KOMODO DRAGONS!!

Today we went and met the captain of our boat at 5:45am to go on our boat trip for 2 days. We were so excited about seeing the Komodo dragons we couldn’t wait! Our first stop was to Rinca Island, which is the first of 2 islands to see the dragons.

Komodo Dragon

We were the first ones to arrive as we left 2 hours earlier than the other tourists and on Rinca, we had the best chance to see the dragons but as they are wild animals it wasn’t guaranteed so we had our fingers crossed.

Komodo Dragon

As soon as we got off the boat and walked to pay for a guide, there was one walking towards the ranger’s station and 5 sitting outside the kitchen where the rangers were cooking their food, as they could smell it! So we had already seen 6 before we even started the trek!

Trekking

Where a buffalo once sat

However, we still wanted to see some out in the wild so we went on a 2-hour trek around the island and there we saw one baby one and a large female. When we got back to get on the boat, there were loads of other tourists getting off so we had timed it just right!

Komodo National Park

A Komodo on Komodo!

We then made our way to Komodo Island, which took a few hours on the boat, also when we arrived there the everyone else had already left so again we had the place to ourselves!

When we got off the boat, there was one Komodo dragon walking down the jetty from the boat so again we were so lucky as we had spoken to many travellers before going on this trip and they didn’t see any at all on Komodo Island!

Komodo Dragon

Me and a Komodo

We also went on a trek there, but this time just for one hour, as we wanted to spend some time snorkelling in the evening.

Komodo

Komodo Dragon

We didn’t see any on the trek, but again when we were about to leave we walked past the ranger’s station where they were cooking food and there were 3 dragons sitting outside the kitchen.

Komodo Dragon

This did however make us wonder if the rangers feed them, which they swore that they didn’t, but then it doesn’t make a lot of sense as to why the dragons would be sitting outside? So maybe they are not completely wild after all.

Wild deer

Komodo Dragon

On both of the islands, though we did see wild deer, pigs and buffalo, which is the dragon’s diet, but I suppose we will never know for sure whether they are fed or not.

Orange moon

After Komodo Island, we made our way to Red/Pink beach to do some snorkelling, which was in fact incredible! We were lucky enough to swim with 2 turtles as well as see some amazing coral and other pretty fish.

On the boat

This is where we stayed over the night, which was perfect as no other boats slept here, but instead off another island to watch some flying foxes, but we saw them a few days before in Riung, so we chose to sleep here so it felt as we had the whole place to ourselves!

The sun about to set

In the evening just after eating some delicious barbequed fish we watched the moon come up slowly over the sea which was a lovely orangey red colour, the end to a perfect day before our captain, Matt brought us some mattresses down so we could sleep on the deck underneath the stars.

Rinca, Indonesia