A private boat in Labuan Bajo for the day worth celebrating

Most of the celebrations we plan on a boat come down to one moment, and the light decides when it happens. These are the five we're asked about most, each with the moment that makes it.

• Birthday. A cake, arranged on request, comes up on deck as the flying foxes leave Kalong, about 15 minutes after sunset.
• Anniversary. Carnaby 1 has one balcony, on the Master Cabin. Carnaby 2 has four cabins with a balcony and a bathtub.
• Proposal. A party of up to 6 pays the lowest whole-boat band on Carnaby 1, and the captain picks the anchorage for the question on the day.
• Friends' trip. Fifteen to 21 friends fit on Carnaby 2 with one dining table, one sundeck and one jacuzzi between them.
• Reunion. Relatives who flew in from different cities get four days, long enough to actually talk between swims.

Dinner on deck and the farewell trip have pages of their own under Celebrations.

For 14 friends or fewer, take Carnaby 1: 26 m, 6 cabins, a jacuzzi and a sundeck with bean bags. For 15 to 21 you need Carnaby 2, which runs to 32 m and 10 cabins, four of them with a balcony and a bathtub.

Carnaby 1 has 6 cabins and takes up to 14 guests, 15 with the extra bed in the Master Cabin. Carnaby 2 has 10 cabins and takes up to 21 guests.

At 13 or 14 guests either boat works, and Carnaby 1 is the cheaper of the two. The rate list stops at 14 guests; a 15th guest on the extra bed is priced in your written quote. Twenty-one is the published maximum on Carnaby 2. For 22 or more, we'll put a plan to you in writing rather than promise anything here.

If you're still torn, the compare page lines the two boats up, with a per-person price at four group sizes.

A private charter is priced per boat by group size, not per person. For 3D2N, the whole of Carnaby 1 is IDR 70,000,000 (≈ USD 4,294) for 1 to 6 guests and IDR 75,000,000 (≈ USD 4,601) for 11 to 14. The whole of Carnaby 2 is IDR 118,000,000 (≈ USD 7,239) for 1 to 12 guests and IDR 140,000,000 (≈ USD 8,589) for 17 to 21.

A 2D1N on Carnaby 1 starts at IDR 63,000,000 (≈ USD 3,865). Stretch it to 4D3N and the same boat costs IDR 85,000,000 (≈ USD 5,215) for 1 to 6 guests. Carnaby 2 prices 2D1N from IDR 94,000,000 (≈ USD 5,767) and 4D3N from IDR 148,000,000 (≈ USD 9,080).

Carnaby 2's lowest band runs from 1 to 12 guests, so a party of ten pays exactly what twelve would. Carnaby 1 tops out at 14.

It starts with a WhatsApp message: the occasion, the headcount, the dates. We reply with a written quote that shows your band's rate and everything sitting outside it. Then you pay a 50 percent deposit, and the balance is due 30 days before sailing.

The organiser's note: the guest of honour needn't hear the boat's name until they board. Everyone else gets the pickup point and a packing list, and the real plan lives in a group chat the guest of honour isn't in.

On the day, the captain picks the anchorage and the exact spot for the reveal, with one eye on the weather. So tie the surprise to a time of day rather than a place on the map. The how-to-book page sets out each step, and the about page explains who owns the boats and who books them.

Included in every private fare:

• the boat with its crew, harbour transfer and daily meals;
• air-conditioned cabins with en-suite bathrooms;
• coffee, tea and mineral water, snacks and fruit, towels, life jackets and snorkelling gear.

Paid by you: park entry and ranger fees, flights, a hotel before or after, insurance, crew gratuities and alcohol. On request and quoted separately: the guide and the photo and video documentation, which a private charter leaves out, plus decoration, a cake and a photographer.

If the booked Carnaby cannot sail for a reason beyond our control, we arrange a boat of the same class on the same date at no extra cost, or refund you in full within 14 days.

Not every party needs a boat to itself. For a couple, or four friends happy to share, open-trip seats start at IDR 4,500,000 (≈ USD 276) per person for 3D2N, with a minimum of 2 per cabin. The next listed date is Friday, 6 November 2026. On an open trip the tour guide and the documentation are included.

The trade-off is company. Other guests share the deck, which rules out a surprise; for that you want the charter page. The cabins and departures pages list every fare, cabin by cabin.

The classic stops are Kelor, Manjarite, Kalong, Padar, Pink Beach, Komodo Island, Taka Makassar, Manta Point and Kanawa or Sebayur. On Carnaby 1's published 3D2N, day 1 ends at Kalong with the bats, and day 2 holds the Padar walk, Pink Beach and the ranger walk on Komodo Island. Stops and their order can change with traffic, weather and tides; the captain decides on the day.

Sunset at Kalong falls between 17:49 and 18:27, depending on the month, so the toast shifts with the calendar. Each stop has its own destination page. The dry season runs from April to November, and the when-to-go page covers sea, visibility and crowds month by month.