Komodo national park - Promoting Bali

Off the east coast of Sumbawa lies Komodo national park , a group of parched but majestic islands that have achieved fame as the home of the Komodo dragon, or ora as it is known locally, which lives nowhere else but here and on a few neighbouring islands. The south coast is lined with impressive, mostly dormant volcanoes, the north with mainly dusty plains, irrigated to create rice paddies around the major settlements.

Varanus komodoensis, the Komodo dragon , is the largest extant lizard in the world, and there is no evidence that such creatures have existed anywhere other than the Komodo area for well over a million years. Unlike many rare species, the dragon is actually steadily increasing in numbers. The largest recorded specimen was well in excess of 3m long and weighed a mammoth 150kg, but most fully grown males are a more manageable 2m and around 60kg. The dragon usually strikes down prey with its immensely powerful tail or slices the leg tendons with scalpel-sharp fangs. Once the animal is incapacitated, the dragon eviscerates it, feeding on its intestines while it slowly dies. Contrary to popular belief, the dragon has neither poisonous breath or bite, but prey usually die of infected wounds.

At the time of writing, the public ferry between Sape in Sumbawa and Labuhanbajo in Flores was not calling at Komodo. As a result, visitors have to charter a boat; this is most easily done from Labuhanbajo. A boat to Komodo takes four hours and costs Rp150,000 per day.