Indonesia for first-time visitors: what to settle before you fly

Start with the passport. It needs six months of validity after you arrive and two blank pages, and the table below shows the visa options by nationality. Visitors from most of Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK enter on a visa on arrival or an e-VoA, a 30 day permit that you can apply for online before you fly.

Fees and rules at the border change, so confirm every line on the official immigration site before you buy a ticket. We list the facts as they stood on the date shown with the table, and we do not assert that a rise in a fee is in force.

Fill in the arrival card within 72 hours before you land. It is free and compulsory, and it covers immigration, customs and the health declaration. Do it on your phone before you reach the border queue, because the queue does not wait for a form.

Nearly everyone reaches Labuan Bajo by a domestic flight, after clearing immigration in Bali, Jakarta or Surabaya. The airport, with the code LBJ, is 2 to 3 km from the harbour, about 10 minutes by car.

The table gives flight times and the airlines seen on each route. Treat it as a guide to what exists and check with the airline, because schedules change. Routes are our advice and tickets are not ours to sell. Send us your flight numbers once they are booked, and the pickup is set against them.

Plan to land the day before the pickup. Pickup is at 10:00 and the boat sails at 10:30. A flight home on the last day of a 3D2N or 4D3N should leave after 14:00, because the boat is back in Labuan Bajo only in the late morning.

The currency is the Indonesian rupiah. Cash matters more than cards once you leave the town, and there are no cash machines in the national park or on the islands, so take cash before you board.

Banks near the harbour and the limits for a withdrawal are in the table. Cards work at hotels, boat companies and larger restaurants, sometimes with a surcharge. Small eateries, markets and taxis take cash. Carry small notes, because change is scarce on the islands.

Tips for guide and crew are not in the fare. The table gives a common range for a boat crew, and a tip is never compulsory. Keep the amount in a separate envelope so that the end of the trip is not a search for notes.

On the boat there is local Wi-Fi, from the crew's mobile connection. There is no satellite internet. Tell your family that a message can wait until you are back in range.

On the mainland, the table says which network has the widest coverage in Labuan Bajo and offshore. Signal is patchy between the islands. An eSIM installed before you fly and switched on when you land is the simplest route, and every SIM in Indonesia must be registered.

Download your maps, tickets and boarding documents before the 10:00 pickup, and keep a copy of your passport pages offline. A battery pack travels well in the day bag.

Take out travel insurance with medical cover and emergency evacuation. It is not in any fare. The table lists the hospitals in Labuan Bajo and the emergency numbers, and it notes that pharmacies in town carry a limited range.

Dengue, chikungunya and malaria are present in the region, so cover your skin at dusk and use repellent. This site lists no vaccination as a condition of entry. Ask your own doctor or a travel clinic what to have before you go.

Bring personal medicines in their own packaging, and sunblock. Add sandals or trekking shoes. The walks at Padar and Komodo are the reason, and a pair of closed shoes is the one item worth buying before you fly.

Two authorities shape the day. The harbour master's office issues each boat's sailing permit and can close sailings in strong wind, and the park office controls access to the park. The captain decides the route on the day, and a changed route costs you nothing extra.

Passengers on boats to the park need an electronic boarding pass, and the name on it must match the passenger list. That is why we ask for passport details at least 7 days before sailing.

The park has closed some islands for short periods in recent years, for waves and wind, and the table lists them. If Maheswari cannot sail, you receive a boat of equal or higher class on your dates, or a full refund within 14 days.