Short answer. Pack light and pack for salt water: a drybag, a power bank, hiking sandals with grip, reef-safe sunscreen, a rash guard, motion-sickness remedies and a local SIM. Snorkelling gear, life vests, water, coffee and tea are already on board, so leave the mask at home.
Boat cabins are compact, and half of what people bring to Komodo never comes out of the bag. The other half is the stuff they wish they had. This list is built around one distinction: what the operator already provides, and what genuinely has to come from you.
What is already on board?
Start here, because it removes weight. The operator’s published inclusion list covers accommodation, all meals, mineral water, coffee and tea, an English-speaking guide, snorkelling gear and life vests, on-board photo and video coverage including drone footage with raw files handed over, and hotel or airport pickup within the Labuan Bajo mainland area near the harbour. Cabins have air conditioning and en-suite bathrooms.
| Provided on board | Bring your own anyway if… |
|---|---|
| Snorkel, mask and fins | You have a prescription mask or a fin size that is hard to fit |
| Life vests | Never; use the boat’s |
| Drinking water, coffee, tea | You want alcohol or soft drinks, which are excluded |
| All meals | You have a specific dietary requirement, which needs advance notice |
| Towels for the cabin | You want a dedicated quick-dry beach towel |
| Drone and camera coverage by the crew | You want your own aerial footage, which needs a permit |
That last line matters: flying your own aircraft in the park requires permission and the operator quotes a drone ticket of approximately IDR 2,100,000, requested about seven days ahead. Details are in the guide to drone rules in Komodo National Park.
The five things that matter most
- A real drybag. Not a ziplock. You will be in an open tender in spray, repeatedly, with a phone and a camera. A 10 to 20 litre roll-top is the single most useful item on this list.
- A power bank. Outlets on any boat are shared and generator time is finite. Two days of photography flattens a phone by mid-afternoon.
- Hiking sandals or trainers with grip. Kelor and Padar are steep, dusty and unshaded, and the descents are where ankles go. Flip-flops are the classic mistake.
- Reef-safe sunscreen, high factor. You are on open water at equatorial latitude with reflected light off the sea. Apply before you leave, not on the beach.
- A rash guard or long-sleeve swim top. Sun protection while snorkelling and warmth in south Komodo, where the water drops to 24 to 26 degrees in the July to September upwelling.
Connectivity, and the honest version
Signal in Komodo National Park is patchy to absent. Telkomsel has the broadest coverage of the Indonesian networks in eastern Indonesia and is the one to buy if you want any chance of a bar at anchor, but plan on being genuinely offline for most of the trip.
Practical consequences: download your maps, books and playlists before you board, tell people at home you will be uncontactable, and do not plan to work. Most guests describe the disconnection as a feature by the second morning.
The full list
- Drybag, 10-20 litres, roll-top
- Power bank and cables, charged
- Hiking sandals or trainers with grip, plus flip-flops for the deck
- Reef-safe sunscreen, factor 50, more than you think
- Rash guard or long-sleeve swim top
- Two swimsuits, so one is always dry
- Hat with a chin strap; the deck has apparent wind
- Sunglasses with a retainer cord
- Light long trousers and long sleeves for the dragon trek
- Motion-sickness remedies, taken before the crossings rather than during
- Personal medication in original packaging, plus basics: plasters, antiseptic, painkillers
- Insect repellent for dusk at anchor
- Quick-dry towel
- Telkomsel SIM or eSIM, bought at the airport
- Cash in rupiah for park fees and gratuities
- Passport, plus a photograph of it stored separately
- A book. There is a lot of good sitting time.
What to leave behind
A hard suitcase, for a start — soft bags stow far better in a cabin, and most hotels in town will store the big case while you are at sea. Also: heavy shoes, a hairdryer, formal clothes, and more electronics than you can charge. Nobody dresses for dinner on a phinisi.
Where you leave the extra bag and how the transfer works is covered in the guide to getting to Labuan Bajo, and what actually happens on each day of the trip is set out on the three-day itinerary page.
Dietary requirements and medication
All meals are prepared on board, which means the galley provisions before departure and cannot improvise once you are three hours from the harbour. Vegetarian, vegan, allergy and religious requirements need to go to the booking desk in writing when you book, not on the morning. The same applies to anything medical the crew should know about.
What is actually served, and how requests are handled, is set out in the companion piece on food and drinks on board. Cabin storage and layout differ by grade, which is described on the cabin options page.
Inclusions are the operator’s published list. The provided-on-board column reflects the operator’s own inclusion and exclusion list read 31 July 2026. Inclusions vary by vessel and by departure type, so confirm yours in writing rather than assuming this list applies to a different boat.
The seasonal packing variation — wetsuit in the upwelling months, rain shell in the monsoon — is covered in the month-by-month sea guide, and the wider operator publishes practical trip notes through the operating company’s Komodo hub.
Sailing with Lady Grace
Send any dietary requirements and medical notes to the booking desk in writing when you book, not on the morning of departure.
WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 · [email protected]
Lady Grace is operated by Komodo Luxury in Labuan Bajo. Quotes, availability, deposit terms and cancellation terms are issued by the operator in writing before payment.
