Have any Dopers made the trip to the islands off Indonesia to see the famous Komodo ‘dragons’ or giant lizards?
I live in the UK but I will be visiting Australia in August. Since I’m going that far anyway, and since seeing these giant lizards has always been an ambition of mine, I thought I’d try to arrange an extra ‘hop’ on my itinerary to go see dragons.
I’m trawling the web and also getting info via personal contacts, but I just wondered if any Dopers had done this, and if so what advice you might have.
We’ve never done it, but you might want to check out the section on Komodo dragons in Douglas Adams’ Last Chance to See. Not only does it give you an idea of what to expect, it explains rather graphically why Little Bird’s advice is very, very good.
When you enter Indonesia you will be given a two month visa. You want to schedule the Komodo journey for the very first of those two months. Indonesia runs on what they refer to as ‘Rubber Time’, which is to say the boat leaves when the boat leaves don’t pay any attention to the ticket/sign/what you were told.
As you must go a couple of islands over to get to Komodo, and as this involves some dodgy boat travel you need to leave yourself lots of time. It’s not uncommon for travellers to get trapped half way there or back by high seas, bad weather or any number of other things.
If you want to do other things or see other places in Indonesia plan it for after Komodo otherwise you’ll never make it . And yes, that is the voice of experience.
Secondly, they only let you feed the dragons goats. Don’t bother taking any dried fish (the vendor will assure you it’s just fine, it’s not) with you. This means that the price of a goat on Komodo has skyrocketed. Most travellers take a goat with them when they leave Java. The park ranger will kill it for you if you’re too squeamish.
Travelling with a goat, sure, it’s not for everyone but lots of people do it, believe me. And they all come back raving about how great it was to watch the dragons chow down. Not so much the women. Not so much those who brought a live goat with them from Java.
Now if this info has put you off any I’m very sorry.
Keep in mind you can see Komodo dragon in every zoo in the Pacific rim, I’m sure they must have them at the zoo in Australia.
These things can move deceptively quickly, you cannot outrun one, you might be able to get in a low tree for safety.
Stick with your guide, and keep near a low tree.
I’ve seen a survialists guide to them, one just managed to nip the guys boot, only a small nip and its teeth very nearly went through near the achilles heel, he didn’t even know it either until he looked, the teeth are that sharp.
He was very quick getting out of the way, even so…
I remember on an episode of the cocodile hunter Steve Iwin mentioned that part of the reason people get into trouble with reptiles is that we can’t instinctively read their behavior the way we can with our fellow mammals.
A friend of mine lived there for a short while, and he said that they’re not as dangerous as you are led to believe. he used to have to bodily shift them off the road himself.
I think that’s what he said. Maybe he was making it up.
Shows I’ve seen on them usually say that they are far less likely to take on a group than lone individuals, and they always include an example or two of folks who lagged behind and dissapeared.
Yeah, the Taronga Zoo in Sydney is both, a very good zoo in terms of having big open enclosures with healthy, happy looking animals, and also happens to have a couple of Komodo Dragons.
The Komodo dragon is the world’s largest living lizard. It is found on the steep sloped island of Komodo in the lesser sunder chain of the Indonesian archepelego, and nearby islands of Rinja, Padar and Flores. It is a ferocious carnivore, and one swipe of it’s powerful tail can render an enemy senseless.
The fastest way to get to Komodo from Bali would be to fly to Bima (capital of eastern Sumbawa), then take the bus to Sape, from where you catch the ferry. It’s also possible to fly via Flores, than backtrack to Komodo. Alternatively, if you’re up for some adventure travel you could go overland (would involve 3 ferries and crossing the entire length of Lombok and Sumbawa). The most relaxed option would be to take a private cruise that stops in Komodo; I believe they’re quite simple to arrange in Bali and Lombok.
I’ve never actually done it, like most Indonesians from the west part of the country I’m almost completely ignorant of my country east of Lombok :o .
