Nusantara Karya

Nusantara Karya is a 27-metre phinisi built in 2020 from ironwood and teak, sailing from Labuan Bajo into Komodo National Park on 3 day 2 night sharing trips for up to fifteen guests. Every cabin has air conditioning and a private bathroom.

Nusantara Karya offers private cabins for couples and families and a shared cabin for solo travellers, with a dining area, a relax area, a sun deck and a karaoke corner for the time between the islands.

• Length 27 m, beam 4.2 m
• Built in 2020 of ironwood and teak
• Up to 15 guests, every cabin with a private bathroom
• Smart TV and karaoke on board
• Home port: Labuan Bajo, Flores

Nusantara is an Old Javanese name for the Indonesian archipelago that is still used today, and karya means work or creation. The name suits a wooden phinisi, the traditional sailing ship of the Bugis and Konjo shipwrights, whose craft is recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Built of ironwood and teak, Nusantara Karya has the look of the classic schooners of the Indonesian islands, with the comfort of air-conditioned cabins and private bathrooms.

All cabins on Nusantara Karya have air conditioning and a private bathroom. The Master Cabin Balcony and the Deluxe Ocean cabin are on the upper deck, and the Private Ocean cabin and the Share Cabin on the main deck.

Master Cabin Balcony. The best cabin on board has a double bed and a private balcony, with an extra bed for a third guest.

Deluxe Ocean. A cabin on the upper deck with a double bed and a view of the sea, for two guests.

Private Ocean. A cabin on the main deck with a double bed for two guests.

Share Cabin. A shared cabin on the main deck with two double beds for four guests, booked per person, with the lowest price on Nusantara Karya.

Prices on Nusantara Karya 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 places are still free on each departure.

The Share Cabin makes Nusantara Karya an easy choice for solo travellers. Each place is booked on its own, so you pay for one place instead of a whole cabin, and friends travelling together can book two, three or all four places on one departure.

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

Day 1. Nusantara Karya collects you at the airport or your hotel in Labuan Bajo between 8:00 and 10:00 and sets sail, with lunch on board. The first stop is Kelor, where a short, steep path climbs to a view over the bay. Manjarite follows for the first snorkel, and in the evening the boat anchors off Kalong Island, where thousands of flying foxes leave the mangroves at sunset.

Day 2. An early start takes the group up Padar Island for the view over three bays, and breakfast follows on board. Nusantara Karya 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. In the afternoon the boat stops at Taka Makassar, a sandbar that appears at low tide, and at Manta Point, where manta rays are often seen.

Day 3. After breakfast the trip ends with a snorkel at Siaba or Sebayur, two islands with shallow reefs; Siaba is known for its green turtles. Nusantara Karya 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. Every snorkel and trek is optional, so guests who prefer to rest can stay on board.

Komodo Island. The dragon walk is the heart of the trip. Rangers lead the group along a forest trail to see the Komodo dragons, which can grow to three metres, and explain how they live and hunt.

Padar Island. A stepped path climbs to the viewpoint in about half an hour, with a view over three bays and beaches of white, pink and black sand.

Pink Beach. Microscopic red organisms called foraminifera give the sand its soft pink colour, and the coral starts just off the beach.

Kalong Island. Kalong is the Indonesian word for flying fox. At dusk thousands of them rise from the mangroves and fly off to feed, a sight best watched from the deck.

Siaba. The calm, shallow water around Siaba is known for its green turtles, a gentle last snorkel before the return to Labuan Bajo.

The rhythm on Nusantara Karya is set by the sun and the tides. On the second morning the group goes ashore early to climb Padar, then returns to breakfast on board before the Pink Beach and the dragon walk on Komodo Island. Lunch is served as the boat sails on.

The afternoon is for the water, with Taka Makassar and Manta Point and a snack with juices in between. Dinner is served in the dining area while Nusantara Karya lies at anchor, and the evening belongs to the karaoke corner and the stars over the sun deck.

Nusantara Karya 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 accompanies the group.

Most of the reefs are shallow and suit beginners, with reef fish at every stop, turtles around Siaba and manta rays at Manta Point when the current is right. A small tender takes the group from Nusantara Karya to the beaches, and between the stops the canoe and the paddle board are free to use.

Three meals a day are served in the dining area, with mineral water, coffee and tea and an afternoon snack with juices. The relax area and the sun deck are the places to rest between the stops, in the shade or in the sun, and many guests take their first coffee of the day on deck to watch the sunrise.

For the evenings Nusantara Karya has a smart TV and a karaoke set. A tour guide joins every trip to explain the stops and the rules of the park, and the crew records the highlights with a camera, a drone and a GoPro.

Nusantara Karya is powered by a Mitsubishi engine, with two generators for the power on board, and its tanks hold 5,000 litres of fresh water. A small tender with a Yamaha outboard takes guests ashore.

On board there are life vests for every guest and fire extinguishers, and the crew navigates with GPS and keeps in touch by radio.

On a sharing trip you book a cabin, or a place in the Share Cabin, on a scheduled departure and share Nusantara Karya with other guests. The price is per person, and each trip lasts three days and two nights.

On a private charter the whole of Nusantara Karya is yours, with its crew. Charters run for two days and one night, three days and two nights or four days and three nights, and the price depends on the length of the trip and the size of the group.

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

Komodo National Park was established in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard in the world, and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. Its dry hills, savannah and mangroves are home to the dragons, which live only on Komodo, Rinca, the west of Flores and a few smaller islands.

The park is just as famous under water: currents between the islands feed coral reefs full of fish, turtles and manta rays. Rangers lead every walk among the dragons, and the park entrance fee is added to the invoice of every Nusantara Karya trip.

The dry season, roughly April to November, is the high season in Komodo, with calm seas, clear water and golden hills. December and the first months of the year are wetter, and the islands turn green.

The departure list on this page shows every sharing date of Nusantara Karya that is still open. For other dates, a private charter of the whole boat is often possible: ask us with your dates.

Labuan Bajo, a harbour town on the west coast of Flores, is the starting point for every trip into Komodo National Park. Komodo Airport (LBJ) has direct flights from Bali and Jakarta, and the flight from Bali takes a little over an hour.

Nusantara Karya picks you up between 8:00 and 10:00 on the first day, so you can take an early flight or spend the night before in Labuan Bajo. On the last day the transfer reaches the airport at about 13:00, in time for an afternoon flight, and the transfers to and from the boat are included.

You can book Nusantara Karya online with live availability: choose a departure, pick your cabins or places 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 Nusantara Karya 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

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 Nusantara Karya take? Up to fifteen guests.

Can I book a single place? Yes. The Share Cabin is booked per person, so a solo traveller pays for one place.

Which cabin is best for a couple? The Master Cabin Balcony on the upper deck, with a private balcony, or the Deluxe Ocean cabin with a view of the sea.

Can three people share a cabin? Yes. The Master Cabin Balcony takes a third guest on an extra bed.

Which cabin has a sea view? The Deluxe Ocean cabin on the upper deck.

Is Nusantara Karya good for families? Yes. A family can book the Master Cabin Balcony with its extra bed and a second cabin on the same departure, or charter the whole boat.

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 Nusantara Karya 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.

Are drinks included on Nusantara Karya? Mineral water, coffee and tea are included all day, with juices in the afternoon. Alcoholic drinks are not included.

How do I get from the airport to the boat? The transfer is included: Nusantara Karya picks you up at Komodo Airport or at your hotel in Labuan Bajo between 8:00 and 10:00 on the first day.

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