Komodo Island Travel Guide, Indonesia

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Komodo Island Budget Travel Guide is created to satisfy the question on its whereabouts, and how to get there. There's no question about what to see. To those that the name Komodo rings a bell, it is for one and only one purpose: to view the giant Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), largest lizards in the world. But there's more to Komodo Island than its dragons, and I hope through this travel guide, I can help you to discover its real beauty.

Northern tip of Komodo Island, Indonesia
Author: jon hanson (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

About Komodo Island

Komodo Island is a tiny island of 390 sq km in Indonesia. It is one of the Lesser Sunda islands, a small speck on the long chain of isles east of Bali. The island is not totally devoid of humans: there's a resident population of some 2,000 people, the majority descendants of convicts that were exiled there from neighbouring islands.

Komodo dragon
Author: Vassil (public domain)

What to see on Komodo Island

Apart from the obvious, Komodo Island has unique vegetation. The Komodo National Park was in fact inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. The Komodo dragons are of course the stars of the island, standing at the top of the food chain. These giant lizards can only be found on Komodo and on a few small islands in its vicinity, and nowhere else. They can grow to 3 meters (9.8 feet) in length and weigh 70 kg (150 lbs).

Last but not least, the sea around Komodo Island offers excellent diving spots, making the island an increasingly popular diving destination.

Komodo Island vegetation
Author: Chriswan Sungkono (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Budget Travel to Komodo Island

There are guided trips from Bali and Lombok to Komodo Island by boat. There are no port on the island itself. Tourists arriving by big vessels are transferred onto smaller vessels to ferry them to shore. There is also an airstrip at Bima, the main town on Komodo Island, with flights from Denpasar, Bali.

Budget Travel within Komodo Island

There are guided tours to Komodo Island from Bali where you are taken to see the lizards. It is essential to go in the company of a local guide, as the aggressive dragons are rather dangerous reptiles that may attack.