Mosalaki

Mosalaki is a 28-metre wooden phinisi built in 2023 from ironwood, sailing from Labuan Bajo into Komodo National Park on 3 day 2 night sharing trips. It takes up to twelve guests in five air-conditioned cabins, each with a private bathroom and a rain shower, and Starlink Wi-Fi keeps guests connected on board.

With a beam of seven metres, Mosalaki is wide for its length, with room for a bar, a lounge with bean bags and a sun deck. A 6-metre tender takes guests to the beaches and the reefs, and sharing trips leave twice a week, on Fridays and Mondays.

• Length 28 m, beam 7 m
• Built in 2023 of ironwood
• Up to 12 guests in 5 cabins with private bathrooms
• Starlink Wi-Fi on board
• 6 m tender with a 90 hp engine

In the Lio culture of central Flores, the mosalaki are the customary leaders who guard the traditions and the land of their villages. The boat carries their name, and its cabins are named after places in and around Flores.

Adonara is an island off the eastern tip of Flores, and Larantuka the old port town facing it. Wae Rebo is a mountain village in the west of Flores, famous for its cone-shaped traditional houses. Lamalera is a village on the island of Lembata, known for its traditional fishermen, and Kelimutu is the volcano near Ende with three crater lakes of different colours.

All five cabins on Mosalaki have air conditioning and a private bathroom with a rain shower. The Adonara cabin is on the upper deck, the Larantuka, Wae Rebo and Lamalera cabins on the main deck, and the Kelimutu cabin on the lower deck.

Adonara Cabin. The best cabin on board has a 180 cm double bed, a sea view, a private balcony and a bathtub, with an extra bed for a third guest.

Larantuka and Wae Rebo Cabins. Two identical cabins on the main deck, each with a 160 cm double bed for two guests.

Lamalera Cabin. A cabin on the main deck with a 160 cm double bed for two guests.

Kelimutu Cabin. A shared cabin on the lower deck with four single beds, booked per person, with the lowest price on Mosalaki.

Prices on Mosalaki are per person and depend on the cabin. The cabin cards on this page show the current price of every cabin, and the booking form shows which cabins and beds are still free on each departure.

The Kelimutu cabin makes Mosalaki a good choice for solo travellers. Each of its four single beds is booked on its own, so you pay for one bed instead of a whole cabin, and friends travelling together can book two, three or all four beds on the same departure.

Meals, snorkel stops and treks are shared by the whole group, so a solo traveller on Mosalaki is never on their own for long.

Day 1. Mosalaki picks you up at the airport or your hotel in Labuan Bajo between 8:00 and 9:30, and lunch is served once the boat sets sail. The first stop is Kelor, a small island with a short, steep trek and a wide view of the bay. Manjarite follows for the first snorkel, and the day ends at Kalong Island, where thousands of flying foxes leave the mangroves at sunset.

Day 2. The longest day starts before breakfast with the trek up Padar Island, whose viewpoint looks over three bays with beaches of different colours. Mosalaki then sails to the Pink Beach for snorkelling and sunbathing and on to Komodo Island, where park rangers lead the walk to see the Komodo dragons. After lunch the boat stops at Taka Makassar, a sandbar that appears at low tide, and at Manta Point, where manta rays often feed in the current.

Day 3. After breakfast the last snorkel is at Siaba or Sebayur, two islands with shallow reefs; Siaba is known for its green turtles. Mosalaki is back in Labuan Bajo at about 12:00, and the transfer drops you at the airport or your hotel at about 13:00.

The order of the stops can change with the tides, the weather and the rules of the park. Snorkelling and treks are always optional, so guests who prefer to rest can stay on board.

Padar Island. A stepped path leads to the viewpoint in about half an hour, and the view over the three bays of Padar is one of the best-known in Indonesia. The early start means cooler air and soft morning light.

Komodo Island. Park rangers lead a walk through the dry forest to see the Komodo dragons, which can grow to three metres. The group walks together and keeps its distance, and the ranger explains the life of the dragons and the rules of the park.

Pink Beach. The sand owes its colour to microscopic red organisms called foraminifera, mixed with the white sand, and the reef starts a few metres from the shore.

Manta Point. Also known as Makassar Reef, Manta Point is a feeding and cleaning area for reef manta rays. They are seen in most months of the year, though never on every visit.

A day on Mosalaki follows the light. On the second morning the group leaves the boat early to climb Padar before the heat, and breakfast is served on board after the walk down. The Pink Beach and the dragon walk on Komodo Island fill the rest of the morning, and lunch is served as the boat sails on.

The afternoon belongs to the water, with Taka Makassar and Manta Point and a snack with juices in between. Dinner is served on board while Mosalaki lies at anchor in a quiet bay, and the evening is free for the bar, the karaoke or the stars over the park.

Mosalaki stops at five snorkelling spots on the 3 day 2 night trip: Manjarite on the first afternoon, the Pink Beach, Taka Makassar and Manta Point on the second day, and Siaba or Sebayur on the last morning. Fins, masks, snorkels and life jackets are on board, and the guide stays with the group at every stop.

Most of the reefs are shallow and easy for beginners, with reef fish at every stop, turtles that are often seen at Siaba and manta rays that come to Manta Point when the current is right. The tender of Mosalaki takes the group to the reefs and the beaches, and between the stops the canoe and the stand-up paddle boards are free to use.

Three meals a day are served on board, with mineral water, coffee and tea and an afternoon snack with juices. There is a coffee machine and a fridge on board, and beach towels are ready for the snorkel stops.

Between the stops, guests relax on the bean bags and the sun deck, and for the evenings Mosalaki has a bar, a TV, karaoke and a Bluetooth sound system. Starlink Wi-Fi works across most of the park, and there are charging points for phones and cameras. A tour guide joins every trip, and the crew records the highlights with a camera, a drone and a GoPro.

Mosalaki is powered by a Mitsubishi engine and reaches up to 13 knots. Its tanks hold 5,000 litres of fuel and 7,000 litres of fresh water, and the 6-metre tender has a 90 horsepower four-stroke engine.

For navigation the crew uses a Garmin GPS, radar, sonar and AIS, with a VHF radio and a satellite phone. For safety, Mosalaki carries a life raft for 25 people, life vests, fire extinguishers and a first aid kit.

On a sharing trip you book a cabin, or a bed in the Kelimutu cabin, on a scheduled departure and share Mosalaki with other guests. Sharing trips leave on Fridays and Mondays for three days and two nights, and the price is per person.

On a private charter the whole of Mosalaki is yours, with its crew. Charters run from two days and one night up to six days and five nights, and the price depends on the length of the trip and the size of the group. A longer charter leaves time for quieter bays and more snorkel stops.

The charter tab on this page shows the charter rates for each trip length, for groups of up to twelve guests. Send us your dates and we will check them with the operator.

Komodo National Park lies between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores. It was created in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on earth, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. The dragons live only on Komodo, Rinca, the west of Flores and a few smaller islands.

The currents between the islands feed some of the richest reefs in Indonesia, where snorkellers meet 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 Mosalaki trip.

The dry season, roughly from April to November, brings calm seas, clear water and golden hills, and it is the busiest time in Komodo. December and the first months of the year are wetter, with greener islands and fewer boats in the park.

Mosalaki has sharing departures twice a week from March to December. The sea stays warm all year, and the departure list on this page shows every date that is still open.

Labuan Bajo, on the west coast of Flores, is the gateway to Komodo National Park. Komodo Airport (LBJ) has direct flights from Bali and Jakarta, and the flight from Bali takes a little over an hour.

Mosalaki picks you up between 8:00 and 9:30 on the first day, so it is easiest to arrive the day before and spend a night in Labuan Bajo. On the last day the transfer drops you at the airport at about 13:00, in time for an afternoon flight. The transfers between the airport or your hotel and the boat are included in the price.

You can book Mosalaki online with live availability: choose a departure, pick your cabins or beds and send the booking. A 50% deposit is due within 72 hours 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 Mosalaki 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, paddle boards and snorkelling gear
• Photos and videos by camera, drone and GoPro
• Starlink 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 are not included.

How many guests does Mosalaki take? Up to twelve guests in five cabins, four of them in the shared Kelimutu cabin.

Can I book a single bed? Yes. The beds in the Kelimutu cabin are booked per person, so a solo traveller pays for one bed.

Which cabin is best for a couple? The Adonara cabin on the upper deck, with a sea view, a private balcony and a bathtub.

When does Mosalaki leave? Sharing trips leave Labuan Bajo on Fridays and Mondays and return on the third day.

Is there Wi-Fi on Mosalaki? Yes. Mosalaki has Starlink Wi-Fi, which works in most parts of the park.

Do I need to be a good swimmer? No. Snorkelling is optional, fins, masks and life jackets are on board, and many stops are beaches, viewpoints and the dragon walk.

Can I see the Komodo dragons? Yes. On the second day Mosalaki stops at Komodo Island, where park rangers take guests on a walk to see the dragons.

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

Can I charter Mosalaki for my own group? Yes. The whole boat can be chartered for two to six days for up to twelve guests; ask us for a quote with your dates.