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Komodo island info

The Komodo National Park, officially declared a World Heritage Site in 1991, encompasses 132,000 hectares of marine waters making it one of the largest protected zones on the planet. The number and variety of islands which include Rinca, Padar, Komodo and several smaller isles combined with current and wave and wind exposure, result in an incredible variety of coastal and marine habitats.

Komodo Island

Komodo is located 7 degrees below the equator between the larger Indonesian islands of Sumbawa and Flores. The Komodo National Park is one of the world's most diverse and interesting marine and wildlife parks with a total land area of 75,000 hectares. The Komodo National Park is home to a rare diversity of animals, including a population of the world's largest lizard, the famous Komodo Dragons (Varanus komodoensis).

Our cruises incorporate a half - day walking tour, led by an experienced Park Ranger, into the forests of Komodo Island to see the Komodo Dragons in their natural habitat. Visit forests where wildlife abounds; flying lizards, Sunda Deer, Wild buffalo, boar, horses and exotic birds.

Under the water, experts have come to accept that this world heritage site, the Komodo National Park offers such an inexhaustible array of marine life that they now believe it one of the centres of global marine bio-diversity.

Komodo Marine Park

Komodo National Park is a unique marine sanctuary created by strong currents and upwellings that transport nutrient-rich waters throughout the park supporting a cornucopia of bio diversity.

Mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and pristine coral reefs are among the most important habitats at the Komodo National Park. Komodo offers world class scuba diving in a staggering variety of sites with walls, coral gardens, pinnacles, drop offs as well as quiet bays and inlets for macro photographers seeking rarely seen critters.

The The Nature Conservancy has recorded an estimated 1000 fish species, 260 reef building coral species and 70 sponge species in the Komodo National Park with a particularly high number of Tubipora musica (organ pipe coral) accounting for the famous pink sand beaches around the park. Turtles and marine mammals frequent Komodo's waters with occasional whale sightings as well.

Komodo Dragons

The infamous, Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis), is a land-dwelling, carnivore and the planet's largest lizard. The Komodo dragon is also an excellent swimmer. From prehistoric times, the Komodo Dragon roamed these lands undiscovered until 1912.

With twenty enormous griffin-like talons and layers of serrated backward-slanting teeth, the Komodo Dragon is a voracious cannibal. Fast on its feet, reaching speeds of up to 15 mph, their mouths carry a virulent bacteria which eventually immobilizes the Komodo Dragon's prey once bitten.

The ferocious appearance and unrestrained behaviour when feeding is thought to be the source of many early mariner tales of fire-breathing dragons prowling the islands of the Indonesian archipelago. The Komodo Dragon can reach up to 3 meters in length and weigh over 200 kilograms.

Komodo scuba diving

The Komodo National Park is the Southern-most boundary of Wallacea (the transitional area for the flora and fauna of Asia and Australia) and offers truly legendary diving.

The Komodo region has everything from majestic mantas, schooling jacks, barracudas and tuna to pigmy seahorses, nudibranchs, ghostpipe fish, and crustaceans galore. Scuba divers often encounter a new species while diving in the Komodo National Park.
the Komodo photo gallery

Our 7 or 11 night live aboard diving cruises depart from Bali or Bima sailing past some of the most dramatic volcanic islands in the world.
see our sample itineraries for more details

Whether your first trip to Komodo, a seasoned traveler to the region or an avid photographer Kararu's guides will lead you to secret places and reveal the minute details known only to those intimately familiar with a destination.