Komodo Island Dragons & Labuan Bajo

Komodo dragons can only be seen one place in the world — in Komodo National Park in Indonesia and we were finally there. Luke was beside himself with excitement at the possibility of seeing Komodo dragons. On our trip to Komodo Island and our stay in the port town of Labuan Bajo on Flores, we saw Komodo dragons, dived with manta rays, hiked up Padar Island and sunned ourselves on Pink Beach.

After spending three weeks in Bali — at the beach in Canggu and deep in the rice paddies of Ubud — it was time for a week of adventure. We booked a flight from Bali to Flores Island ready to go in search of Komodo dragons.

While Luke was overcome with boyish excitement about our trip to Komodo Island, I was hesitant to go anywhere near to Komodo dragons! This is a usual dynamic in our relationship. Luke eagerly anticipating wild animal spottings at any opportunity and as close-up as possible. Me wanting to stay as far away from wild animals as possible at an overly safe distance. It was the same when we swam with whale sharks in Mexico and nurse sharks in Belize. Nonetheless, he convinced me that I’d be missing out if I didn’t take the trip to Komodo Island.

Our Adventure to See Komodo Island Dragons

There are an estimated 6000 Komodo dragons within Komodo National Park. We were on our way to Komodo Island where the largest Komodo population resides. We knocked back a couple of motion sickness tablets (we always do for boat rides and we knew the sea would be rough because the wind was high!) and off we went.

Komodo dragons are extremely dangerous. When we arrived on Komodo Island, our guide told us that Komodo dragons hunt all animals, including each other and their own young. Baby Komodo dragons will hide up in the trees from their own mothers to avoid being hunted. Komodo dragons can devour a whole deer (or human). Komodos have attacked a number of humans over the years, including eating a whole person who wandered off on their own on Komodo Island the year before. Komodo dragons are venomous. If they attack, they poison their victim. They may follow their prey around for weeks whilst the venom takes hold until they are able to finish it off and feast. There is no anti-venom for a Komodo dragon bite.

I had no intention of wandering anywhere or going even slightly close to a Komodo dragon and proceeded to stick firmly to our guide. He was armed with a wooden stick, which I personally thought would be of limited use if a Komodo dragon came near us. However, I had no stick at all so it was better than that. We walked a short distance into the jungle of Komodo Island and came to a clearing with a watering hole. There was a Komodo dragon lying right there!

I was shocked how close we were to the Komodo dragon and even more so when our guide crept up closer. He motioned Luke round to go behind the Komodo dragon whilst he took a photo on my phone (no way I was going to do it). The dragon didn’t move, just looked out of the corner of its eye and lie flat on the ground. If you’ve seen any nature documentaries on Komodo dragons, you’ve probably seen them running at 13 miles an hour to hunt its prey. This scene was completely different.

Wild Komodo dragon on Komodo Island

Luke braving a photo with this Komodo dragon

When we asked the guide about this, he said that the dragon we were looking at was full. Komodo dragons can eat up to 80% of their own body weight and after they eat, they might be full for up to one month. During that time, they’ll move slowly and infrequently, choosing to rest in the shade. We later saw two more Komodo dragons — apparently equally full, though I was still nervous! — lying under the shade of some wooden decking.

Komodo dragon resting (because he has a fully belly)

Luke and a Komodo dragon on Komodo Island

After three close-up Komodo dragon sightings, we’d reached the end of our trail. Another woman in our group spotted a beautiful deer with huge antlers on the beach. We walked over with our guide to look before ending the hike. As we approached, a Komodo dragon jumped out of the sand. It began walking down the beach away from us, I’m relieved to say. This was our only sighting of a Komodo dragon moving and Luke was mesmerised! I was clinging behind Luke, concerned about the potential of danger of the situation. But it was fine.

Hiking on Padar Island

As part of our Komodo Island tour, we stopped at Padar Island. Truth me told, this was my favourite part of the day trip. This iconic island is the one you see on nearly all of the Komodo National Park posters. Padar Island is located between Rinca and Komodo Islands and is a popular stop for hiking. Padar Island’s hills are steep but it only takes around an hour to go up and down. The views are incredible.

Pink Sand Beach

On the way back from Komodo Island, our boat stopped at Pink Sand Beach. It was my first time seeing a pink beach and I was mesmerised by the coral fragments giving the sand its warm pink hue. From the boat, we hadn’t even realised the beach was pink. It was only when we swam over to it that we could really see the beautiful colour. This is also a good spot for snorkelling.

Diving with Manta Rays near to Komodo Island

Manta rays are the big marine attraction for divers in Komodo Island. The best season to dive at Manta Point is October through to April. We visited Komodo National Park in February and Luke said he saw 25 or so manta rays on his dive. When he came back from diving, windswept and sun smouldered, he was so excited to tell me all about it. The manta rays were huge at 4m long and that it might be the best dive he’s ever done.

If you like to dive, you can combine a Komodo Island tour and a dive to see manta rays within the same day-trip. It’s possible to visit Komodo Island and dive twice during a one-day trip. We didn’t take this option as I don’t dive and Luke was keen to dive three times on his diving trip. If you’re tight on time then combining the trips into one-day isn’t a bad option.

Where to See Komodo Dragons in Indonesia

Komodo Dragons can only be seen in Komodo National Park in Indonesia. They inhabit five islands, but there are two main islands where you can see Komodo dragons in Indonesia: Komodo Island and Rinca Island. Komodo Island is the bigger of the two islands and has the largest population of Komodo dragons. Rinca Island is closer to Labuan Bajo (where the boats leave from) and has the second largest Komodo dragon population. Many people choose to visit Rinca if they are short on time as it’s only a 1.5-hour boat ride from Labuan Bajo.

We travelled to Komodo Island in rainy season. Due to bad weather, many tour operators said that it would only be possible to visit Rinca Island because it was windy and the waves were rough. We had no real preference between the two islands, as long as we could see Komodo dragons. On the day, we set out thinking we’d be going to Rinca but the weather turned out to be good and our tour went to Komodo Island. The trip to Komodo Island usually leaves at 5:30AM and returns to Labuan Bajo at 5:00PM.

How to Get to Komodo Island

Here’s everything you need to know about how to plan a trip to Komodo Island.

Bali to Komodo Island

Komodo Island is off the coast of Flores island in Indonesia. We travelled from Bali to Komodo Island. From Bali Denpansar airport, it’s a 1-hour flight to Labuan Bajo airport in Flores. Labuan Bajo is the main town on the island and consists of a small strip filled with tour agencies and dive shops. Most travellers going to Komodo Island base themselves in Labuan Bajo.

Labuan Bajo to Komodo Island

Komodo Island is a 3-hour boat ride from Labuan Bajo. You’ll need to arrange a Komodo Island tour through one of the tour agents in Labuan Bajo. We booked a tour with Kharisma who were friendly, spoke great English and were much cheaper than the other agencies we spoke to. We asked around to find the best price. Other agencies quoted 1 million IDR. Kharisma only asked for 400,000 IDR each. They gave this price up-front — without going through a big haggling fiasco. This was the price for a full day to Komodo Island with a stop at the beautiful Padar Island and pink beach.

The tour agencies all throw tourists onto boats of 10 or so people. The agency you book with doesn’t make any difference to the boat you end up on (they’re all the same) unless you’re booking a completely private boat or a luxury, high-end tour.

View of Labuan Bajo from Bajo Bakery

Accommodation near to Komodo Island — Labuan Bajo

There is no accommodation on Komodo Island. There are two choices for accommodation near to Komodo Island. You can either base yourself in Labuan Bajo, a small and dusty port town, where there are hotels and hostels at different price points. Or you can stay on a live-aboard boat during a longer boat trip.

We stayed in Labuan Bajo, as we wanted to have wifi access during our trip and because this is the cheaper option. Unfortunately, accommodation in Labuan Bajo is generally not good value for money. Other tourists we met complained their hotels didn’t even have hot water.

We stayed at Komodo Lodge (booked via Airbnb) for £35 per night. It was basic but it was central, had hot water and good working wifi. There are cheaper options in Labuan Bajo including dorm beds (mattresses on the floor) that go for 100,000 IDR. There are luxury hotels in the surrounding area, away from the main strip that cost upwards of £100-£200.

We stayed in Labuan Bajo during low season (February) and we didn’t have trouble finding accommodation the week before our trip. In high season the whole town is booked out and finding accommodation can be very difficult. Make sure to check which season you’re travelling and book in advance if you’re visiting Komodo Island during the high season.

Where To Eat in Labuan Bajo

After days out on the water, you’ll need to grab some grub. The restaurant standard in Labuan Bajo isn’t as good as Bali and other destinations. You often pay high prices for small portions. There’s a lot of Western food in Labuan Bajo, particularly Italian restaurants serving pizza, pasta and paninis. We love Indonesian food but local eateries were few and far between. After trying quite a lot of places in town (we stayed here for a week), we have some firm favourite restaurants in Labuan Bajo:

• Mama’s Warung — By far the best value food in town (and probably the best tasting too). This local eatery serves up Indonesian food which is cooked up daily. You choose white, red or yellow rice and then select additional food items from the counter. There’s meat and fish curries, and also vegetarian options. We loved the curried casava leaves, spicy aubergine, tempeh and sauteed spinach. You pay based on the amount of options you have, but we always paid under 50,000IDR for rice with three items. I recommend the fresh pineapple juice too.
• Bajo Bakery — Sandwiches on freshly baked bread rolls at good prices. The cafe is upstairs and has a gorgeous view out to sea. The wifi was good so we often came here for lunch and coffee with our laptops. Highly recommend the Italian roll which comes with mozzarella, tomato and basil. Sandwiches are around 35,000-40,000IDR and local coffee is 9000IDR. The cafe is attached to Bajo Taco, a Mexican eatery with the same owner (portions were smaller and not such good value at Bajo Taco in our opinion).
• Happy Banana — A little more up-market, but the food is fresh and there are lots of options. I loved the quinoa salad bowl and Luke ate cucumber, avocado and mango sushi on multiple occasions. We both were absolute fan girls (and boys) about their tumeric jamus, an Indonesian drink made of tumeric and tamarind. Definitely try it if you’re there! Meals cost around 70,000IDR and drinks 25,000IDR and up.

Would you be as excited as Luke to see Komodo dragons or as hesitant as me? I’d love to hear about your plans to visit Komodo Island and your experience with Komodo dragons.