Komodo boat trip with kids: deck rules and child safety on King Cirox 2

The facility list prints five safety items: a liferaft, life jackets, a life buoy, a first aid kit and AIS. In the photos an orange life ring and a canister-type liferaft sit on the upper deck beside Kediri's windows, and orange life vests show in the aerial shot. The harbour master's guideline asks for life jackets and liferafts enough for everyone aboard and no more passengers than the boat's capacity.

Child sizes are not printed. Tell us each child's age and weight when you book, and bring a jacket of your own if we cannot confirm one. We ask that a child wears a jacket on the nets, on the tender and in the water.

For snorkelling the kit is a mask and a snorkel, so bring child-size fins. Taka Makassar is shallow, 1 to 5 metres, and Pink Beach runs 1 to 8 metres; both have a mild current. Manta Point is a guided drift in a strong current, for confident swimmers: a child goes there in a jacket, with an adult beside them throughout. The safety rows are in the table below.

Three walks, three efforts. Kelor on day one is a short steep hill of 15 to 30 minutes and has no dragons. Padar on day two is 25 to 45 minutes up to the main viewpoint, over loose stretches, and it has no dragons either. Komodo or Rinca is the dragon walk, 45 to 120 minutes, and Komodo offers short, medium and long trails.

A park ranger leads every walk in dragon country. The open-trip fare includes the local guide; a private charter adds one on request, priced on its own. The ranger's levy is paid separately either way.

We ask that children walk beside an adult and behind the ranger, never ahead. The dragons are wild and a sighting is never guaranteed. Closed shoes, a hat and water are the kit, because the trails offer little shade. Tell us at booking if you want the shortest trail, and we pass the request to the guide.

Fares first: a child under 3 travels free beside a parent or guardian, and a child of 3 or over pays the full fare. All six cabins take extra beds: Malang, Kediri and Madiun sleep up to four, Surabaya and Jember up to three, and Gresik up to five, which makes 23 places on a full boat. The fare for each extra bed is printed in the fare table and on the cabin cards.

Gresik's bathroom is shared; the other five cabins have their own. Gresik's four bunks are two double-decker stacks with a narrow aisle between them, and a bunk bought alone puts a child in the room with other guests. We advise a private cabin for a family with young children, sold for at least two paying guests. If you choose Gresik, ask for a lower bunk for the child when you book; we pass the request on and cannot promise it on a full sailing.

Every child sleeps in the cabin you book. The boat spends the night at anchor or under way, depending on the weather and the captain's decision that day. Pick the cabin from the bed plan below, then message us the ages.