The komodo lizards can grow up to 3 meters in length and about 70 kilograms in weight. It is often thought that they can reach such a gigantic size due to the island having no other kinds of carnivorous species. They’re also believed to be venomous, with such a strong toxics within their saliva.
The Komodo National Park was established in 1980. In the beginning, the establishment of the park was to conserve the komodo lizard. In later development, the purpose has been expanded to protection of the whole biodiversity of the Komodo Island Indonesia and all the surrounding islands. The National Park covers three main islands, namely Komodo, Rinca, and Padar, along with several smaller islands. Its land area is 603 sq.km and together with the water area is 1817 sq.km in total. Beside in Komodo, the famous lizards are also to be found in Rinca Island.
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Later 1912, Pieter Antonie Ouwens as the curator of the Bogor Botanical Garden who received the specimen of the lizard from van Hensbroek’s hands, published the first official description of the lizard. It was him also who gave the lizard the name “Varanus komodoensis” in reference to the island it was found.
Right after the story of the komodo dragons was made public, they began to be hunted down by many, either to be killed or taken alive. It was then in 1915 that the Dutch colonial government banned all activities of hunting these animals, in order to protect them from extinction.
The Komodo Island East Nusa Tenggara Indonesia has been declared one of the World Heritage sites by UNESCO in 1986. Also, in 2012 it was officially declared one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature by The New Seven Wonders Foundation.
In latest development, scientists have identified some antimicrobial protein fragments in the lizards’ blood which appeared to have helped them resisting infections. This could lead to development of new antibiotics strong enough to fight antibiotics-resistant bacteria.
With the entrance ticket of IDR 90,000 only per person, you are free to do all these interesting things to do in Komodo island Indonesia:
1. Trekking
There are four categories of trekking activities you can choose: short, medium, long, and adventure. For adventure trekking you will be accompanied through the forests, rivers, and hills, crossing many challenging tracks. As for the short, it goes only though a few climbs, and in the medium you’ll be taken across three small hills. More hills and more challenges on the long trek. Up to you which one to choose, according to your physical fitness, of course.
All the trekking tracks cross the Water Hole, the spots where the komodo lizards used to drink and lay to rest. You’ll be accompanied by a ranger, who is a guide and a komodo handler. You’ll also be armed with a two-branched stick, made of a special wood. Whenever you encounter a komodo lizard and suddenly you’re chased or attacked, you can use the stick to press on its neck. The wood material of the stick is said to have special feature able to weaken the lizard and make it stop attacking.
2. Diving and Snorkeling
The best times for diving activities are between March and December, because it is within that period that the wind directions, the water temperature, the current strength and the seasons are ideal for the visibility under water. Meanwhile, diving spots in Komodo Island Indonesia has been considered to be among the best in the world. Here are a few of them.
3. Sabolon Island
The underwater paradise waiting for you down there is just beyond incredible. Literally hundreds of marine species are there to welcome you. You’ll see various kinds of coral reefs, exotic fishes including rayfishes. Just in case you’re travelling here alone or with your own group, then the island is all yours. You can lie, run around, or play on the beach without worrying to disturb other people. As a result, it’s just such a beautiful island that will blow your mind for sure.
4. Batu Samsia
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5. Toko Toko
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6. Crystal Rock
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7. The Pink Beach
According to a scientific research, the pink color of the sand was caused by a mixing of scattered corals and the beach’s sand. This Pink Beach of Komodo Island is one among seven beaches in the world with the same feature. As a result, people around the world love to visit this beautiful beach to feel the sensation and that pink phenomena.
8. The Pink Namo Beach
This is also an ideal place to snorkel-dive and to swim. Unfortunately, due to the absence of any professional maintenance of this beach, you still find lots of garbage along the shore.
9. Kelor Island
Another challenging but exciting activity here is to climb up a hill’s slope with a tilt of more than 45 degrees, so it takes a great effort to reach the top. Nonetheless, when you are finished with climbing, what awaits up there quite worth all the sweat. Standing up on the hilltop, there lies magnificent view for your eyes to feed on.
10. Kalong Island
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11. The Manta Point
Despite its gigantic size, a Manta rayfish is not a dangerous creature, so it is quite safe to swim and dive close to it. Nonetheless, you should never try to touch a Manta. Their bodies are so delicate and can be easily injured with just the slightest touch, that they are all covered with a kind of mucus. By touching its body, the mucus will be eroded and thus endangering the Manta.
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12. Five-Star Hotel
Hotels in Labuan Bajo are the first option of accommodation taken by most visitors. If you have sufficient budget, even 4-star and 5-star hotels with first-class services are available here. The Jayakarta Suite Komodo Flores is one of them. This 5-star hotel is located near the Labuan Bajo port. It has sport and recreation facilities like swimming pools, tennis square, private beaches, etc. Another good option is the 4-star Bintang Flores Hotel, the Laprima Hotel, or the Luwansa Beach Resort.
13. Home Stay
Also in Labuan Bajo, you can choose homestays with the locals in order to significantly cut your accommodation spending.
14. Live on Board
A hired boat is another option. It is called “Live on Board” (LoB). Some of such boats have facilities like bedrooms, toilets, and meal packages. The rent price depends on the boat’s size and the duration of stay. A simple boat with 5-passengers capacity hired for 2 days and one night costs you about IDR 2.5 million, while bigger-size boats usually charge IDR 3.5 million or more. Ideally, hiring for 3 days and 2 nights will give you enough satisfaction of round travelling.
15. The Island Ranger
Homestay with the island ranger is an interesting option. The house stands on stilts, and supplied with limited electricity. The power is usually turned off at 10 p.m.
It is pretty easy to reach this exotic island. First you can take a small plane from Denpasar in Bali, either the Merpati or Trigana Air, to Komodo Airport in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. Then you can take a ferryboat to Komodo Island. If you prefer to reach Labuan Bajo by sea trip, you can depart from Tanjung Benoa in Bali. Another option is taking a bus from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo. A ferryboat will take the bus, and you just relax in the bus waiting to arrive.
While in Labuan Bajo, you also have the chance to visit other spots of interest in Flores, such as the famous 3-colored Lake Kelimutu. Another one is Gili Laba, where you can climb up to a hill’s top, and after reaching up there you can take some selfie’s with one of the best photo backgrounds in the world. A relatively new tourism site of Labuan Bajo is the Pink Namo Beach.
Another option is travelling through Lombok, instead of Labuan Bajo. This option tends to be less costly, but it takes one day and one night to go, while the Labuan Bajo option usually takes but a few hours.
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1. Prepare things like sunblock, sunglasses, hats, etc. which you will surely need in such a sunny place. Komodo Island and the other surrounding islands are mostly dominated by savannas and beaches, while lush forests are rare.
2. When you are going on trekking, try to make as little sudden moves or noises as possible. Komodo lizards have bad eyesight, but on the other side they have very strong hearing and smelling sense, and very sensitive on perceiving moves or sounds.
3. Don’t get too close to those giant creatures. An approximate minimum distance of 8-10 meters is recommended for safety’s sake.
4. If you happen to be chased by a komodo lizard, make a zigzag track while running. It will be difficult for the lizard to follow such tracks. You can also run to safety by going to a higher place. Nevertheless, it is still much better to avoid being chased, since this creature can run as fast as 18 km per hour.
5. Don’t leave your group when encountering the lizard. Try not to wave anything.
6. If a woman in a menstruation period is among your group, make sure to let the ranger know, so that he can give her extra attention. Komodo lizards can smell blood even within a radius of hundreds of meters.
7. Strong-smelling perfumes are not recommended.
8. Most importantly: Stay close to the ranger, and do whatever he instructs, for your own safety and comfort.
So far you might have a clearer insight to what’s waiting for you upon arrival in the Komodo National Park and the Komodo Island Indonesia in particular. Last thing to say is, an unforgettable experience in this magnificent site will surely remain in your memories for the rest of your life.
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