Navila Liveaboard
Navila Liveaboard
How a reservation becomes a dated hold
Updated 3 November 2026
To reserve Navila Liveaboard in Labuan Bajo, you exchange three WhatsApp messages and pay a 50 percent deposit, settling the remainder 30 days ahead of departure. Seats start at IDR 7,100,000 (≈ USD 436) each, and the whole boat for three days at IDR 73,000,000 (≈ USD 4,479). We confirm the date in writing before any money changes hands.
A first WhatsApp message to a dated hold
Every reservation starts with a single message to our WhatsApp number. Give us your dates or a range, how many of you are coming, and if you are after a charter or a single cabin. Name the route if you know it; if not, say how many days you have and we will suggest one.
We reply in a few lines, naming the date, the cabin or the boat, the price and any costs outside it, such as the park package. For an open-trip seat we also confirm that the seat is free that day, since seats change daily.
Nothing is held until you accept that reply. Once you do, we place the hold and send an invoice showing one bank account, and the deposit is paid against it.
Below, the steps are set out in order. Follow each one, and the pier holds no surprises.
- Reply the same day, 08:00-20:00 WITASend dates, group size and route
- 50 percent of the totalDeposit confirms the date
- 30 days beforeBalance before sailing
When the deposit falls due and when the rest follows
A deposit confirms your date, and the table sets out the balance deadline. Prefer to wait? The balance can be paid on departure day in cash, or at the card machine, which adds 3 percent.
The cancellation windows are in the terms. With 60 or more days to go, a cancellation returns 50 percent. Between 30 and 59 days ahead, 25 percent comes back. Within 30 days there is no refund. Full details are on the terms page.
These terms belong to Komodo Explorer, which arranges your voyage and takes your payment, and they apply equally to charters and open-trip seats.
Paying the deposit does not buy the park package. We arrange that separately, and it appears as its own line.
| Deposit | 50 percent of the total |
| Balance | 30 days before |
| Bookings inside 30 days pay in full | |
| Children | Ages 0 to 2 free, with a parent or guardian |
| Prices are all-in and rounded · Passport details 7 days before sailing |
Deposit 50% to confirm, balance 30 days before departure. You can also settle the balance in Labuan Bajo on the departure day, in cash or by card on the EDC machine.
Sending money from abroad: channels, fees, recipient
Before sending money, make sure you know who is asking for it. The booking company is PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia, NIB 1805260128363. We use one official WhatsApp number and one bank account, and both are shown on your invoice. Pay only into that account, and check with us if any message ever says otherwise.
From abroad, expect 3 percent extra on a card link and 7.2 percent on PayPal; the card machine on departure day adds 3 percent. We also accept bank transfer, Wise, Revolut and QRIS, and will tell you the fee for any of them before you send.
Guests paying from China can use Alipay, with the fee paid by the guest. WeChat Pay goes through our payment partner. We cannot promise UnionPay, so please ask before relying on it.
The channels and their fees are in the table, and we acknowledge every payment in writing.
Payment — all methods available
Secure payment by Stripe, Airwallex, American Express, Visa, Mastercard.
Fees: card payment link 3%, PayPal 7.2%, EDC card machine 3%. Your issuing bank may add its own charges.
When you move your dates, or the vessel is swapped
Plans change. If you need another date, let us know as early as you can. With 30 or more days to go a new date is free. Inside 29 days and up to 14 days out, the change carries IDR 500,000; under 14 days it is handled as a cancellation. An open-trip seat can only move to a sailing with a free cabin.
Sometimes it is the boat that changes. If Navila cannot sail on the day you booked, we offer an equal or better boat, sailing on your original date, at no extra cost. If that does not suit your party, your money comes back in full, normally within 2 × 24 hours once the refund conditions are met.
You hear from us straight away, with the replacement named, and you decide before we ask for anything further.
Weather is a separate matter. The captain and the harbour authority decide the sequence of stops and the anchorage, and a change of sequence does not count as a cancellation.
Names and papers we need for every guest before sailing
For each guest we need a full name exactly as it appears on the passport or identity card, so the guest list is correct. We also ask for your hotel in Labuan Bajo, your arrival and departure flight times, and a WhatsApp number that will work while you travel.
Your hotel and flights determine the pickup. On the open trip someone meets you between 09:00 and 09:30, at the airport or at your Labuan Bajo hotel; on a charter we time it around your flights. The driver's number reaches you on WhatsApp before the day.
Let us know in writing, before sailing, about any dietary needs or anything concerning health or mobility. Whatever the galley can manage is confirmed to you in writing, and no dish is promised before then.
Send these details once the deposit is paid. Later changes are possible, but the pickup is easiest to plan early.
FAQ
How do we reserve, and what is the deposit?
Send us a WhatsApp message with your dates, the size of your party, and a charter or a seat. We reply with the price and a hold, and you pay the deposit against the invoice. The table on this page gives the deposit and the balance deadline.
I am abroad: how do I pay, and what does each channel cost?
Expect 3 percent extra on a card link and 7.2 percent on PayPal. We also accept bank transfer, Wise, Revolut and QRIS, and a card machine on departure day adds 3 percent. Pay only into the account on your invoice. For any other channel, we will tell you the fee on request.
Can guests from China pay with Alipay, WeChat Pay or UnionPay?
Alipay works, with the fee paid by the guest. WeChat Pay goes through our payment partner. We cannot promise UnionPay, so please ask us before planning to use it. Every payment is acknowledged in writing, and the invoice shows our one bank account.
What if Navila is swapped for another boat before we sail?
You are moved to a boat of the same class or higher, sailing on your original date, at no extra cost. If that does not suit you, your money comes back in full, normally within 2 × 24 hours once the refund conditions are met. We name the replacement as soon as it is known, and you decide before paying anything more.
Check availability — Navila Liveaboard
Navila Liveaboard belongs to Navila Group; Komodo Explorer arranges your booking, your payment and every message before you sail.