What to bring
Pack for a Boat, Not for a Hotel
A phinisi has no lift, no wardrobe and no dry cleaner. Soft bags, reef-safe sunscreen, shoes you can get wet, and something with sleeves for the villages. That is most of it.
- Soft bags
- Hard cases do not stow
- Reef-safe
- Sunscreen, and it matters
- Sleeves
- For village and ranger visits
- 27–29 °C
- Water, through the season
Quick answer
Bring soft luggage, reef-safe sunscreen, footwear you can soak, layers for a fast tropical shower, and one modest outfit with shoulders and knees covered for ashore.
- Storage aboard is under-bunk and in soft lockers — a hard shell case has nowhere to go.
- Rain in the wet season arrives in short bursts rather than all day.
- Ranger-led walks on Rinca and Komodo are on uneven ground in heat.
Two seasons
The Weather You Are Actually Packing For
Eastern Indonesia has a dry season and a wet one, and neither behaves the way the names suggest. The dry season is reliably hot with settled seas. The wet season is not a washout — rain tends to come in short intense bursts and then clear, and the water stays warm right through it.
What changes more than the rain is the sea state, and that affects what you want aboard rather than what you wear. A choppier passage is a good reason to bring whatever motion remedy works for you rather than to find out.
- Dry season Apr – Oct
- Settled seas, strong sun. High-SPF reef-safe sunscreen, a proper hat, a rash vest for long snorkels.
- Wet season Nov – Mar
- Short heavy bursts of rain, then sun. A light packable shell, and a dry bag for anything electronic.
- Water temperature 27–29 °C
- Warm enough that a wetsuit is optional — a 3 mm shorty is plenty if you feel the cold on repeat dives.
- Sun at sea Reflected
- It comes off the water as well as down. Long sleeves are more effective than more sunscreen.
- Evenings at anchor Breezy
- One light long-sleeved layer. Nothing warmer is needed.
- Ashore Hot and uneven
- Ranger walks are on rough ground in full sun. Closed shoes, not sandals.
The list
What Actually Earns Its Space
Storage aboard is genuinely limited, so this is ordered by what you will regret not bringing rather than by category.
Soft duffel or holdall
Stows flat under a bunk once emptied. A hard shell case has nowhere to live for a week.
Reef-safe sunscreen, high SPF
Bring more than you think. You are on and in the water all day, and the sun reflects off it.
Rash vest or long-sleeved swim top
Does more for sunburn on a long snorkel than reapplying sunscreen does.
Shoes you can soak
Wet landings are normal. Something that drains and dries, plus closed shoes for ranger walks.
One modest outfit
Shoulders and knees covered, for village visits and ranger stations. It is respect, not a dress code.
Dry bag
For the tender rides. Anything that must not get wet will otherwise get wet.
Prescriptions and motion remedy
No pharmacy between islands. Bring what you need and a little spare.
Camera, and a way to charge it
Power aboard is generator-based and not always on. A power bank covers the gaps.
Adapter for Indonesian sockets
Two round pins. Bring one per device you actually care about.
Your own mask, if you dive
Vessels carry gear, but a mask that seals to your face is the one piece worth owning.
Something to read
There are long stretches at anchor with no signal, which is the point.
Cash in rupiah
For crew tips and village purchases. Cards are not useful once you leave Labuan Bajo.
Crews carry a first-aid kit and most vessels have basic remedies aboard, but bring your own prescriptions and anything you are particular about — resupply between islands is not realistic.
Ashore
Where Behaviour Is the Rule, Not the Kit
Some of what a guest needs to bring is not in a bag. These are the ones crews raise most often.
- Required
Stay with the ranger
On Rinca and Komodo a park ranger leads every walk and that is not a formality — the dragons are wild animals and the ranger is why the walk is safe.
Park requirement
- Required
Cover shoulders and knees ashore
In villages and at religious sites. Swimwear stays on the boat.
Cultural
- Required
Do not touch the reef
Including standing on it. Coral takes decades to recover from a footprint and Komodo is a marine park.
Park requirement
- Required
Nothing overboard
No waste of any kind, including anything biodegradable. The crew manages all of it.
Park requirement
- Conditional
Ask before photographing people
In villages especially. Most people say yes; being asked is the difference.
Cultural
- Conditional
Drone rules vary
Permissions differ by area within the park and change. Ask the captain before you fly rather than after.
Ask the captain
Also in this silo
Before You Sail
Ask first
The Crew Would Rather You Asked
Every vessel carries slightly different gear and every route has slightly different rules. One message before you pack saves carrying something the boat already has.
Or call +62 811-3941-4563
- Gear aboard confirmed per vessel
- Drone and dive rules confirmed per route
- Dietary requirements passed to the chef in advance