Price guide
What drives the cost, and what is in it.
Budget
What a Banda week adds up to
Transport, beds, boats, guides and food, line by line — so you can build a number rather than take one.
- IDR 150k
- Pelni berth, from
- IDR 250k
- Guesthouse, from, per night
- IDR 800k–1.5m
- Boat charter, per day
In short
Almost every big line on a Banda budget is priced per boat or per night rather than per person, which is why two travellers and six travellers pay wildly different amounts for an identical week.
- The Ambon flight is the one fixed per-person cost, and it is never in a package.
- Boats, guides and plantation walks are all per-group.
- Food on the island is cheap: IDR 50,000 buys the local speciality.
Line by line
Every line on a Banda budget
Indicative 2026 figures in rupiah, with the basis each is quoted on. That basis matters more than the number.
| Line | Indicative | Quoted per |
|---|---|---|
| Jakarta → Ambon flight | USD 100–200 one way | person |
| Ambon → Banda, Pelni berth | from IDR 150,000 | person |
| Ambon → Banda, fast boat | IDR 300,000–500,000 | person |
| Ambon → Banda, small aircraft | IDR 500,000–900,000 | person |
| Guesthouse | from IDR 250,000 a night | room |
| Heritage stay | IDR 800,000–1,500,000 a night | room |
| Day boat charter | IDR 800,000–1,500,000 | boat |
| Guided fort or plantation walk | IDR 200,000–400,000 | group |
| Two-tank dive day | IDR 1,200,000–1,600,000 | person, gear included |
| Guided Gunung Api trek | IDR 300,000–500,000 | group |
| A meal in town | around IDR 50,000 | person |
Indicative and observed in 2026. Fuel, season and availability all move these, and none of it is a quote.
Full price guide
Why is nothing a fixed price?
Because boat fuel, room availability on a very small island and which crossing is running all move week to week. A published rate card here would be either wrong or padded.
What is the cheapest way to do it?
Pelni berth across, a guesthouse, warung food, and share a day boat with other travellers. That version of a three-day trip lands near the bottom of every band on this page.
Where does the money actually go?
The Ambon flight and the boat days. Beds and food on the island are inexpensive by any standard; getting to and around the islands is not.
Do group sizes really matter that much?
Yes. Look at the "quoted per" column: boats, guides and treks are per group. Six people pay the same for a charter as two.
Next in this silo
The full cost guides
Plan your trip
Build the number with us
Send your dates, group size and travel style. You get an itemised quote with the inclusions and the exclusions listed separately.
Fastest reply is WhatsApp. No spam, and we do not sell your details.