Komodo Island, Indonesia

Komodo Island is one of the over 17,500 islands that make up the country of Indonesia and is the home of Komodo National Park, a World Heritage site. No one can visit the park without being part of an organized group. We were part of one of the ship’s shore excursions. There were about 20 in our group.

I awoke as we were slowly approaching the island. The view from our balcony was stunning.

The ship would be at anchor for the day and we’d, again, be using the ship’s tenders to go ashore.

When we got to the island, we got the first indication that we weren’t in a first world country anymore. When we tied up to the dock, we had to negotiate tall steps carved out of the cement in order to reach the pier. The steps were not in pristine condition and there was no railing. Crew members were there to provide a steady arm to help people up the steps. This was a little more rustic than some folks in our group had anticipated, but it really wasn’t a problem if you were in average shape. There was a long pier we had to walk to reach the beach and the park. Boats in all sorts of conditions lined the pier and numerous one floated out in the ocean.

We met our guide, Fan, on the beach and were given a short safety briefing. Accompanied by two helpers with long, forked sticks to keep the Komodo dragons away, we headed out into the forest. I’m always in awe at the beauty and diversity of nature. We hiked through forest and up the hill into meadows and back down to the forest. We saw insects, flowers, birds and dragons.

This tree had a branch twisted around the trunk. It reminded me of a giant stick insect hugging the tree.

We hadn’t walked too far one the trail when we reached a watering hole the park had built for the dragons. All the Komodo dragons in the park are wild and are the apex predators of the area. They are not fed by the park, so they hunt for prey like deer, water buffalo and each other. They are cannibals. There was some activity at the waterhole.

This was just the right amount of activity for me. The group that was two tours behind us “enjoyed” seeing a young Komodo dragon eat a baby deer whole. I guess the sounds accompanying were something people would never forgot. Another group saw dragons mating.

As we continued on, we saw a couple of dragon hidden in the long grass.

The day was hot and humid and the walk was a couple of miles or so. There were certainly people who were struggling and had overestimated their level of fitness. We ended the hike near the ocean that, of course, had a lovely view.

There was a large local vendor marketplace we were funneled through. The vendors were more aggressive than we’ve seen before. They were selling the usual t-shirts and trinkets along with carved Komodo dragons. We didn’t buy anything. I knew I didn’t want a giant reptile on my chest. Before heading back to a tender, we stopped to have our picture taken to prove we were here.

We look just a little warm!

It’s another sea day today and tomorrow and then we’ll be in Singapore. That stop will be incredibly different than Komodo Island.