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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 APRIL 2016 40 Travel Komodo Island – dragons, diving and deserted beaches MARC CASOLANI THE land before time, where dinosaurs once roamed and volcanoes shaped the world we live in today – hold on, dinosaurs still roam these lands and volcanoes still seem to be changing this part of Indonesia. Komodo, ring a bell? The great Komodo dragon, fabled in many scripts throughout time, large in size and deservedly nick- named the last great land dinosaur (techni- cally it's just a huge lizard, but dragon or dinosaur sounds so much more exciting!). These great creatures can still be found on the islands of Rinca and Komodo in Indo- nesia. The area is not the easiest place to get to, it's either an internal flight from either Bali, Jakarta or Lombok that will cost a little, or an island hopping public ferry that will take up a lot of time. However you decide to get here, you will not be disappointed with this land of the lost. To get to the land of the lost, you have to go through the upmarket port town of Labuan Bajo, which doesn't have much to offer save its four-star resorts on pri- vate beaches, great places to book diving or snorkelling trips and komodo dragon viewings, boats to some of the islands and last but not least home to some great Ital- ian cuisine. Although you may be expect- ing to chance upon great Indonesian dishes while travelling through the islands, Luban Bajo has become known, in the backpacker world, as Little Italy, as a result of a large population of Italian travellers who settled in there and set up a number of establish- ments – many of them restaurants. If you are flying in from Europe, this may not be what you are after, however if you've been travelling around Asia for a few months, then this is a welcome surprise. Use Labuan Bajo as your base to set off to most of the islands within the National Park. If you have any experience in scuba diving, this has to be on your list of places to go when travelling through Indonesia. Prices charged for diving trips here do not reflect the fact that it is rated one of the top diving sites in southeast Asia. Just €90 will buy you a day trip that includes three dives at spots that match your experience level, lunch and a day tour on the dive boat around a few of the islands, stopping for a swim here and there or on various islands just to chill out and enjoy the scenery. As long as you feel comfortable diving in currents you will be able to make the most of the best dive sites around the park and see some of the most amazing and diverse marine life found in Asia. Sites include Manta Point which, as its name suggests, is home to giant manta rays that have wing spans starting from three metres, black and white tip reef sharks, and three spe- cies of sea turtle, along with all colours and shapes of reef decorated with some rare species of coral. For those not comfort- able with breathing in the depths of the big blue, snorkelling is a viable option as much of the coral reefs are pretty shallow and al- low snorkellers an optimal view. After you have driven yourself mad as a sea monkey with all the diving, you might want to get yourself to beach on one of the many beautiful islands in this region. There are two well-known islands that are suitable for all types of travellers, whilst some other islands are more suited for patrons with a little bit more to splurge. What all these islands have in common though is that they are all secluded, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and are out of sight, tucked away behind a fortress of beautiful coral. This is the perfect spot for make-believe. The complete isolation of these islands makes you feel as though you've been ship- wrecked on a deserted island with spot- lessly clean beaches and a small portion of land for exploring. When you've had your fill of adventure, hop onto the next boat out for a hot meal and a cocktail. No sense in feeling the hunger pangs that come with shipwrecks! We started off talking about the land be- fore time and dinosaurs, so where do you go to catch a glimpse of these terrifying beasts? Get a boat from Labuan Bajo, or any of the surrounding islands, to Rinca Is- land or Komodo Island and feast your eyes on the largest reptile that roams the islands The great Komodo dragons are found wondering these two islands. As you might imagine, having an experienced guide is of vital importance as even though they don't breathe fire, remember they are only lizards, these reptiles have a deadly bite. There are around 3,500 dragons found on both islands and they share this space with two very old villages that date back about 500 years. The locals have learnt to live with these famous dragons and have a great deal of respect and understanding of them. However you wish to explore this part of the world, I can guarantee that it will leave a life-lasting impression. There is talk of turning their current airfield into an international airport, and though this will make getting to the Komodo Island a whole lot easier, it will lose its charm for tourist joints. One can only hope that a project such as this will be managed in a way to preserve the diverse eco-systems of this magical region. How to get there Emirates offer regular flights between Malta and Bali with a stopover in Dubai. Flights departing from Malta on 29 April and returning on 13 May were priced at €1,047.00 including tax at the time of going to print. From Bali, get a ferry to Labuan Bajo that you can use as a base to get to surrounding islands.