Komodos on Rinca

Komodo dragons have gotten a bad rep in the press these past few weeks. The dragons have become a noted topic after an Indonesian fisherman was mauled and killed while trespassing on Komodo island. Now, what was this fisherman doing on the island in the first place you ask? Searching for lost treasure? Nope. Saving a damsel in distress? Nope… apparently, he went hunting for sugar apples. Yes. Hunting for sugar apples, on an island known for its population of 1,500 Komodo dragons. If you ask me, the media should be handing this guy a Darwin award.

The fact is Komodo dragons are dangerous and should not be taken lightly. They are active, agile predators with razor sharp teeth and have the ability to climb trees, swim or outrun any human. Little known fact – Komodo dragons are actually not venomous rather their saliva is extremely toxic containing over 50 strains of bacteria… some of which have no known antidote. Update: Based on new reports it looks as though Komodo Dragons do have venom glands. Bite victims, if treated early with a broad range of antibiotics, do have a good chance of surviving.

Komodo dragons can be found, natively, only on two islands in Indonesia – Komodo and Rinca. We decided to visit Rinca because it had a greater population, 1,900 dragons approx, and because it could be done as a day trip, two and a half hours by boat (one way) from Seraya Island compared to four for Komodo. The boat ride itself, while long, was eventful as we got to see a pod of dolphins on the way to Rinca!

Dolphins on way to Rinca

All visitors to the national park must be accompanied by a ranger who also serves as your guide through the national park area. A fact, further drilled in by the park management, as they pointed to some dried up blood stains on the window left by a ranger who’d been attacked, a week earlier, by a dragon (he survived). After registering our names with the park HQ, we chose to do the longer, two hour, trek which also included a climb up to a viewpoint area.

Rinca Island

Our first encounter with dragons was close to the Park HQ, just next to the kitchen area. Four Komodo dragons, attracted by the scent of food, sat around the area in the hopes of scoring a quick meal. The park officials never feed any of the dragons or they’ll get into the habit of coming back for more.

Let sleeping dragons lie

These claws were made for stalking...

Fifteen minutes into the trek we see a fully grown adult Komodo dragon walking straight towards us… head swinging, tongue lashing and feet pacing one after the next, this Komodo was on the prowl! We moved off the path and into the grass to let him pass by.

Komodo on the prowl

Komodo stalking

Sniffing out prey... us

Striking a pose

A little further on, we come across another Rinca native… the water buffalo, this one happily submerged in a mud bath. Water buffaloes serve as the main prey for Komodo dragons, once bitten the dragons stalks the wounded buffalo until it finally succumbs to the toxins.

Water Buffalo in mud

Face only a mother could love

We finally reach the end of our trek with some panoramic views of the entire island. It’s hard to imagine that within these plains are home to just under two thousand Komodo dragons.

Rinca Island - Viewpoint

Reaching Rinca Island: Charter a boat from Labuanbajo (cost dependent on your haggling skills)
Entrance Fee: Approx 200,000 Indonesian Rupiah (per person)
Guide: Dependent on either one hour/two hour trek

Remote, isolated and far from the maddening crowds, Seraya Island is the perfect getaway from civilisation and is, without a doubt, the closest anyone will ever get to experiencing heaven on earth. Leave your high heels and hair gels behind though, Seraya is not your average 5-star-waited-on-hands-and-feet experience… with ten bamboo huts, no mobile coverage and only two hours of water/electricity per day, this is as primal as it gets.

Seraya Island - Pano

The island is located off West Flores, 11km from the port of Labuanbajo, and takes approx an hour to reach by boat. Accommodation and transport to the island can be booked through the Gardena Hotel in Labuanbajo.

All ten huts have been built directly on the beach offering unrestricted views of the sea… and your neighbours, though everyone tends to keep to themselves. Each hut has a bed wrapped with mosquito netting, a cupboard to store any belongings and an attached bathroom. Since water is only available when the generator is turned on in the evening, you’ll have to make do with using a bucket (and a quick trip to the sea!) to flush the loo. There’s only one restaurant on the island, managed by a small family who also take care of the island. You’ll need to order your dinner earlier on in the day and for certain items, at least one day in advance.

Seraya Island - Huts

Seraya Island - Beachfront

The entire island can be explored in about an hour or two. Top tip – trek up the hill, behind the huts, just before sunset for great 360 views of the entire island.

Seraya Island - Sunset

The crystal, clear water and shallow reef stretching 60m around Seraya is ideal for snorkeling. At any given time, you’re guaranteed to see some starfish, silver dollars or even sea snakes! Don’t worry if you’ve forgotten your gear, you can rent out fins, mask and snorkel directly from the restaurant.

Seraya Island Viewpoint

Other local inhabitants also include a lone deer and mountain goats that will, if you’re not careful, will eat anything you keep outside to dry. You’ve been warned!

Seraya Island - Local inhabitants

Seraya Island - Deer

For more info on Seraya Island visit serayaisland.com or contact the Gardena Hotel for bookings and availability.

Kuta

With pristine beaches, endless shopping and hedonistic nightlife it’s not hard to see why Kuta is a tourist magnet. Think Patong Beach, but with more zipping motorbikes and narrow alleyways lined with touts selling everything from ‘exotic’ tours and lottery tickets to weed and magic mushrooms.

Kuta Beach

Kuta Beach

Judging by the number of ‘Learn to Surf’ schools around, surfing is big business in Kuta. At any given time (rains included) you can spot up to thirty to forty surfers paddling out waiting to catch the next crashing wave.

Surfing Kuta Beach

Surfing Kuta Beach

Shopping at Kuta Square

Pronounced [rahys-tah-fuhl], this Indonesian dish has its origins in the Dutch colonial era where it would be served as a representation of the various ethnic cuisines found across Indonesia. Literally translating to ‘rice table’, Rijsttafel generally consists of various side dishes (as little as 10 or as many as 40+) served with portions of rice… not unlike your everyday Thali.

Rijsttafel

We decided to try out the Rijsttafel at Poppies Restaurant, a popular Bali institution on Kuta Beach. Our Rijsttafel came on a revolving tray and was, thankfully, a more manageable 12 side dishes – one beef, one fish, one lamb, two chicken, three vegetable and seafood, chicken, beef satay along with some plain and nasi goreng.

Though Rijsttafel is not considered ‘traditional’ Indonesian cuisine, I’d highly recommend anyone visiting Indonesia to give this dish a ‘whirl’. Terima kasi!

Day 4 – Painfully early 3:30am start to the morning, we’re scheduled to head to Gunung Penanjakkan (viewpoint at 2,750m) to catch the sunrise over Mount Bromo. Outside temperature approx 4 degrees C. Unfortunately we didn’t get clear weather, but watching the clouds and mist roll off the volcanos made up for it! Quick 15 min jeep ride later and we’re at the base of Mount Bromo for a trek up to the crater. I tell you folks, I’ve seen some pretty amazing sights on my travels but *nothing* can compare to standing over the edge of an active volcano.

Mount Bromo - Viewpoint from Penanjakkan

Mount Bromo - Sunrise

Mount Bromo - Base of volcano

Mount Bromo - Into the crater

Next stop Bali!

Day 2 – Was all about the exploring! Went to Borobadur, Merapi and Prambanan… pics below. More info later.

Borobadur - Entrance to Temple

Borobadur - Top of the stairs

Borobadur - Cutaway of dome showing statue inside

Borobadur - Carvings on stones

Mount Merapi in the distance

Merapi - View from base of volcano

Prambanan

Prambanan - Detail on columns

Lots to see and do from ancient temples of Borobadur and Prambanan, volcanic peaks of Merapi and Mount Bromo, azure blue shores at Bali and Seraya, Komodo Dragons at Rinca/Komodo. Oh and a three coloured lake!

Click on the markers below to read more… (update: well thats annoying, if you click on a link it opens up in the same window. For now, once you’ve clicked on a marker, you’ll need to right-click and open in a new window/tab. Will get this fixed soon.)

See in Google Earth (KML)