Paying for a Komodo boat charter follows one standard rhythm: a 50% deposit due within 7 days of booking confirmation locks your vessel and dates, the remaining 50% balance is due 60 days before departure, and Komodo National Park fees are settled separately in cash on the ground. Cancel 60 or more days out and you receive a full refund minus a 5% administrative fee; inside 15 days the booking is non-refundable. This page pulls every money-related rule into one place, exactly as published in our booking process and cancellation & refund policy.
| Step | When | Amount | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking agreement signed | After you approve the proposal | — | Confirms terms, itinerary and vessel |
| Deposit | Within 7 days of confirmation | 50% of charter cost | Locks the vessel and your dates |
| Balance | 60 days before departure | Remaining 50% | Finalizes crew, provisioning and permits |
| Park & ranger fees | On the ground (Day 1 or final invoice) | Cash, per person per day | Paid to the park authority on your behalf |
| Crew tips (optional) | End of trip | Cash, at your discretion | Handed to the captain for the crew |
Deposit levels across the fleet run 30–50% depending on vessel class and season — the 2026–27 booking windows per class are listed on the published rate card, and luxury yachts book earliest (2–6 months ahead for July–August dates).
We accept international bank transfers, major credit cards, and other international payment methods; detailed instructions arrive with your booking confirmation. Quotes are issued in USD, while on-the-ground charter settlement happens in Indonesian rupiah — many international guests transfer via Wise or Revolut at the live exchange rate, as noted on our main charter guide. Card payments on board are rare: once you leave Labuan Bajo harbour, cash is the payment system, which is why we publish a dedicated how-much-cash guide recommending IDR 1–2 million per person.
Komodo National Park entry, activity, and ranger fees are charged per person, mostly per day, and are almost never inside the charter price. For private charters they appear as a separate line on the final invoice; on open trips they are typically collected in cash on Day 1 boarding. The full official fee schedule — entry IDR 250,000/day, conservation IDR 100,000/day, trekking IDR 400,000–450,000, ranger IDR 200,000 per group of five — is maintained on our Komodo National Park fees page.
| Cancellation window | Refund | You forfeit |
|---|---|---|
| 60+ days before charter | Full refund minus 5% administrative fee | 5% of booking cost |
| 30–59 days before charter | 50% of booking cost | 50% |
| 15–29 days before charter | 25% of booking cost | 75% |
| Less than 15 days | No refund | 100% |
These tiers reflect real operating costs — by 30 days out, crew schedules are finalized and provisioning is under way; inside 15 days, food, fuel and crew payments are already committed. Refunds are processed within 7–10 business days to the original payment method. The worked examples for each tier are on the full cancellation policy.
If we cancel your charter because of force majeure — extreme weather, natural disasters, or government-imposed travel restrictions — you receive full refund credit as a future charter booking, or a full refund minus a 10% administrative fee. When the Labuan Bajo harbourmaster suspends departures, the decision sits with the authorities and the captain, never with the itinerary; our safety standards report shows how that system performed under a real M7.7 earthquake stress test in August 2026.
Your booking is confirmed once you sign the electronic booking agreement and the 50% deposit is received within 7 days of confirmation. The deposit is what removes the vessel from open sale for your dates, so during peak season we recommend transferring promptly.
Yes — major credit cards and international bank transfers are both accepted for the deposit and balance, and full payment instructions come with your booking confirmation. On the water it is a different story: boats rarely process cards, so bring cash for park fees and tips.
Refunds are processed within 7 to 10 business days back to the original payment method, after the applicable tier from the cancellation policy is applied. Cancellations made 60 or more days before the charter receive the most favorable treatment, a full refund minus only the 5% administrative fee.
No. Park entry, conservation, trekking and ranger fees are separate from the charter price and are collected in cash and paid to the park authority on your behalf. Budget roughly IDR 400,000–550,000 per foreign visitor per day inside the park, per the published fee schedule.
Weather cancellations initiated by the harbourmaster or captain fall under force majeure: you receive full credit toward a future charter, or a refund minus a 10% administrative fee. In practice full weather cancellations are rare — captains normally re-route to the park’s sheltered leeward anchorages instead.
