Komodo Dragon

With a maximum size of 10 feet long, and 300 pounds, Komodo Dragons are the largest living lizard species. With their sturdy legs that can run up to 13 mph, dangerous claws, venomous bite, and overall daunting demeanor, it’s no wonder that Komodo Island is nicknamed the “Jurassic Park” of Indonesia.

I mean, c’mon, these guys look like they never miss neck day at the gym. Talk about veins.

Only eating once a month on animal such as wild boar, deer, young buffalo, or even taking on cannibalistic behaviors against their young, these predators use their stealth and strong lethal bite to attack their prey. Despite their dietary habits, Komodo Dragons will still hunt and kill daily.

If you’re still not sold on the ferocious mannerisms of these reptiles, maybe these facts will convince you:

1. They can smell blood from miles away

2. They eat their prey whole similar to snakes

3. They’ve been known to kill humans.

4. Did I mention they’re cannibals?!?!

Because of this, babies live in trees until they’re four years old. This not only provides protection against other dragons, but allows an easy diet of gecko, caterpillar, and other insects.

The only place in the world to see them in the wild is within Komodo National Park. This park is comprised of five small volcanic islands within Indonesia, the largest being Komodo Island at 200 square miles. Although numbers vary depending on where you look, the National Park has anywhere from 2,000-5,000 dragons.

Did I mention that the landscape is beautiful? The rough terrain and rigged mountains spines are noteworthy.

In order to enter the National Park, you are required to have a booked excursion, with trained and local tour guides (yes, plural). These guides are equipped with knowledge of the island and of course the reptile.

(They are also equipped with a long stick, with a two pronged stick, in case someone is put in danger. To my surprise, this is the ONLY protective weapon they carry.)

When I took my tour, it was through the cruise line, took approximately 2 and a half hours long, and basically, in my honest opinion, was glorified, commercialized, and felt very staged.

Before I explain why I felt this way, I want to share that anyone considering going to Komodo Island independently, should make sure they time their visit when a cruise ship is NOT in port. Otherwise you’ll feel like you’re in Disneyland all day. Or Zion National Park on a holiday weekend. You get the picture.

At the start of our tour we were given a briefing, and then only walked about 10 minutes before spotting our first Komodo!

Sadly, it felt like standing around Old Faithful in Yellowstone. There’s a bunch of people, all waiting for something to happen, and watching the tourists is not only more fun than watching the nature, but is also disheartening to see the unawareness and carelessness people have. Seriously the lack of respect people have for wildlife and the environment, or overall RULES of the place you’re at, continues to astound me.

We saw a total of six dragons, including one juvenile. Most of the dragons we saw were around a man made watering hole, where dozens of people stood with their cameras, unaware of anything other than their lenses. But, how can it be helped? The broken English of our tour guide was only encouraging us to take pictures and videos. After all, they know we, as tourist, will share these photos online, boost their tourism, and hence bring them more money.

Does it stand out to anyone that I just said our “body guards” were focusing on our cameras instead of our safety?

We took our tour as early in the morning as possible, but this was still at 10:30. As we were told, they are much more active in the morning before it gets too hot. Unfortunately, it was still SO HOT by the time we got there they were already lethargic looking. Basically we only saw enough movement to ensure us they were still alive.

During our tour, we also saw two deer, both with antlers. Of course, our primary reason to come to the island was to see the lizard, but there was a large array of bird life, butterflies, and other really neat animals that was fun to see as well.

Footnotes I feel obligated to share:

1. We saw first hand five different people need a wheelchair and medical attention due to the heat. People falling over, unable to stand, and even vomiting due to heat exhaustion. We had been warned, but I was shocked to see HOW MANY people struggled. The temperature was approximately 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with strong humidity.

2. Now, most of you reading may be thinking, “oh, that’s hot, but not THAT hot that people should be experiencing that.” Keep in mind, that most people on the cruise ship are roughly 80 years old, so the heat has potential of having a bigger impact on them.

3. Before going to Komodo Island, I read the reviews. And they ALL explained essentially the same things I just wrote. Commercialized, lethargic tendencies of the dragon if not even appearing drugged, hot temperatures, etc. BUT DESPITE ALL THIS, we still wanted to go. It’s the only place in the world to see them, and who knows if I’ll ever have the chance again. So, while many may think I’m complaining, I’m not. I’m being HONEST, and I’m still SO GRATEFUL I had the chance to experience these incredible creatures.

Like any other cruise line tour, this one ended by taking us to the souvenirs. Doing this frustrates me, because while I UNDERSTAND the promotion, I just feel like the experience and the souvenirs lose their authenticity. As we walked back to the pier to get back on the ship, I was surprised to see that there were people badgering us all the way to the tender. Even when we were waiting in line, there were locals standing in the line with us, trying to persuade us to buy a necklace. Because of how much I've traveled, I have a lot of patience, and experience in these situations. BUT, when you're standing with sun beating down on you, drenched in sweat, and all that's on your mind is lunch waiting for you back on the ship, my patience for this runs thin.

One time a friend of mine- who also travels often- described destinations in a perfect way:

If you visit a place, and you had fun, but you never need to go back, it was a good place.

If you visit a place, and you had fun, and you would go back to that place someday, it's a great place.

For me, Komodo Island was a good place. I'm happy for this crazy adventure of life I've been given, and I feel blessed every day for the incredible things I've seen, now being able to add seeing Komodo Dragons in the wild to the list.

Cheers,

Tay