Bali might be the most famous holiday destination in Indonesia but the Komodo National Park quickly rise from the shadow. This remote frontier offer a bunch of things Bali didn’t have; undisturbed coastline, virgin beaches, brighter marine life, and empty jagged islands that seemingly transported right from the Jurassic Park. And everything made even more perfect as trip to Komodo couldn’t possibly done without Komodo Liveaboard, a vessel that would take you around the national park. Think about staying in a floating resort and having breathtaking dive spot right in the doorstep. A panoramic galore of the sky, the sea, and the towering islands all from the comfort of the boat. A walking tour with the nearly-extinct Komodo Dragons in the wild. It’s going to be an amazing summer holiday—especially when you pick the boat right.
You see, you will spend a lot of your Komodo holiday in the boat. You will sleep, eat, preparing for the dive, and wasting the downtime all in the boat. The quality of liveaboard itself plays a huge factor on how would you enjoy the holiday. We want to make sure you choose it right, and we have prepared some help. Here’s five important questions you should ask when browsing liveaboard in Labuan Bajo, the gate city of Komodo.
Will You Have Enough Space in the Komodo Liveaboard?
Check the size of the boat, how many stories does it has, and how many cabins but inside. See whether the amount of cabins match with the capacity of the boat. When you are browsing for Komodo liveaboard, you want one that has plenty of space. Not only cabins, but also spacious living space to enjoy the downtime. You don’t want to sail in a small boat where you are jam-packed like sardines in a wooden box. The safe choice would be a 20 – 30 meters phinisi—Indonesia’s wooden schooner—which cater to 8 – 16 passengers maximum. We don’t really recommend booking liveaboard with no cabins. The one where you sleep in a semi-open deck with a bunch of other strangers. It’s not really comfortable and further limit the space you could use to relax and enjoy the journey.
What Are the Facilities?
Knowing what facilities provided in the Komodo liveaboard is essential. You need to match the liveaboard with your expectation. Do the liveaboard provided diving equipment? Does it has small boat to carry you into remotest and protected dive sites where larger boats can’t? How many dive guides or tour guides does the liveaboard have? Do you think the creature comforts—patios, beds, sun beds, and loungers are enough? You are going to be on holiday, and the boat will practically be your home for the week! Also, check on the meals, wifi, and other complimentary facilities like toiletries that would be nice to have.
Do They Have Diving Facilities?
If you come to Komodo with diving in mind, you might want to embark on Komodo diving liveaboard. That’s being said, the liveaboard should have diving facilities onboard. You might want to have wet area, dive stations, rise stations, and maybe photography area in the boat.
What is Included? What Is not Included on the Package?
Does the Nitrox come for free? Is there’s any special dinners you need to pay more? Most liveaboard come with all inclusive meals and excursion. Some dive liveaboard rent their dive gears for free, when some other rent them for extra charge. Black coffee and tea are usually a free complimentary drinks, but that latte might be billed later. Certainly, onboard spa would cost you another additional bill—excluding the tip. Knowing what’s included and what’s not on your liveaboard package is mandatory, especially when you want to travel in budget.