About Malaillo Liveaboard
Sail across the Indonesian archipelago in our comfortably designed Phinisi liveaboard. Each itinerary with our PADI-certified boat is a journey through the country’s richest and most remote diving, from Komodo’s swift currents and drift dives to the remote muck diving of Alor. Aboard, elegant cabins and a dedicated dive deck make this Indonesian liveaboard a comfortable sailing experience between underwater adventures.
Why Sail With Us
Explore Indonesia’s diving world from a traditional Phinisi liveaboard
A maximum 4:1 diver-to-guide ratio ensures a more personal, attentive diving experience.
Seven cabins keep the group small, with up to 14 guests, creating a relaxed and exclusive atmosphere.
Choose from our selection of Indonesia’s best dive regions, including Komodo, Raja Ampat, the Banda Sea, Alor, and North Halmahera. Or join one of our selected crossing itineraries to experience multiple dive regions within a single journey.
Cabins on Malaillo Liveaboard
Comfortable Phinisi Cabins for Rest Between Dives
Each of Malaillo’s seven cabins is designed for comfort at sea, with private en-suite bathrooms and individually controlled air conditioning. Local wood detailing and Indonesian textiles bring warmth to every space.
Four cabins sit on the lower deck, two doubles and two twins, closest to the waterline, where you can fall asleep to the sea’s generally gentle motion.
The Main Deck is where most of the activity happens on the boat, with the restaurant, dive station, camera room, and seating indoor or outdoor seating areas. It has one twin cabin (13m²) with several windows for more natural light. This cabin has direct access to the restaurant, with both indoor and outdoor seating available. The bow features a cozy outdoor seating area and boasts one of the largest bowsprits found on any dive boat in Indonesia. The dive station houses each guest’s dedicated space for gear storage and tank refills between dives. An air-conditioned camera room is conveniently located between the dining area and the dive station, fully equipped to prepare and check your camera gear before and after each dive.
Two cabins share the upper deck, an 18m² master suite and a connecting 13m² twin room, joined by an interlinking door. Each comes with its own private bathroom, multiple windows for natural light with unobstructed ocean views, and air conditioning to keep things cool. Just steps away, unwind in the air-conditioned indoor lounge, or head to the panoramic-viewing relaxing area, both at the rear with hammock and front side of the upper deck.
Malaillo’s expansive sun deck is designed for relaxation and taking in the views as you journey through the Indonesian archipelago. Stretch out on a bean bag or daybed with a drink in hand as the ocean breeze sweeps across the deck.
Meals on Malaillo are served buffet-style, with a rotating selection of Asian and Mediterranean dishes, including vegetarian options. Full-board dining covers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with snacks throughout the day and a barbecue night once per cruise. Dine indoors in air-conditioned comfort, or head outside for the open-air dining area.
Diving Through Indonesia
Journey Further to Indonesia’s Most Sought-After Dive Locations
With Lotus Divers, every dive showcases our PADI-certified team’s attentive service and expertise as they guide you through coral reefs, underwater caves, swift currents, and beyond. With Malaillo Liveaboard, you’ll dive day and night for an adventure that reveals the full breadth of Indonesia’s marine life.
Dive Itineraries
Select your preferred dive safari to explore Indonesia’s legendary dive sites or venture into its most remote and untouched dive regions
Raja Ampat – North Halmahera
Raja Ampat
North Halmahera & Morotai
Banda Sea – Misool
Upcoming Journeys
Safety at Sea
Malaillo was designed with safety from the keel up: an emergency exit from the lower deck to the main deck, smoke detectors and fire alarms on every level, and emergency lighting in every cabin and public space.
Four life rafts with a total capacity of 60 passengers, two engine-powered tender boats, 30+ firefighting devices, CCTV monitoring, and satellite communication keep the vessel equipped for any situation, on the water and off.
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Backup generators, spare anchor chains, water filtration systems, and signal flares mean Malaillo stays ready and self-sufficient, wherever the journey takes you.
Sustainability & Community Commitment
Malaillo Liveaboard is guided by Lotus Journey’s commitment to Desa Lestari, a vision for island communities that grow stronger in balance with nature, one destination at a time. This mission guides how we explore Indonesia’s underwater worlds and interact with each island and community.
We avoid anchoring on reefs, using mooring buoys whenever available and sandy-bottom anchorage when they’re not. On board, we minimise single-use plastics with refillable water pitchers and reusable dive-trip essentials, and separate all waste for proper disposal at port.
Guest Reviews
Hear from those who’ve stayed and dived with us
Frequently Asked Questions
Know Before You Go
We’ve compiled the most important information to help you get the most out of your experience. Can’t find what you’re looking for?
First, consult our cruise schedule for our trip dates, destinations, number of spaces, and starting prices for each cruise. Once you choose, click “Select Cabin” to view the different rates for each cabin and proceed with your online booking. If it says “full”, the cruise is already fully booked—but you can still join the waiting list, and we will contact you if a spot becomes available. Malaillo Liveaboard cruises can also be booked through various travel agencies and liveaboard booking websites.
The best way to reach Malaillo’s departure points is to fly into one of Indonesia’s larger airports such as Jakarta or Bali (Denpasar), then catch a domestic flight to a closer domestic airport. We recommend booking the domestic flight at least one day before your sail date, as domestic flight delays are not uncommon within Indonesia. Similarly, book your domestic flight back to the international airport at least one day early to allow for potential delays.
If this happens, please inform us immediately at [email protected]. If it’s a small delay, Malaillo may be able to wait for you, depending on the itinerary and your arrival time. If a larger delay or cancellation prevents you from reaching Malaillo on time, we will check if it’s possible for you to join or meet Malaillo along the route. Additional transfer charges will apply.
Many of our itineraries include dives in moderate to strong currents and depths beyond 20 metres, so we recommend that divers are comfortable in such conditions. These trips may also involve negative entries and several night dives. To ensure you feel confident and get the most out of the experience, we suggest having at least 50 logged dives, including previous experience diving in currents. All dive groups are arranged based on experience level and preferences, such as keen photographers.
Our liveaboard follows a strict dive-focused itinerary. Most of the sites we visit are selected for their diving conditions, which often include deeper waters and strong currents, conditions generally not suitable or enjoyable for snorkelling. For these reasons, we do not recommend joining our trips as a snorkeler. The experience would be limited, and we want to avoid any potential dissatisfaction during the trip. However, we do occasionally accommodate full-charter itineraries for all-snorkeler groups, depending on availability. Please feel free to contact us if this is something you’d like to explore.
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