PRACTICAL FLORES

PRACTICAL FLORES

Here you will find the ABC about climate, money, visa etc.

DRONES

Ofcourse Indonesia including Flores is a perfect area to use your drone. Think of Kelimutu and Komodo for example. A couple of years ago I have decided to buy a drone in Indonesia itself rather than bring one from abroad as rules about importing one were not clear. However today I hear more and more travelers are bringing one without any problem so I think officials on the airports of Jakarta and Denpasar are used to it in the meantime.
Check out the link below for law in Indonesia for using a drone. Drones in Komodo National Park are only allowed with a special permit.

https://drone-laws.com/drone-laws-in-indonesia/

Happy dronetravels on Flores.

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS

General 112
Police 110

Firebrigade 113

SAR (Search & Rescue) 115

Ambulance 118

Covid-19 Hotline 119

FOOD & DRINKS

Food

Indonesia has a huge diversity of food. Every island, town or area has its own speciality. Common dishes like nasi goreng, soto ayam, gado2 or nasi padang are widely available and almost always in many varieties. In Labuan Bajo you will find some western restaurants in particular Italian eateries and also some bakeries.

See also the language list.

Here the favourites and widely avaible dishes

ayam bakar
barbecued chicken comes with plain rice and salad

bakso
meatballsoup with mihoon and seasoning
gado2
salad of vegetables, tahu, tempe egg and peanutsauce and served with sticky rice or plain rice
ikan bakar
grilled fish
mie goreng
fried noodles
nasi goreng
fried rice with fried egg on top
nasi padang
originally from Padang (Sumatera); you can choose from the (spicy) dishes displayed in front of the eatery. Some favourites are: rendang padang (meat in spicy coconutsauce), perkedel (fried mashed potatoes) and gulai kambing (goatmeat in coconutsauce)
soto ayam
tasty chickensoup with mihoon and served with plain rice

Flores has its own specialities like ikan kuah asam (fish in sweet-hot-sour sauce) but unfortunately hard to find in warung.
In the link below you find Flores specialities
https://foodnesia.net/makanan-khas-flores/

Vegetarian or vegan

There is little choice since there are no alternatives like in western countries.

It will be: fried rice or noodles (ask without terasi) or plain rice with fried or steamed fried tofu (tahu) and tempe, eggs and vegetables, perkedel (a kind of hash brown) and gado2.

Drinks
There is a lot of choice in drinks. Softdrinks in many varieties are available in supermarkets, minimarkets and small shops along the road. Juices like mango, pineapple, orange, melon etc are sold in eateries in touristy areas like Moni, Bajawa and Labuan Bajo.

Alcoholic drinks include local beer and radler (Bir Bintang, Prost), moke (arrack) produced by local farmers and tuak (fresh palmwine). Moke (Arrack) from Flores is safe to drink and tastes far much better than the one from Bali. Unlike the western part of Indonesia in Flores it is still easy to buy alcoholic drinks due to local rules and tradition. The best moke is from Adonara (Flores Timur, but widely sold in Larantuka) and from Aimere and Boba (Ngada). The one from Aimere you will pass on your overlandtrip.

Imported drinks like whisky, gin, wodka, liquors and wines (especially from Bali and Australia) are available in Labuan Bajo (there are special wineshops but prices are better in the supermarkets like Roxy), Ruteng (shop on jalan Kelimutu), Maumere (Winehop, Jalan J. Sudirman 1) and in Mbay. Probably also in Ende and Mbay but I didn’t met them yet.

Note that imported drinks are (far more) expensive (than in Europe). For a Johnny Walker Red Label expect to pay anything between Rp 500.000 and Rp. 1.000.000 (...) for a 750 ml bottle (between € 33,00 and € 65,00). A bottle of Australian red wine is around Rp 325.000 (where in Europe € 6,00) for the cheapest one. A good alternative is Two Islands, a Bali/Australian production for around Rp 225.000 (€ 14,00) but only available in Labuan Bajo.

A choice of drinks:

air kelapa muda
young coconutwater, fresh from the tree or from the supermarket
Aqua
bottled mineralwater; on Flores Ruteng is more common and available
bir Bintang
Indonesian beer
bir Bintang Radler
Indonesian radler lemon and grapefruit
Coca Cola
In bottles and cans and sometimes the diet versions
es/jus jeruk (nipis)
Orange or lemon with crushed ice or as a juice
es teh
Icetea (fresh or bottled/packed from the supermarket)
Fanta green, red
Available in supermarkets and small warungs
kopi Flores
Arabica coffee from Flores
moke
Arrack, a liquor made from lontarpalm, a little sweet, a bit ginlike. The alcohol content is various and can be fierce. The cheapest one contents 20% alcohol, but the 40% arrack tastes better. The triple fired BM Super (bm = bakar menyala) contents 50% alcohol. Drink it pure together with your (new) friends or mix it with lemon and honey or fresh orange juice. No headaches, no hangovers.
Read further
See also moke in this chapter

HEALTH & SICKNESS

Hospitals

The most modern hospital on Flores is Siloam Hospital in Labuan Bajo (opened in January 2016), English is spoken. They also have an oxygen chamber when suffering of DCS (decompression sickness) after diving.

Adress: Jalan Gabriel Gampur, Labuan Bajo

Website: Siloam Hospital Labuan Bajo

Email: info.shlb@siloamhospitals.com

Tel. 0385-2381900 (landline).

You also can make appointments via WhatsApp tel +62 811 3838323

Emergency call: 1 500 911

The Catholic St. Elisabeth hospital in Lela, 10 km south of Maumere, also has a good reputation. In Larantuka, Ende, Bajawa, Mbay, Borong and Ruteng are hospitals as well. If you have a choice then go for a Catholic hospital which are often better than the general hospitals ( RSUD = rumah sakit umum daerah).

Pharmacies (apotik) are plentiful in the towns. Doctors have their businesshours usually in the evening.

Handy

Buy a small bottle of minyak kayu putih (same family as teatree oil) available in supermarkets. Cap Lang is an often sold brand. Minyak kayu putih can be used for many purposes like headache, nausea, mosquito bites, muscle pains etc.

cajeputoil (English)

kayu putih olie (Dutch)

Mosquito borne diseases > Malaria, dengue, chikungunya

Malaria

Malaria occurs in Indonesia, occurs in Flores. The good news is that Indonesia is on it's way go get rid of malaria. Nationwide a campaign is going on - a Malariafree Indonesia in 2030 - and many districts are already malariafree. On Flores the biggest part of the island is low risk with some place with medium risk.
Malaria is a serious disease with fluelike syptoms as fever, severe headaches and everything you eat has a bitter taste. There are many theories about malaria, many preventive medicines are sold to avoid malaria such as Paludrine, Nivaquine, Lariam and Malarone. Considering to take them or not is not that easy as side effects can be serious. Keep in mind that there is no resident in Indonesia who takes preventive malariapills. The real problem in malaria areas is often the lack of money and locals don't see a doctor or get diagnosed. I took malariapills for years (untill mid '95) and had to deal with the side effects of Lariam which was a common malariadrug at that time. In 2008 I got malaria (tertiana) and was sick for a few weeks but I was in good hands on Sumba and later on Jawa.

The best prevention is to avoid being bitten as preventive medication is not covered for 100%.

To keep mosquitoes away you should use:

- Aircon on your hotelroom

- Use Hit One Push (or an equal brand); indeed one push is enough to keep the
moquitos away in your room for 8 hours (available in supermarkets)

- Mosquito repellent Soffell (the milky variant with orange, flower and apple
scent available in supermarkets) Autan or Lavenda (also in many scents available).
See pics below

- Vitamine B1

- No perfumes

- Light coloured clothes which cover arms and legs
info malaria WHO

Dengue

This is another serious disease caused by the transmission a virus infected mosquito. Symptoms are similar to malaria with pains behind the eyes and joints. Dengue is more often diagnosed than malaria. The difference is that mosquitoes that spread the dengue virus bite during the day while malaria mosquitoes bite after dusk.

A dengue vaccin is available since 2023, however it seems that the vaccination has more effect when someone had dengue more than a year ago. The disease is more serious when attracted the second or third time. The vaccin might not be available in every country and if so the policy (you are able to get a vaccination or not) in countries allover the world seems different. The vaccin is rather expensive.
Best is to avoid bites as much as possible (also not all mosquitos are infected)
See above for tips to avoid bites at the malaria chapter.
Also read info dengue WHO

Chikungunya

On Flores the chikungunya virus is active. The virus, locally known as a malaria variety (which is not) is spread by mosquitos. Symptons resemble those of malaria with high fever, headaches, joint pain. There is no prevention drug.

A natural prevention used by locals is tea made from papaya leaves which is awfull bitter but it helps. Also many locals on Flores eat papaya leaves and papaya blossom cooked as vegetables which also helps to prevent.

Rabies
Like for malaria Indonesia is working on a rabiesfree program.
However untill now only 11 provinces (out of 38!) of the country are rabiesfree.
The most bite incidents are on Bali followed by Flores.
In 2023 an outbreak has reported on Flores. I advise to be careful and consider pre vaccination. In 2023 I visited a few hospitals and spoke to authorities of Health Department and found out that vaccins are not always available on the spot/on the same day and the patient might have to wait for one or two days. Or alternatively fly to Denpasar, Kupang or Makassar.
Please also read info rabies WHO

Soffell brand is available as a milky lotion, in handy sachets, spray and tubes and come in various fragances including orange, apple and floral. The oily variant is available as a spray.
Sold in supermarkets and drugstores

Sunburn

Be careful as the sun in the tropics is very powerfull. Solution: clothes that cover most of your body and/or use of sunscreen. Take your own favourite brand from home as sunscreen in Indonesia is more expensive and there is less choice.
But, surprise in Labuan Bajo you are lucky to come across Cocomama sunblock, a natural protection bases on pure coconut oil with SPF30.
https://www.instagram.com/cocomama.komodo.id/

Travelsickness

Not uncommon on Flores. Take a slice of ginger (jahe), which you can buy at the local market to chew on during the trip. If you prefer a chemical drug the brand Antimo is widely avaible at pharmacies (apotik).

Water

Do not drink tapwater! Water from the tap is not always safe so stick to bottles of mineralwater (the most sold brands on Flores are Ruteng and Aqua) and also drink a bit more than you use to do at home.

What to take from your homecountry?

Although the pharmacies (apotik) are well stocked you might take some of your own specific needs and/or brands like:

· Condoms

· Contactlens liquid

· Herpescream (sometimes difficult to find)

· Medication with prescription

· Mosquito repellent (only if you are addicted to your own brand)

· Painkillers (ibuprofen, paracetamol)

· Sunscreen (small choice and expensive in Indonesia)

· Thermometer

INTERNET & WIFI

Since many hotels offer WiFi tourists hardly bother to find a warnet (warung internet = internet café). However, not all hotels offer free WiFi and when making an overland trip you will be on the road a big part of the day. If you have a smartphone you can buy credits (pulsa) for your Indonesian telephonenumber (see news and the chapter telephone here below) which you can use for an internet package. For one month you pay Rp 50.000 (Telkomsel € 3,50). For most travellers this will do during their stay in Indonesia.

Note: all Indonesian simcards have to be registered. When using Telkomsel this can be done at a GraPARI store. On Flores there are stores in Larantuka, Maumere, Ende, Ruteng and Labuan Bajo. However maybe it is more practical to arrange this in advance for example on Bali. There is a GraPARI store on Sunset Road in Kuta.
Find GraPARI stores

LANGUAGE

The official language is Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) with Malay language as a base. However there are some 750 dialects and languages all over the country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Indonesia

See also

It's a bit unclear how many languages exactly are spoken on Flores. One is talking about 19 languages including Komodo, Manggarai (West Flores), Ngada, Nage, Keo, Ende (Central Flores) Lamaholot, Lio, Nagi, Palue (East Flores). Fact is that they are languages, not just dialects or tongues. Most people speak Bahasa Indonesia. To learn Bahasa Indonesia is not too difficult since you can choose between simple “pasar Malay” without bothering with grammar and the official “read a paper” version. At least try to learn some simple words and you will make friends.

Molo

A typical an universal word on Flores not to be translated. People on Flores use the word when they meet each other, when they agree, when the ask permission to go.

Een typisch woord op Flores, dat niet te vertalen is. Mensen gebruiken het als ze elkaar groeten, als ze ergens mee instemmen, toestemming vragen om te gaan.
Te gebruiken op gevoel dus.

Selamat pagi - good morning (from dawn till 11.00 am)

Selamat siang - good day (11.00 am - 15:00 pm)

Selamat sore - good afternoon (15:00 pm -dusk)

Selamat malam - good evening

Selamat tidur - good night

Selamat makan - enjoy your meal

Selamat jalan - have a good trip

Selamat can be literally translated into “be safe or safely” and is multi useful.

Terima kasih - thank you

Sama sama - you’re welcome

Sampai ketemu lagi - see you again, untill we meet again

Forms of address in Indonesia are quite complicated for foreigners as there are dozens of them depending on the island, the situation, manners and local customs. These are the most common ones.

Ibu - misses (literally mother)

Nona - miss (in the east only, eg Flores, Maluku etc)

adik/dik - for a boy/kid which is (much) younger than yourself

Bapak/om - mister *(literally father/uncle)

The other way around: almost everyone on Flores will call you mister, even if you are a woman...

Picture Universiteit Leiden, The Netherlands

LINKS (which could be useful)

Education/child protection

http://www.ecoflores.org/en/top/home/

Beauty & Health
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076344608222

Flores

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flores (English) also in other languages

https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulau_Flores (Bahasa Indonesia)

Hotels

www.booking.com

Indonesia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia

Languages

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Indonesia

Music

Ivan Nestorman on Facebook

Ivan Nesterman - Nuk Naca Ge video

a song from Manggara i

a song from Larantuka
Bale Nagi the Lamaholot song from Larantuka

Tourism

https://www.indonesia.travel/gb/en/destinations/bali-nusa-tenggara/flores
(official website of the Ministry of Tourism)

Pariwisata Sikka.id (official website of the regency)

Tradition

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moke_(beverage)

MONEY

The Indonesian currency is Rupiah. Except for your visa outside the airports or seaports where you enter the country it is not common to pay in other currencies.

Banknotes:
Rp 1000 - Rp 2000 - Rp 5000 - Rp 10.000 - Rp 20.000 - Rp 50.000 - Rp 100.000

Coins:
Rp 100 - Rp 200 - Rp 500 - Rp 1000

If possible try to pay in the exact amount, especially when using angkot, buses and taxi’s.

Below new money since December 2016

Every town has several atm’s (automatic teller machine) with most choice in Ende and Maumere. Make sure your card is activated for international withdrawing money before departure. Be careful: at most atm's money comes out first, then your card. Atm’s give Rp 50.000 and Rp 100.000 banknotes. Most atm's on Flores give a maximum of Rp 1.000.000 to Rp 3.000.000 with an average of Rp 2.000.000 and Rp 2.500.000 at one time. However, you can repeat this several times with a maximum up to Rp 8.000.000 depending on your bank, the Indonesian bank and the place where you are. Sometimes you have to insert your pin for every transaction even the machine still holds your debitcard.

Banks & atm's on Flores

· BCA (Bank Central Asia)

· BNI (Bank Negara Indonesia)

· BRI (Bank Republik Indonesia)

· Danamon

· Mandiri

Creditcards

These can be used for purchasing tickets via the internet and sometimes for hotels however on Flores very few and only the more expensive hotels. There are also failures now and then, so don't rely on it and better to use cash.

moneyconverter Rupiah

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

Indonesia has 16 national holidays which means banks and offices are closed. Below the links for 2023 and 2024
https://publicholidays.co.id/2023-dates/

https://publicholidays.co.id/2024-dates/

NATIONAL PARKS ENTRANCE FEES

Indonesia, and Flores also has a complicated system for entrance fees and you need at least a calculator. Don’t shoot the messenger… Here below actual fees for the national parks. They are due to change frequently. These fees apply to non-Indonesian citizens. Indonesian citizens pay only a very small fraction of it.

Komodo National Park

Prices below are for foreigners, eg non residences from Indonesia *

Entrance ticket Rp 150.000 per person working days

Entrance ticket Rp 225.000 per person Sundays and National Holidays

Tourism Tax Rp 50,000 per person

Ranger fee Rinca Rp 80,000 per group up to 5 people

Ranger fee Komodo Rp 80,00 per group up to 5 people

Entrance ticket boat Rp 100,000 per boat

Fishing fee Rp 25,000 per person

Toilet fee not yet known

Hiking fee Rp 5,000 per person

Wildlife observation fee Rp 10,000 per person

Canoeing fee Rp 25,000 per person

Diving fee Rp 25,000 per person

Snorkeling fee Rp 15,000 per person

Agents usually charge Rp 400.000 tot Rp 500.00 per person per day depending on route and day of the week.

*Indonesian Citizen

Entrance ticket Komodo National Park 5.000 rp (7.500 rp) per person

Marine Park Seventeen Islands Riung

Entrance ticket Rp 100,000 per person

Entrance ticket Rp 150,000 per person Sundays and National Holidays

Car Parking Rp 10,000 per car

Kelimutu National Park

Entrance ticket Rp 150,000 per person workingdays

Entrance ticket Rp 225,000 per person Sundays and National Holidays

Car Parking Rp 10,000 per car

Bus Parking Rp 50,000 per bus

All tickets are valid for 1 day. No discount for children. Note that prices are due to change now and then.

NEWS

Berita Flores (bahasa Indonesia)

Floresa.co a very critical digital newspaper

Flores News

Flores Pos (bahasa Indonesia)

Radar Flores
However, all in IndonesIan only!

POLICE

Telephonenumber 110

RAMADAN, IDUL FITRI & IDUL ADHA

Ramadan is the holy month of Islam and muslims are considered 30 days fasting. It is one of the five obligations according to the Qur'an (the holy book of Islam). The other four are the shahada (creed), pray five times a day, zakat (alms for the poor at the end of Ramadan) and a visit to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. The fasting lasts from dawn until dusk (in Indonesia depending on the place somewhere between 3.30 and 4.30 in the morning until somewhere between 17:30 and 18:30 in the afternoon). During the day/daylight muslims are not allowed to eat, drink, or smoke and they are not allowed to have sex.

The thought behind this is to cleanse and renew the body and mind and to empathize with the poor.

After a month of fasting Idul Fitri is celebrated for 2 days followed by a (short) holiday. Ramadan moves each year (because of the Islamic calendar) about 10 days forward on. During the fasting month it can be difficult in Indonesia to find a place to eat during the day because many warung and restaurants are closed. Also, transport can be a problem. Because the majority of Flores is Roman Catholic travelers won't have much trouble to find food during the day.

However, keep in mind that many muslims turn home shortly before Idul Fitri to visit their family (pulang kampung) and flights can be more expensive or sold out.

Idul Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) is the second most import day in Islam. On this day early morning all muslims go out to pray together on the alun alun. After that animals are ritually slaughtered. In Indonesia these are usually cows, sheep and goats. A part of the meat is distributed to poor people. Later on the day families visit each other with sweets and gifts.

Both Idul Fitri and Idul Adha are national holidays.

2023

Ramadan 22 March-20April*

Idul Fitri 21 & 22 April, followed by Lebaran (mudik) until 30 April*

Idul Adha 29 June

2024

Ramadan 10 March-9 April*

Idul Fitri 10 & 11 April, followed by Lebaran (mudik) until 18 April*

Idul Adha 29 June

*dates can vary one day later or earlier.

TELEPHONE

Don’t use your provider/telephonenumber from home. It is cheaper to buy an Indonesian simcard like Simpati, kartu As or Kartu Halo from Telkomsel. There are other providers but the coverage of Telkomsel is one of the best, at least on Flores.

Since March 1st 2018 every simcard has to be registered, also for foreigners. See also: tourists required to register prepaid simcards

Telkomsel Simcards can be registered at one of the GraPARI Stores. On Flores there are not so many GraPARI points. There is one in Larantuka, Maumere, Ende, Ruteng and Labuan Bajo. But as most visitors come from Bali maybe it is more convenient to buy and register your card on Bali. GraPARI, Jl. Sunset Road, Kuta-Seminyak. https://www.telkomsel.com/en/contact-us/my-grapari

Telkomsel has a complicated tarif system. Telephonecalls within Indonesia are cheap. For calling outside Indonesia use the special number 0017 or ask your relatives to call you with a budget number. Even better is making telephonecalls via the internet like What’s App, Line, Messenger or BBM. See also “Internet”.

For making telephonecalls from Indonesia add + as the international code, followed by landnumber and telephonenumber without the 0.

Example: +31623456789

TIME

Indonesia is divided in three timezones

WIB Waktu Indonesia Barat = West Indonesian Time GMT + 7

WITA Waktu Indonesia Tenggara = Central Indonesian Time GMT + 8

WIT Waktu Indonesia Timur = East Indonesian Time GMT + 9

Flores is in WITA and 6/7 hours (summer/winter) ahead from European Central Time (Amsterdam, Madrid, Paris, Rome) and GMT +8.

TRAVELGUIDES & MAPS

Worldwide many travelguides are offered in well stocked bookshops as well on the internet. Most writings about Flores are part of an Indonesian guide. However on the island itself you can purchase yourself wonderful guides and a map published by Swiss Contact.

Flores Travel Map

ISBN 978-3-9523834-4-5

The most complete map of Flores (2012) with maps of the small towns and some trekkingareas.

Flores. A glimpse of the people & culture (2011)

ISBN 978-3-9523834-0-7

The first edition is full of information with practical info and small maps of the most important touristcentres.

Flores. Diving Around Komodo (2011)

ISBN 978-3-9523834-1-4

This is a diving special with detailed descriptions of divingspots between Labuan Bajo and Sumbawa. A must have for divers.

Flores. Adventrue Trails (2012)

ISBN 978-3-9523834-3-8

The third one is for naturelovers, trekkings and mounteneers.

Sometimes there are maps and brochures available of the seperate regencies. I found them of Sikka, Manggarai Barat and Manggarai Timur.

VISA

The visafree stamp upon arrival for 30 days is currently only available for nationals of ASEAN countries.
(e)VOA = Visa On Arrival is available for 92 nationalities (see homepage) for Rp 500.00 and is extentable with another 30 days at immigration. eVOA, applied online can be extended online or at one of the immigration offices.
Check here for Immigration offices allover Indonesia.

A 60 day e-visa for tourist purposes is also available. See homepage.

Important:

Your passport must be valid at least 6 months upon arrival in Indonesia!

The penalty for overstay is Rp 1.000,000 per day. The maximum allowed time you can overstay is 60 days.

If you have overstayed your Indonesia visa for more than 60 days then you are in the country without valid visa (...). The punishment for not having a valid visa is a maximum 5 years sentence or maximum Rp 500,000,000 penalty. (article #119 of UU 6/2011).

overstay visa

Source: Immigration Indonesia on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/ditjen_imigrasi/

VISITING THE NATIONAL PARKS

Komodo National Park

Labuan Bajo has dozens of agents, small offices and people on the road offering trips to Komodo NP.

Daytrip to Padar Island (yessss... the one with the awesome views on Komodo Island), Komodo Island (including Pink Beach) and Manta Point is the most populair one. Departure is early morning around 5.30 am and you will be back late afternoon around 16:00 or 17:00 or so.
Daytrip to Rinca island with a snorkling stop on the way back.
Daytrip as you like (private boat only).
Trip 2 to 5 days with overnight on the boat .
Trips as you like, 1 day, 2 days, 3 days or more. Up to you but of course private boat only. There are also possiblities to overnight on several islands in Komodo NP including Rinca Island or Komodo Island. And, yes the dragons sleep there as well.

What expect to pay?

To be honest, I really don' t know.

Every time I come to Labuan Bajo (which is at least twice a year) I am suprised about prices which have increased the last decade. And then there was Covid-19 plus an increase of fuelprices which made everything even worse.

For a daytrip prices are at least Rp 800.000 per person for a shared open deck slowboat and start with 1,3 million for a shared speedboat. For a private boat prices can be anything between Rp 2.000.000 (2 million) and Rp 4.000.000 (4 million) for exact the same type of slowboat and for one day. Nobody can explain why these prices are that high. Boatbusiness is not very transparant.

Back in 2012 I paid Rp 550.000 for a private boat for a trip Rinca and a "snorkling" Island on the way back but in January 2016 I had to bargain hard to pay 1,7 million instead of the asked 2,3 million for a trip Padar and Komodo.

A few things to keep in mind:

do not book in advance from your home country!
and in case you can't resist to book please do not pay in advance
choose a boat with at least two engines when you choose for open deck
check safety on board (= permit to leave from the harbour authorities, life vests, communication on board)
check weather forecast the day before (when it is new or full moon currents can be more dangerous)
if you intend to dive also check the expected currents
prices of shared daytrips on an open deck boat are 1 million and up
prices of shared 2 daytrips on an open deck boat are 1,5 million and up; be careful with two storey boats
prices for 2-daytrips with a chartered private boat start is completely unclear; prices also depend on luxury of boat
a private open deck boat hired from 5.30 - 17:00 start around Rp 2.500.000
check what is included and what is not
the mentioned prices may increase in high season