Rinca and Komodo Islands

Nestled between Sumbawa and Flores, the islands of Komodo and Rinca, are the main components of the UNESCO recognised Komodo National Park. This is the place to see Komodo dragons, exactly the reason that we were in Flores. The Komodo dragon (Ora) is a monitor lizard, growing up to 3 metres in length and weighing up to 100kg. There are about 4,000 in the wild today. At both Komodo and Rinca your odds of seeing dragons is very good. You are accompanied by a ranger who carries a forked stick as your only protection!

We boarded a small wooden boat at Labuanbajo port for our two night trip to the islands of Rinca, Komodo and Kanawa. The boat had two small cabins with bunk beds and a small bathroom. There is also a small sitting area where we ate and an upper deck for watching the splendid island scenery. Conditions are basic but comfortable enough. We spent one night aboard the boat and one night at the island of Kanawa.

First stop was Rinca, slightly smaller then Komodo. It took us two hours to get out to Rinca, during which time a lovely lunch of fresh fish, rice and veggies was served, followed by fresh fruit.

At both Rinca and Komodo Islands you have the choice of three guided walks: short walk (approx 45 minutes); medium walk (approx. 90 minutes); and the long trek (2 hours). We chose the medium length walk at both islands. This worked out perfectly for our family group as we saw Komodo dragons, admired the sweeping views from a hilltop vista at both islands and managed the walk comfortably in the heat.

Seeing Komodo dragons was amazing. These large throwbacks to the dinosaur age are a sight to behold.

At Rinca we also saw water buffalo and macaques.

From Rinca we sailed in the darkening evening to a mooring point at Komodo Island. The views of the sunset from the upper deck of the boat were spectacular. A lovely evening meal was served once we reached our mooring point for the night. It is unbelievable that such good food is served from a tiny open air boat kitchen with a one ring burner.

We had a pleasant enough night on board in our tiny cabins. We slept with both the windows and door open to maintain a slight breeze.

Komodo is the largest island in the national park. There are about 1,300 Komodo dragons here. The main camp of Loh Liang, where boats dock and guided walks begin, is on the east coast. We set off at 7am for our walk on the island. Again we were lucky enough to see Komodo dragons. As we were here early the dragons were much more active lumbering around in the forest areas. The dragons here are larger than those on Rinca. Apparently this is due to the more readily available cuisine of wild boar and deer, both of which we saw grazing nervously.

From here we sailed to Pink Beach, still on Komodo Island, for an hour of snorkelling and beach time. The beach is actually pink, formed by the breaking up of red coral from the sea. The beach and snorkelling were excellent. The coral was in great condition and there was a great variety of reef fish for us to see. The boys dubbed the reef ‘fish city’.

We spent our last night in Flores at the Kawana Beach Bungalows on Kawana Island. There’s no denying the beautiful location, an elegant strip of white sand and turquoise sea with great snorkelling. However, conditions are dire, staff are dis-interested and worst of all they operate dangerous sea crossings.

See our next post on Kanawa Island and our rescue at sea!

TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS TO THE KOMODO NATIONAL PARK

It is possible to visit both Rinca and Komodo islands on a day trip from Labuanbajo but there are definite advantages to spending a night on a boat. In the park you can spot dragons during their active post dawn rambles and before the first tour boat arrives at 9am. The island scenery at dusk and dawn is beautiful observed from the top deck of your boat.

Fees for visitors into the Komodo National Park quickly mount up:

Landing fee for Komodo and Rinca Islands – 50,000Rp per person

Basic guided walk fee – 80,000Rp per person

Snorkelling fee – 165,000Rp per person Monday-Saturday, 240,000Rp per person Sunday

These prices are per day so if you spend two days on the islands, as we did, then you pay twice.

There are no child prices although on speaking with the rangers we managed to get our youngest child Flynn, free at both islands.