The island of living dragons — Komodo National Park, Pink Beach, and some of the world's richest dive sites swept by Flores Sea currents
Komodo Island in East Nusa Tenggara is the heart of Komodo National Park (UNESCO World Heritage, 1991) — home to around 1,700 Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), the world's largest lizard at up to 3 meters and 70 kg. The surrounding Flores Sea waters rank among the world's best diving destinations, swept by powerful nutrient-rich currents carrying manta rays, whale sharks, and reef fish in extraordinary density. Pink Beach — one of only eight pink-sand beaches in the world — gets its color from red coral fragments.
Komodo Island was virtually unknown to the outside world until 1912, when Dutch colonial officer J.K.H. van Steyn van Hensbroek investigated reports of 'land crocodiles' from navy sailors. Naturalist P.A. Ouwens made the first scientific description, naming the species Varanus komodoensis. The islands were declared a national park in 1980, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1977, and a World Heritage Site in 1991. Local Ata Modo people have lived alongside the dragons for centuries, developing behavioral protocols for coexistence — the dragons are not tame; several people have been seriously injur…