Komodo Dragon

Real dragons spurt no fire, have no need to fly and cast no magic spells. And still, one look from them might render you speechless. These komodos, the real life dragons, are a sight indeed. Gigantic, the lizard-like creatures are about two or three meters in length. They can easily weigh about 165 kilograms. Despite of their sheer size and appearance, they are not active hunters. What makes them intimidating is the fact that they are a patient predator. In the wild, they stalk a victim, usually a weak or injured one. One bite and that's what it usually takes. After following the victim for a while, sometimes up to several days' time, the komodos will devour the dying prey.

The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is an endangered species which can only be found in the Komodo National Park (KNP) in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). Because of the unique and rare nature of this animal, KNP was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986.




The park includes three major islands, Komodo, Rinca and Padar, and numerous smaller islands together totaling 603 km2 of land. The total size of Komodo National Park is presently 1,817 km2. Proposed extensions of 25 km2 of land (Banta Island) and 479 km2 of marine waters would bring the total surface area up to 2,321 km2.At least 2500 Komodos live in this area. Large dragons are usually three meters long and weigh up to 90 kg. Their habitat has beautiful panoramic views of savannas, rain forests, white beaches, beautiful corals, and clean blue seas. In this area, you can also find horses, wild buffalo, deer, wild boar, snakes, monkeys, and various types of birds.

KNP has a rich and amazing underwater sea biotica. Divers claim that Komodo waters are one of the best diving sites in the world. It has fascinating underwater scenery. You can find 385 species of beautiful corals, mangrove forests, and seaweeds as a home for thousands of fish species, 70 types of sponges, 10 types of dolphins, 6 types of whales, green turtles and various types of sharks and stingrays.

Or you can do some diving activities in Komodo Island. Go this link if you want to see more information about it.

Anambas Archipelago, Riau

Anambas archipelago (Indonesian: Kepulauan Anambas) is a small archipelago of Indonesia, located in the South China Sea between the Malaysian mainland to the west and the island of Borneo to the east. Geographically part of the Tudjuh Archipelago], it is administratively a regency and part of the Riau Islands Province.

Get There (source)

By Air:

Anambas is served only by Riau Airlines which flies to Pulau Matak, "gateway" of the Anambas Islands . This airline operates thrice weekly Fokker-50 flights from Tanjung Pinang's Kijang Airfield on the Island of Bintan. Bintan is connected by hourly fast ferry from Singapore. If you leave from Singapore at 07.00AM by boat to Tanjung Pinang on Bintan, you are able to connect to the Riau Airlines flight which brings you on the ground in Matak Airfield at 12.00 Noon. The airport, owned by ConocoPhilips for offshore drilling and natural gas explorations, also serves as a domestic terminal .


By Boat:

Best is to travel to and around Anambas by yacht or live-aboard from Singapore, Batam or Bintan.
Twice a month the Pelni shipping lines has a ferry, the KM Bukit Raya that calls on Kota Tarempa (the Archipelago's capital "City") on Siantan Island. You can catch it from the Tanjung Priok harbour in Jakarta, Capital of Indonesia. Sailing times are prone to delays. This boat also delivers almost all the necessary goods to the Islands.

Some Places in Anambas Archipelago

Temurun Falls

Langok Island

Semut (Ants) Island

Temawan Island

Bawah Island