Overview
The dragons are the reason the park exists, but the water around it is the other half: strong currents between the islands feed reefs where manta rays gather year-round. Access is by boat from Labuan Bajo on Flores, and every landing is made with a ranger, who carries a forked stick and is not decorative — the animals are ambush predators and their bite is dangerous. The islands are dry savannah, not rainforest, which surprises most first-time visitors.
Highlights
Two or three days on a boat covers the dragons on Rinca, the ridge on Padar and the manta site at Karang Makassar; a single day trip covers one island badly. Go in the dry season, from April to November, when the crossings are calm. Fees are charged per park, per activity and per boat, so check what the operator’s price actually includes.