Meet Komodo Dragons

The deadly, man-eating dragons of Komodo are not to be missed. You’ll fly into Labuan Bajo on Flores Island – gateway to the Komodo National Park – and jump aboard a house-boat for a three-day ocean adventure. As you set sail on the glassy water to Komodo Island (and Rinca island where dragons can also be found) you’ll pass many conical green peaks of the neighbouring tropical islands. Here, you can snorkel and dive in technicoloured coral reefs with green turtles, lionfish, reef sharks and manta rays.

As cold-blooded creatures, the Komodo Dragons are more active at certain times of the day. A good time to visit Rinca or Komodo is first thing in the morning when the dragons are warming their scales in the early sun. They’ll be out in the open at this time and fairly still for photographs. A sighting of a dragon isn’t guaranteed as these animals are completely wild. However, if you’re lucky, an encounter with the largest living lizard on earth will certainly get your heart racing. At 10 feet long, these giant reptiles, with their loose leathery skin and mouths dripping with toxic, bacteria-filled salvia, are an intimidating sight. Even the guides are cautious leading you around the forest as one was recently killed from a deadly bite. As cannibals, it seems there is no large prey item that is off limits to the dragons and some ecotourists are lucky enough (or unlucky enough depending on your point of view) to see them feed. Their method of hunting is incredibly cruel. They’ll bite a deer or water buffalo (often on the hind legs) then run away. From then, that deadly saliva will infect the prey and make them weak. The dragon will follow the unfortunate animal until it’s too sick to fight back and then feast on its flesh – often whilst it’s still alive! You couldn’t get a more different wildlife experience than watching baby orangutans in Borneo, yet, seeing the largest venomous creature on our planet in action reminds us of the fabulous diversity that has evolved on our planet.

I visited Indonesia in May which is the start of the dry season and this lasts all the way through to October.