Arriving in Labuan Bajo: flights, visas and the transfer to your yacht

The airport is Komodo International Airport, code LBJ. Most travellers connect through Bali (DPS), Jakarta (CGK) or Surabaya (SUB), with Lombok and Kupang as smaller feeders. Flight times on the direct routes run from about 1 hour 10 minutes from Bali to between 2 hours 30 minutes and 3 hours from Jakarta.

Direct international services are limited, so a party coming from abroad plans one connection in Indonesia. The table below lists the airlines and cities on the route; schedules are the airlines' to change. Verify the timetable before you book a ticket.

Land the day before sailing. A delayed or cancelled flight on the day of sailing costs the first day of the route, and no stop on the route has slack to give. Arrive in Labuan Bajo one day before sailing to avoid cancelled or delayed flights, and take an onward flight no earlier than the evening of the return day.

Visa rules depend on each guest's passport, and a party of mixed nationalities has more than one answer. Many nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival or apply for an electronic version online before travel; others must apply in advance; citizens of some neighbouring countries enter without a visa. The table gives the rules and the date they were checked.

Three points apply to every passport. It should be valid for at least six months after arrival and have at least two blank pages. Proof of onward or return travel is asked for. And an arrival card is completed online before arrival, free of charge, on the official immigration site; third-party sites that charge a fee are not that site.

Visa fees and rules change, and some changes have been announced without an effective date. Verify every item on the official immigration site before you travel, and ask your embassy if the party includes a nationality not listed in the table.

The currency is the Indonesian rupiah. Cash machines are in Labuan Bajo town near the harbour and at the airport arrivals hall, and there are none inside the national park or on the islands, so withdraw cash before you board. Cards are accepted at hotels and larger restaurants, sometimes with a surcharge; small shops, markets and taxis take cash.

Crew gratuities are outside the fare and are paid by you; tipping is appreciated and never compulsory. The yachts carry local Wi-Fi on board, and no speed or coverage is promised. Mobile signal is patchy at sea, and a local SIM registered with a passport has the best coverage in Labuan Bajo.

Mains power is 230 V at 50 Hz, with two-round-pin sockets of types C and F, so a party from elsewhere needs the right adaptor in the hand luggage.

Pack shoes with grip for the Padar and Komodo walks, and closed shoes for the Komodo Island walk. Pack a copy of the passport or ID for the sailing permit, and your personal medicine in its original packaging, in the hand luggage.

Travel and medical insurance, with cover for medical evacuation, is strongly recommended for every guest, and it is not in the fare. Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue are present in the region, so bring repellent. Pharmacies in Labuan Bajo have a limited choice, so bring prescription medicines and sunscreen from home.

The table sets out the health points for the region. A guest with a medical condition should tell us in the brief, so the crew knows before sailing.