"There were the most extraordinary creatures that I have ever seen...
In size they were enormous...
They had slate-colored skin, which was scaled like a lizard's and shimmered where the sun shone upon it...
I do not know how long we stayed motionless gazing at this marvelous spectacle."
(Arthur Conan Doyle,'The Lost World')
I'm inclined to think that Sir Arthur didn't know about five Indonesian islands - Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Padar - otherwise he would relocate his "The Lost World" from Amazonia to Indonesia. Nowadays it is possible to visit just two of them - Komodo and Rinca.
We came to Komodo from Labuan Bajo, so we had to start our journey at 5 AM and made four-hour-voyage to Komodo. But when we came there, it was already too heat to walk enough - both for us and for dragons. If and when I'll go there next time, I will go to Rinca, not to Komodo, and will spend a night there - either in the hut of rangers or on the boat.
At first, Rinca is much closer to Labuan Bajo (which is the closest place to dragon islands where one can come by flight).
At second, in Rinca there are more chances to see the dragons not only near the ranger's house but also in the wild, especially walking at the sunrise time.
Snorkeling near the small islands near Labuan Bajo was not less impressive than the meeting with dragons; the video about this is available here.
I trully recommend this amazing experience to everyone who love the underwater world as one of the best snorkelling places in the world. I also liked Puri Sari Hotel where we used to stay: it is a safe and clean spot in such a rural place as Labuan Bajo is. Hotel Manager John helped us a lot in organising of our sailings to the closest islands and Komodo. And here you can see a little video about the Komodo dragons!
