100 questions about the crossing.

East Lombok, then Kenawa or Kanawa, across Saleh Bay, into Komodo National Park for Padar and Pink Beach, and ashore at Labuan Bajo on the fourth day. The order of stops shifts with the tide and the weather; the shape of the route does not.

On published dates rather than a weekly pattern. The calendar runs April to November with three or four departures a month, so the sailing day moves between months. Ask for the current dates before you book flights around one.

Day 1 is pickup on Lombok, the transfer to Kayangan Harbour and a first island stop. Day 2 usually takes in Saleh Bay and Satonda. Day 3 is the park — dragons, Padar, Pink Beach. Day 4 finishes at Labuan Bajo after a morning swim.

Komodo and Padar are on every sailing. Whether the Padar walk happens at first light depends on where the boat anchored, the swell and park access on the day, so treat sunrise as the intention rather than the promise.

Only the room. Every cabin sails the same route, eats the same meals and stops at the same islands. Captain and Penyu are the smaller cabins, Kerang and Paus sit in the middle, and Ikan is the largest.

No. The crossing is cabin-only — there is no deck sleeping on this route in either direction. The entry fare is the Captain cabin at USD 425 per person on an open trip.

Open-trip cabins are priced per person: Captain USD 425, Penyu USD 465, Kerang USD 710, Paus USD 710 and Ikan USD 755. Park and entrance fees sit outside the fare.

Cabins are sold per person on an open trip, so if you are travelling alone you may share with another traveller of the same gender. Two people booking together have the cabin to themselves.

Yes — buy both places in the cabin and it is yours. On a five-cabin boat that is the practical way to get privacy without chartering the whole vessel.

The fare already covers the cabin, all meals, drinking water, tea and coffee, snorkelling gear and every island stop in the itinerary. What it does not cover is park and entrance fees, which are paid separately and itemised on your quote.

No. Komodo National Park is USD 40-50 per person for foreigners, charged once for the whole trip rather than per island. Teluk Saleh and Moyo or Satonda are separate entrances again.

The open trip is already small — five cabins, not a dormitory deck. If you want it smaller still, a private charter takes the whole boat on the date you choose.

The boats on this route are traditional wooden phinisi rather than motor yachts. Paus and Ikan are the most comfortable rooms on board; beyond that, a private charter is the step up.

The Captain cabin at USD 425 is the entry fare, and open-trip cabins are sold per person, so you pay for your place rather than the whole room. Tell the desk you are travelling alone and you will be told who you would be sharing with.

Nothing published. Group rates depend on how many cabins you take and which departure, so ask for a written quote with the per-person rate on it rather than assuming a percentage.

USD 425 per person for the Captain cabin on an open trip. There is nothing beneath it, because there is no deck class on this crossing.

Yes, and it is routine — tofu, tempeh, vegetables, rice and fruit are on board anyway. Tell us at booking rather than at boarding, because a boat provisions before it sails.

Yes. Briefings, the daily plan and snorkelling guidance are given in English. Inside the national park the walks are led by licensed park rangers, as the park requires.

Weeks for most of the season, longer for July and August, when the better cabins go first. The calendar is published departure by departure, so book against a confirmed date rather than a month you hope will run.

Open-trip cabins run from USD 425 for Captain to USD 755 for Ikan, per person, for the full four days and three nights. Park and entrance fees are additional.

Because this crossing does not sell one. Both directions sell the same five cabins at the same open-trip price, so the cheapest way across is the Captain cabin at USD 425 per person, not a mattress on an open deck.

The boat and your cabin for three nights, three meals a day plus snacks, drinking water, tea and coffee, snorkelling gear, an English-speaking crew or guide, and every island stop on the itinerary.

Park and entrance fees, alcoholic drinks, personal expenses, crew tips, flights and anything onward from Labuan Bajo. Hotel pickup outside the standard zones is quoted separately.

Size and position on board. Captain at USD 425 and Penyu at USD 465 are the smaller rooms; Kerang and Paus are USD 710 and Ikan is USD 755. The route, the meals and the stops are identical.

Take your cabin fare, add USD 40-50 for Komodo National Park foreigner visitor, IDR 200,000 for Whale Shark Teluk Saleh and IDR 200,000 to IDR 275,000 for Moyo or Satonda, then allow for drinks, tips and your flight out of Labuan Bajo.

Not as such. The entry price is the Captain cabin at USD 425 per person — a real cabin, but the smallest one. This route does not run a budget deck product.

The boat gets you there and the crew organise the landing, but the park entry, ranger and trekking charges are paid separately. Komodo National Park is USD 40-50 per person for foreigners for the whole trip.

No. An English-speaking crew member or guide is part of the fare and handles briefings, the daily schedule and snorkelling. Tips at the end of the trip are optional and not included.

Three or four times a month between April and November, on published dates. There is no daily service and no fixed weekday.

Sometimes, depending on your package and where you are staying. Senggigi, Mataram, Kuta Lombok and the airport are the common pickup areas; tell us your hotel and we will confirm whether the transfer is in the fare or an add-on.

No. Padar is a standard stop and the early start is a matter of where the boat anchors, not a paid upgrade. What you pay for is the cabin, not the timing.

The Whale Shark Teluk Saleh entrance is IDR 200,000 per person, paid separately from the fare. Sightings are never guaranteed — it is a wild encounter, and some mornings there is nothing to see.

Vegetarian meals carry no surcharge if you tell us early. Strict vegan, coeliac or severe-allergy requirements may need ingredients brought aboard, so raise them at booking and you will be told plainly what is possible.

Ikan is the top cabin at USD 755 per person on an open trip, with Paus and Kerang at USD 710. Beyond that, the next step is chartering the boat rather than buying a better room.

Nothing is published, and we would rather quote you than have you guess. Send the number of travellers and the departure you want, and the reply states the per-person rate in writing.

Per person, not per cabin. You pay USD 425 for a place in the Captain cabin and may share it with another solo traveller. If you want the cabin alone, you buy both places.

No, it is on the standard route and adds nothing beyond the park fee that already covers it. Drone work, floating toys and other set-ups are optional extras arranged with the desk.

The open-trip cabin fares are the same across the April to November season. What changes is availability: the good cabins on July and August departures go first.

This crossing only comes one way — five cabins, the whole trip. You are not choosing between a crowded boat and a quiet one; the only trade-off is which cabin, from USD 425 to USD 755 per person.

A traditional Indonesian phinisi — a wooden sailing boat built to the old lines, with five guest cabins, a dining area and a sundeck. It is not a ferry and it is not a motor yacht.

No. Every berth on this crossing is in one of the five cabins, and the lowest is Captain at USD 425 per person. Deck sleeping is not sold on this route.

Cabin fittings vary by vessel and class, so ask about the specific boat on your departure rather than assuming. The desk will tell you what the room has before you pay for it.

More floor space, better bedding and, on the upper rooms, a better outlook. Kerang and Paus are USD 710 per person and Ikan is USD 755. Everything outside the cabin door is the same trip.

Your cabin, three meals a day and snacks, drinking water, tea and coffee, snorkelling gear, shared bathrooms, a shaded dining area and a sundeck.

Five cabins, so the passenger group is small by the standards of this route. That is rather the point — the boat is sized for a table everyone fits around.

Komodo or Rinca for the dragon walk, Padar for the viewpoint, Pink Beach, and reef and beach stops such as Manta Point and Kelor, with the day's order set by the tide and ranger access.

Sightings cluster in the calmer months of the April to November season, and the boats call there when conditions allow. It is never guaranteed. Treat it as a possible morning rather than a promised one.

Some people do — there is open water between Sumbawa and Flores. Bring tablets and take them before you feel you need them, stay hydrated, go easy on alcohol, and stay midships and on deck when the swell builds.

Life jackets for the full guest capacity, life rings, fire extinguishers, first-aid supplies and marine communications, all checked before departure. A safety briefing is given when you board.

April to November is the sailing season, and the reason there are no published departures outside it. Seas are generally calmest early on; the middle of the season can be windier, with better visibility underwater.

Yes, given notice. The staples are rice, vegetables, tofu, tempeh and fruit, so a vegetarian table is straightforward. Tell us at booking so the boat provisions for it.

Yes, for briefings, the daily plan and activity instructions. Fluency varies between crew members; the walks inside the park are run by licensed rangers.

No. Departures are published dates, three or four a month across April to November. Any site quoting "every Wednesday and Saturday" for this crossing is out of date.

Separately from the fare, and itemised on your quote. Komodo National Park is USD 40-50 per foreign visitor for the whole trip; Whale Shark Teluk Saleh is IDR 200,000; Moyo or Satonda is IDR 200,000 to IDR 275,000, with a weekend rate.

Very. Cabins are sold per person from USD 425, the group is small enough that you will know everyone by the second evening, and the desk will tell you who you would be sharing a cabin with before you book.

Yes — a private charter takes all five cabins and gives you the departure date as well as the boat. It is the usual answer for families and groups of friends who would rather not share.

Senggigi is one of the standard pickup areas, along with Mataram, Kuta Lombok and the airport, with the drive across to the East Lombok harbour arranged in advance. Confirm your pickup point when you book.

Padar's three-bay ridge at first light, Pink Beach, the reefs, and the boat itself under sail. All of them are on the standard route and none is a paid add-on.

Dates are released in batches rather than a year at a time, and the season always runs April to November. Ask the desk for the current published calendar instead of planning around a date you have seen elsewhere.

By road, and it is a long drive — the boats leave from the East Lombok side, not from Senggigi. Pickup is arranged in advance from your hotel; allow several hours, and confirm whether the transfer sits inside your package.

The boat starts on Lombok, so you travel there first. Guests coming from the Gilis are routed via the northwest coast, and Bali travellers need their own crossing to Lombok. Check what your package covers before booking flights.

Published dates, three or four a month, April to November. There is no every-week pattern to plan around, so build your trip around a confirmed departure rather than a weekday.

Four days and three nights, Lombok to Labuan Bajo. That is long enough to cover Saleh Bay, Komodo, Padar and Pink Beach without rushing any of them.

East Lombok, Kenawa or Kanawa, Sumbawa and Saleh Bay, then Komodo National Park with Padar and Pink Beach, finishing at Labuan Bajo. Snorkelling stops fill the gaps between the headline islands.

No. It is billed separately at USD 40-50 per person, covering the whole trip rather than each island, and it appears as its own line on your quote.

Five cabins, sold per person. Two travellers booking together share a cabin; a solo traveller may share with another guest of the same gender, or buy both places and have the room alone. There is no deck sleeping.

Kerang and Paus are USD 710 per person and Ikan is USD 755, against USD 425 for Captain and USD 465 for Penyu. It buys a better room, not a better route.

Yes, by the standards of this route — five cabins rather than a deck full of mattresses. If you want it smaller again, charter the boat.

All meals on board are included, and vegetarian is standard if requested at booking. Kitchens at sea have limited storage, so a late request is much harder than an early one.

Yes. An English-speaking crew member or guide stays with the boat and handles briefings, park logistics and the snorkelling. Inside the national park, licensed rangers lead the walks.

A soft bag rather than a hard suitcase — cabin storage is limited and a rigid case has nowhere to go. Keep documents, chargers, a dry bag and a change of clothes in a daypack.

Yes. Cabins are priced per person, so a single place in the Captain cabin at USD 425 is the straightforward option. You will be told the sharing arrangement before you pay.

Nothing published. A group taking several cabins or the whole boat should ask for a written quote; what comes back depends on the departure and how many cabins you take.

Within the April to November season, on a departure that calls at Saleh Bay. Sightings depend on conditions and luck and are never guaranteed, so choose the trip for the crossing and treat the whale sharks as a bonus.

Padar and Pink Beach are on every sailing. The sunrise timing on Padar depends on the overnight anchorage, the weather and park access, and the captain will move it if the sea says so.

Departures are released in batches through the April to November season rather than all at once. The dependable move is to ask for the current calendar and treat no date as bookable until it is confirmed in writing.

Yes, at Labuan Bajo on Flores, the gateway town for the national park. Most travellers fly out from there. Leave a buffer before any flight, because arrival time moves with the sea.

Four days and three nights: Lombok, Kenawa or Sumbawa, Saleh Bay, Komodo for the dragons, Padar, Pink Beach, then Labuan Bajo. It runs one way, so you never sail the same water twice.

USD 425 per person for the Captain cabin on an open trip. Every fare on this crossing is a cabin fare; there is no cheaper deck option beneath it.

Per person on an open trip: Captain USD 425, Penyu USD 465, Kerang USD 710, Paus USD 710, Ikan USD 755. The same five cabins at the same prices in both directions.

No. That pattern is quoted widely online and it does not describe this crossing. Departures are on published dates, three or four a month, April to November.

The dragon walk is on every itinerary; the park fee is not in the fare. Komodo National Park costs USD 40-50 per person, paid once for the whole trip and shown separately on your quote.

Indonesian cooking from the boat's own galley — rice, vegetables, fish or chicken, fruit and snacks, three meals a day. Vegetarian versions are standard if you ask at booking.

Five cabins, shared bathrooms with basic showers, a dining area, a sundeck and snorkelling gear, plus life jackets and first-aid supplies. It is a wooden boat: comfortable rather than palatial.

It depends what you want from three nights. Ikan at USD 755 and Paus at USD 710 give you more room and a better outlook; Captain at USD 425 gives you the same sea, the same islands and the same meals.

Yes, by buying both places in it. Otherwise cabins are sold per person, and solo travellers may be paired with another guest of the same gender.

The guide, yes. The park charges, no — Komodo National Park at USD 40-50 per person, Whale Shark Teluk Saleh at IDR 200,000 and Moyo or Satonda at IDR 200,000 to IDR 275,000 are all paid separately.

Within the April to November sailing season, on the departures that call there. Patterns vary year to year and sightings are never guaranteed — the entrance fee buys access, not an encounter.

The boat anchors nearby overnight and lands you early. From the jetty it is a stepped trail up a ridge to the viewpoint over three bays — a moderate climb, hot once the sun is up, and worth doing at first light.

Yes. Five cabins means a small group, cabins are sold per person from USD 425, and by the second evening the table knows each other. There is no deck dormitory to negotiate.

Nothing is advertised. Larger bookings are quoted case by case against the departure and the cabins you want, so ask in writing and you will get an answer in writing.

Cabin accommodation for three nights, all onboard meals, drinking water, tea and coffee, snorkelling equipment and guiding, and every stop on the itinerary. Park entrances and government levies are charged on top.

Not for this journey. Lombok to Labuan Bajo is a multi-day passage with island stops, which is why it is sold as a four-day crossing rather than a ferry ticket.

Captain at USD 425 and Penyu at USD 465 are the entry rooms, Kerang and Paus are both USD 710, and Ikan tops the list at USD 755, all per person. The gaps buy space, not itinerary.

Yes, by arrangement. Pickups run from Senggigi, Mataram, Kuta Lombok and the airport across to the East Lombok harbour. Tell us where you are staying and we will confirm the timing and whether it is included.

It does not run all year — the season is April to November and nothing is published outside it. Within the season, book weeks ahead, and longer for July and August.

No. Park entry, ranger and conservation charges sit outside the fare. On this crossing they come to USD 40-50 per person for Komodo National Park, covering the whole trip, and that is confirmed on your quote before you pay.

Schedules bend to the weather: anchorages move, stops reorder, and a sailing is changed rather than forced if the swell is wrong. Life jackets, first aid and marine communications are carried and checked before every departure.

No, and nobody should sell you one. The distance is far too great for a return in a day. If you only have a day for the park, fly to Labuan Bajo and take a short trip from there.

A deposit holds your cabin and the balance is due before departure. Cancellation and rescheduling terms come in writing with your quote, so you can read them before any money moves.