Roughly 3–10 years
Younger children
Shorter activities, earlier bedtimes and days that can be rewritten at breakfast without anyone minding.
- Nap times built into the plan
- Early dinners and constant snacks
- Shallow, sheltered snorkel stops
Charter · Families
Family yacht charter, Komodo and the Gilis
A private phinisi for four to seven days between Lombok, the Gili Islands and Komodo National Park. Built around how families actually travel: earlier nights, flexible wake-ups, gentle hikes and plenty of beach stops.
- 4–7
- days, private phinisi
- 3–10 yrs
- the age band we plan hardest for
- $6,000+
- per trip, whole boat
Safety first
What we look for before we put a family on a boat
All the vessels here are traditional wooden liveaboards, but we prioritise layout and safety over maximum cabin count.
- 01 En-suite air-conditioned cabins with doors that latch from the inside
- 02 Space in the cabin for a cot or an extra child bed, and real ventilation
- 03 Deck railings at sensible heights, with extra netting available on some vessels
- 04 Shaded lounge areas where children can play, read or nap out of the sun
- 05 An open but supervised swim platform for controlled water access
- 06 Separate crew and guest areas, so the family keeps its quiet time
- 07 Tenders with ladders for easier beach and snorkel entries
- 08 A safety briefing on day one covering lifejackets, rail rules and tender procedure
Ask for it and we will plan it
Travel cots, child lifejackets in smaller sizes, or a private guide whose only job is your children in the water. Each one goes into the proposal rather than being discovered on board.
Where it goes further
Life on board stays relaxed but structured enough that children know what to expect. Meal times, no-go zones while the boat is moving, and who to ask for a snack or a mask that fits. Many of the crew are parents.
How long
Three frameworks, and why we usually suggest the longer one
Built from the most family-friendly sections of the classic Lombok–Komodo sail, with the option to shorten, extend or run a round trip from Labuan Bajo.
4D3N
Lombok to Labuan Bajo
The classic one-way run via the Gilis and the Komodo highlights. Efficient, and it lines up neatly with a flight home from Flores.
Rule of thumb
Most open-sea time
5D4N
Labuan Bajo round trip
Fly into Labuan Bajo and stay inside the park. Shorter sea crossings, and the option to focus on the islands rather than the transit.
Rule of thumb
Best for younger children
6–7 days
Slower, with easy days built in
Extra beach time, shorter hops between anchorages and optional cultural stops. This is what we suggest instead of compressing everything into a rushed schedule.
Rule of thumb
Our usual recommendation
The flow
A four-day run, paced for children
The Lombok departure, day by day. Everything here moves if your children need it to — that is the whole reason to charter.
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Day 1
Bangsal or Senggigi to the Gilis
Hotel pickup in the Mataram or Senggigi area, or a transfer from Gili Trawangan or Gili Air via Bangsal. A safety briefing built for children, then easy first-day snorkelling and confidence swims in calm water off the Gilis.
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Day 2
The crossing, kid-paced
East towards Sumbawa with flexible wake-up times. Children can help steer under crew supervision, visit the wheelhouse, learn knots and watch for dolphins, then swim off the back in a sheltered bay.
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Day 3
Western Komodo National Park
Timed to avoid the busiest windows where we can. A shorter dragon walk on Rinca or Komodo with rangers, snorkelling over shallow reefs with easy currents, and Pink Beach for swimming and sandcastles.
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Day 4
Padar, Manta Point, Labuan Bajo
A family-paced Padar hike with lower viewpoints for younger children, mantas at Manta Point when it is safe — often watched from the tender — then a final swim stop before Labuan Bajo.
On a five to seven night charter we add easy days: more beach time, shorter hops between anchorages, and optional cultural stops rather than a fuller schedule.
Who it suits
Four family shapes we plan for
We will be frank if the plan does not fit your children, and suggest gentler bays and more beach time instead.
Grandparents aboard
Multi-generation trips
Comfortable cabins, shaded decks, and no obligation to join the longer hikes.
- Cabins allocated by mobility
- Shade on deck all day
- Easy opt-out of the climbs
Enough to do
Active teenagers
Snorkelling, paddleboarding, an achievable summit on Padar and a real chance of mantas.
- Paddleboards and kayaks on selected boats
- Padar at family pace
- Dive support for older teenagers
First time afloat
Families new to boats
Extra briefings, calmer overnight anchorages and crew who are patient about it.
- Day one stays in flat water
- Overnights in sheltered bays
- Crew used to nervous first-timers
Pricing
Three realistic family budgets
Quoted per trip for the whole boat. The published guide is $6,000 to $18,000, driven by boat size, season, duration, guest count and route.
Smaller phinisi
4D3N, 4–5 people
A comfortable but not ultra-luxury private charter — the usual first family boat.
$6,000–8,500
- Whole boat for one family
- Full crew and kid-friendly menus
- Lombok to Labuan Bajo one way
- Snorkel gear for adults and children
Mid-range
5D4N, 5–6 cabins, 6–10 people
Room for grandparents or a second family, with an extra night to slow the schedule down.
$9,000–14,000
- Five or six en-suite cabins
- Extra easy day in the plan
- Kayaks and paddleboards on selected boats
- Season and extras move the figure
High-end
6–7 nights, larger groups
Upgraded cuisine, more toys, and dive support for older teenagers.
$14,000–18,000+
- Longest itinerary, most beach time
- Upgraded galley and menus
- More water toys on board
- Dive support where teenagers are certified
A mid-length family charter is typically quoted around $12,000. Park and ranger fees, alcohol, flights, hotels either side and crew gratuities sit outside all three bands and are set out at proposal stage.
Booking
Five steps, and one of them is about nap times
01
Share your basics
Dates or a month, the children's ages, your starting point — Lombok, the Gilis or Labuan Bajo — and a rough budget range.
02
We match boats
We shortlist specific phinisi that are safe and practical for your family size and the ages on board, not just the ones with the right cabin count.
03
Draft itinerary
A four to seven day plan with the length of each activity, possible Padar, Pink Beach and Manta Point windows, and realistic travel times between them.
04
Fine-tune for children
Nap times, early dinners, snacks, sensitive eaters and water confidence. We adjust the programme and brief the crew accordingly.
05
Confirm and deposit
A charter contract and deposit lock the dates, then we handle the detailed logistics and send packing advice that assumes children.
Arriving from Bali: fast boat or ferry to Bangsal or the Gilis, or a flight into Lombok International Airport and a private car to Senggigi or Bangsal. We usually suggest a night in Senggigi, Mataram or the Gilis first.
Between $6,000 and $18,000 for the whole boat. A 4D3N charter for four or five people sits around $6,000 to $8,500; a 5D4N on a five or six cabin phinisi for six to ten people runs $9,000 to $14,000.
The boat side is, with the layout and briefing above. The water side depends on the site — strong currents at some Komodo snorkel spots are not right for non-swimmers, so we move the programme to gentler bays and more beach time.
Yes, on a shorter ranger-guided walk on Rinca or Komodo. The rangers set the distance and the pace, and there is always the option to stay on the boat.
We usually recommend five to seven days rather than compressing everything into four. Round-trip charters from Labuan Bajo also cut the open-sea time considerably.
Yes, though sizes depend on availability — bring a favourite mask for smaller children if you have one. Kayaks and paddleboards are on selected boats, and basic fishing gear is available on request.
Park and ranger fees for Komodo and Rinca, alcohol, flights, hotels before or after the cruise, and crew gratuities. All of it is set out at proposal stage rather than on board.
The charter desk
Send the ages and we will send the boats
Dates, the children's ages, where you are starting and a rough budget. We come back with specific boats, date options and an honest read on what will and will not work for your family.
Desk open 9AM–6PM WITA