Elbark Cruise

Elbark Cruise is a wooden phinisi of 37 metres with a beam of 6.8 metres, built in 2021 and measured at 167 gross tonnes. It is one of the larger boats on the 3 day 2 night sharing route from Labuan Bajo, yet it takes only twenty-one guests in nine rooms, so there is space for everyone on its three decks.

A Mitsubishi 8M20 engine moves Elbark Cruise at seven to ten knots, generators of 30 and 40 kVA supply the power on board, and the tanks hold 9,000 litres of fresh water and 5,500 litres of fuel. An aluminium speedboat with a 40 hp Yamaha engine takes the guests to the beaches and the reefs.

• Length 37 m, beam 6.8 m, built in 2021, 167 GT
• Up to 21 guests in 9 air-conditioned rooms with private bathrooms
• Three rooms on the upper deck, two on the main deck and four on the lower deck
• Home port: Labuan Bajo, Flores

Elbark Cruise gives every guest a private bathroom with a hot shower, and the three rooms on the upper deck add a bathtub. Misool, the best room on board, has its own balcony with a private jacuzzi, a place to watch the islands of Komodo go by.

The boat is generous with shared space as well: an indoor dining area with a TV, a lounge with sofas, a dining table on deck and a sun deck. In the evening there are movies and karaoke, so the hours between the stops on Elbark Cruise are as good as the stops themselves.

Every room on Elbark Cruise carries the name of a place in Indonesia. Misool is an island of Raja Ampat in West Papua, and Weh is the island at the northern tip of Sumatra. The Mentawai Islands lie off the west coast of Sumatra, and Selayar is an island off the southern tip of Sulawesi.

Toraja is the highland region of South Sulawesi, and Rote, Alor and Savu are islands of East Nusa Tenggara, the province of Labuan Bajo. Banda Neira is the main island of the Banda Islands in Maluku, the old spice islands. The names make each room of Elbark Cruise easy to remember, and together they are a small map of the country you are sailing through.

All nine rooms on Elbark Cruise have air conditioning, a queen bed and a private bathroom with a hot shower. Three are on the upper deck, two on the main deck and four on the lower deck.

Misool Room. The best room on board, on the upper deck, with a private balcony, a private jacuzzi and a bathtub. It sleeps two guests, or three with an extra bed.

Weh and Mentawai Rooms. Two rooms on the upper deck, each with a bathtub, for two guests or three with an extra bed.

Rote and Selayar Rooms. Two rooms on the main deck, each with a queen bed for two guests.

Toraja, Alor, Banda Neira and Savu Rooms. Four rooms on the lower deck for two guests each. Banda Neira and Savu have the lowest price on Elbark Cruise.

Every room is booked by at least two guests. Prices are per person and depend on the room; the cabin cards on this page show the current prices, and the booking form shows which rooms are still free on each departure.

Couples. Misool, with its balcony, jacuzzi and bathtub, is the room for a special trip, and Weh and Mentawai each have a bathtub of their own.

Families. The three rooms on the upper deck take a third guest on an extra bed, and a family can book two or three rooms on the same departure.

Groups of friends. With nine rooms and space for twenty-one guests, a group can fill most of the boat on one departure, or charter all of Elbark Cruise for a trip of its own.

Solo travellers. Elbark Cruise has no shared cabin, so every room is booked by at least two guests. Travellers on their own can choose a boat with a shared cabin instead.

Day 1. Pick-up at the airport or your hotel in Labuan Bajo between 7:30 and 8:30, then Elbark Cruise sets sail and lunch is served on board. The afternoon brings a walk on Kelor Island and snorkelling at Manjarite, and the day ends with the sunset and the flying foxes at Kalong Island, followed by dinner.

Day 2. An early climb on Padar Island, before breakfast, for the view over its bays. Then the Pink Beach for snorkelling and sunbathing, the walk on Komodo Island to see the dragons, lunch on board, Taka Makassar for snorkelling and sunbathing on the sandbank, Manta Point in the afternoon and dinner on board.

Day 3. After breakfast, a last snorkel at Siaba or Sebayur Island and lunch on board. Elbark Cruise is back in Labuan Bajo at about 11:00, and the drop-off at the airport or your hotel is at about 12:00.

The order of the stops can change with the weather and the tides, and the crew chooses the best moment for each visit.

Padar Island. The climb to the viewpoint takes about thirty minutes and ends above bays with beaches of white, black and pink sand, the best-known view in Komodo National Park.

Komodo Island. The home of the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on earth. Park rangers lead every walk, and they know where the dragons rest.

Pink Beach. The pink comes from tiny red sea creatures mixed with the white sand, and the reef in front of the beach is good for snorkelling.

Taka Makassar and Manta Point. A sandbank that rises from turquoise water, and a channel where manta rays come to feed and be cleaned.

Kelor, Manjarite, Kalong and Siaba. Kelor has a small hill with a view over the surrounding islands, Manjarite has calm water and coral close to the surface, at Kalong thousands of flying foxes leave the mangroves at dusk, and Siaba or Sebayur gives a last swim over the reef before Elbark Cruise turns back to Labuan Bajo.

Meals are cooked on board: breakfast, lunch and dinner, with an afternoon snack and juices, and mineral water, coffee and tea.

The indoor dining area has a TV and long tables for the whole group, the lounge has sofas by the windows, and the dining table and the sun deck outside are the place to watch the islands go by. In the evening Elbark Cruise has movies and karaoke, and at night the boat lies at anchor in a quiet bay.

A tour guide joins every sharing trip, Wi-Fi is included, and the crew records the highlights with a camera, a drone and a GoPro, so the photos and videos of your days on Elbark Cruise come home with you.

Snorkelling gear with fins, mask, snorkel and life jacket is included for every guest, and the snorkelling stops are part of each day: Manjarite, the Pink Beach, Taka Makassar, Manta Point and Siaba or Sebayur.

Between the stops there are a canoe and a stand-up paddle board to borrow, a calm way to explore a bay. The aluminium speedboat of Elbark Cruise, with a 40 hp Yamaha engine, takes the guests from the boat to the beaches and the reefs.

Elbark Cruise was built of wood in 2021, in the shape of the traditional phinisi of Sulawesi. Its Mitsubishi 8M20 engine moves the boat at seven to ten knots between the islands, and generators of 30 and 40 kVA, with an 8,000-watt emergency generator, supply the power on board.

The crew navigates with GPS, charts, a compass and AIS, and keeps in touch by SSB and VHF radio and handheld radios. On board there are a life raft for 25 people, lifebuoys, fire extinguishers and a flare gun, and the crew of Elbark Cruise sails the boat, cooks the meals and looks after the guests.

On a sharing trip you book one or more rooms on a scheduled departure and share Elbark Cruise with other guests. Each trip lasts three days and two nights, and the price is per person.

On a private charter the whole of Elbark Cruise is yours, with its crew, for two to seven days and up to twenty-one guests with the extra beds. The charter prices depend on the length of the trip and the size of your group, and they are shown in the Private charter section of this page.

Komodo National Park lies between Sumbawa and Flores. It was created in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. The strong currents between its islands feed some of the richest reefs in Indonesia, with turtles, reef fish and manta rays.

Walks among the dragons are always led by park rangers, and every visitor pays the park entrance fee, which is added to the invoice of every Elbark Cruise trip.

The dry season, roughly from April to November, brings calm seas, clear water and sunny days, and it is the busiest time in the park. December and March are quieter, with short tropical showers and green islands.

Elbark Cruise sails 3 day 2 night trips from Friday to Sunday and, from March to October, also from Monday to Wednesday in most weeks. There are no sharing departures in January and February. The departure list on this page follows the operator's own schedule and shows every date that is still open.

Labuan Bajo, on the west coast of Flores, has its own airport, Komodo Airport (LBJ), with direct flights from Bali and Jakarta. The pick-up for Elbark Cruise is at the airport or at your hotel in Labuan Bajo between 7:30 and 8:30, so it is easiest to arrive the day before.

On the last day the boat is back at about 11:00 and the drop-off is at about 12:00, so a flight in the afternoon is usually possible. Many guests add a night in Labuan Bajo before or after the trip.

You can book Elbark Cruise online: choose a departure, pick your rooms and send the booking request. We check it and email your invoice within 24 hours. A 50% deposit is due within 72 hours of the invoice and the balance 60 days before the trip; bookings made less than 60 days ahead are paid in full. The payment policy and the cancellation policy give the details.

Every Elbark Cruise sharing trip includes:

• Transfers between the airport or your hotel and the boat
• Three meals a day, mineral water, coffee, tea, an afternoon snack and juices
• Shore excursions with a tour guide
• A canoe, a paddle board and snorkelling gear
• Photos and videos by camera, drone and GoPro
• Wi-Fi

The Komodo National Park entrance fee is paid per person per trip, at one rate for foreign guests and a lower rate for Indonesian citizens, and it is added to the invoice. Flights, hotels, travel insurance, alcoholic drinks and tips for the crew and guide are not included.

How many guests does Elbark Cruise take? Up to twenty-one guests in nine rooms, with the extra beds.

Which room has a jacuzzi? Misool, on the upper deck, which also has a private balcony and a bathtub.

Which rooms have a bathtub? Misool, Weh and Mentawai, the three rooms on the upper deck.

Does every room have a private bathroom? Yes. All nine rooms have air conditioning, a queen bed and a private bathroom with a hot shower.

Can I travel alone? Every room on Elbark Cruise is booked by at least two guests, so travellers on their own can choose a boat with a shared cabin.

Will I see the Komodo dragons? Yes. Elbark Cruise stops at Komodo Island, where park rangers take guests on a walk to see the dragons.

Is the park fee included? No. It is paid per person and added to the invoice.

What should I bring? Light clothes, a hat, reef-safe sunscreen, sandals and closed shoes for the treks, a light jacket for the evenings and any personal medicine.

Can I charter Elbark Cruise? Yes, for two to seven days and up to twenty-one guests. Ask us for a quote with your dates and the number of guests.