Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park lies in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia, between Sumbawa and Flores, in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. It covers the three main islands of Komodo, Rinca and Padar, many smaller islands, and the surrounding sea, with a total area of about 1,733 square kilometres. The nearest town and gateway is Labuan Bajo on Flores.

The park was established in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, Varanus komodoensis, a giant monitor lizard that can reach about 3 metres in length. The protected area was later extended to cover marine life as well. UNESCO inscribed the park as a World Heritage Site in 1991, and it is also a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

The islands have dry savanna hills, steep ridges and pockets of forest. Komodo dragons live mainly on Komodo and Rinca, where rangers lead walks along set trails. Padar is known for a short, steep hike to a viewpoint over its curved bays. Below the water, coral reefs support manta rays, sharks and turtles, and the park is a well-known diving area. Pink Beach, on the south-eastern coast of Komodo Island, takes its colour from fragments of red organ pipe coral and foraminifera mixed with white sand.

Most visitors explore on day trips or liveaboard boats from Labuan Bajo. Entry fees and ranger fees apply and have been revised several times in recent years, so check current rates before travel. Walks on dragon islands are led by park rangers.

How many Komodo dragons live in the park?

Komodo Island holds about 1,700 Komodo dragons and Rinca about 1,300, with roughly 100 more on each of the small islands of Gili Motang and Gili Dasami. Around 2,000 live outside the park on Flores. The species has died out on Padar, which is why the island is visited for its viewpoint and not for dragon walks.

Of the park's 1,733 square kilometres, about 603 square kilometres are land and the rest is sea. On land, surveys have recorded 12 species of terrestrial snake and 9 skinks, along with 27 bird species in the savanna and 28 in the mixed deciduous forest. In the water, whale sharks and manta rays draw divers. The park has been named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

People live inside the park too. Komodo village had 1,508 inhabitants at the 2010 census, up from 1,169 in 1999. Fees have been a political issue. A plan to raise the entrance fee sharply was postponed and then cancelled by the Indonesian government in December 2022, and the rates have changed more than once since, so confirm the current charges in Labuan Bajo before you book a boat.