Indonesia’s Bali—an island in equal parts alluring and overrun—might prompt some travelers to want to get away from their getaway. Here’s a suggested itinerary addendum: Komodo National Park, a more pristine and remote region where pink beaches, volcanic islands, and the world’s largest lizards await. Perhaps the most sumptuous means to explore Komodo’s primordial beauty is aboard the new Prana by Atzaro, a nine-suite, swashbuckler-style megayacht designed in homage of ancient Indonesian boat-making with five-star boutique comfort in mind.
The Ibiza-based Atzaro Hotel Group, a brand beloved by the likes of Rihanna, Kate Hudson and the Kardashians, literally went the distance with their first project outside of Spain. Their all-suite vessel plies through Indonesia’s coral reef-rich waters in four destinations, including Raja Ampat and the Banda Islands. The Komodo full charter and single cabin journeys run from May to October during dry season, embarking from Labuan Bajo in Flores based 300 miles east of Bali.
Inspired more by the ancient phinisi (an Indonesian sailboat with two dhow-like masts) rather than today’s typical megayacht construct, the motorized Prana was hand-built from head to hull in Indonesian teak and ironwood, crowned by seven billowing linen sails. But all likening between the 180-foot long, 18-crew Prana and the traditional phinisis stop there. The Indonesian wayfarers of yore didn’t have a private chef to serve family-style feasts of banana leaf-wrapped fish curry and slow-cooked pork belly with butter bean purée; two on-board massage therapists; an upper deck hosting Hatha vinyasa yoga in the morning and breezy cinema screenings in the evening; or a stocked bar where bottles of chilled Dom Perignon can be summoned at a moment’s notice.
The yacht’s nine cream-colored and roomy suites are rarely occupied as the four daybed- and lounger-lined decks provide the Flores Sea breeze and unencumbered landscape views. One of Indonesia’s greatest wildlife spectacles sees more than 50,000 flying fruit bats dispatching from a dense mangrove patch to Kalong Island every sunset; Prana guests bear close witness to this from the uppermost deck—with premium G&Ts and canapés to toast the occasion.
But to best explore the park’s UNESCO World Heritage wonders, venture off the yacht. Prana’s two nimble RIB boats transport guests onto a few islands within the region’s 700-square-mile expanse. There is Padar, one of Komodo’s three major islands, where a mildly rigorous sunset hike reveals a Jurassic-esque mountain peak, grounded by three “split” crescent bays of varying sand color at its base. The island also hosts private beach barbecue dinners from Prana’s Chilean-born chef Bruno Noerr Pimentel, delivering just-grilled Australian ribeye and truffle oil-topped salad to a table illuminated by tiki torches and moon glow.
The tinier islands dazzle, too. The razor-thin sandbar Taka Makassar quickly expands and shrinks from tide activity, but the electric blue glimmer surrounding its pink sands is as close to the Maldives as one can get. While other boats in the area ferry visitors to the strip with no amenities (each boat receives a scheduled visit time for the island), Prana lines up bean bags shaded by frilly umbrellas, with cold drinks at the ready for guests to beat the relentless heat.