Charter the full phinisi for your group.

What is a private charter

A private charter means your group books the entire phinisi schooner exclusively. No other guests aboard. Twelve cabins available for your party. Custom route within the Maluku archipelago. Custom departure date. Custom guide configuration (we add specific historians, photographers, marine biologists on request). Charters are best for: family groups (3-4 generations), corporate retreats (8-12 executives), photography expeditions (12 photographers + pro-photographer guide), special-interest groups (dive clubs, alumni associations).

What the charter includes

Full phinisi schooner exclusivity (12 cabins). Standard 12-day Ambon-Banda-Ambon route, modifiable. Crew of 12 (captain, chef, sous chef, divemaster, deckhand × 4, naturalist, historian, divemaster assistant, sailing master). All meals, all accommodation, all dive operations, all land excursions, airport transfers from Pattimura International Airport. Customization fee covered (route changes, additional guides, special equipment).

Charter pricing 2026

Standard 12-day charter: $84,000 (works out to $7,000 per cabin). Compares favorably to booking individual cabins ($6,200-8,800 × 12 = $74,400-105,600 per voyage). Charter price is fixed at $84,000 regardless of cabin distribution — your group decides who goes where. Departures: October, November, March, April. December-February peak weeks generally sell to retail bookings; charters in those windows priced 15% higher ($96,600).

Customization options

Route customization: extend to North Maluku (+3 days, +$18,000). Reduce to 8-day Banda focus (-2 days, -$12,000 standard charter rebate). Add Saparua land program (no cost, just route adjustment). Add Kei Islands extension (+4 days flight + boat, custom quote). Special-interest add-ons: pro photographer guide (+$2,200), additional historian (+$1,800), wine pairing chef (+$3,400 for the 12 days), corporate facilitator (+custom quote).

Booking timeline

Charters book 6-12 months in advance for prime windows. December and January charters generally book 18 months ahead. We require a 25% deposit at confirmation, balance 90 days before departure. Free cancellation up to 180 days before charter date. Deposit transferable up to 12 months.

Group profiles we serve

Multi-generational family voyages (10-12 family members across 3 generations — works well, kids 12+ can participate fully). Corporate retreats (8-12 executive teams — combine board meetings with dive days). Dive clubs and alumni groups. Photography expeditions. Honeymoon groups (yes, this is a thing — best friends and families joining the couple for a long-form honeymoon).

More reading

Practical guide — Maluku

Getting there

Pattimura International Airport (AMQ) is the main gateway to Maluku. Plan to arrive in Ambon as your base. Most Western travelers connect via Jakarta or Bali; allow a full day for travel given internal Indonesian flight schedules. Direct international connections are limited — almost all visitors transit through Jakarta-Soekarno Hatta (CGK) or Denpasar-Bali (DPS) before continuing to the destination airport.

Best time to visit

October to April (dry season, calm seas, full dive operations). Average temperatures sit at 26-30°C year-round, with water temperatures 26-29°C year-round, 3mm wetsuit sufficient. The off-season runs May to September (southeast monsoon, reduced ferry frequency). We typically recommend booking 4-6 months ahead for prime-season travel; 2-3 months for shoulder-season departures. Festival calendars and local cultural events shift the optimal weeks each year, and we update our voyage calendar quarterly to reflect the current best windows.

Money, connectivity, and what to bring

Bring USD or EUR for exchange in Ambon city; ATMs available in Ambon city center. Connectivity: 4G coverage in Ambon city; spotty on outer islands; bring an Indonesian SIM (Telkomsel recommended). Currency is the Indonesian Rupiah (IDR). Voltage is 220V, plug type C/F. Time zone is WIT (UTC+9), no daylight savings adjustment. Pack light and modular — temperatures vary significantly between coastal and highland sites. Reusable water bottle, sun protection, modest dress for cultural visits, and good walking shoes are minimum requirements. Cash in small denominations works better than cards across most Maluku establishments.

Visa and entry

Visa-on-arrival (30 days, $35) for most Western passports. Yellow fever vaccination is not required from US/EU origin countries. Travel insurance is mandatory for our voyages and must include relevant activity coverage (diving for marine destinations, evacuation for highland or remote routes). We provide a recommended insurance broker on request — most clients use World Nomads or DAN (Divers Alert Network).

Safety, language, and tipping

Politically stable since 2003. Standard travel precautions apply. Avoid petty theft in markets. Local language: Indonesian + Ambonese (English widely spoken in tourism). Our guides interpret on cultural visits. Tipping: Not mandatory but appreciated. $25-40/day per guest for crew on multi-day voyages. Indonesian travel etiquette: remove shoes when entering homes, dress modestly at religious sites, and ask before photographing people in villages.

Activity certification level

Open Water minimum, Advanced for pelagic walls. We assess each guest individually — the certification is a baseline, not a guarantee. Strong currents, depth, and surface intervals require comfort beyond the minimum certification level. Beginners are welcome on appropriate sites; we will not place guests on dives or treks above their experience level.

Cost expectations

Maluku travel costs vary widely. Backpacker independent travel runs $50-90 per day. Mid-range guided tours run $200-400 per day per person. Premium small-group voyages and luxury programs run $500-1,000 per day per person. Total trip cost (including international flights, visas, voyage, insurance, and tips) typically lands at $7,000-13,000 per person for our flagship 7-12 day programs from a US/EU origin.

Why book through us

We are a small operator focused on a tight portfolio of Indonesian destinations. We do not run weekly mass tours. We operate fewer voyages each year, which lets us hand-select naturalists, historians, and divemasters as on-board interpretive guides — most are residents of the regions we visit. Group sizes are intentionally small (eight to twelve guests) so cultural visits remain immersive rather than performative. When we recommend a particular departure window, we are weighing six axes — sea conditions, festival overlap, dive visibility, accommodation availability, school holiday traffic, and historical-site access. Most operators optimize for one or two of these. We optimize for all six. Our pricing is transparent and inclusive — most of what your trip needs is already in the quoted price. We tell you up front what is not included rather than discovering it on day six.

Nearby Indonesian destinations to consider

Maluku pairs well with extensions to other Indonesian regions. Bali (Denpasar) is the most common pre-trip stop for jet-lag recovery and gentle introduction to Indonesian travel rhythms. Komodo National Park (Labuan Bajo) suits travelers wanting reef-shark encounters and the iconic Padar Island viewpoint. Raja Ampat in West Papua is the global benchmark for biodiversity and pairs well with Banda for marine-focused trips. Lombok and Gili Trawangan offer beach-relaxation finishes. We coordinate seamless multi-region itineraries on request.