port is Labuan Bajo. Published rates are valid for 2026 and 2027, every figure above is a from-price until your dates and guest count are fixed, and nothing else is added after the fact. The step-by-step process, deposit terms and verified payment channels are on the booking page.

Related Cost Reading

⚓ This guide is part of the journal of the LASHA Liveaboard — the 52.5-metre luxury phinisi sailing Komodo National Park and Raja Ampat. Official booking only via lashacruise.com · WhatsApp +62 811-3823-875 (Komodo Luxury).