Dragon-spotting on Komodo Island
As we’ve kept ourselves on New Zealand time in order to make early flights and dives, we woke up naturally at 5am … assisted by the sunrise. Breakfast was cheerfully served at 5:30am and we were at Loh Liang, the National Park base for Komodo Island at 6:00am.
We had to wait briefly before the rangers turned up for duty. We chose the medium walk which we understood would take 90 minutes but it only took us about 45 minutes.
The trek took us through wooded areas at first, where we saw wild boars and deers. Later on in the open areas, we saw some komodo dragons. Being cold- blooded (reptiles), they like to sun themselves in the morning then rest in the shade in the afternoon.
We were pleased to have done the trek early for two reasons:
- It gets much hotter later in the day.
- Zillions of people were starting to descend on Komodo Island from Silver Shadow, a large cruiseliner. There will be a long wait for guides.
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- Sunrise while parked at Komodo Island.
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- Convoy of outriggers returning to Kampung Komodo at sunrise.
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- Sunrise while parked at Komodo Island.
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- Taken soon after our early morning wake up at about 5am.
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- Looking in at Kampung Komodo.
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- Our boat tied up at Loh Liang jetty on Komodo Island.
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- Sunrise at Loh Liang jetty on Komodo Island.
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- Cockatoos or Burung Kakaktua on Komodo Island. It took me nearly 30 years to realise that the Malay name (Kakaktua) comes from the English … I always thought it meant Big Sister Bird.
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- This kind of palm lives only to fruit once … then dies. I can’t remember the name but let’s just call it Debbie Boone Palm.
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- Wild boar on Komodo Island.
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- Deers on Komodo Island.
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- Dragon roaming in the wild on Komodo Island.
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- Young dragon roaming in the wild on Komodo Island.
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- Panorama of Komodo Island … the bright green trees are tamarind trees.
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- Dragon roaming through the visitor tracks on Komodo Island.
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- Dragon roaming through the visitor tracks on Komodo Island.
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- Ranger leading a dragon … not the safest job in the world.
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- Tourist boats small and large, including a cruiseliner.
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- Tourist boats small and large, including a cruiseliner.
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- Cruiseliner at Komodo.
Snorkelling
During our after-dinner chats with the Captain, he indicated that our snorkel at Manta Point could be very good. There are sometimes up to 50 mantas there at a time … on a good day. Sometimes there’s only a handful.
As we’ve been disappointed before, we prepared for the worst! We saw only two mantas during our snorkel.
Our second snorkel was only about 15 minutes from Labuanbajo itself, at Pulau Bidadari (Angel Island). This was surprisingly good. Kim described it as an overstocked aquarium. There were lots of angel fish, parrot fish, butterfly fish … thus making a very colourful experience.
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- Freshwater wash after snorkelling.
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- Our meals yesterday and today.
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- Scenery en route.
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- Scenery en route; dark sky looming.
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- An unusual lizard for me, back at our accommodation.
Torrential end and recommendation
We cruised into Labuanbajo harbour with dark clouds looming. The heavens opened up and let down a strong dowsing as soon as we reached the tour shop to return their snorkelling gear. We had to wait a while before returning to our accommodation but were grateful that we weren’t caught in the storm.
We were very pleased to have chosen the 2 day (Rinca/Komodo) trip over the 1 day (Rinca only) but it all depends on one’s situation:
- Rinca is much closer to Labuanbajo and dragons are so easily seen underneath the ranger’s kitchen. It would certainly be the recommended option for people who don’t have much time.
- The 2 day trip gave us time to also see Komodo Island and snorkel in a few more places. The extra time on the boat was also very relaxing. This would be the recommended option for those who have the time.
- However, one needs to be wary of going only to Komodo as there is a possibility that you could see absolutely no dragons on a bad day. This is after all, a National Park and you’re dealing with mother nature.
Our lovely boat
Our boat was a 40 footer with two diesel engines and two propellers. It had a spacious deck (with a dining table), a bridge-room (with the Captain’s bed) plus a kitchen (with kerosene stove and ride-on coconut grater) and a sit-down toilet.
We certainly weren’t roughing it. Meals were simple but generous. There was free-flow of coffee, tea and mineral water. Mattresses and sheets were supplied at night.
We paid IDR800,000 per person on a twin-share basis. If we had found two more people, it would have been IDR600,000 per person. Some places were charging IDR600,000 but had as many as 7-8 passengers. We may or may not have had the best deal but we dealt with nice people (especially the Belgian lady) at PT Flores Remo Tour on the main street of Labuanbajo.