A first visit to Indonesia, for two

Indonesia asks different things of different passports. Know yours. Some nationalities buy a visa on arrival, some apply online for an e-visa first, and some, from neighbouring countries, enter visa-free. The table sets out what we know and how sure we are of each line.

Verify every line on the official immigration portal before you buy a ticket. Fees, country lists and the length of stay are all revised from time to time, and look-alike websites charge extra for the same form. Apply only through the government's own site. A form bought elsewhere costs more and gains you nothing at the border, because the officer checks the passport and the approval, not the website you used.

Two papers are required of nearly everyone. Your passport needs enough validity after arrival, and an online arrival card must be filled in before you land. The table gives the detail. We cannot check your passport for you. We do not give legal advice. What we can do is tell you, plainly, which questions to ask the embassy or the airline before you pay for anything that cannot be refunded.

A first visit means two flights. The first lands in a large hub: Bali or Jakarta for most couples, Surabaya for some. The second is a short domestic flight to Labuan Bajo on Flores. The table lists the hubs, the flying times and the airlines we have seen on the route, with a confidence mark beside each.

Treat timetables as indicative. Airlines add and drop routes, and direct international flights to Labuan Bajo are few. Check with the airline for your date, and leave a night between your long-haul flight and the boat. Jet lag and a missed connection are both hard to repair at 09:00 on a pier. Neither is our fault, and neither is rare.

Gammara's own pickup details live in the guide to the day you travel. This page covers only the general facts of flying into Indonesia.

Money first. The currency is the rupiah. Rates move, so check a converter on the day you plan your cash. Cards work at hotels, larger restaurants and some operators, and some of those add a surcharge. Small shops, markets and taxis want cash.

Cash machines stand along the main road near the harbour and at the airport arrivals hall. There are none inside the park or on the islands. Each withdrawal has a limit and a fee, plus whatever your home bank charges. Take out what you need in town, before you board. Do it the day before, when you are not in a hurry and the machine in the hotel lobby is not the only one you can reach.

Tips are appreciated, never compulsory. The fare excludes crew gratuities, and a crew box passed round at the end of the trip is the way it is done on the boats. We set no figure. For payments to us, see the booking page; the channels and their fees are listed there.

Drink bottled or filtered water only. Always. Tap water is not safe to drink in Indonesia. Bottled mineral water is on the boat.

Mosquitoes carry dengue and chikungunya, and malaria is present in parts of the country, so cover your arms in the evening and use repellent. Ask your own doctor about vaccines well before you fly, because some courses take weeks. A bite from a dog or a monkey needs care at once.

Pharmacies in Labuan Bajo have a limited choice. The islands have none. Bring your prescriptions, plasters, sunscreen and any tablets you rely on, in their original packaging, with a note from your doctor if the medicine is one that an airport officer could question. A hat and closed shoes with a good grip matter more than most pills. Sun is the commonest injury on the trip.

Travel insurance with medical cover is strongly recommended. Cover that includes evacuation is worth having.