Komodo Land Excursions Including Komodo Dragons
Although my scuba diving liveaboard was the main element and reason for travelling to Komodo, Indonesia, there were some good land excursions included as part of the itinerary when we were not diving in the water. These included a visit to a pink beach where the colour is caused by coral that has microorganisms that turn the coral pink. But of course the main attractions of land excursions to Komodo will be the famous Komodo dragons.
Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world reaching lengths of three metres or ten feet and body weights up to 150 kilograms or 330 pounds. I didn’t expect to see them until near the end of our dive week but it was about mid week when our excursion was scheduled. I didn’t know how close we would be able to get to them or even be on land at the same time as them knowing that Komodo dragons are quite venomous and therefore dangerous.
When we got to the sanctuary, our guide who carried a special stick to ward them off, gave us a safety briefing and was quite insistent that we never stand in front of any Komodo dragons which can run up to 20 kilometres per hour and swim. But to my surprise, not only were we able to get quite close to them, but I also got to walk behind a big one as shown in the video below. Of course the guides were always there to monitor safety.
When I told my guide that I was shooting a YouTube video, he got all excited and took my iPhone to shoot some extra video footage including an epic scene where a big Komodo dragon actually knocked over my phone on the ground. But we got a great video of its belly as a result!
As far as I know, all scuba diving liveaboards in Komodo include a visit with the Komodo dragons. For general tourists coming to Labuan Bajo who are not going on dive liveaboards, I’m pretty sure that the majority of them book day trips to see these awesome creatures since they are the stars of Komodo region.
Views Of Komodo From Up Top
In addition to visiting the Komodo dragons and the pink beach, my group of divers also went on an excursion to get some great views of Komodo national park. I climbed all the way to the top and took some video which was quite breathtaking. Although the landscape here is not as green and lush as in Raja Ampat, Komodo is still quite beautiful in its own right. The brown colours sort of remind me of the Red Sea area in Egypt when I dived there.
