Many moons ago, whilst channel surfing the TV, I stumbled upon a documentary about the Komodo dragons and ever since then seeing them in the wild had been on my bucket list. So, for 2 days, I found myself living on a wooden, diesel driven boat, exploring the Komodo National Park, in search of its famous resident, the Komodo dragon.

The Magical Lands of the Komodo Dragons

The trip started with a 2-hour sea voyage, slowly chugging, to Rinca Island. The scenery was yellowy-brown mountainous isles. They were parched looking due to it being the dry season, which was a harsh contrast to the green lushest of Bali.

Our Driver

The boat trip gave me plenty of time to get to know my fellow travel companions. I am shocking with names, so I only remembered everyone by nationality. 11 in total; 5 Germans; 2 Italian; 2 Spanish; 1 Mexican-American and of course 1 Welsh-Australian. I was the oldest by far, most were around the late 20s-30 mark. Out of politeness, I am sure, they didn’t ask me my age, so I happily kept schtum. Even though I was a generation older, I didn’t feel out of a place.

Welcome to the Komodo National Park

On reaching Rinca Island my new travel companions and I didn’t have a clue what was happening. None of the boat crew spoke English; in their broken English, they had simply told us to go for an hour and 45 minutes. We were all totally surprised we were just allowed to wander around the island on our own, without any guidelines on what to do if we encountered any Komodo dragons.  But off we went blindly, following a paved path. After 10 minutes of walking; however, it suddenly started to make sense as we had reached the park’s office.

Doh!  I am laughing now!  I can’t believe I thought we were just being abandoned to fend for ourselves against any attacking giant reptiles.

Me and a Stone Dragon

At the park’s office, we paid our entry fee, and this time set off with a local guide carrying a long stick to protect us from the dragons.

Just a Stick? Really?

It was only an hour trek, but the afternoon heat was intense, so sweat was just running off me. The first 45 minutes we didn’t see any giant reptiles, but then we came across a female komodo by its nest. She was very well camouflaged sitting under a tree.

Spot the Dragon

After a few photos, we continued and was soon at the back of the park’s main office, where we discovered 4 male Komodo dragons just lying there. I can’t believe the guide made us walk all that way in that heat. Also, I felt disappointed not to see the Komodo dragons in more natural surroundings. Apparently they are attracted to the smell of the rangers’ food, but still, this was not like the documentary that inspired me to come here.

Komodo Dragon

Next stop was Komodo Island, where on arrival there was again utter confusion on what we were supposed to be doing. After some aimless wandering, we finally tracked down the parks’ office and a guide. This time within 10 minutes of setting off we spotted a Komodo dragon drinking at a water hole.

Now we are talking!

Before coming to the Komodo National Park, this is more like, how the encounter had played out in my imagination.  It was so much better seeing a Komodo dragon in its natural habitat.

Is that a Dinosaur?

This spot was a great opportunity for a photo with the prehistoric-looking creature. I was instructed to crouch down behind a male Komodo dragon, which was pretty nerve-wracking, especially when I could see his one of his eyes checking me out.

Komodo Dragon

The guide told our group, that if a Komodo dragon bit one of us, there is a good chance that we would bleed to death by the time they could get us back to civilisation.

If all our blood doesn’t drain for our bodies, we would probably die of poison from one of the 54 bacteria carried in its saliva.

On a positive note only one tourist has ever been eaten, he was a photographer. Komodo dragons digest everything, including hair and bones, so the only thing remaining of him was his camera and glasses.

Good pep talk!!.

So, it was a wee bit scary posing with the man-eating lizard. There was a guide standing close by with his long stick, but I was thinking who could move quicker, the man with his stick or the dragon. I know who I’d put my money on. Needless to say, I survived the photoshoot and the result was my favourite photograph of the whole trip.

My Steve Irwin Shot

The final destination of the day was Pink Beach for a quick snorkel before our floating hostel found somewhere to moor for the evening. The crew cooked us some wonderful local cuisine; some enterprising children came by boat to try to sell us beer, and; then it was off to sleep.

A Beautiful Sunset

It was a wonderful first day in the magical lands of the Komodo dragons, but day 2 was even more magical.

To be continued…