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Komodo Island Travel Guide
Dragons as long as nine feet devour on the flesh and bones of deer and buffalos, and sometimes, even humans, in the tropical island of Komodo, home of the 2000-square-kilometer Komodo National Park, a World Heritage Site in Central Indonesia. The dragons, known as Komodo, are the world's largest-living lizards that lurk in the hilly and remote island of Komodo, Rinca and Padar. Although dangerous, many tourists still take guided hikes on the hills to brush shoulders with these enormous monsters. The baby Komodos can be usually found sniffing around the kitchens of tourist camps while their mommies swim with divers in some of Indonesia's best riptides and whirlpools just outside the island.
A Man and Biosphere Reserve, Komodo National Park lies at the heart of the earth's richest marine biodiversity. The eyes of divers and snorkelers feast on over 260 species of reef building coral, 70 different types of sponges, crustaceans, manta rays, sharks, turtles, whales, seals, dolphins, and over a thousand kinds of bony fish.
Sandwiched between Flores and Sumbawa, Komodo can be reached via airplane from Denpasar. There are no markets or restaurants in Komodo, but the nearby fishing villages can be relied on for simple accommodation, or just for a friendly afternoon chat. It is hot and dry here all year-round, especially between August and September, when temperatures soar beyond tolerable limits (reaches more than 40 degrees Celsius).
Even so, many ignore the intense heat of the sun when they set for the island's pristine beaches and wildlife reserve, which can be toured on foot or on horseback. The animals to see, apart from the carnivorous Komodo, are the reptiles' favorite prey, the Timor deer. There are also wild horses, water buffalos, wild boars, long-tailed macaques, fruit bats, and palm civets. From above, Australian avian wonders like orange-footed scrubfowl, sulpher-crested cockatoos, and nosy friarbirds may serenade visitors with a chain of unexpected melodies; but from below, the treacherous cobra or Russel's pit viper maybe just hissing around a corner, ready to make a pass at unsuspecting victims.
Komodo Island Traveler Advice
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