🇮🇩 We visit the Komodo dragons on Rinca Island, Flores

Looking back: due to the bad weather in Komodo National Park in the week of March 11-17, 2024, our three-day boat tour was canceled, among other things. Like many other vacationers, we were stuck in Labuan Bajo, the starting point from where the boats set off to the national park, among other places. We wrote to the organizer again to ask if he could tell us whether there was at least the possibility of a day trip to see the Komodo dragons after all. And that opportunity arose on March 12. In a group of around 40 people, we drove to three destinations by speedboat: Rinca Island, then a snorkeling spot, and finally Kelor Island.

So on Tuesday morning we set off. A taxi picked us up in front of the accommodation and drove us to the harbor. We waited with the other vacationers until we were ready to set off and before we could get on the speedboat we were split into two groups. We were given a friendly welcome and then informed about the individual program items. We start on Rinca Island, where you can marvel at the Komodo dragons.

Everyone got off the boat, the first ones took a few pictures and then we were supposed to follow the ranger into the park. Meanwhile it started to rain lightly. 🌧️ We crossed a long wooden bridge towards a building. On the way we could already see the first monitor lizards lying on the ground. It was an open and spacious enclosure, where a few deer were also lying. Maybe the monitor lizards were having their lunch? Of course there were a few people in the park, because of the bad weather we had no other choice. 😅 We're not really into such large group trips. Everyone gathered around the guide, who led us to a kind of museum. He gave us lots of information about the island and of course important facts about the Komodo dragons. There were also a few information boards available for facts and information. The two skeletons of the monitor lizards were particularly interesting, here you could see the animals' sharp teeth and long claws particularly well.

Afterwards we went to the outdoor enclosure with the guide, he didn't leave our side. Here, too, there were a few particularly large specimens lying around. Under the watchful eyes of our guide, people were also allowed to take pictures with the animals. Women on their periods should keep a little distance, as the animals can smell the blood. 🩸 It was interesting and impressive at the same time to be able to look at the monitor lizards up close.

👩🏼‍🏫 Komodo dragons are the largest living lizards and can grow up to 3m long and weigh up to 80kg. The lizards' bite is not necessarily fatal, but rather the poison or bacteria contained in the saliva, which leads to blood poisoning. Their diet includes insects, other lizards (yes, these animals are cannibals and sometimes eat their own kind if they cannot escape to a tree quickly enough after birth, for example), deer and water buffalo.

Our group then hiked up to a lookout point for about 15 minutes. We wore sturdy shoes and that was a good thing. The climate was accordingly warm and the humidity high. The landscape was beautifully green (rainy season), hilly and simply breathtaking. I must admit it reminded me a little of Jurassic Park 😄 when we got to the top we were allowed to catch our breath and take pictures. To ensure that the group stayed together and no one got lost, one guide went at the front and one at the back. As we were descending we encountered another (female) animal. The men with the sticks were extremely alert and asked us to keep our distance again. At some point the lizard disappeared into the tall grass and we continued on our way back to the building at the entrance to the park. There was a kiosk, souvenir shops and toilets here. After a while our group went back to the boat.

We left Rinca Island and went to a snorkeling spot 🤿 the appropriate equipment was on the boat. However, there wasn't much to see under water. The corals were no longer in good condition, trampled and everything was grey instead of bright and colourful 🥺🪸🌈

Our last stop on the program was Kelor Island. A small island with various huts where you can stop for a bite to eat, climb up to a viewing point and/or lie on the beach to swim and snorkel.

We decided to walk up to the viewing point first. This only took a few minutes and once we got to the top we were almost alone. From there you have a great view of the island, the beach, the sea and the mountainous landscape. See for yourself ⬆️ It's worth it, isn't it? 😊 Then we carefully walked back down and picked up our packed lunch and sat down at a table with a view of the sea. A beautiful moment. We are glad we made this trip. The bad weather seemed to be very far away, but at least we didn't notice it here. After a good 6 hours the trip was over and the speedboat reached the harbor in Labuan Bajo. We paid a total of €114 for this day trip and a total of €35.28 for entry to the park.

That was the only excursion we did this week, we just weren't in the mood to explore. The two overnight stays on "Le Pirate Island" that I had booked in advance also fell through. 😔 In retrospect, it's still somehow incomprehensible...in Labuan Bajo itself, the weather got nicer day by day, but we couldn't go on the boat trips because there was a storm with heavy waves raging far out in the national park, but we didn't notice anything here...🤷🏼‍♀️ well, it is what it is. On March 17, the plane took us back to Bali. We landed at Denpasar airport, ordered a taxi to Padang Bai and took the slow ferry to Lombok (Lembar) on March 18. 🥳