KOMODO NATIONAL PARK
National Park
Established: 1980 In 1986, Komodo National Park was declared a World Heritage Site and a Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. The park includes three major islands: Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller islands. It features an extraordinarily rich marine environment including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, seamounts, and semienclosed bays. These habitats harbour more than 1,000 species of fish, some 260 species of reef-building coral, and 70 species of sponges. Dugong, sharks, manta rays, at least 14 species of whales, dolphins, and sea turtles also call Komodo National Park home. MANAGEMENT
Under the World Bank funded Komodo Collaborative Management Initiative (KCMI), PT. Putri Naga Komodo (PNK) is a joint venture company that works with the Komodo National Park Authority to protect the park
BEST TIME TO DIVE
Year around. April to November is dry season, when the weather is at its best
GETTING THERE
Most visitors enter Komodo National Park through the gateway cities of Labuan Bajo in the west of Flores or Bima in eastern Sumbawa. Denpasar, Bali is often the jumping off point, and many liveaboards leave from there.