Clothing
Light, breathable, quick-drying — cotton and linen over synthetics. Two or three changes is genuinely enough for three days. Long sleeves and light trousers for the treks: they beat sunscreen for the two hours you are in open savanna.
Soft bag, short list
What to Pack
Cabins are small, the laundry is the sea, and there is no shop between Labuan Bajo and the last morning. Here is what actually earns its space — and the five things guests wish they had brought.
In short
Pack light, soft-sided and quick-drying: two or three changes of breathable clothing, closed shoes with grip for the ranger treks, reef-safe sun protection, a dry bag, a head torch for the Padar climb, and any medication you take, in its original packaging.
- Soft bag, not a hard case — cabin storage is a locker, not a wardrobe.
- Temperatures sit between 22°C and 31°C all year; humidity is high in every month.
- Masks, fins, towels and life jackets are aboard. Bring your own only if fit matters to you.
- Bring rupiah in cash. There is no card machine at a ranger station or a beach warung.
The list
Six categories, and what each one really needs
Requirements rather than brands. Most people already own everything here.
Five things guests wish they had brought
None of these are exotic. They are simply the ones nobody thinks about until the moment they are needed.
Cabins are air-conditioned, which is the other reason a layer earns its space.
What to leave at home
The hard suitcase. Storage in a phinisi cabin is a locker and the space under a bunk; a rigid case fits neither, and the crew will end up stowing it somewhere you cannot reach it. A soft duffel collapses and disappears.
Heels, and anything you would be upset to get salt on. Decks are teak and frequently wet, tenders are boarded from a swim platform, and everything you bring will spend three days in sea air whether you swim in it or not.
Single-use plastic, as far as you can manage it. Water is refilled aboard from a dispenser rather than handed out in bottles, and the park is one of the places where that genuinely matters. Bring a refillable bottle and the problem solves itself.
And formal wear. Dinner is on deck, the dress code is dry clothes, and no vessel in this fleet has ever asked for more than that.
Three that depend on your trip
The list above is the same for everyone. These three are not.
If you are diving
Bring your certification card and your dive computer. Tanks, weights and a guide come with the dive at USD 50–80; a computer you trust does not. Log your last dive before you travel, and leave the final morning of the trip free so there is a surface interval before your flight.
If you have children
A rash guard beats sunscreen for a child who is in and out of the water all day, plus their own small dry bag so they are responsible for something. Life jackets are aboard in adult sizes as standard — tell us their ages at booking so child sizes are put on before you sail.
If you sail Dec–Mar
A light rain shell and a second dry bag. Green-season rain arrives as a short heavy shower, usually in the afternoon, and passes. What ruins the day is a wet camera, not a wet person.
For village visits and around Labuan Bajo, cover shoulders and knees. It costs you a sarong in the bag and it is simply how you would want to be treated.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need to bring snorkelling gear?
- No. Masks, snorkels and fins are aboard, along with life jackets. Bring your own mask only if you already know that standard sizes do not seal on your face — that is a much better problem to discover at home than on a reef.
- How much luggage can I bring?
- Less than you think. A soft duffel or backpack per person is right for a two-to-four-night trip. If you are flying in from Bali, check your domestic baggage allowance separately — it is usually tighter than your international one.
- What should I wear on the dragon trek?
- Closed shoes with grip, light long trousers or leggings, and a long-sleeved top. It is open savanna in full sun for one to two hours. Tell your ranger before you set off if you have an open wound or are menstruating — dragons track blood, and the rangers manage that routinely.
- Is there laundry aboard?
- No. Pack quick-drying fabrics and plan to rinse things in fresh water and hang them on deck, which is what everyone ends up doing by day two.
- Do I need cash?
- Yes, in rupiah. Gratuities, anything bought ashore and any incidental at a ranger station are cash. There is no ATM inside the park, so draw what you need in Labuan Bajo before boarding.
- Can I bring a drone?
- Yes, with a permit. Flying inside Komodo National Park requires a separate park ticket that has to be requested at least seven days before departure. Tell us at booking and we will arrange it; asked for on the day, it cannot be done.
Before you sail
- Best Time to Sail Month by month: weather, sea state and what each stretch of the year is for.
- Safety at Sea The six papers a legal phinisi carries, and how to ask to see them.
- How Booking Works Holds, deposits, when the balance falls due, and what sits outside the fare.
- What Is Included What the fare covers on each format, and the three lines it never does.
- Liveaboard Trips What sleeping aboard is actually like, and phinisi versus motor yacht.
- With Children Cabins that keep a family together, and which stops suit every age.
Tell us what you are unsure about
Diving gear, a medical condition, a child's life jacket, a drone, a dietary requirement. All of it is easier to solve at booking than at the jetty, and none of it is a strange question.
Ask About My Trip
+62 811-3823-875
sales@komodoluxury.com