Komodo National Park, a couple of hours by boat from Labuanbajo on the western end of Flores, is home to the Komodo Dragon, the largest living species of lizard. They can grow to up to 3m in length – when you stand next to one you realise how massive they are! They are carnivorous, killing prey by biting them; the cocktail of bacteria in their saliva is what is lethal, and they have been known to kill people so you have to be accompanied by a ranger when you visit.
We walked on the short hiking trail, which takes about an hour, and saw 5 adult dragons. As we were watching 3 of them at a man-made watering hole, this young dragon walked straight past used to get a drink.
A Colorful Affair 