Is it possible to haggle over tours in Indonesia, and to what extent?

I'm planning a customized, private 10-day tour of Flores for which I'm contacting small local tour operators. They will arrange a car and driver, an English-speaking guide and sleeping accommodations. It is difficult to know for sure, but the price they ask for these services seems rather steep at around 100€/day per person (I'm traveling as part of a couple), counting the cost of a car/driver (ref. Lonely Planet), accommodations (Booking.com), entrance fees etc.

Are pre-arranged tours like this typically priced high with a possibility to negotiate down, similar to 1-day activities in Indonesia (such as in Labuan Bajo)?

Best Answer

Everything tourism-related in Indonesia is negotiable. But price-wise you’re probably much better off booking the accommodation yourself, paying your own entrance fees and just getting the guide and driver with car from them. So you’re just paying their rates and the car rental. That is much easier to calculate a fair rate for too. For sure, otherwise they’ll be picking accommodations where they get a commission. Same for any restaurants. This does not usually lead to the best quality places. Disclaimer: I haven’t booked pre-arranged all-in tours myself (though I’ve been on one) but I have lived in various places in Indonesia for nearly 3 years.