Three metres of armoured lizard with a venomous bite and a stare that predates the Ice Ages — meeting Komodo dragons on their home islands of Komodo and Rinca is as close as travel gets to the Cretaceous. Rangers with forked staffs escort every walk, and you follow their instructions with unusual sincerity. Most visitors come by boat from Labuan Bajo, pairing dragons with world-class snorkelling at Pink Beach and manta rays at Karang Makassar. April to June brings the calmest seas.
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