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Trekking With Komodo Dragons

May 15, 2016 by Arianwen Morris 12 Comments

There’s plenty to keep travellers intrigued on the Indonesian island of Flores. It’s home to some of the world’s best diving, as well as the stunning Kelimutu volcano, plenty of waterfalls and caves, interesting rice terrace formations, and the skeletons of a recently discovered ancient human species referred to affectionately as ‘hobbits’.

Possibly the most famous of the region’s attractions, though, are its Komodo dragons. These magnificent creatures are the largest species of lizard on the planet. They can grow to 3 m in length and weigh as much as 70 kg. These ferocious hunters are a truly spectacular sight, and to witness them in their own environment is an incredible experience.

Komodo Dragons - Feeding - Rinca

HOW TO GET THERE

Komodo dragons are endemic to just a few islands in Indonesia, including Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Padar. While there are long boat trips from Lombok, most people take a domestic flight to the small port town of Labuan Bajo on Flores. From there, tours depart daily to Rinca and Komodo, where it’s possible to join a guided trek. Most visitors opt to go to Rinca because it’s a shorter boat ride. The best way to see them is to combine your tour with a couple of dives or some snorkelling in Komodo National Park. Blue Marlin Komodo offers two dives and dragon trekking on Rinca for 2,000,000 IDR. Often, one of the dive sites is Makkasar or Mauan, both of which are regularly visited by another giant – the manta ray. If you’re a wildlife enthusiast, there are few places that offer the opportunity to tick off two such remarkable creatures in one day.

TREKKING

It’s a small walk from the pier on Rinca to the ranger station and ticket office. There, you’re assigned a guide, who comes armed with a forked stick to protect you against the Komodo dragons. Most treks last for one hour and take you behind the ranger station into some light forest. It isn’t a challenging path, and you can easily traverse it in flip flops.

If he’s available, ask for Ramli. He’s been leading tourists through dragon territory for decades and has even appeared on a couple of wildlife documentaries, including BBC Life. He’s guided David Attenborough, and he knows everything there is to know about the Komodo dragons and their habitat.

Komodo Dragons - Two Adults - Rinca

CHANCES OF SEEING KOMODO DRAGONS

Komodo dragons are solitary animals, which only come together to hunt or breed. There are roughly 2000 on Rinca, but they’re spread out over an area of 29,000 hectares. It’s possible you won’t see them, but highly likely that you will. Often, you’ll find a group of Komodo dragons basking in the sun just behind the ranger station, but if your guide encourages you to press on, it probably means he has something special in store for you to see. If you’re exceptionally lucky, you might see them feeding, or see males fighting for the right to mate.

YOUNG KOMODO DRAGONS

April is the best time to visit if you’d like to catch a glimpse of a juvenile. Female Komodo dragons lay 15 to 20 eggs in nests abandoned by megapodes (a turkey-like bird). They incubate for 8 or 9 months, although the female only protects them for the first few. When the rainy season comes, the eggs are covered with mud until they hatch.

Komodo Dragons - Juvenile - Rinca

THE HUNT

Komodo dragons eat a lot of carrion, but they also hunt large mammals, like deer and buffalo, as well as invertebrates and birds. On occasion, they’ve been known to successfully attack humans too, but they will rarely do so unprovoked. They can run at speeds of up to 20 km/h and attack with a deep bite to the leg or jugular. The bite itself is usually not fatal, but a toxic cocktail of bacteria and venom in their saliva causes their prey to weaken and, eventually – some weeks later – to die. The dragons lie in wait and will eat almost their own body weight in one meal if it’s available.

While they very rarely become aggressive towards humans, their behaviour can change in an instant, so it’s important to remain cautious during the trek. When we visited, we were charged by three fierce-looking adults. Ramli shook a hat on the end of his stick to attract their attention, before sprinting off into the forest and leading them away from us. I was too alarmed to keep my camera rolling, so here’s some footage of Steve Backshall experiencing a very similar encounter, taken from the Deadly 60 series made for BBC Earth.

FUTURE OF THE SPECIES

Volcanic activity, earthquakes, poaching and loss of habitat have all contributed to the decline in the number of Komodo dragons. As is sadly the case for many of the planet’s most spectacular inhabitants, they are listed as vulnerable and appear on IUCN’s Red List. In 1980, Komodo National Park was founded to help protect them, and there are also conservation projects taking place on Flores. Despite best efforts, there are now only a few thousand remaining in the wild, making it an even greater privilege to experience.

Comments

  1. Amy says

    May 29, 2016 at 10:14 am

    This looks amazing; I really wanted to see Komodo Dragons while we were in Indonesia but we ended up leaving the country early and it’s one of the things I regret missing out on. I’m glad you had a great experience though.

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      June 1, 2016 at 11:44 am

      It really was a great experience – and I think we were lucky that we got to see more than most. I guess Komodo is quite isolated, which makes it an expensive detour to just see the dragons. I think if people realised how great Flores is, as well as the scuba diving and snorkelling in the area, it would be much more popular a destination. Hope you get to go there one day!

      Reply
  2. Jean | Holy Smithereens says

    June 8, 2016 at 8:15 am

    Amazing photos of the dragons! That’s great that you were able to dive in Komodo as well – will have to read your posts on it. I was there in January last year and it was the rainy season so I only snorkelled in Pink Beach.

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      June 9, 2016 at 12:19 pm

      Thanks! That’s a shame you only had the chance to snorkel. I think I caught the end of the rainy season – and then it got boiling hot! The diving was spectacular though. I can’t get over how much I saw there.

      Reply
  3. Anastasia Sofia says

    June 20, 2016 at 9:37 pm

    Ooh, I’m planning on heading to Indonesia in a few weeks, and to Komodo for some diving and hopefully to see some dragons! Interesting that you can mix up a diving trip with seeing the dragons… could be a good option!
    Anastasia Sofia recently posted..Oslo on a Budget – 3 Days for €70My Profile

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      June 20, 2016 at 10:33 pm

      It’s a great option if you want to do both. I hope you have a fantastic time there. It really is an amazing part of the world and I miss living there. Let me know how you get on!

      Reply
  4. Manaslu Circuit Trek says

    February 8, 2019 at 11:21 am

    You have had great experience in Indonesia. I also want to see Comodo Dragons as they are not available in my country. Hope someday I’ll get a chance to see those rare species. Thank You for sharing your experience with us.

    Reply
  5. Krishna says

    August 8, 2019 at 7:41 am

    I shiver to watch the video. How did you capture it? You must have high courage. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      August 20, 2019 at 5:08 pm

      I didn’t mind this part because they were distracted and our guide was there. It was later, after the guide had run off to chase a couple of massive dragons that I felt vulnerable!

      Reply
  6. Krishna Vitrakoti says

    September 13, 2019 at 6:22 am

    Aha! Looks like you have had a great time there. You are so adventurous, I just love reading your blogs. I am also fond of doing adventure activities. Have you ever been to Nepal? If yes have you tried Bee Hunting in Cliff? and trekked to Manaslu ? Its great experience, try once.

    Reply
    • Arianwen Morris says

      September 13, 2019 at 6:30 am

      I haven’t been to Nepal yet, but I’d love to! Thanks for the recommendation!

      Reply

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