Overview
The island is drier and lower than Komodo, and the dragons concentrate around the station and the dry riverbeds where deer and buffalo come to water, which is why sightings here are more reliable. The rebuilt station, with its elevated boardwalk, was criticised while it was being built as turning a national park into a theme park; the walkway does keep visitors and animals apart. Water buffalo, Timor deer, macaques and cockatoos are all common on the trails.
Highlights
Take the medium trek rather than the short one — an hour and a half, up to a ridge with a view of the bay, and away from the animals that loiter near the kitchen. Rangers go first and last and set the spacing; keep to it, and never stand between a dragon and open ground. Morning landings are cooler and the animals are more active before the heat.