Komodo Dragons in Indonesia

{0 Comments}

They might not breathe fire, but there’s bragging rights to be had encountering komodo dragons in Komodo National Park. A rare creature with the coolest name in the animal kingdom, visiting the islands of Rinca and Komodo is typically an overnight trip for bucket listers flying in from Bali, or taking a boat tour from the port city of Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores. Komodos grow up to three metres in length, weigh up to seventy kilograms, bite with toxic venom, and eat up to eighty percent of their body weight in a single meal. Rest assured, the 4000 dragons that remain in the wild are well-fed and experienced guides should keep encounters incident free.

Length of Trip : Most travellers visit Komodo or Rinca for a couple nights or as part of a tour package. Seeing the dragons themselves is usually a day trip.

Cost : Click here for the latest fees. There's been talk of a massive price hike to protect the island so look into that before you go!

Best time to go : June/July

Wheelchair friendly : No

Family friendly : Yes

Where to eat :
There are a smattering of restaurants near the park headquarters in Pulau Rinca. You'll find dozens of restaurants catering to tourists along the main street of Labuan Bajo.

Official Site :
Indonesia Travel's 10 Reasons to Visit Komodo

Where to Stay :
Komodo Resort
Kanawais Island Resort
When staying in Bali, we recommend the Fairmont Sanur Beach Bali.

Getting There :
There are daily flights into Labuan Bajo from Bali. There are boat package tours leaving from Bali as well. Expect to do at least a couple hours hiking once you arrive to see the dragons.

Note from Robin :
My favourite dragon story leaves Indonesia for the sun-soaked shores of Los Angeles. Several years ago, actress Sharon Stone gifted her husband Phil with a visit inside the Komodo dragon enclosure at the LA Zoo. Komodos are popular attractions in dozens of zoos around the world, all of which are a lot easier to get to than Komodo National Park. Anyway, the zookeeper told Phil to remove his rat-like white shoes, which drew the salivating interest of Komo, the lizard in Exhibit A. What happens next is subject to controversy. One version of the story paints Phil as a dragon-fighting hero and the other gives full credit to the zookeeper. In both cases, the dragon attacked Phil’s little piggies, chomping his big toe clean off before Phil bravely pried himself loose with his bare hands and dived out the enclosure/the reptile keeper pried Phil loose and told the hysterical, big-toeless Phil to get the hell out. Phil happened to be the Executive Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and thus recorded the entire episode. I’m told one should never believe what one reads in the news, but to Phil’s everlasting credit, he blamed neither the dragon nor the zoo. It was his choice to step into the den of a temperamental killing machine.