Komodo Liveaboard 4D3N on Yumana: The Full Park Circuit

The 4D3N Komodo liveaboard on Yumana is the full park circuit: three nights at anchor, the entire southern and central loop, plus the northern leg at Gili Lawa Darat and Kanawa Island that a 3D2N trip cannot physically reach. Cabins start at IDR 5,000,000 per person per shared departure, with the extra night quoted on top. It suits divers, photographers and anyone who would rather have unhurried water time than tick stops off a list.

Almost every Komodo booking eventually comes down to one question: is the fourth day worth it? The honest answer is that it buys you two specific things. The first is geography — the northern anchorages around Gili Lawa Darat sit far enough from Labuan Bajo that a three-day boat has to skip them. The second is pace. On a 3D2N sailing, day two is a genuinely long day with five stops. On 4D3N the same ground is spread across two days, which means longer snorkel and dive blocks, a proper afternoon at anchor, and time to actually sit on the sky deck of a 32-metre phinisi rather than move between activities.

Yumana’s 4D3N route, day by day

Day	Sequence of stops	Character of the day
Day 1	Labuan Bajo → Kelor Island → Kalong Island (overnight)	Afternoon boarding, easy first swim, sunset flying-fox flight over the mangroves. Short sailing legs, gentle introduction.
Day 2	Padar Island sunrise → Pink Beach → Komodo Island (Loh Liang) → Manta Point / Karang Makassar (overnight)	The headline day: viewpoint, pink sand, ranger-guided dragon walk, then the manta cleaning station.
Day 3	Taka Makassar → Gili Lawa Darat sunset hike → northern anchorage (overnight)	The day that only exists on a 4D3N. Sandbar, extended dive or snorkel blocks, and the ridge walk above the northern bays at golden hour.
Day 4	Kanawa Island or Siaba Besar → Rinca Island (Loh Buaya) if not yet visited → Labuan Bajo	A final relaxed reef stop, breakfast under way, midday harbour arrival.

This is Yumana’s own operating route, written by our captain, not a universal Komodo timetable. Stops move with weather, tide and park conditions, and the sunrise and sunset legs in particular are the first to be reordered. The complete stop-by-stop reference with indicative hours is on the day-by-day Yumana Komodo itinerary.

3D2N versus 4D3N: the decision table

	3D2N open trip	4D3N open trip
Nights at anchor	2	3
Park zones covered	Southern and central	Southern, central and northern
Gili Lawa Darat / Kanawa	Not reachable	Included
Typical in-water stops	4–5	7–8
Pace	One very full day	Two moderate days
Dive blocks	Limited	Comfortable, including current sites
Best for	Tight Bali itineraries, first-timers	Divers, photographers, repeat visitors, families
Cabin rate	From IDR 5,000,000 pp	From IDR 5,000,000 pp plus the additional night

If your Indonesia itinerary genuinely cannot spare the extra day, take the 3D2N open trip on Yumana and accept that the northern park stays for next time. It is a complete trip in its own right.

Cabins, capacity and pricing

Yumana carries eight cabins across three decks. The cabin specifications add up to roughly sixteen guests in beds; the 25-person figure printed on our specification strip is the vessel’s total capacity, not the number of berths. On a shared 4D3N departure you book by cabin category:

Cabin category	Deck	Rooms on board	Max guests	Shared-departure rate (per person)	Additional person
Superior Cabin	Lower	2	3	IDR 5,000,000	IDR 4,250,000
Deluxe Cabin	Lower	2	3	IDR 6,350,000	IDR 4,250,000
Signature Cabin I (main deck)	Main	1	3	IDR 6,750,000 (min. 2 pax)	IDR 4,250,000
Signature Cabin II & III (upper deck)	Upper	2	3	IDR 7,000,000	IDR 4,250,000
Royal Suite Cabin	Upper	1	2 + 2	IDR 9,250,000	IDR 4,250,000

Rates above are the published shared-departure (open trip) rates held on this vessel, quoted in Indonesian rupiah, which is the billed currency. Private full-boat charter is quoted separately on request. Confirm the live rate for your travel dates before you transfer anything.

Private full-boat charter for four days and three nights is quoted individually, because the number depends on season, headcount, dive load and route. We do not publish a private-charter rate card, and you should be sceptical of any Komodo operator who publishes one without asking your dates first. Request a written quote through the private charter page or straight over WhatsApp.

Diving on a four-day sailing

The extra night is what makes Komodo’s serious dive sites practical. Batu Bolong, Castle Rock and Crystal Rock are strong-current sites that reward correct timing and punish a rushed schedule; on a four-day route the captain can position the boat for the slack window instead of squeezing a dive into a transit. Manta encounters concentrate at Manta Alley, Mawan and Karang Makassar, Tatawa Besar is the classic drift, and Siaba Besar is the gentle site where nervous divers and snorkellers share the same water.

Diving is normally sold as a package on top of the cabin rate. Equipment rental, nitrox where available, park fees and crew tips are commonly billed separately. Bring your certification card and logbook — guides will ask, and site allocation depends on what you can actually handle in current.

Season: when to sail a 4D3N

Period	Sea state	Visibility	Manta odds	Crowds
April – June	Settling, generally calm	Good and improving	Good	Moderate
July – September	Calm, the reliable window	Best of the year	Good	Peak — book well ahead
October – November	Calm, warming	Good	Good	Easing
December – March	Wetter, occasional weather days	Variable	Peak season in the southern sites	Quietest

Boats do not stop in the wet season; routes are weather-adjusted instead. December to March is genuinely the best window for manta numbers in southern Komodo, and it is the quietest time in the park — the trade-off is a higher chance of a reordered day. To see how far ahead your month needs booking, check the Yumana departure schedule and availability. If you want to see how the same route is run across other vessels, the operator behind this vessel publishes its full fleet.

Frequently asked questions

Is the fourth day really worth the extra cost?

For divers, photographers and repeat visitors, yes — Gili Lawa Darat and the longer dive blocks are the difference between seeing Komodo and diving Komodo. For a first-time traveller on a tight Bali loop who mainly wants Padar, dragons and mantas, the 3D2N covers it and the money is better spent on a higher cabin category.

Do we visit both Komodo Island and Rinca Island?

Usually one on day two and the other, conditions permitting, on the final morning. Both have ranger-guided walks and resident dragons; Rinca at Loh Buaya tends to be quieter, Komodo at Loh Liang has the higher-profile trail. The captain decides the order based on tide and ranger-station traffic.

Can divers and snorkellers travel on the same departure?

Yes, and most sailings mix both. The tender runs divers to the drop point while snorkellers work a shallower part of the same reef, and everyone is back on board for the same meal. Non-diving partners are not stranded on deck — the snorkelling-focused cruise page explains exactly how those blocks are run.

What is the internet and power situation on board?

Treat the sailing as largely offline. Mobile signal appears intermittently near Labuan Bajo and around parts of the central park, and disappears in the northern anchorages. Power for charging is available from the vessel’s twin PS120 generators, but bring a power bank and download anything you need before boarding.

Can we extend to five days or add a custom stop?

Not on a shared departure, because the manifest is fixed for everyone on board. Custom durations, extra dive stops and a route reordered around your interests are exactly what a full-boat charter is for — tell us what you want and we will build the itinerary around it.

How far in advance should we book?

For July to September, several months — that window fills first and the Royal Suite and upper-deck Signature cabins go earliest. For April to June and October to November, four to eight weeks is usually comfortable. December to March often has space at shorter notice.

Ready to hold a cabin on Yumana?

Yumana Liveaboard is operated by Komodo Luxury, sailing Komodo National Park out of Labuan Bajo since 2015. Send us your dates and headcount and we will come back with live availability, the exact cabin still open, and a written quote.

WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 · Email sales@komodoluxury.com