Home for the Komodo dragon, Komodo National Park is a nature enthusiast’s nirvana. New accesses in Labuanbajo have made the park more accessible than ever.
Home to the fascinating and formidable Komodo dragon, Komodo National Park is a nature enthusiast’s nirvana. Aside from laying eyes on the illustrious lizard, visitors to this cerulean-silhouetted archipelago in Indonesia’s Lesser Sunda Islands can hike to hallowed viewpoints on Padar, sample laid-back beachside living on Kanawa and dive with a mind-boggling array of marine life in the reefs off Komodo.
New flight connections and liveaboards to gateway Labuanbajo have made the park more accessible than ever, prompting local authorities to examine ways to protect the Komodo species. Visitor caps and park fee rises are likely in 2018, but travellers should play their part by joining small, responsible boat trips to avoid overwhelming the park’s guides and resources.
If you’re seeking white sand, spectacular diving. Also frothing hot springs and hidden traditional villages. Nusa Tenggara is your wonderland. Spreading west from the Wallace Line dividing Asia from Australasia, this archipelago is lush and jungle-green in the north, tending to drier savannah in the south and east. In between are some of the world’s best diving spots, limitless surf breaks. Technicolor volcanic lakes. Pink-sand beaches and swaggering dragons. Starting Komodo National ParkNestled between Sumbawa and Flores, the Komodo National Park, the islands of Komodo and Rinca are the main components of Unesco-recognised Komodo National Park. The islands’ jagged hills, carpeted with savannah and fringed with mangroves, are home to the legendary Komodo dragon, or ora. The world’s largest lizard, it can reach over 3m. In length and feeds on animals as large as deer and buffalo.
Whether your wish is to drop into the easy. Tourist-ready life of a car-free Gili island. Or you crave something, somewhere less comfortable. More challenging and a shade deeper. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.