Komodo - Island of Dragons (Star Clipper Cruise - Day 3)

On the third day, the highlight of the cruise awaited us: Komodo. On this island, the largest monitor lizards in the world, the Komodo dragons, are at home, which can reach a length of over three meters.

On the island, you are only allowed to walk with the company of two rangers, because Komodo dragons would eat humans if they had the opportunity. However, the last tourist being devoured by a hungry dragon was over forty years ago... So we set off confidently, even though the warnings from the cruise manager about taking food or entering the land with bleeding wounds were very convincing.

wild orchid on Komodo

Dragons have a very good sense of smell and can smell blood or food from far away. So we found the first dragon in front of the small cafeteria on the island, which had been built for the tourists' meals. Attracted by the smell of food, it lay there willingly posing for photos with the tourist groups.

Overall, the dragons seemed very sluggish. They wait for their prey, but can also chase it at speeds of up to 25 km/h.

Onwards, we hiked across the island in the hope of seeing not just a dragon in front of the cafeteria, but in the wild as well. On a small hill, we found a female dragon, also lying motionless in the shade.

The females dig several holes for egg laying. Some holes remain empty to confuse predators. However, once the young hatch, they should disappear into the nearest tree as quickly as possible. Otherwise, they get devoured by a cannibalistic Komodo dragon...

The last Komodo dragon of our tour sat near the watering hole, waiting for its prey. However, it was already surrounded by tourists who wanted to take a picture with it. The rangers made sure that no one got too close to the animal. And so, we finally returned to the exit.

However, the souvenir sellers were less calm and reserved than the Komodo dragons. After fighting our way through their stalls, we were driven back to the ship, which continued to the "Pink Beach", one of the few beaches in the world with pink sand. This beach is made up of fine white sand that contains small parts of reddish dead corals, giving it a pink appearance.

In the afternoon, there was an opportunity to snorkel and swim there. Underwater, there were a variety of corals and colorful fish to see.