Fifty-six questions, answered before you have to ask

For several days and nights, a phinisi with real cabins suits Komodo best, because you sleep on board and wake at the next stop. A speedboat covers one day and has no bed. Elrora is a phinisi with 6 ensuite, air-conditioned cabins for up to 14 guests.

Book a shared trip if you want one cabin at a printed fare, from IDR 6,500,000 per person, on a set date with other guests aboard. Book a private boat if you want the whole phinisi, your own pace and no strangers. The private price is quoted in writing, and July and August are shared dates only.

Both exist. An open trip is a group tour on set dates, and a private charter is a plan of your own. Planning alone means arranging permits, park tickets, harbour boarding passes and a boat yourself. For an Elrora booking we arrange all of that with you, in one chat.

For most parties, yes. You unpack once, sleep in your own cabin and wake at the next stop, with no shuttling between hotels and day boats. Elrora's cabins are ensuite and air-conditioned. It costs more than a hotel with day trips, so compare the full cost before you decide.

An open trip sells seats by cabin type on set 3D2N dates, with other guests aboard, and sails when three cabins are booked. A private trip gives you the whole boat on any free date except July and August, with the route and pace agreed with you and a written price.

On this site we describe one boat, Elrora. We recommend her for a party that wants private rooms with an ensuite bathroom, a fixed three-day route and a booking team you can reach on WeChat. She is not a dive boat, so a diver should ask a dive operator.

Komodo National Park is a group of dry, hilly islands with bays, reefs and the largest lizards in the world, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visitors come from many countries every year. Our stop pages describe each place, and the reviews page says honestly that Elrora has none yet.

Fly through Bali or Jakarta to Komodo Airport, reach Labuan Bajo a day early and sail the 3D2N route. Check in between 10:00 and 10:30, and leave between 11:00 and 11:30 on the last day. Book your flight home after 14:00.

KEXI quotes the park as one package per guest: 3D2N: IDR 650,000 per foreign guest, IDR 350,000 per Indonesian guest; 4D3N: IDR 750,000 per foreign guest, IDR 350,000 per Indonesian guest. It bundles the government entrance ticket (IDR 250,000 per foreign visitor per day, PP 36/2024) with the ranger fee and local levies, and is paid on top of the boat price unless your quote says it is included.

Plan three days and two nights on the boat, plus a night in Labuan Bajo before you board. That is the route Elrora sells on open-trip dates. A private party can ask for two days or four, and the slower four-day route adds Siaba, Sebayur and Kanawa.

It is enough for a first look. The two-day sample on a private charter visits Kelor, Kalong, Padar, Pink Beach, Manta Point and Taka Makassar. It leaves out Komodo Island and the third-morning reef. For the dragons as well, take the three-day route.

By boat from Labuan Bajo, since no road reaches Padar. On Elrora's three-day route the boat is off Padar early on day two, and walkers leave about 65 minutes before sunrise. Reaching the viewpoint takes 25 to 45 minutes on foot.

Day trips from Labuan Bajo exist, but Elrora does not sell one. Her shortest route is a private two-day, one-night sample. A day trip covers fewer stops and has no night on board, so the Padar sunrise and the Kalong dusk are out of reach.

Three days. On Elrora, day one is Kelor, Manjarite and Kalong. Day two is the long one: Padar, Pink Beach, Komodo Island, then Taka Makassar with Manta Point. Day three is one last reef before the pier. Two days give only a short look.

Yes. Elrora sails a 3D2N open trip on set dates, with check-in between 10:00 and 10:30 and check-out between 11:00 and 11:30. Seats start at IDR 6,500,000 per person, and dates follow the sailing schedule. A private charter of the whole boat follows the same route.

Hours, not minutes. Elrora cruises between 7 and 10 knots, and the three-day route reaches Komodo Island on day two, after Padar and Pink Beach, so the sailing is shared across the stops. We print no single figure, because the route and the weather set it.

In Labuan Bajo, from the harbour. Open-trip guests check in on board between 10:00 and 10:30. The pickup between airport, hotel and harbour is arranged for you and timed to your check-in; we confirm the hour in writing.

Attacks on visitors are very rare, but the dragons are wild predators and have killed people. Rangers lead every trek and keep themselves between the group and the animals. Stay on the path, follow instructions at once and never approach a dragon.

Studies describe venom glands in the lower jaw, and the bite also tears flesh and can lead to infection. Treat any bite as an emergency and tell the ranger at once. Distance is the protection, so keep to the ranger's instructions.

No. On a ranger-led trek on Komodo Island most groups see one, yet no one can guarantee it: the dragons are wild and roam. Rangers know where they rest, so walk quietly behind yours and treat each sighting as a gift.

Do what the ranger says and stay with the group. Do not run off alone, because a dragon can sprint faster than most walkers over a short distance. Rangers are trained for this and stay between you and the animal. Tell them at once if one approaches.

A child from birth to age 2 travels free with a parent, and the full fare starts at 3. Life jackets are carried on board. The Master cabin is on the main deck, while the Deluxe and Superior cabins are reached by stairs, so tell us about any walking difficulty. The captain decides on the weather.

We print no dive prices, because Elrora lists no dive equipment, compressor or dive guide and is not a dive boat. Ask a dive operator in Labuan Bajo for a dive quote. Snorkelling on Elrora's route needs only the cabin fare and the park ticket.

By boat only. Komodo Island and the other stops are reached from the Labuan Bajo harbour by sea, and a phinisi like Elrora is both your transport and your bed. The route takes the stops in a set order, subject to weather, tide and the captain's decision.

Fly to Komodo Airport (LBJ) in Labuan Bajo. Connections run through Bali, Jakarta or Surabaya, after which you join the boat. Town is 2 to 3 km from the airport. Land the day before sailing, so that a late flight cannot take your first morning.

Direct international flights to Labuan Bajo are limited, so plan a connection through Bali, Jakarta or Surabaya, then a domestic flight to Komodo Airport. Check current schedules with your airline. Arrive the day before you board. The guide on reaching Labuan Bajo lists the starting points.

Fly direct from Denpasar to Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo; in the air it is 70 to 80 minutes. Several Indonesian airlines fly it. Arrive the day before you board, and book the return for 14:00 or later.

Not for Komodo itself, but for Indonesia. A Chinese passport is eligible for visa on arrival for up to 30 days, and the same visa can be applied for online. The fee is revised from time to time; confirm the current amount on Indonesia's immigration website shortly before you fly.

Do not count on it. We promise no connection on board, and between the islands the mobile signal comes and goes. Ask us everything in the chat before you sail; we keep it open until you board. Leave the route with family at home.

Pick a quieter month. October and November bring calm, clear water and fewer boats than July or August. Start early: the Padar walk begins about 65 minutes ahead of sunrise, and mornings are the emptiest time at every stop. A private charter keeps strangers off your deck.

For a flat sea and clear water, sail between April and June, or in October and November. September is a strong shoulder month. Mantas are at their peak in December to February and July to September. The when-to-sail page shows all twelve months.

Dry weather lasts April to November, and the busiest weeks are July and August, with a second rush at the end of December. On Elrora, July and August are open trips only. The quieter months give the same stops with fewer boats.

We cannot see today's notices from this page. Sailings can be suspended by the harbour authority at short notice, mostly in wet months or during strong wind. Ask us before you book flights. If Elrora cannot sail, the terms give a replacement boat or a full refund.

Visibility is at its best in two windows, April to June and September to November, which are also when the sea lies flattest. Elrora lists no dive equipment and is not a dive boat, so ask a dive operator about a dive season. Her snorkel stops follow the same months.

Hot all year. Little rain falls between April and November, and the sea is calmer. From December to March the wet season brings short heavy showers and a rougher sea, at its worst in January and February. The captain reads the sea on the day.

The park authority announces any closure of the island, sometimes at short notice. We tell you of any that affect your date, and the terms cover a sailing that cannot go ahead.

For the Komodo Island trek the dry months suit best: April to June and September to November, when the trails are dry and the sea is calm enough to land. Go early in the day, because shade is thin and the heat builds.

Under PP 36/2024 a foreign guest pays IDR 250,000. A domestic guest pays IDR 50,000 on weekdays and IDR 75,000 on weekends. We checked the rates on 10 October 2026, and we confirm them for your date before you pay.

Yes. No Elrora fare includes the park ticket, on an open trip or a private charter. Each guest pays the ticket separately. The ranger and local levies are already inside the park package.

It is the entry tariff set by government regulation PP 36/2024, charged per person to enter Komodo National Park. It is separate from every boat fare. The ranger and local levies are already inside the park package.

The tickets are paid separately from your fare, and before you sail we tell you exactly how the tickets for your date are settled and what to carry. Keep some rupiah in cash for small costs on the way, and send passport details 7 days ahead.

Entry means the national park ticket. Foreign visitors pay IDR 250,000. For Indonesian citizens it is IDR 50,000 on a weekday, IDR 75,000 on Saturday or Sunday. It covers entry and snorkelling in the park. Ranger fees and local levies sit in the park package, not on a bill of their own.

Tips are appreciated and never compulsory, and crew tips sit outside every fare. Give the tip at the end of the trip, to the crew together. We set no figure, because it depends on the party and the length of the stay, and the amount is yours to decide.

Ask for life jackets on board, navigation and radio equipment, a written itinerary and an invoice in a company name. Elrora carries radar, GPS, an echo sounder, AIS Class A, VHF and SSB radio, and life jackets. Sailing needs the harbour authority's permission, and the captain can change the route for safety.

We do not rank Elrora's decks by how much they move. If anyone in your party gets seasick easily, tell us before you book, and choose a calm month; keeping your eyes on the horizon helps more than any cabin.

Yes. All 6 cabins have an ensuite bathroom and air conditioning: the Master, the two Deluxe, the two Superior and the Family cabin. Nobody shares a bathroom with another cabin.

On Elrora the published capacity is 14 guests in 6 cabins. A larger party needs a second boat. Before payment, the head count is confirmed in writing together with the cabin plan.

Yes. Two families who book together count as one party, and the whole boat is theirs. Name the pairs for each room, and we write a cabin plan that keeps each family on its own side before you pay.

The phinisi, a wooden sailing ship built by Bugis and Makassar shipwrights, is the best known. Others include the jukung, a Balinese outrigger, and the sandeq, a fast sailing outrigger of the Mandar coast. Elrora is a phinisi built of ironwood.

The fare includes meals, drinking water, coffee and tea. Tell us about dietary needs before you sail, and the kitchen plans for them. We do not promise a particular dish or tea brand, and you are welcome to bring tea from home.

Eat lightly, drink water,and keep your eyes on the horizon. Bring a remedy you already trust from home, and choose a calm month. This is general advice, not medical advice. Tell us beforehand if anyone suffers badly.

On Elrora a seat on the three-day open trip starts at IDR 6,500,000 per person in the Family cabin, with four sharing, and rises to IDR 11,500,000 in the Master cabin, two sharing. The whole boat is quoted in writing. Park tickets and flights are extra.

Add the cabin fare, the park ticket (IDR 250,000 for a foreign guest), the ranger fee, flights to Labuan Bajo, drinks other than water, coffee and tea, crew tips and insurance. We list each line in the quote and confirm the park amounts for your date before you pay.

Komodo Island is one stop on day two of the three-day route, so it sits inside the cabin fare, from IDR 6,500,000 per person. The park package we quote per guest already holds the ranger, the local levies and the entrance ticket of IDR 250,000 per foreign visitor per day (PP 36/2024); the package is paid on top of the boat price unless the quote marks it as included.

For Elrora's whole boat over three days and two nights, we quote in writing for your date and confirm the price before you pay. We print no figure here. If you want a number to plan with, the open-trip seats start at IDR 6,500,000 per person.

A phinisi charter price depends on the boat, the number of nights, the month and the head count. For Elrora the whole-boat price is quoted in writing. Send your dates and guests, and a written quote arrives within one working day. Guide and documentation are quoted separately.

You can pay by credit-card payment link, Wise, Revolut, PayPal, QRIS or bank transfer in rupiah. The card link carries a fee on the invoice, and PayPal adds 7.2%. Paying 50% secures your date; the remainder is settled 30 days before departure.

Yes. The standard terms stay the same: a 50% deposit confirms the date and the balance is due 30 days before departure, but you may also pay the balance in Labuan Bajo on the departure day, in cash or by card on the EDC machine. Card payment link 3%, PayPal 7.2%, EDC 3%; your issuing bank may add its own charges.