Rinca

The best option to see Komodo dragons

Rinca is one of the 3 biggest islands of the Komodo National Park with Komodo Island and Padar Island. Located right next to Flores and separated only by a narrow straight, Rinca is stretching over 198 km2. Despite being smaller and less known than Komodo, Rinca has a bigger Komodo dragon population with more around 1300 individuals living on the island. Komodo dragons are not the only animal living on the island. Wild pigs, water buffalos, Sumba deers, monkeys, wild horses and many snake species are present on the island. Rinca is composed of 3 different types of vegetation with savannah all around the coastline covering 70% of the island, monsoon forest with a dry tropical forest located between sea level and an altitude of 500 meters and the quasi-cloud forest above 500 meters. The highest summit of Rinca is Mt Ora with 670 meters high. Being closer from Labuan Bajo than Komodo, Rinca is a better option if you want to see the Komodo dragon in its natural environment with daily trip departing every day from Labuan Bajo.

Choose Rinca if you want the shorter sail from Labuan Bajo and the best odds of a dragon sighting, since the island holds a bigger population in a smaller area. Choose Komodo Island itself if you’d rather see dragons on the island that gave the park its name, as part of a multi-day route that also takes in Padar and the park’s dive and snorkel sites. Either way, Rinca and Komodo are both worth building into a multi-day Komodo boat trip rather than treating as a stop on their own.