|
Lombok Information
General Information
Daily Flight Schedule
Lombok Handicrafts
Travel to Lombok
Places to Visit
Photo Gallery
Travel Tips
Testimonials
About Us
Booking procedures
Contact Us
|
|
|
Rent a Car is an alternative way to discover Lombok and beyond
either hire with driver or drive your self to enjoy and
experience Lombok has to offer!!
Need a car or
transport from Lombok airport to your hotel? or during holiday
in Lombok? please feel free to
contact us for your convenience
visit. |
|
Komodo Island National Park
A small island of 280 square km, Komodo is located between
the islands of
Sumbawa and Flores.
The island is almost all hill and barren except for
palm trees and some wood but it is famous for its
giant lizards, which are considered the last of
their kind remaining in the world today.
To many modern naturalists, East Nusa Tenggara is so
particularly interesting, because of this unique
species, called the Komodo Dragon. Called "ora" by
the local people, Komodo "dragon" (Varanus
komodoensis) is actually a giant monitor lizard.
Growing up to 3 to 4 meters in length, its ancestors
roamed the earth up to about half a million years
ago.
Komodo lives on carrions of goats, deer, and even the
carcasses of its own kind. The only human population on
the island is at the fishing village called Komodo who
supplement their income breeding goats which are used to
feed the lizards. The Komodo is protected by law and
though they are considered harmless, it is advisable to
keep them at a distance. Komodo is now a nature reserve
being part of a national park. It is home to a number of
rare bird species, deer, and wild pigs, which are prey
to the lizard as well..
To see the lizard in the daytime, baits have to be set in
the hinterland where local guides are necessary. The sea
surrounding the island offers vistas of sea life, crystal
clear waters, and white sandy beaches.
The only accommodation available is in simple guesthouses
in the fishing village. It is advisable to carry food
supplies. The best time to visit the island is between March
and June, and between October and December.
Komodo
is accessible from the sea only. Fly to Labuhan Bajo, from
where it is about 3-4 hours by boat to the island.
The Komodo Island:
Diving & Visit the Dragon
The islands of the Komodo Dragon: Rinca & Komodo Islands are
part of the complex of 175 islands (about 90% unhabitant),
situated 200 nautical miles east of Bali, between the
islands of Flores and Sumbawa. Both above and below the sea
Komodo represents a unique range of geological and
biological diversity. On shore it is an amazing museum
diorama of the Mesozoic era dry tundra and reptilian
supremacy. Komodo's symbol of international fame its
dragons, the world's largest living lizard.
In the sea it's vibrant color and exotic life will enchant
divers and snorkelers alike as endless schools of fish ride
the waterways rushing up from deep sea vents, below them the
seabed is covered with a thick carpet of florescent corals
and marine invertebrates, an underwater photographers
paradise.
The waters that surround the island are turbulent and
teeming with unparalled marine life. A marine reserve has
recently been established and this reserve is largely
undocumented and remains unexplored. Komodo National Park
was established in 1980. It was declared as a Man and
Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site in 1986. KNP
includes three major islands - Komodo, Rinca and Padar and
numerous smaller islands together totaling 41,000 ha of land
contains 132,000 ha of marine waters.
The corals in Komodo National park are pristine, with
Mantas, sharks, turtles, dolphins, dugong, many pelagics, to
the tiny pygmy seahorses, nudi branchs, frog fish, you name
it we've got it. The sites vary from gentle easy coral
slopes to heart pounding adrenalin rides, from the warm
waters of the Flores Sea in the north to the chillier waters
down south in the Indian Ocean, the underwater terrain is so
varied with sheer cliff walls, pinnacles, sandy flat
bottoms, underwater plateaus, slopes, caves, swim-throughs,
channels, all with varying colours, sizes and types of coral
both hard and soft.
DIVE SITES:
Bidadari Island
Angel Steps, huge towers of stone, encrusted with hard and
soft corals, covered in nudi branch,
small caves and overhangs make this a very interesting and
beautiful site, Dusky sharks, hump
head parrot fish are among the bigger creatures we see here.
Cathedral Coral, a gentle slope covered with table corals of
every colour and schooling fish, a towering spire of coral
with a small cave at it's base is the home to some huge
lobsters.
Sabolon
Sabolon kecil a slope on the east side of this tiny
island, with two underwater mounds at the southern end with
fields of garden eels and sea pens, schools of round bat
fish are often seen coming quite close for some nice
photography.
Sabolon Besar steep slopes off the southern and
western sides of the bigger island, fabulous coral coverage
and a good chance of spotting Scorpion leaf fish.
Sebayur kecil walls and slopes of every kind of coral
you can imagine, wide variety of marine life to be seen at
this site, mantas often seen.
Tatawa Besar slope with soft coral garden changing to
hard coral along the slope, lots of shoaling fish, rainbow
runners, fusiliers and often turtles and black tip sharks.
Tatawa Kecil (current city) as the name implies, this
site is washed by very strong currents, which is why this
site is among the many world class sites in the Komodo
National Park, schools of pelagic fish patrol the waters,
best dived at slack tide.
Batu Bolong
A little further west from current city a small rock outcrop
with a hole through it is the surface mark of another world
class site, only to be dived at slack tide or with a current
not long from stopping or starting to run, these giant slabs
of rock which disappear into the depths are an amazing sight
to see, covered with every form of marine life and patrolled
by giant trevally, Napoleon Wrasse, sharks and turtles with
schools of barracuda sweeping in to check out the divers.
Diving the Komodo National Park provides some fantastic
conditions:
WATER TEMPERATURE: 20 - 28 Degrees Celsius (68-85 F)
, cooler water is experienced on the southern sites. Full
3mm wetsuit & hood is recommended. More active people will
prefer a sports suit in northern sites.
VISIBILITY: 10 - 50M year round. Traditionally
clearer water on northern sites.CURRENT: Komodo experiences
a strong tidal flow. Not all sites are affected by current.
Drift diving is excellent, however during spring tides some
sites are impossible to dive. Particular attention is placed
on diving the correct sites at the most suitable time to
ensure optimum conditions, in accordance with the
preferences of the group.
NIGHT DIVING: The night diving in Komodo is
breathtaking. The sheer beauty, color and diversity of life
makes it a must see for all divers.
WALLS: There are numerous walls to choose from. Both
drift and static wall dives are offered.
CANYONS: Huge chasms drop thousands of meters,
fringed by extraordinary coral gardens.
CRITTERS: Found in all locations, however we do offer
special sites for encountering unusual marine species.
OTHERS: Seamounts, fringing reefs, gutters, muck, and
sandy locations are also found in the archipelago.
Getting To Komodo Island
By daily flights from: Bali - Labuan Bajo/Komodo Airport -
Bali (each 1.5 hours)
Where To Stay
You can contact the above tour operators for more
information. You can also plan to stay in Bali, and spend a
whole day for visiting Komodo Island.
Moving Around
On foot. If you join a tour, the tour will see to
everything? including the transportation.
Dining Guide
Traditional restaurants and small cafes.
Souvenir Tips
Wooden carving resembling komodo and other animals.
Other Things to See or Do
Fishing, Snorkeling in Komodo has
one of the world's most famous snorkel sites (Pink Beach),
Dragon walks, Nature walks,
Hikking,
Beach-combing.
|
