What to pack, and how to reach Labuan Bajo

A packing list for Neptune begins with the plan of the room you will sleep in. Each of the seven cabins has one double bed, air conditioning, an en-suite bathroom with a hot shower and a private balcony. Linen and towels come with the boat. So does a snorkelling set for every guest, which takes the bulkiest item out of your bag before you have started.

Everything personal is yours to bring: medicines, sun protection, footwear for the trails, and clothes for the change of temperature between an air-conditioned cabin and an open deck. Neptune has stairs between her decks. A soft bag that folds flat is easier to carry up them, and easier to stow, than a hard case on wheels. One medium bag per guest covers 3D2N. For 5D4N, pack a second set of swimwear rather than a second bag.

Sort the list by where each item will be used. Four places cover the whole voyage.

• Cabin and balcony. Light evening clothes, one long-sleeved layer for the air conditioning, a universal adapter and a power bank. Indonesian sockets run at 230 V and take two round pins, types C and F. Do not count on a signal at sea, so download maps, books and films in town.
• Open deck. A wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses on a cord, a refillable bottle and a mineral sunscreen based on zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
• Padar, and Komodo or Rinca. Closed shoes with a gripping sole, since flip-flops are no use on the trails. Add a light long-sleeved shirt, at least 1.5 litres of water per person, and a headtorch for an early Padar climb. Your passport goes in the day bag on trek days: park tickets are issued against passport numbers.
• In the water. Swimwear, a rash guard, which halves the sunscreen you need, a dry bag for beach landings, and your own mask if fit matters to you. A waterproof case or an action camera covers Manta Point, Taka Makassar and Manjarite.

Bring medicines from home and keep any prescription in your hand luggage. Labuan Bajo's pharmacies have a narrow range, and the islands have none. If you are prone to seasickness, pack tablets or patches and ask a pharmacist before you leave which suits you. Aboard, fresh air and a fixed look at the horizon help, and the middle of a boat moves least.

Carry rupiah in small notes. There are no ATMs or shops on the islands, and crew tips sit outside the charter price, so cash is the one thing you cannot buy at anchor.

Leave behind single-use plastic, high heels, and any drone you have no park permit for. The permit costs two million rupiah per drone per day and is arranged before the trip. Coral and shells stay where they lie; exporting them is illegal. In town, cover shoulders and knees in villages and places of worship. Swimwear belongs to the boat and the beach.

The whole park is served by a single airport, Komodo Airport (LBJ) in Labuan Bajo. Nothing lands on Komodo island. The terminal is about 2 km from the harbour, roughly 10 minutes by car, and the transfer between the airport or your hotel and the harbour is included with a Neptune booking. Every figure in the table was checked on 4 November 2026. Treat all of them as indicative and confirm schedules, fares and baggage with the airline.

From Bali the carriers are Garuda, Batik Air, Citilink, Indonesia AirAsia and Super Air Jet. From Jakarta, a return routed through Bali on budget carriers can undercut the direct flight, so price both. The Lombok turboprop has tighter baggage limits than a jet.

Two cautions apply to the Bali route. On separate tickets you reclaim your bags and check in again, so leave 2.5 to 3 hours between flights. And the Bali tourist levy, 150,000 rupiah per foreign visitor, is charged on entering Bali; lovebali.baliprov.go.id has the current rule. By sea, the Lombok to Flores crossing runs in the dry season, April to October, and is best avoided from November to March. The Sape ferry is often cancelled in high waves; check with ASDP. Neptune herself starts and ends at Labuan Bajo.

On the 3D2N itinerary Neptune leaves Labuan Bajo harbour at 10:00. Land the afternoon before and sleep in town. A spare night costs a hotel room, while a late inbound flight can cost the voyage. In November 2024 ash from Lewotobi Laki-laki shut the airport for a time, as Bisnis reported on 10 November 2024. It happened once; a night in hand turns the next one into a delay rather than a missed boat.

A private charter can set its boarding and finishing times around your flights, so send us the flight numbers when you book and we set the pickup to match. On the last day of a 3D2N, lunch is served aboard before the return to Labuan Bajo. Book an afternoon or evening flight out, and if you connect to an international departure from Bali that evening, add a night in Bali.

None of these countries has a nonstop flight to Labuan Bajo. Two regional hubs do. Singapore has Scoot, about 3 hours, roughly twice a week; Kuala Lumpur has AirAsia, about 3 hours 40 minutes, on Thursdays and Saturdays. Both frequencies are volatile. Otherwise the long-haul leg ends in Bali or Jakarta and the table above takes over.

• China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are the short connections, and either one lands you at Komodo Airport without a domestic change. Check your chargers against Indonesia's type C and F sockets.
• Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Most itineraries change in Bali or Jakarta. On separate tickets through Bali, both the 2.5 to 3 hour gap and the Bali levy apply.
• Everyone. Visa and arrival rules change during the year; check evisa.imigrasi.go.id before you fly.

Komodo Airport sits about 2 km from the harbour, roughly 10 minutes by car. Arrive the day before, and the stretch from runway to gangway becomes the shortest part of the journey.