A mighty and otherworldly lizard, the Komodo is arguably one of the most fascinating creatures on earth—one you can only encounter in the wild at Indonesia’s Komodo National Park. Captivating as it is, the Komodo is hardly the only interesting thing in this string of exotic islands that constitute the Komodo National Park. The three islands—Komodo, Padar, and Rinca—have glorious hills and a beach view, along with a breathtaking coastline, lush tropical hills, and thriving underwater wildlife. The Komodo Island even has the famed pink sand beach, while Padar Island has an iconic hill with a view of three magnificent bays.
The Komodo National Park, the only place on earth where you can have a close encounter with the legendary Komodo Dragons, – located in East Nusatenggara, Indonesia.
Home to the largest, unique, and rare lizard species on the planet called the Komodo Dragons (Varanuskomodoensis), the Komodo National Park is located offshore a few hours away from the town of Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara Province and includes three major islands: Komodo, Rinca and Padar islands, as well as numerous islets which together cover 603 square km area. There are at least 2,500 komodos that make this area their habitat that they share with horses, wild buffalo, deer, wild boars, snakes, monkeys, various types of birds, and other wildlife.
Aside from dragons, the national park also features outstanding natural landscapes. Here you can find the exceptional Pink Beach, which is one of the only 7 known in the world. Aside from its striking color, the beach offers a serene ambiance and a perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of modern city life. Away from the shores, the seas around the islands in this National Park offer vibrant colors of coral reefs and exotic marine life. Snorkelers and divers will be enthralled as endless schools of fish ride the waterways rushing up from deep-sea vents, below them is the seabed covered with a thick carpet of fluorescent corals and marine invertebrate, a true paradise for macro-photographers.
The corals in the Komodo National park are pristine, alive with Mantas, sharks, giant turtles, dolphins, dugongs, many pelagics, to the tiny pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, frogfish, you name it we’ve got it. The sites vary from gentle easy coral slopes to heart-pounding adrenalin rides, from the warm waters of the Flores Sea in the north to the chillier waters down south in the Indian Ocean, the underwater terrains are also varied with sheer cliff walls, pinnacles, sandy flat bottoms, underwater plateaus, slopes, caves, swim-throughs, channels, all with varying colors, sizes and types of both hard and soft corals that together make the Komodo National Park a beautiful experience not easily forgotten.
