Home Of The Dragon

The all-new AYANA Komodo Resort on the Indonesian island of Flores is the perfect family holiday destination, with a dash of adventure added for good measure, discovers Aindrila Mitra.

NO, IT ISN’T MYTHICAL. THE ‘LAND CROCODILE’ EXISTS. The Komodo dragon, also known as the Komodo monitor, is the largest living species of lizard. Worthy of the title ‘dragon,’ the lizard is found in the Indonesian island belt. With only 5,000 individuals left in the wild, it’s a species that desperately needs conservation measures to avoid extinction. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, the Komodo National Park here comprises the islands of Rinca, Komodo, and Padar.

I was counting down the days to this sojourn. If you’re a beach baby, then an island destination is inevitably your favourite kind of holiday. And Bali was a no-brainer. The expanse of greenery and the immaculate luxury that RIMBA Jimbaran BALI by AYANA offered was hard to get past. But it had to be put to rest. For the one ingredient that always stokes me is curiosity. And this time, it was the search for Komodo dragons. I took an hour-long flight from Denpasar, Bali to Labuan Bajo in east Indonesia. This trip was all about experiencing nature at its intimate and pristine best in a luxurious setting, thanks to the launch of a brandnew five-star property (the only one on the island), AYANA Komodo Resort, Waecicu Beach.