Gandiva
Gandiva Phinisi
One message, one written quote, one date fixed
Updated 3 November 2026
To book an anniversary trip in Komodo on Gandiva, message us on WhatsApp with your date, your guest count and the cabin you want. Our reply is written, with a cabin plan and a price. A 50 percent deposit fixes the date, the rest is payable 30 days ahead of sailing, and passport details follow 7 days before.
Five steps, one message, one held date
First, the message. On WhatsApp, send the date you have in mind, how many of you are coming and the cabin you'd like. The date, a head count and the word Arjuna will do. The form on the contact page works too, but WhatsApp is quicker and we recommend it.
Second, our answer. We check the boat and reply in writing with a cabin plan and the price for your sailing or your charter band. That figure is the one you pay, with nothing hidden behind it, so you can read it out to your partner and agree on the spot.
Third comes the deposit, which fixes the date. Fourth, each guest's passport or ID details, a week before sailing. Fifth, the balance, and after that the only thing left is to board.
Contact sheet. Message, written quote, deposit, details, balance. Nothing is reserved until we have confirmed with the boat, and we say so in the reply. A promise can't hold Arjuna; only the deposit does.
- Within one working daySend dates, group size and route
- 50 percent of the totalDeposit confirms the date
- 30 days beforeBalance before sailing
The deposit and balance: figures with deadlines
The deposit is set at 50 percent of the fare. It fixes your date and your cabins, and it is the only payment due until the balance. Your invoice shows the amount in rupiah and the date by which it must arrive.
Your balance falls due 30 days out. Your invoice shows the exact date. If you book inside that window, the full amount is paid at once. You can also settle the balance in cash or by card terminal in Labuan Bajo on the departure day, with the terminal fee below.
Park tickets are a separate line. The park package for your trip type is quoted before you pay, and you settle it as that quote says. Flights, hotels and the national park drone fee, if you fly a drone, also sit outside the fare.
Babies and toddlers from 0 to 2 travel free beside a parent, while from age 3 the fare is full. Put everyone's age in your message so the cabin plan can allow for it.
| Deposit | 50 percent of the total |
| Balance | 30 days before |
| Bookings inside 30 days pay in full | |
| Children | Under 3 free, accompanied by a parent |
| Prices include 11 percent VAT · 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.
Paying from abroad: card link, PayPal or the terminal on the day
Three ways of paying carry a fee. A credit card payment link adds 3 percent. PayPal adds 7.2 percent. The card terminal in Labuan Bajo, used on the departure day, adds 3 percent. The fee is added to the amount you pay, never taken out of the fare.
Four others are open: Wise, Revolut, QRIS and a bank transfer in rupiah. Our quote lists no fee from us on these, though your own bank can charge one, so check the rate before you send.
Every payment goes to the company account named on your written invoice, and only there. You deal with PT Komodo Explorer Indonesia, registered in Labuan Bajo under NIB 1805260128363. If a message ever asks you to pay another account, stop and write to us.
Alipay and WeChat Pay are not accepted.
Ways to pay
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 the date, or the sea does
Plans change; the terms cover it. Cancel at 60 days out or earlier and 50 percent comes back. Cancel 30 to 59 days ahead and 25 percent comes back. Cancel later and nothing does.
Moving the date works differently. Tell us a month or more ahead and it is free. Between 14 and 29 days the fee is IDR 500,000, and a change made later than that counts as a cancellation. Ask before you move anything, because the answer depends on which sailing is free.
Sometimes the sea moves the date for you. The captain decides each day by wind, tide and port rules, and weather is never guaranteed. If port rules close sailing, we tell you in writing and agree the next step with you under the booking terms.
If Gandiva cannot sail on your date at all, another boat of the same class or better is yours at no added cost. Otherwise the whole amount goes back to you within 2 days (2×24 hours) once the conditions are met. We write the offer before anything changes.
What each guest sends before boarding
A week before sailing, every guest sends passport or ID details. The park and the harbour need them, and one missing set can hold up the boat. Send photographs of the page that carries the photo, in one message, with the names as they appear on the document.
Tell us about food needs when you book, whether vegetarian, halal or allergy, so that the kitchen is told before sailing. Tell us too about anyone who finds steep paths or boat steps hard, and about any plan for a drone, which needs a permit applied for ahead.
Travel insurance is recommended. Dive insurance is mandatory for scuba divers. The packing list we send is short: trekking shoes, a small backpack, emergency cash, your own medicine, plus a flash drive or hard disk to hold the photographs. We add reef-safe sunscreen.
Get to Labuan Bajo the day before you sail. A late flight shouldn't cost you the boat, and an evening in town is the cheapest insurance you'll buy.
FAQ
Which payment methods work from abroad, and what do they cost?
Pay the 50 percent deposit by card link, which adds 3 percent, by PayPal, which adds 7.2 percent, or by Wise, Revolut, QRIS or bank transfer. A card terminal in Labuan Bajo on the departure day adds 3 percent.
How much is the deposit, and what does cancelling cost?
The deposit is 50 percent. The refund is 50 percent for a cancellation 60 days or more out, 25 percent for 30 to 59 days, and nothing after that. A new date is free when asked a month early, and costs IDR 500,000 when asked with 14 to 29 days left.
When must the balance be paid?
The remainder is payable 30 days out, and your invoice shows the exact date. If you book inside that window, the full amount is paid at once. You can settle the balance in cash or by card terminal on the departure day.
Check availability — Gandiva
Gandiva sails with its own crew; Komodo Explorer is the booking partner and answers for your reservation.