The arc of Indonesia was rising, and it culminated in one of the greatest experiences of my life during my 3 day liveaboard boat trip in the greater Komodo National Park area. A bold statement for a 40-year old who travels often, but that’s what I found myself saying after the jam-packed and nature-filled adventure.
Komodo National Park is the only place in the world where you can see wild Komodo Dragons, monstrous beasts that are evocative of dinosaurs. They live on several islands, and in between is the most beautiful nature imaginable: pink sand beaches and purple corals and blue starfish; massive manta rays and plentiful sea turtles and epic mountain views and so much more. I saw it all and the memories feel like a fever dream.
I followed the popular tourist track, which entails flying to the large island of Flores and the coastal town of Labuan Bajo, an hour flight from Bali. From there, you can take day trips or join a 3-day/2-night liveaboard, which is what I chose to do.
Unlike Java and Bali that were colonized by the Dutch, Flores has Portuguese roots, and I was quick to point out to anyone who would listen that a year ago I visited another island called Flores in the Azores. I didn’t see very much of Indonesian Flores island and its 8 million residents at all. I was happy to spend the better part of my arrival day chilling at my hostel, a perfect spot for relaxing by a pool with a busy bar/restaurant and live music on the rooftop.
The next morning, my company picked me up and drove me and my luggage to the port. I met my local guide Stefan and his assistant/photographer Francisco, plus our group of 15 travelers, all on the young and adventurous side and all European except for me and a Chinese girl who spoke little English and was totally embracing the experience and conquering her fears. Our luggage went ahead, and then we all went down narrow steps off the port to board a small dinghy that would take us to our boat, Invictus: a strong name evocative of the powerful experience we would have.
I booked the tour on Seek Sophie, an aggregator website that finds high-quality local experiences. It was one of the more affordable options, definitely not luxury, but I found it to be very comfortable and the wood finished boat was very stable. I shared the dorm room with two other solo girls, with the fourth bunk spot removed and turned into luggage storage. It was small but the beds were comfy with AC and we made do just fine. The shared bathroom down the hall had a hot shower that only worked well if no one else was showering, and we had to use that shower to wash our hands after the bathroom. No one spent much time in the rooms, opting to lounge in the shady or sunny areas in the front or top deck, chatting or enjoying a quiet beer. The dining area inside the boat was nice and the family-style meals were very good. In addition to our guides there were 7 crew members, including the captain, chefs, and an engineer.
Safety was top of mind for everyone, because a few days before we departed a dive boat in the area capsized, reportedly due to a strong sudden current amplified by the full moon. A 23-year old Indonesian woman was still missing; reports said she was showering at the time of the incident and the door was locked from the inside, making rescue underwater impossible. Horrific. We all danced around saying the words of what happened, instead saying “the thing from the other day” while wondering how safe this thing really was. We wore life-vests on the dinghy as required and listened to our guide who said not to lock our bedroom doors at night just in case. And fortunately, our ride was smooth and comfortable.
We spent our 3 days sailing around and stopping at different spots, always debarking by dinghy. First up, snorkeling at two spots. The first spot was to look for manta rays, and we saw many! They were massive, with a wingspan longer than mine. They were black and swam smoothly, sometimes spinning to show off the skeleton viewable inside its mouth. I saw one with a few orange-and-black clown fish hitching a ride on its back, evoking memories of the school teacher in Finding Nemo. There were many of these clown fish, and other Nemo characters like the dark-spirited black and yellow guy and the electric blue Dories. Fish of so many colors. There were also incredible corals of bright colors – purples and electric greens. The blue starfish were standouts. It was so incredible.
The first site also included seeing a sea turtle; we saw many more on our third day dive spot, and some were very close to me. There was a massive shark of some breed that I assume did not want to eat humans. There was a small stingray. I didn’t see the pufferfish but I saw a photo afterwards.
At our second stop on that first day, half of our group somehow got separated from our guides. We found ourselves starting to yell around for help from the nearby boats. The group nearest us, whom we had followed because their life vests were the same colors as ours, claimed to see our dinghy in the distance and sailed off, but we were skeptical. Fortunately it arrived after a few minutes, but things were a little scary for a moment. We could see a small sandbar that was a long swim away, so that was always an option.
That sandbar was our next destination, a cool spot in the middle of the ocean with crystal clear water perfect for photos and swimming. Then it was back to the boat to enjoy snacks, sunset, and dinner while we sailed to our overnight destination.
It was an early night for our 4am wakeup call, ready to start the most epic of days. First up, a pre-sunrise hike in the dark to the viewpoints of Padar Island. It was maybe 20 minutes of steep stone steps up. We reached the main viewpoint just in time for the early colors of the morning sky to peak, and enjoyed a nice long wait for the sunrise to illuminate the water and the mountainous peaks and beaches all around us. It was crowded, but having enough time to sit and explore made it feel ok. I told our guide I thought it was one of the best views in the world.
Next up, the pink sand beach. This was my second pink sand beach after Elafonissi in Crete, and this one really popped, with lots of pink crushed up red/white corals making the shore a soft pink. Francisco made us take lots of photos with the drone, and then we had lots of time to relax on the beach and snorkel along the shallow coral garden with its many colors.
After two epic stops, it was time for the main attraction: Komodo Island, one of the islands where the dragons live. We entered the national park at one of the waterfront spots and met our two guides, an older man and a younger one, both looking brusk and carrying poles with two prongs to protect us. The sticks weren’t particularly inspiring as safety measures but the men looked confident. Still, there were 17 of us, a big group, so always watching our step on the trail was essential. Fear and excitement filled the air.
I knew that nature is unpredictable and we might not see anything, but we got so lucky, spotting 6 Komodo dragons! 3 were lounging next to trees, camouflaging in as they digested their recent meals. Another small one was hiding in a tree next to the path. Two others were under a footbridge near the exit. We also spotted movement near the beachfront restaurant from very far away.
Komodos are very dangerous to humans. They are carnivorous and cannibalistic, eating water buffalo, deer (which we saw), and wild hogs (which we saw). They will also eat their own babies, so once they hatch from their eggs the babies instinctively climb up into the trees and live there for a while. A dragon can live up to 60 years. We saw males and females, both maybe 6 feet long with pointy gorilla-like fingers.
My gut was churning as we stood mere feet from them. The guides told me to stand behind one for a photo, I nervously stood about 3 feet behind its tail and they framed the shot to look like I was petting it. All the while I struggled to smile and look at the camera, eyes trained on the massive beast in front of me. I’m pleased to report we all made it out alive.
After lunch and a long sail, I awoke from my nap as we had made good time to our final destination of the night around 3pm, Rinca Island. We headed over to the beach, where we had a proper beach on a quiet beach with volleyball courts and a small shop selling cold beers. I went around a bit in a kayak, checking out some nearby mangroves. It was nice to sit and chat with new friends, especially finding out that the Italian couple was also on a 6-month sabbatical trip and we would cross paths again in Thailand.
Back on the boat, we watched sunset from the roof deck, and soon we were treated to the nightly flight of the flying foxes: hundreds of large bats! They fly to a nearby area to eat and return before sunrise. It was cool and soothing to watch as the sky got dark.
Our guides decided it was party night after dinner, and we were forced into some karaoke and then dancing on the front of the boat, which was fun for a while but then some of us were dragging after the long day. With the permission of a few others, I selected the song “Closing Time” and gave a speech about the need to go to bed. It was silly but did the trick. I felt a little old and some folks stayed out on the deck, but also glad of it all.
And then it was our last day: one more snorkel spot to see the turtles, and a stop on a nearby beach. A short hike up a hill gave amazing views, and then we relaxed in the shallow water to look for baby sharks, and we saw several! Some fish were biting/knocking into our feet when we walked near the corals, so we decided to just sit in the shallow water in the sandy areas for a while, and it felt so nice.
A quick shower and pack up, and before we knew it we were back at the port saying goodbye. I took the free ride to the airport despite having to wait around a few hours, and since it was a small airport I had to sit on the floor outside security for a while, but it was fine and a few other boat friends were still around. While sitting down inside security I felt my bench moving, and after looking annoyingly at the guy next to me I realized it was actually an earthquake, my second in Indonesia. It was a 5.2, not too big but enough that everyone was looking around, inspecting the tall ceiling for structural integrity.
It was an incredible three days; very epic and memorable. Stefan’s goodbye speech included some really nice advice: maybe some not-so-good things happened here for you; just leave them here, bring only the good. I took it to heart; and saw it as some advice I hope to carry forward with me on this trip and beyond.
