Elbark Cruises is a 37-metre boutique luxury phinisi launched in October 2022, sailing shared 3D2N Komodo departures from Labuan Bajo every Friday. She carries 18 to 21 guests in nine ensuite cabins named after Indonesian islands, priced per person from USD 401.23 in the Banda Neira cabin.
At 37 metres, Elbark Cruises is the largest boutique phinisi we document, and she wears the size like a small floating hotel rather than a party barge. Built in 2021 and in the water since late 2022, her nine cabins map Indonesia’s islands — Misool at the top of the deck plan with a jacuzzi and balcony on the upper deck, down through Mentawai, Weh, Selayar, Rote, Alor and Toraja to Banda Neira — every one ensuite with hot water and air conditioning. Between them: a mini bar and entertainment room, an indoor dining lounge, and an outdoor lounge and sunbathing deck that actually has space for a full manifest at once.
Elbark Cruises at a glance
| Class | Luxury phinisi (boutique) |
|---|---|
| Length | 37 m |
| Guests | 18-21 |
| Cabins | 9 ensuite, island-named (Misool with upper-deck jacuzzi and balcony, Mentawai, Weh, Selayar, Rote, Alor, Toraja, Banda Neira) |
| Built | 2021, launched October 2022 |
| Base | Labuan Bajo |
| Style | Shared cabins, 3D2N, departs every Friday |
Cabins and life aboard
Nine cabins across eight price tiers make her the easiest luxury boat in the park to match to a budget. Misool crowns the plan on the upper deck with its jacuzzi and balcony; Mentawai and Weh follow, then Selayar and Rote, Alor and Toraja, with Banda Neira holding the entry fare — every one ensuite with hot water and air conditioning. The shared spaces scale to the manifest: an indoor dining room and lounge that seats everyone at once, an entertainment room with a mini bar, and enough outdoor lounge and sundeck that twenty-one guests can spread out without negotiating for shade.
Kristo’s curation note
The elbark liveaboard komodo departure is what I recommend to groups of friends who want luxury-grade cabins without chartering a whole hull — take three or four of her nine cabins and you have effectively privatized a wing of the boat. The honest tradeoff of a full manifest: with up to 21 guests, landing logistics take longer. Her crew stages the dinghy runs well, but expect a queue at Padar on a full Friday, and pick the Misool cabin if the upper-deck jacuzzi is the point.
Best for
- Friend groups block-booking cabins as an informal komodo group boat charter
- Couples who want luxury phinisi Komodo cabin standards at shared-departure prices
- Travelers who like ship life — at 37 m there is room to find your own corner of deck
- Cabin-upgrade hunters: eight price tiers means there is nearly always a mid-grade seat left
A typical 3D2N route
Her documented Friday loop runs Kelor, Manjarite and the Kalong bat flight on day one, then a long central day across Padar’s ridge, Long Pink Beach and Komodo Island before the snorkel pair of Manta Point and Taka Makassar, finishing with a swim stop at Kanawa on the run home. It is the signature 3D2N sequence — we break down the timing on our 3D2N Komodo charter page — and her size makes the crossings gentler when the afternoon chop picks up. The Pink Beach stop lands mid-loop, when day boats have mostly cleared out.
Pricing, transparently
Elbark Cruises prices per person, by cabin, on the shared 3D2N departure: Banda Neira from USD 401.23, Alor and Toraja from USD 432.09, Selayar and Rote from USD 515.43, Mentawai and Weh from USD 577.16, and Misool — the jacuzzi cabin — at USD 709.87. Figures are documented from the current cabin card; national park fees are quoted separately at booking. For whole-boat luxury alternatives at a similar per-person spend, the charter desk at Komodo Luxury will map the options against your dates.
Check Elbark Cruises availability on WhatsApp or write to sales@komodoluxury.com — tell us your dates and group size and we will confirm the hold within the day. Display number: (+62) 811 3823 875.
Similar boats in our luxury phinisi list
- Lamborajo 2 — 32 m luxury phinisi for private groups of up to 25
- Kanhaloka — 25-guest luxury phinisi on shared 3D2N departures
- Senada — panoramic suites and the shortest 2D1N shared option
Browse the full luxury phinisi section of our fleet or go back to the complete fleet directory.