komodo dragons

We're hoping to take the HA Australia cruise that includes Komodo Island if offered next year. Just curious if any of you who have been on this cruise were able to see a komodo dragon. Thanks.

We're hoping to take the HA Australia cruise that includes Komodo Island if offered next year. Just curious if any of you who have been on this cruise were able to see a komodo dragon. Thanks.

Yes, you will be guaranteed to see several dragons. I almost think (cynically) they had them drugged to be very lazy in one open spot on the hike that virtually ensured viewing, and there was another one roaming around the tourist center right off the boat. They are huge and fun to see, particularly with all the hype and build up before hand. They scared me.

So no matter what one chose to do, the short hike, the long hike or just go ashore, at least on our trip everyone got to see at least one. And a lady tripped near the tourist center that left her with open bleeding knees, yet she was not attacked by a 60mph voracious blood sniffing dragon either. So not sure what really does go on with the Dragon, the Legend and the Reality. And the tourist experience.

Seeing Komodo Dragons: still on my bucket list!

The Knoxville Zoo has two of them that were hatched at the zoo. I saw one of them when it was a baby. Not the same as seeing them in the wild, but fun nonetheless. One of the interesting things about zoo-raised Komodos is that their venom isn't as poisonous as it is in the wild. The zookeeper said it was due to them being fed domestic meat vs. eating wild game and other creatures in their natural habitat. They are very interesting animals, and very curious about humans. Maybe we look juicy and delicious. :evilsmile:

Roz

We went to Komodo Island in 2001, which was about a year after they stopped doing the 'feeding' display at the end of the 5 mile hike at the bridge over the gully, and we saw tons of them right around the rangers hut. They were definitely not drugged at that time, they were all very alert (and so were we), but the guide did us that they do come there all the time looking for food (tourists?) which gave me the impression that when a ship comes in, the rangers secretly ensure food of some sort (live? dead? not sure) is put out in the morning.

We did go on the 5 mile hike even though we had seen plenty, but it is a long tough hike and even though I was not a diabetic at the time, I needed candy. Next time if we see them at the hut, we stay and enjoy the moment and then move on to the souvenir tables that are set up. I bought a large marvelous hand carved dragon that is still one of my favorite 'ornaments' 16 years later. I talk to my dragon (his name of course is Komo) every time I pass by him.

Seeing them was AWESOME - my #2 bucket list item & we will go again!

We're hoping to take the HA Australia cruise that includes Komodo Island if offered next year. Just curious if any of you who have been on this cruise were able to see a komodo dragon. Thanks.

You should be able to see dragons on Komodo - we saw several but as they wander around freely I guess it's possible to miss out.

Many years ago, you had to buy a goat and travel to Komodo from one of the other islands such as Flores if you wanted to see a dragon. That was in the days before Komodo became a National Park. It's now forbidden to feed the dragons, they have to fend for themselves. There's plenty of deer wandering around and according to our ranger the adults will eat the juveniles if given the chance which is why the young ones retreat to the trees!

I definitely wouldn't take them lightly. A visitor was bitten by one just recently as he wandered off without the rangers. I'm not sure if this was on Komodo or Rinca though. It's amazing to see them in their environment and rather than being 'drugged' they are like any other lizard, albeit a giant one, they spend a lot of time lying around (which suits me to be honest, I don't want one wandering in my direction) :eek:.

The Knoxville Zoo has two of them that were hatched at the zoo. I saw one of them when it was a baby. Not the same as seeing them in the wild, but fun nonetheless. One of the interesting things about zoo-raised Komodos is that their venom isn't as poisonous as it is in the wild. The zookeeper said it was due to them being fed domestic meat vs. eating wild game and other creatures in their natural habitat. They are very interesting animals, and very curious about humans. Maybe we look juicy and delicious. :evilsmile:

 

Roz

"Juicy and delicious": LOL!

I had no idea that the Knoxville Zoo had a couple of these creatures. An excellent reason to make a stop in Knoxville rather than just driving through en route to/from Florida. Thanks for the tip!

My understanding when I was there was that the only way to miss seeing one was to stay on the ship---which is what I did. Everyone I spoke with saw one, though. :eek:

Since I can't move quickly I decided it was better not to risk trying to keep far enough away from them. Sorry I missed them, but not at all sorry they missed me.

rkacruiser - Hi Bob

Komodo was on my bucket list & we did it last year on Pacific Eden [ex Statendam] 14 day repositioning from Singapore to Cairns.

Pacific Eden & Volendam out of Singapore plus Amsterdam & Maasdam all have calls this year.

To go ashore you need to be on an organized tour.

The short walk is enough in the hot & humid conditions & we saw 3 Dragons at the soak area they hang around at. Each tour group had a parks guide & English speaking assistant.

The souvenir area near the jetty was good with some interesting locally made goods.

John

Yes you Will when you book a tour. Which is the only way to get off the ship.

We chose the long trek, saw a few dragon tracks,and other wild life, then a short distance from the end of the trek several dragons were lying in the shade. A couple obliged by raising their heads for photos.

Passengers are not allowed ashore at Komodo Island unless they have booked an excursion.

If you do go, take water and a sunhat, I used my umbrella as a parasol.

We were given a bottle of water half way along the trek.

There are stalls set up to buy souvenirs.

[beginquote=1965;53124344]We're hoping to take the HA Australia cruise that includes Komodo Island if offered next year. Just curious if any of you who have been on this cruise were able to see a komodo dragon. Thanks.[/endquote]

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2015 Saw about 7 or 8 dragons in a clearing. Several persons in my private tour group had trouble with the optional hike up the hill even though they were fit. Hill hike not recommended. A great tour is to do this with Pink Sand Beach fabulous snorkeling which we did but this will not give you enough time to go to the village to shop. Also the boats to Pink Sand Beach boarding may be a little disconcerting since you have to be agile enough to step on one boat to board your boat.

Peter

One thing to understand about Komodo dragons is that they feed on dead or dying animals. They will bite a deer, causing a massive infection. Then they will follow it until it dies. However, their bodies are impervious to infection. An article in the latest Bloomberg Businessweek magazine discusses how their blood has compounds that could be used as antibiotics, particularly to treat current antibiotic resistant bacteria which kill about 700,000 people a year.

We called at Komodo on Volendam's Solar Eclipse cruise last year.

The treks on Komodo are almost assured of spotting. Komodo dragons are slow moving (they're capable of fast movement, but they don't bother 99.9% of the time). They spend a lot of time basking, waiting for their prey to die, so local guides and park rangers will know where groups of them are, and will be able to run treks that provide for spotting them.

We had a particularly awesome encounter on our trek--a deer which had previously been bitten. I won't go into further detail, but suffice it to say it was a moving insight into the nature of apex predators and their prey.

The Knoxville Zoo has two of them that were hatched at the zoo. They are very interesting animals, and very curious about humans. Maybe we look juicy and delicious. :evilsmile:

 

Roz

The Pensacola FL zoo also has a huge dragon. It is behind thick glass that goes to the floor and he loves to 'hang out' with humans so you get an close view.

We're hoping to take the HA Australia cruise that includes Komodo Island if offered next year. Just curious if any of you who have been on this cruise were able to see a komodo dragon. Thanks.

We did the circumnavigation of Australia and the visit to Komodo Island on the Maasdam in Oct/Nov 2016. On our stop at the island we did a private tour that included the "short" walk with the park ranger and then a snorkel trip. During our "short walk" which was about an hour we saw one dragon near the starting point then about 2/3 way along they took us past an open area with a small watering hole and we saw 5 dragons there. This appears to be "the place" as we met up with several other tours at this location. We also saw some deer during the walk. Just be aware that it is very very hot and humid. We heard of 4 people that needed medical attention (not in our group) during the day because of the heat. Drink lots of water.

Thanks for all the interesting information. I wonder if the eggs that were hatched at the Knoxville Zoo came from Pensacola?

Roz