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komodo national park - more than just amazing diving!

The stunning Komodo National Park is a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Located just off the west coast of the beautiful Flores Island, this national park offers world class diving and the chance to see fascinating fauna, flora and endemic species such as the famous Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis). The area was established as a park in 1980, the main focus being to preserve the populations of the dragons. However since then the biological importance of the park - both terrestrial and marine - has become abundantly clear and so the park works to protect all of the biodiversity within the park.

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Komodo National Park
Padar Beach- Komodo National Park

incredible scenery

The captivating and dramatic beauty of the park - in and out of the water - is due to the fact it was formed by volcanoes which creates a stunningly unique topography. There are three main islands - Komodo, Rinca and Padar - and numerous smaller islands. The Komodo National Park is wonderfully striking - a mixture of mangroves, rugged and dramatic hills and white sandy beaches. The beautiful scenery continues underwater with steep walls, oceanic pinnacles and stunning swim throughs.

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the famous komodo dragons

The famous Komodo dragons are found predominantly on Komodo and Rinca island; it is on these islands you can have a ranger take you on a fascinating trek where you will not only encounter these incredible creatures but also other wild species of the area. It is estimated there about 5,700 Komodo dragons left in the wild and the Komodo National Park is the only place you can see them in their natural habitat. Reaching 2.6m in length and weighing up to 91kg these impressive beasts will eat almost any meat - from small rodents to the large water buffalo that roam the islands. It is a dwindling food supply due to development, natural disasters and illegal hunting that is threatening the numbers of this endangered species. By employing members of the community as rangers the park officials encourage locals to protect the dragons - all working together to ensure their numbers remain stable and hopefully one day increase.

Komodo Dragons
Beach Cleans with Trash Hero

local villages

There are four villages within the park boundaries - one on Komodo island, two on Rinca (Rinca village and Kerora village) and one on a small island called Papagarang . Their populations are 1,764, 1,074, 500 and 1,200 respectively. There are also many communities based just outside of the border of the park such as Messah, Warloka and Soknah. Although the park is protected these communities are allowed to fish in certain zones of the park using traditional fishing methods. By having a mixture of ‘take zones’ and ‘no take zones’ fish stocks are able to remain abundant and the local communities still get their main source of protein. There is strictly no commercial fishing allowed in the park - such as trawlers - and no one is allowed to use any destructive fishing methods in the park. The benefits of this are immediately clear when you jump in for your first dive or snorkel! Schools of fish and stunning corals are abundant within the park, as well as larger pelagic species such as sharks, turtles and of course - manta rays!
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Quick facts about komodo

number of islands

63

villages in the park

There are 4 local villages around the park

number of dragons

5,700

number of mantas

1,230

Total Area Size

1,733 sq km

religion

Within the Komodo National Park the communities are all Muslim. Around the Flores the coastal communities are also Muslim, but inland they are all Catholic.

language

There is a range of languages spoken in the area. Everyone is taught Bahasa Indonesia in school, other languages spoke here here: Bahasa Bima, Bahasa Maggarai and Bahasa Komodo

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weather seasons

With the Komodo National Park sitting so close to the equator we are lucky enough to enjoy sunshine for pretty much 12 hours a day every day! The sun rises around 5.45am and sets around 6.15pm. There are two seasons in the Komodo region - the dry season and the wet season. Both offer amazing and unique diving opportunities! The diving here is fantastic all year round, but where you go in the park will vary depending on the season.
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Komodo National Park

dry season

The dry season typically runs from March - October. During these months we tend to be diving the centre and the north of the park as the winds are coming from the South. Generally during this time of the year we have water temperatures of 26-29 degrees, with the visibility reaching up to 30m in July, August and September.

wet season

The wet season is typically from November - February - don’t let the name put you off! The diving is fantastic and it is during these months we get our highest sightings of manta rays. It is rare it will rain for a whole day. During these months we tend to dive the centre and the south of the park - due to the stronger winds coming in from the North. The water temperatures range from 24-28 in these months.

We still get a lot of sun in the wet season, if you come to visit us during this time bring a light rain coat with you - it can be handy if there are some cooler winds around as well.

storms?

In January and February the diving is great, but there have been times where storms with strong winds have come through. When this happens, on occasion, the harbour master will not give us clearance to take the boats out. It is rare, but it does happen. We must always put the safety of our guests, crew and boats first.

Being the tropics it can rain in the dry season and we can have weeks of no rain in the wet season! The key thing is that the diving is fantastic all year round, with each season offering epic things to see!

are there mosquitos?

In the evening there can be some around, but not any more than the rest of South East Asia. It is easy enough to get good repellant in Labuan Bajo should you run out on your travels.

We always recomemnded checking with a health professional about what vaccinations are required in Indonesia.

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