Your first open trip on a shared boat: a plain guide

Two boats, one price card. NK Jaya 1 sleeps up to 14 guests in 7 cabins, NK Jaya 2 sleeps 12 to 13 in 6. Every cabin has a private bathroom and AC, and every bed is a queen for 1 to 2 guests. The cabins and rates page has the per-person prices, from IDR 4,350,000 (≈ USD 267).

Choose the boat by crowd size and deck, and the cabin by budget and window. If tight spaces keep you awake, Full Ocean on the main deck, with big windows, is the first upgrade worth paying for.

Then send us your month and we reply with open dates in writing. Traveling alone? Say so, and we confirm the solo option for your date before any deposit. Hold off on flights until the date is in writing.

Land the day before. A night in town costs less than a missed boat.

Pickup from your hotel or the airport is free, and your open-trip pickup time comes with the booking. Set two alarms anyway.

Wear sandals you don't mind getting wet. Keep your passport, phone and cash in a dry bag, and leave the big suitcase at the hotel, since cabins are small.

Park tickets are bought online in each visitor's name and are never in the fare. Save the e-ticket on your phone before you leave the hotel.

Shared means shared. You'll spend the days on deck with the other guests, and on a boat of 14 or fewer that's a group you get to know fast.

Both boats have a sundeck with lazy chairs and bean bags, a jacuzzi and a Bluetooth sound system. Ask the deck before you play music, and take turns in the tub. On NK Jaya 2 it sits on the bow, ahead of the lounge.

Your cabin is yours alone, with its own bathroom and AC. Voices carry on a small boat, so keep late talk down near the cabins. For a quiet corner, try the sundeck before breakfast or after dinner.

The 3 days 2 nights plan on the 2026 price list shows what a day looks like. Your open trip is also 3 days and 2 nights, and its stops and times come with your booking.

Day 1: a welcome drink, a trek up Kelor Island, a snorkel at Manjarite, then sunset at Kalong Island and dinner on board. Day 2: Padar Island around breakfast, snorkeling at Pink Beach (Long Beach), a walk on Komodo Island, then Taka Makassar and Manta Point. Day 3: a snorkel at Siaba Island, an early lunch, and back in Labuan Bajo around 11.30.

Trek days are different from swim days. Padar is a 25 to 45 minute climb to the main viewpoint on a loose, steep path. Komodo Island is a ranger-led walk of 45 to 120 minutes with little shade. Start early, carry water and wear closed shoes. Where the boat spends the night depends on the weather and the captain's decision that day.

NK Jaya 1 is 22 m long with 7 cabins, NK Jaya 2 is 21 m with 6. Both have a sundeck, a jacuzzi, a fridge and a water dispenser, plus snorkel gear and a tender boat.

Both carry the same safety gear: a life raft, life jackets, a ring buoy, a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit. For navigation there's AIS, radar, a compass and GPS, plus two radios. The comparison page lines up the rest.

The official bring list is short: sandals or shoes for trekking, a backpack, emergency cash, personal medicines, sunblock and sunglasses.

Add what the water asks for.

• A mask that fits your face. Try it at home first.
• Reef-safe sunscreen and a rash guard.
• A dry bag for phone, passport and cash.
• A power bank for the long days on deck.
• A seasickness tablet, taken 30 to 60 minutes before sailing, if you need one.
• A hat for Taka Makassar, where there's almost no shade on the sand.

Pack soft and small. Cabins have a queen bed, and a hard suitcase has nowhere to go.

Plan the last morning around your flight, not the pier.

On the 3 days 2 nights plan, the last stop is Siaba Island and the boat is back in Labuan Bajo around 11.30. Book the flight home for the afternoon. Changing a flight is cheaper than racing to the airport.

Rinse your mask in fresh water and dry it before it goes in the bag. Salt eats the strap.

Then send us a note about what worked and what didn't. We read every one, and it shapes the next trip.