Indonesia
Komodo National Park
Around 5,700 giant lizards roam dry savanna islands where strong currents draw whales and turtles.
Dry ridges drop straight to the sea on islands pushed up by volcanoes, and a ranger walks ahead of you reading the dust for tracks. Offshore the water moves fast enough to carry whales and turtles through the channels between Komodo, Rinca and Padar.
Komodo National Park covers 219,322 hectares across three main volcanic islands and many smaller ones, and holds the only wild population of Komodo dragons, roughly 5,700 animals growing to an average length of two to three metres. Every dragon walk goes out with a ranger from the Loh Liang or Loh Buaya station. Since April 2026 the park has capped entry at 1,000 people a day, with separate annual allocations for Komodo Island, southern Padar and Loh Buaya, and tickets are bought through the SiOra app rather than at the gate. Boats returned to the park in January 2026 under a standing prohibition on sailing inside park waters after dark, so multi-day trips moor overnight instead of moving between islands. Marine sightings are never guaranteed; the currents that make the reefs rich also make them unpredictable.
Solo
A shared liveaboard gives one guest ranger bookings, boat support and a group for current-sensitive snorkel sites.
Couple
A smaller cabin boat lets two travellers balance early ranger walks with quiet hours between islands.
Friends
Companions can charter together, provided the itinerary follows quotas and the least experienced swimmer at every marine stop.
- The park's three volcanic islands, Komodo, Rinca and Padar, hold the only wild Komodo dragons on earth, around 5,700 of them.
- Every dragon walk goes out with a ranger from the Loh Liang station on Komodo or Loh Buaya on Rinca.
- Nutrient-rich currents between the islands pull in blue and sperm whales, ten species of dolphin, dugongs and five species of sea turtle.
- Since April 2026 the park has admitted a maximum of 1,000 visitors a day, booked in advance through the SiOra app.
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