Komodo Island
is in the Nusa Tenggara Islands. The island is included in the Komodo National
Park area with Rinca Island, Padar Island, Motang Island and many other small
islands. Administratively, the island is located in the Komodo District, West
Manggarai Regency, and is directly bordered by West Nusa Tenggara Province.
This island is the original
habitat of Komodo dragons, a type of giant meat-eating lizards. On Komodo
Island there are more than 2,000 Komodo dragons that live in the wild. You can
see the Komodo dragon which is targeting its prey in many locations in this
place. It is very important to get around with a guide for safety reasons while
here.
In 1986, UNESCO established the
Komodo Island and other islands in the Komodo National Park as a world heritage
site because of the existence of dragons that can only be found in this area.
The habitat of these endangered animals is open nature with grasslands, white
sandy beaches and tropical rain forests.
Komodo Island won an award as the
New Seven Wonders of Nature which is an award for the seven best natural
attractions in the world. Determination of the winners obtained from the
results of voting and research experts, the island of Komodo won the highest voting
along with six other tourist attractions namely Iguazu Falls, Amazon Forest,
Puerto Princesa Underground River, Halong Bay, Jeju Island and Table Mountain.
Komodo dragon itself is a reptile
species of meat-eating giant lizards whose length can reach 2-3 meters with a
weight of 100-165 kg. This animal has the scientific name Varanus Komodoensis,
while local residents call this animal by the name 'Ora'. If seen, the Komodo
dragon is scary, with a large body, sharp nails, scaly skin and has a forked
tongue that always sticks out. The main prey for dragons are pigs, horses,
deer, ferrets, buffaloes and macaques.
A glimpse of Komodo Island
In 1910, Lieutenant Steyn Van
Hens Broek went to Komodo Island to prove the report of his troops that there
were animals like dragons on the island. Broek along with his trained troops
then decided to come to this island to hunt the animal. He and his troops
managed to kill a Komodo dragon which was then photographed and sent to the
Botanical Garden in Bogor.
1912 was the first year the
existence of dragons was known to the public through a journal written by Peter
A. Ouwens and published in a daily newspaper owned by the Dutch East Indies.
Ouwens is the Director of the Zoology Museum in Bogor. Then in 1915, the Dutch
government began to ban the hunting of dragons for fear that these animals
would become extinct.
What can be done on Komodo
Island?
Besides seeing the life of the
Komodo dragon in its natural habitat, there are many other things you can do on
Komodo Island:
Trekking
Komodo Island not only contains
Komodo dragons, besides dragons, there are many other animals that inhabit this
island such as horses, deer, various species of birds, snakes, monitor lizards
and many more. One way to enjoy this island is by trekking. You can see these
animals while trekking on Komodo Island. When trekking, you will be invited to
climb Mount Ara which has a height of 538 meters above sea level. You will also
pass the Water Hole which is a place to drink and rest the dragons. You can see
the dragons that are drinking or taking shelter under the surrounding trees.
There are four trekking routes that you can choose from short, medium, long to
adventure. The length of this trekking path is 1 - 8 km depending on the type
you choose. If you choose long and adventure, you will be invited to pass
through forests, rivers and beautiful hills. As for the short, the journey will
end on the hills with an awesome view of the bay. However, the four trekking
paths will pass through the Water Hole so you don't need to be confused
choosing which path.
During trekking, you and your group will be accompanied by
a ranger or guide as well as the Komodo dragon handler. Ranger will equip you
with a stick that has two ends. It is said that the stick is made from one type
of tree that can be a weapon to weaken the Komodo dragon. If the Komodo dragon
attacks or chases suddenly, the tip of the branching stick is used to press the
neck of the Komodo dragon, in a short time the Komodo dragon will weaken and
stop attacking.
Diving and Snorkeling
The island of Komodo is not only
offering the natural beauty of the mainland. Underwater world on this island is
no less beautiful. There are around 386 types of coral reefs, 70 types of
sponges, seaweed as a home for thousands of species of fish, green turtles,
whales, sharks, dolphins and others. The underwater world of Komodo Island and
the Komodo National Park area are said to be one of the best diving locations
in the world. When diving or snorkeling here, you can witness the beauty of
marine life which is very rich and varied. Of the many dive spots available,
here are the three best dive spots on Komodo Island according to many divers:
Samsia Stone
Samsia Stone is one of the
favorite diving spots. You can walk through a series of waterways and can
interact with turtles, sharks and various other small fish.
Shop shop
Toko Toko is called a stone
palace in water. Located at a depth of 7 meters below sea level, you can enjoy
the beauty of coral reefs with various colors and fish that swim between the
reefs.
Crystal Rock
This point is also a favorite of
divers. Located at a depth of 5 meters, you can find fish frogs, Barramundi
Cod, Parrotfish and several other fish species. The best time to dive in these
waters is in March - December. This is because the wind direction, water
temperature, strong currents and seasons that affect visibility when diving are
good in those months.
What else is interesting on
Komodo Island?
On this island there is one very
unique beach, Pink Beach. This beach is also known as the Pink Beach, but local
residents prefer to call it the Red Beach. Pink Beach has pink sand beach, the
color will be more clearly visible when the sand is wet by the waves. According
to research, the pink color on the beach is caused by coral fragments that are
destroyed and mixed with beach sand. In the world there are only seven beaches
recorded with pink sand and those on Komodo Island are one of them.
The beauty of this beach is not
just the unique color of the sand. The underwater world here is also famously
beautiful. This beach is also often used as a location for diving and
snorkeling.
Transportation
Transportation on Komodo Island
can be done by air, land and sea or a combination of the three.
Air
If using a plane, you will fly
from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo. After that you can continue the journey by ferry
to Komodo Island.
The sea
You can depart from Tanjung Benoa,
Bali, heading to Labuan Bajo. From Labuan Bajo, the journey to Komodo Island is
continued by ferry.
Land
Available buses from Denpasar to
Labuan Bajo. The bus will cross using the ferry. Arriving in Labuan Bajo, the
trip can be continued by using the ferry again to Komodo Island. Besides these
three choices, you can also choose Live on Board. If you choose Live on Board,
you will stay overnight on the boat for several days to get to the Komodo
National Park area. During the trip you can dive with a group and guide. The
facilities provided were counted as complete starting from the bedroom, dining
and also the toilet. Prices charged range between 175 - 10,000 USD per night
depending on how many days the package you choose and the existing facilities. Ships
depart from Bima, Bali, Lombok and Labuan Bajo.
Accommodation
Many tourists choose to stay at
hotels in Labuan Bajo. But aside from hotels in Labuan Bajo, there are other
lodging alternatives:
Chartered ship
In addition to going around, you
can also use a rented boat to stay overnight. Some ships have been equipped
with beds, toilets and meal packages. The rental fee and facilities depend on
the size of the boat you are renting.
House of guard of Komodo Island
You can homestay at the house of
a guard or ranger of Komodo Island. This house is a stilt house with limited
electricity supply. Generally the electricity will be turned off at 22:00.
Tips for travel to Komodo Island
When trekking, don't make any
sudden movements or noise. Komodo is very sensitive to movement and sound.
For women who are menstruating, must report so
that the ranger can give more attention. This is because dragons can smell the
blood from a radius of hundreds of meters.
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