---
node: spot_komodo_komodo_national_park
type: spot
slug: komodo_national_park
destination: dest_komodo
title: "Komodo National Park"
lead: "The park covers three large islands and a scatter of small ones between Sumbawa and Flores, and holds the entire wild population of the Komodo dragon, about three thousand animals. It was declared in 1980 and listed by UNESCO in 1991."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_komodo_komodo_national_park.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Komodo_dragon_(Varanus_komodoensis).jpg"
image_author: "Charles J. Sharp"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## Overview

The dragons are the reason the park exists, but the water around it is the other half: strong currents between the islands feed reefs where manta rays gather year-round. Access is by boat from Labuan Bajo on Flores, and every landing is made with a ranger, who carries a forked stick and is not decorative — the animals are ambush predators and their bite is dangerous. The islands are dry savannah, not rainforest, which surprises most first-time visitors.

## Highlights

Two or three days on a boat covers the dragons on Rinca, the ridge on Padar and the manta site at Karang Makassar; a single day trip covers one island badly. Go in the dry season, from April to November, when the crossings are calm. Fees are charged per park, per activity and per boat, so check what the operator's price actually includes.