Where To See Komodo Dragons (Rinca Or Komodo?)

If you’re visiting Flores or Komodo during your Indonesia trip, you must go on a tour to see the Komodo dragons.

Visiting Komodo National Park was one of the coolest trips I’ve been on (if it’s not the coolest). I didn’t really know what to expect from these big dragons but I was curious.  

Let’s talk about how to see Komodo dragons and what are the best Komodo tours to have the best dragon experience in Komodo.

You can also read more on how to get to Flores from Bali.

What are Komodo dragons?

Komodo dragons are basically huge lizards that live in a few Indonesian islands.

They mostly live in Rinca and Komodo Islands, but you could also find them in the other islands around this area. These impressive cannibals are endangered.

They remind me of Goannas in Australia – which are smaller than the Komodo dragons.

Where to see Komodo dragons?

If you plan a Komodo tour, you will likely see the dragons. Komodo dragons are one of the main reasons why people decide to visit Komodo.

When I went on my Komodo trip with Flores XP, we saw the dragons twice.

On the first day, we saw them on Rinca Island. On the second day, we saw them again on Komodo Island.

Should you visit Rinca or Komodo to see the dragons?

If you’re wondering what tour you should take to see the dragons, here are my personal opinions on both islands based on my own experiences.

Seeing the Dragons on Rinca Island

During my boat tour, we stopped at Rinca Island on the first day – we were all pretty excited about the dragons.

It was around noon and the heat was pretty intense. We would go on a trek for about an hour. We first saw the dragons in the first 5 minutes of the trek.

There were about 5-6 of them laying down next to a big shed (which is basically the staff kitchen). They were barely moving.  It looks like they are feeding them or something.

Honestly, it was “meh”, even a bit disappointing.

Then, we started the trek and we didn’t see any more dragons on the way. We basically walked an hour in the heat when we only saw the dragons in the first 5 minutes. It wasn’t really worth it.

Seeing the Dragons on Komodo Island

On the second day, we stopped at Komodo Island. This time, it was pretty early (around 9 AM). We would go on a trek for about an hour again.

We saw the dragons about halfway where the rangers created a man-made water hole for the dragons.

There were about 10 dragons in this spot (or more) and they looked pretty alive – they were moving towards us, we could see their tongue out and it was even intimidating.

This was much better in my opinion. Also, the trek was more interesting.

Rinca or Komodo Island?

Komodo Island

That being said, most Komodo tours stop at Rinca Island. I personally would have been pretty disappointed if my only chance to see dragons had been there.

I was pretty amazed by Komodo Island in terms of dragons and I felt lucky my tour was covering two dragon spots.

Of course, seeing the dragons during the afternoon or in the morning could also influence their behaviors. The afternoon can get pretty hot out there.

If I had to pick one spot, I would pick Komodo Island because I think it’s the best place to see Komodo dragons.

How much should you expect to pay to go on a Komodo dragon tour?

Komodo Island

You can normally see the dragons as part of a Komodo tour. Some people opt for a day trip, but there are different options available (from 1 to 3 days). Obviously, prices can change depending on the tour you pick.

Although, you should keep in mind that the tours don’t include the Komodo National Park entrance fee as well as the tax or ranger fees.

Depending on the number of people in your group, prices could vary.

You can check the different fees here.

To give you an idea, this is how much I paid for 3 days worth of entries in the National Park including snorkeling, tax and ranger fees.

National Park Fees for 3 days: IDR 590K

Tax for 3 days: IDR 300K

Ranger Fee at Komodo Island: IDR 30K

Can you visit Komodo dragons on your period?

When I realized I was going to visit the Komodo dragons during my periods (it’s hard to be a woman), I was a bit nervous as someone told me the dragons could smell blood from far away.

After doing a quick research, it was hard to find information when you check titles such as “women in their periods are killed by dragons” or “how I survived the dragons – blah, blah”.

So, here’s what I did:

1. Tampons.
2. I told the guide and the ranger so they can keep an eye out for me.

Result: I felt totally safe and nothing happened to me.

Disclaimer: I won’t be held responsible if something happens to you, but make sure you tell the ranger. The same conditions apply to open wounds by the way!

Disclaimer: I had a complimentary boat tour with Flores XP. As always, all opinions are my own.