We left Kupang, West Timor to fly to Flores where we were looking for a bit more turistic of places and lots of nature. We had a good feeling we would not be disappointed.
We flew to Labuan Bajo as this is the nearest town to Komodo National Park. The flight was supercheap, 100000 Rp. per person, less than 10 euros each!
We stayed out on an island called Sebayur and is situated near the islands of Komodo and Rinca. It would serve as our launching off point for our snorkle trips and tour of the komodo dragons.
An experience we will never forget was swimming with the gentle giant manta rays. They were absolutely beautiful and so graceful in their movements. We found ourselves in a lucky moment and were able to swim within a large group of them twice. It was an exhilarating, thrilling, and almost scary experience all at once as we found ourselves with 10 - 15 mantas swimming past us and so close we could touch them. The rays were massive measuring about 3 meters (9") across.
We were also stunned by abundance of fish and gorgeous reefs on offer. Every time it was a new experience seeing turtles, eels, little neon colored shrimp and a whole host of varieties of different fish. I could snorkle everyday if it were possible. I find it so extremely peaceful.
We also managed to see the Komodo dragons. The park rangers claim to not feed the dragons, but it seemed the water buffalo were being feed and these are the main diet for the dragons on the island. In general I didn't realize that the dragons mostly hunted by biting and tracking their prey. It can be a process that can take two weeks as the bacteria from their infectious bite eventually causes the animal to die and permit the dragons to feed. If it is a large buffalo there can be up to 15 dragons feeding on the animal. We also learned they are cannibals and will eat their young. Making it to adulthood is difficult.
We also visited the pink beach which sits on a small island between Komodo and Rinca. The beach gets its pink hue from the surrounding corals which are a bright red and when broken down create the color of the beach. The large pieces of the pink coral look like dehydrated strawberries you get in your cereal.
We flew to Labuan Bajo as this is the nearest town to Komodo National Park. The flight was supercheap, 100000 Rp. per person, less than 10 euros each!
We stayed out on an island called Sebayur and is situated near the islands of Komodo and Rinca. It would serve as our launching off point for our snorkle trips and tour of the komodo dragons.
An experience we will never forget was swimming with the gentle giant manta rays. They were absolutely beautiful and so graceful in their movements. We found ourselves in a lucky moment and were able to swim within a large group of them twice. It was an exhilarating, thrilling, and almost scary experience all at once as we found ourselves with 10 - 15 mantas swimming past us and so close we could touch them. The rays were massive measuring about 3 meters (9") across.
We were also stunned by abundance of fish and gorgeous reefs on offer. Every time it was a new experience seeing turtles, eels, little neon colored shrimp and a whole host of varieties of different fish. I could snorkle everyday if it were possible. I find it so extremely peaceful.
We also managed to see the Komodo dragons. The park rangers claim to not feed the dragons, but it seemed the water buffalo were being feed and these are the main diet for the dragons on the island. In general I didn't realize that the dragons mostly hunted by biting and tracking their prey. It can be a process that can take two weeks as the bacteria from their infectious bite eventually causes the animal to die and permit the dragons to feed. If it is a large buffalo there can be up to 15 dragons feeding on the animal. We also learned they are cannibals and will eat their young. Making it to adulthood is difficult.
We also visited the pink beach which sits on a small island between Komodo and Rinca. The beach gets its pink hue from the surrounding corals which are a bright red and when broken down create the color of the beach. The large pieces of the pink coral look like dehydrated strawberries you get in your cereal.
A view of our bungalows on the island.
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