Komodo Island, A Home to Komodo Dragons
Komodo island is one of the 17,501 islands located in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It is part of the Lesser Sunda chain which lies between Flores and Sumbawa Island. Komodo island is one of the three largest islands in Komodo National Park.
The Komodo island is particularly the habitat of Komodo dragons, the world's largest lizard. The Komodo dragons are wildlife with lengths that can go over 3 meters and weigh 70 to 100 kilograms. Besides the Komodo dragons, the island also protects the deer, buffalo, birds, and wild roar.
On the north of the island, there is a beautiful beach which is famous as Pink Beach. This beach is the only beach that visitors are allowed to visit on Komodo island. The beach offers a beautiful pink sand beach from coral fragmentation, perfect for snorkeling and swimming, and also a beautiful hill on the side of the beach.
How to Get to Komodo Island?
The only way to get to Komodo island is by joining a Komodo island boat tour from Labuan Bajo. There are a number of boat tours that offer daily departures on private and shared arrangements.
A private boat tour to Komodo is available on a day tour and a Liveaboard Komodo tour. Meanwhile, a shared tour package to Komodo is only available once a week, every Friday.
Labuan Bajo is a small town located on the western tip of Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It is the main gateway to start the Komodo island trip. A flight from Labuan is frequently operated daily with more than one schedule.
So all you need to do is get on the flight from Denpasar, Bali to Labuan Bajo and then join the boat tour to Komodo. The flight from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo will spend 1 1/2 hours. If you do the Komodo tour on the same day as your arrival in Labuan Bajo, you should take an early flight at 07.00 am from Denpasar, Bali.
What to Experience On the Island?
Komodo Island is famous for its wildlife Komodo dragons. Not only Komodo dragons, but the island is also a home for other wildlife.
What to experience on the island are:
- Trek to find the Komodo dragons. You will spend approximately 1 or 2 hours trekking on the island to find Komodo dragons and other wildlife.
- Experience the local life on the island. According to the record of East Nusa Tenggara Indonesia province, there is a 1.700 population on the island of Komodo. They are in a small village which is called Kampung Komodo.
- Scuba diving is also perfect to do around the sea of Komodo Island. So you can try joining a scuba dive tour package from Labuan Bajo.
Tips for Visiting and the Best Time to Visit
For the best travel experience visiting, it is important to know a few essential travel guides before planning the trip. Exploring the home of the world's largest lizard is one of the best to experience while visiting Indonesia.
Here the following are tips before planning a trip to Komodo:
- Komodo island is dry and hot. It is advisable for you to wear a hat, sunglasses, and suncream
- The island is very easy to burn, please do not smoke while you are trekking on the island.
- Komodo dragons are wildlife and they are dangerous. They can smell blood and can run 20 kilometers per hour. They can attack you at any time. Please, keep trek with the guideline of your tour guide or rangers on the island.
- Please do not throw any garbage on the island, keep the island clean
- Find a reliable travel agency for your amazing trip experience.
Indonesia has two seasons in a year; dry season and rainy season. The dry season is from April to September and the rainy season is from October to March.
It is very recommended to visit the island during the dry season, between April to September. However, you can also visit the island during the rainy season. You can try to visit in November, December, and March.
If you want to see the Komodo dragons mating, you can try to visit between May and June. This time most Komodo dragons are the time to mating.