Medical care and motion sickness for older guests

The guests who need this page most tend to write the shortest messages. A grandmother with a pacemaker, a grandfather who struggles on stairs, a parent on a daily tablet: each of them belongs in our inbox before the deposit, not at the harbour.

Tell us about any health condition that bears on a boat, and start with steps. There are 3 decks, so every cabin except one involves stairs, and boarding includes a transfer between boat and shore. Padar is a climb of hundreds of steps on loose ground; the Komodo walk follows uneven trails with a ranger. Ask your own doctor whether a three-day trip suits the condition, and carry a letter if the medication is unusual.

We answer in writing before you pay, and that includes what we cannot say. Access for a wheelchair is not claimed for this boat. One cabin, the Master Ocean, sits on the main deck and no other does; step-free access anywhere on board is not claimed.

Seasickness responds to three things: where you sit, what the sea is doing and what you took beforehand. On any boat the middle moves least, and low moves less than high. Soe Besar Vanrei has three cabin decks. The Master Suite and both Deluxe cabins are on the upper deck, the Master Ocean is on the main deck, and the two Superior cabins and the Sharing Cabin are on the lower deck. We know each cabin's deck but not its position along the hull, so ask us before you choose.

The sea counts for more than the cabin. April to June and October are the calm, clear months. July and August are dry but windy, and the transits get choppy. December to March is the wet season, with the roughest water. After the November docking, the first open-trip sailing is Friday, 4 December 2026, right at the start of the wet season.

Bring tablets or patches from home: pharmacies in Labuan Bajo stock a limited choice, and the islands have none. Watch the horizon, sit in fresh air, put the screens away. Don't eat heavy, spicy food or drink alcohol in the hours before a long transit; some guests swear by ginger. For a child's dose, ask a pharmacist or doctor. No stabilizer is listed for this boat, so we do not claim one.

First aid is given by the boat's crew. Beyond that, the captain raises the alarm with Basarnas, the national search and rescue agency, on 115; 112 is the general emergency line. The usual next step is a speedboat transfer to Labuan Bajo, quoted at about 45 minutes from most places in the park and longer from the far stops. From the harbour, an ambulance takes the patient on.

Visitors use two hospitals in Labuan Bajo. Siloam Hospitals Labuan Bajo is private, and operators describe it as the best equipped on Flores. RSUD Komodo is the public regional hospital. Serious cases are flown to Bali, about 1 h 10 away, or to Jakarta, and evacuation times are indicative, not guaranteed.

Caveat: no doctor on board is listed for this boat. If you need one for a private charter, ask us, and we answer in writing before you pay.

Travel insurance with medical cover and emergency evacuation is strongly recommended. Hospitals can ask for payment up front, and no government pays a foreign visitor's bill. Before you buy a policy, read it for age limits and pre-existing conditions.

The open-trip seat includes Jasa Raharja, a passenger accident scheme. That is not a travel or medical policy, so carry your own. For a private charter we make no insurance claim at all.

Keep prescription medicines in your hand luggage, in their original packaging, with a day or two spare. Dengue and malaria are present in Indonesia, which makes repellent compulsory in practice. Drink bottled water only: tap water is not safe, and mineral water is part of the trip. About a week before sailing we ask for passport details, because the park tickets and the harbour pass are issued by name.