LASHA Cruise begins its maiden Komodo season on 17 August 2026, sailing from Labuan Bajo. The 2023-built, 52.5-metre, 466 GT phinisi carries up to 26 guests in 10 ensuite cabins, with full-boat charters from $9,800 per night for up to 14 guests. First-season availability runs from late August through November 2026.
One month from today, a new silhouette joins the anchorages of Komodo National Park. On the morning of 17 August 2026 — Indonesia’s Independence Day — LASHA departs Labuan Bajo on her first public sailing, opening a maiden season three years in the making since her 2023 launch. This is the official announcement of that season: the ship, the waters she will sail, the rates, and the dates still open for the groups moving quickly enough to claim them.
What Kind of Ship Is Joining the Komodo Fleet?
LASHA is a phinisi built in 2023 in the Buginese style from Ulin ironwood and Jati teak — the same hardwood pairing UNESCO documented when it inscribed South Sulawesi’s pinisi boatbuilding craft on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017. At 52.5 metres in length, with a 10.3-metre beam and 466 gross tonnes, she is one of the largest luxury phinisi in the Komodo fleet. Her working systems match the scale: a 750 HP Weichai main engine, twin Mitsubishi generators, 12,000 litres of fuel and 22,000 litres of fresh water — the range to stay out among the islands for days rather than shuttling back to port. The full specification sheet lives on the yacht page.
Safety systems were specified for a 26-guest vessel from day one: Garmin GPS, Samyung AIS and EPIRB, SART radar, two lifeboats, four 20-person liferafts, 75 life jackets, 30 fire extinguishers and a 54-channel CCTV network watching over four decks.
What Can Guests Expect On Board?
Ten ensuite cabins sleep up to 26 guests across four decks. The lower deck holds two Deluxe cabins with twin beds and two Grand Deluxe cabins that add an extra bed for a third guest. The main deck carries the signature accommodation: four Junior Suite Balcony cabins, each with a double bed and a private balcony, and two Master Suite Jacuzzi & Balcony cabins — 205 and 206 — where an in-suite jacuzzi bathtub sits against ocean-view windows. Every cabin is finished in white and ivory with marble bathrooms, rain showers and brass-gold detailing. The complete lineup, deck by deck, is on the cabins page.
The social spaces carry the same intent. The main deck holds a living room with a smart TV and PlayStation 5, plus a dedicated dive deck. The upper deck is given to the Lounge & Resto — indoor dining and a bar lounge — with an alfresco dining table aft and a chill area forward. The top deck belongs entirely to guests: a sun deck with an open-air jacuzzi and rows of sun loungers facing the islands. We toured the flagship suites in detail in Inside LASHA’s Master Suite.
Where Will LASHA Sail First?
The maiden season is set in Komodo National Park, established in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. The official World Heritage datasheet puts the park at 219,322 hectares — 60,150 on land and 159,172 at sea — across three main islands, Komodo, Rinca and Padar, plus a scatter of smaller volcanic islands. The most recent full census, reported in 2023, counted approximately 3,396 dragons across the species’ entire wild range.
Wild dragons live on Komodo, Rinca, Gili Motang and Nusa Kode within the park boundaries, and a licensed ranger is mandatory for every trek on Komodo and Rinca — a rule LASHA’s route planning builds in from the first draft itinerary. First-season routes thread the classic anchorages: the ridgeline sunrise on Padar (covered here), the rose-tinted sand of Pink Beach, reef manta encounters at Manta Point and the dusk departure of the flying foxes off Kalong Island. Full multi-day routes are mapped on the itineraries page.
Which Maiden-Season Dates Are Still Open?
Here is the honest picture. July and August departures on luxury phinisi routinely book out six to twelve months in advance, according to operator reporting from Samara and Hello Flores — which makes a new vessel entering service on 17 August a rare piece of fresh peak-season inventory. The launch window sits inside Komodo’s calmest stretch: dive operators such as Scuba Junkie Komodo report 30–40-metre underwater visibility from June through September, peaking in July and August.
The realistic first-season window runs from late August through November 2026 — shoulder months with calm crossings, thinner crowds and manta activity rising from September as plankton density builds. Komodo’s dry season holds from roughly April to October, so early maiden-season charters sail in reliably settled weather. One planning note for the year ahead: charter shoppers begin securing July–August 2027 dates from around September 2026, and LASHA’s 2027 calendar opens at launch. Month-by-month conditions are broken down in our sailing-season guide.
What Do Maiden-Season Charters Cost?
LASHA publishes transparent full-boat rates — unusual in a tier where ultra-luxury peers remain quote-only. The core Komodo band works like this:
| Route | Minimum | Whole boat, 1–14 guests | Each added guest (to 22) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Komodo | Alor | Sumbawa | Lombok | Bali — leisure | 2 nights | $9,800 per night | +$700 per night |
| Same routes — dive charter | 2 nights | $10,500 per night | +$750 per night |
| Komodo 2D1N | 14 guests | $12,600 per night | up to $19,800 at 22 guests |
Komodo park entrance fees are additional — $25 per person per night on multi-night routes and $35 per person per night on 2D1N sailings. From 15 paying guests, free-of-charge (FOC) guest slots begin at one and rise to four at 21–22 guests, so a 22-guest charter welcomes 26 aboard. Rates are valid across 2026 and 2027. Full tables for every route, including Raja Ampat, Banda Sea, Wakatobi and Maratua sailings, are on the rates page, and the per-person math is worked through in the 2026 cost guide.
Plan your LASHA charter — maiden-season dates from late August 2026 are open now, and the 2027 calendar is live.
Bookings for LASHA Phinisi Cruise are handled end-to-end by Komodo Luxury, the vessel’s official marketing partner. The owner built the ship; Komodo Luxury is entrusted with getting you aboard her — from the first WhatsApp message to the moment you step onto the dive deck in Labuan Bajo, one month from now.
