Taroko National Park is one of the highlights of Taiwan, with the Taroko Gorge ranking among the great natural wonders of Asia.

When I was planning my trip most of the information I found was from travel agents selling tours. If you are in Taipei on a short visit it is possible to visit Taroko National Park independently as a day trip from Taipei. It will take a bit of planning though as it’s a full day of travel and not something you can just roll out of bed and go to.

The closest big city to Taroko is Hualien on the east coast of the island. Getting there from the west coast is more time consuming as there is no direct bus or train across the middle of the island.

The Central Mountain Range runs from north to south down the middle of the island, and once you visit Taroko you will understand why there is no easy access across the island (hint: the mountain range is HUGE). It’s this mountain range, and the rivers that have carved their way through it, that makes Taroko so spectacular.

This guide details how to visit Taroko National Park as a day trip from Taipei, the best sites to visit in the park, and where to stay if you prefer to stay longer than a day. This itinerary is for public transport, using the train and the useful local bus that serves the park. There are scooter rental agents near the Hualien Railway Station if you prefer to go by motorbike.

Taroko National Park Map

This map shows Taroko National Park in relation to Hualien and Taipei.

[Map of Taroko National Park.]

Getting to Hualien / Taroko National Park

Hualien is the gateway city to Taroko National Park, and the train is the best way to get there.

The first train leaves Taipei at 06:14 and arrives at Hualien at 08:20. I bought a ticket the night before at Taipei Main Station to make sure I had a seat.

Depending on what train you get the trip will take between 2 hours and 3 hours, 40 minutes. Check train times online at Taiwan Railways Timetable Information.

I got one of the Mountain Line trains to Hualien, and living up to its name you pass through some lovely mountain scenery on the way. This is nothing though compared to what you will experience later.

The station at Hualien is an architectural highlight of the city with its wavy wooden roof.

At Hualien there is a tourist information centre outside the station. The bus for Taroko National Park departs from here, and you can get tickets and a timetable from the office. The ticket cost NT$ 250 ($7.95 USD), and that can be used all day.

The bus runs throughout the day, stopping at the main spots within the park. Get the timetable so you can plan the day ahead. As much as I enjoy wandering at my own pace, if you are doing Taroko in a day then you will need to be mindful of the bus timetable. A missed bus could mean an hour or more waiting for the next one.

It takes 40 minutes to get from Hualien to Taroko National Park. The bus also stops at Xincheng Railway Station on the way to the park. You could technically get off at this station coming from Taipei, but the fast trains don’t stop here anyway.

Highlights of Taroko National Park

The highlights of Taroko National Park are spread out along a long road that runs through the gorge, so it’s not like you can just turn up and walk around. The bus stops at the most interesting sites, giving an ideal introduction to the park. Entrance to the park is free.

Visitor Centre

The first stop in the park is at the information centre.

There are some walking paths here and an information movie on show, but in hindsight I should have just kept going to the first big walk. If you only have a day then your time is better spent going to the next stop.

Shakadang Trail

It’s at the Shakadang Trail that you start to see why this park is so famous. The bus stop is on a bridge on the other side of a tunnel.

From the bridge there are stairs that go down to the walking path that follows a river. At the path level the Shakadang Bridge reveals itself to be more photogenic.

The trail is carved into the side of the cliff that follows the crystal-clear waters of the Shakadang River.

Some sections of the river are so blue and green that it’s hard to believe it’s a natural colour.

I saw plenty of big spiders, but fortunately there were no encounters with poisonous bees and snakes.

Getting back to the trail, there is only one way so you have to backtrack to get to the bus stop. The great thing about this walk is that you pass through rugged mountain scenery but it is almost entirely flat, so there are no arduous mountain climbs. This is the sort of nature walk I can get behind (apart from the poisonous bees).

Keep track of how long you have been walking to make sure you can walk back and get the next bus.

Swallow Grotto

After a walk that would rank as a highlight for any other national park, it’s on to the main attraction of the park – the gorge.

The bus stop to get off at is Yanzikou (Swallow Grotto). At the stop you will see two suspension bridges, but they are reserved for those who have booked a walk on the Zhuilu Old Road. That gives me a good excuse to come back.

A short walk from the bus stop is the Swallow Grotto. The water in river is grey from the marble stone, and the road and walkway is carved inside the mountain with openings to view the river and gorge.

Like the Grand Canyon in the US, I found that no picture can do justice the feeling of seeing this in real life. This gorge is indeed gorgeous, and no one who has seen this gorge will begrudge you of using this pun.

On the other side of the tunnel system is a refreshment area with a cafe and restaurant. The prices here are at tourist prices, so if you can hold out until the next stop there are more food options.

Xiangde Temple

At the end of the bus route is the township of Tianxiang. There are hotels, restaurants and convenience stores here, and walking paths from the town.

The highlight here is the Xiangde Temple, which has a good view of the town and its bridges.

There are a troop of Formosan Macaques in the town as well.

One of the things I didn’t stop at but I saw through the bus window was the Changchun (Eternal Spring) Shrine. The bus only stops here on the way back from the park, so allow for that if you want to see it.

Bonus Stop: Xincheng Beach

If you have time left in your day then make a stop at Xincheng Beach. This is the last stop on the bus between the park and Hualien. The beach is made of large stones, sort of like Brighton Beach and Nice in the south of France. I’m more of a white sandy beach kind of guy, but I was surprised with how smooth the stones were, and how soothing the waves from the Pacific Ocean sounded when filtering through the stones. When you sit on the “sand” you make a little dent as the stones give way to your weight. It’s like a cold stone massage.

There is a walkway along the beach with a market, though that wasn’t open during the day.

Returning to Taipei

At the time of my visit the last bus leaves Tianxiang at 17:55 and arrives at Hualien Railway Station at 19.25. The last train from Hualien to Taipei departs at 22:00 so it’s possible to stay in the park for the entire day and have time for dinner in Hualien.

I booked a ticket in advance just to be sure I had a return seat. It turned out that my ride back to Taipei was on the Hello Kitty Train.

There is no high-speed rail on the east coast of Taiwan, but it’s still pretty fast compared to where I’m from (Australia via Vietnam).

And back at Taipei Main Station after a great day out at Taroko Gorge.

Where to stay for Taroko National Park

If you have more time than a day trip from Taipei then staying near the park will be more relaxing. I stayed in Hualien City, where there are many hotels near the train station. The centre of town is further away from the station (at least not comfortably walkable), so I picked a hotel near the station to save time getting to Taroko.

I stayed at the Classic Hotel City Resort, and here are more hotels in Hualien.

Another option is to stay at Xiulin Township. This is at the Taroko Arched Gate at the stop before the Taroko Visitor Center. This would be a better option if you plan to spend more than a day exploring the park and don’t care to stay in a city. Accommodation is limited here so book in advance if you plan to stay here. The closest hotels to the entrance is Liwu Hotel Taroko and Hong Ying B&B.

Inside the park there is the Taroko Village Hotel, and if you want to splash out there is the 5-star Silks Place Taroko Hotel in Tianxiang (deep in the park at the last stop on the bus).

For official park information visit Taroko National Park.

Taman Negara is the largest national park in Peninsular Malaysia and one the most famous nature reserves in Southeast Asia. Taman Negara is Malay for “national park”, so there’s no need to say Taman Negara National Park when referring to it. As one of the world’s most ancient rainforests and being the green heart of Peninsular Malaysia it deserves its eponymous title.

It’s often claimed to be the oldest rainforest in the world, though the Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland in Australia also claims this title. Whether it’s a million years old or 130 million years old (as it’s estimated to be), this is not a detail that is noticeable to the casual visitor. What is noticeable though is that this large swathe of protected forest feels like an ecological oasis after travelling through miles of palm oil plantations to get there.

The reality of travelling in Malaysia now is the endless rows of palm oil plantations. Even on the road to the park forests are being cleared and converted into plantation land. I fear that eventually the national park will be completely encircled by palm oil plantations, with no natural passageway for wildlife to traverse the length of the peninsula.

I’ve been to Malaysia so many times over the years and yet a visit to the park kept eluding me. I had a trip on the jungle railway planned, so I took the opportunity to visit while I was relatively nearby. I was under the impression from some guide books that the park is best experienced with an overnight hike. If that’s your thing then sure, but if you just want to experience a pristine jungle then a day trip will suffice.

Visiting Taman Negara

The park is almost in the centre of the peninsula in three states (Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan). The main entrance is via Kuala Tahan in Pahang state. There are other entrance points, but for the casual visitor this is the most useful as everything can be arranged from here.

While the park covers an area of 4,343 km2, most of the visitor activity is focussed around the entrance at Kuala Tahan. If you’re not doing extreme adventure activities like a 10-day hike through the jungle or summiting Mount Tahan (the highest point in Peninsular Malaysia), then the activities at the Kuala Tahan entrance will suffice.

The tourist facilities are kept outside the park, so it’s a true national park that isn’t cluttered with shops.

There are ferry boats on standby on either side of the river ferrying people across for 1 MYR.

Once you cross the river there is a national park office, where a modest 1 MYR entrance fee and 5 MYR camera fee is collected. This ticket is good for the length of your stay (6 MYR = $1.44 USD).

At the park office is the start of the trail to Teresek Hill.

The total walking distance Is about 5km on a mix of boardwalks and jungle paths, which includes some steep sections on the climb to the hill.

The paths are clearly marked here, so no need to worry about having a search and rescue team coming look for you.

At 334 metres in height it’s not too strenuous, and the elevation gives a good overview of the forest and rivers, as well getting a view of Mount Tahan.

On the way to Teresek Hill is a detour path to Lubuk Simpon. Make sure you take it.

This is a good spot to go swimming or just relax by the river.

I was mesmerised by the sounds of the gurgling waters. I had recently reread Siddhartha, which has a passage about listening to what the river says.

View this post on Instagram

The soothing sounds of the Tahan River in Taman Negara.

A post shared by James Clark (@nomadicnotes) on Apr 9, 2019 at 2:56am PDT

One of the highlights of the park is the canopy walkway. This is a series of suspension bridges built among the tree tops up to 40 metres high and 530 metres long.

Unfortunately the walkway was closed for repairs when I went. I had read that it was closed beforehand and it was one of the reasons I wanted to visit the park. I had put off visiting the park for so long though that I wasn’t going to pass up this chance to visit.

I walked to the start of the canopy walk anyway, which is along a well-maintained boardwalk through the jungle.

I saw many varieties of lizards, and I’m pretty sure I heard every snake within a 100-metre radius. I came not expecting to see any large wildlife, so my low expectations were met.

Where to stay in Taman Negara

There is resort accommodation inside the park at Mutiara Taman Negara, which has a variety of accommodation options. Apart from that, accommodation is opposite the Tembeling River at Kuala Tahan. This is a classic backpacker village, with a variety of hostels, guesthouses, and cafes serving western food. I enjoyed going to the cafes on the rivers edge, where you can have a coffee with a view.

This is in a conservative part of Malaysia though, which means that most places don’t serve alcohol. Don’t expect a party atmosphere here like in Thailand, or even Penang.

There is a functioning town Kuala Tahan, with a school and klinik among other government offices.

I stayed at the Taman Negara Travellers Lodge. I would book accomodation online rather than risk arriving to find the village fully booked out. Search for accommodation in Kuala Tahan.

How to get to Taman Negara

The park is not on the way to anywhere, which is also part of its appeal. If it was on a main highway between major urban areas it would probably be overrun by now. I was pleasantly surprised with how manageable the number of visitors were.

I visited Taman Negara after travelling on the Jungle Railway from Kota Bharu. Unfortunately the train is not a useful way to get there. The closest station is Jerantut, which has one train a day. If you are coming from Singapore/Johor Bahru then this actually works, otherwise don’t bother.

I got the Jungle Train to Kuala Lipis and stayed there the night as it’s an interesting place. I then got a bus to Jerantut, and then a taxi to Kuala Tahan.

If you are travelling independently from Kuala Lumpur get a bus to Jerantut, and at Jerantut there is a local bus to Kuala Tahan. The local bus from Jerantut to KT departs at 8am and 3pm, so it will basically take all day to get there from KL if doing it on the cheap.

Alternatively you can get a taxi from Jerantut if you don’t want to spend a few hours waiting around Jerantut. It’s a 45 minute drive and will cost 70 MYR ($16.80 USD). If you are going by local bus you will need to stay in Kuala Tahan as there are no bus combinations that can facilitate a day trip from KL.

You can visit Taman Negara as a day trip from Kuala Lumpur with a tour, which is the least amount of hassle. If you are doing a day trip then bring a clean change of clothes as you will exude several litres of sweat by spending half a day in the jungle.

Another option to get to Kuala Tahan is by boat from Kuala Tembling, between Jerantut and Kuala Tahan. This is a good option if you have time and are looking to add to the overall experience of the trip.

During my trip to Cape Town, the two day trips I had planned were for Robben Island and the Cape Peninsula. I didn’t realise that you could also do a safari from Cape Town in a day if you are pressed for time, but I have already been on a safari so that was not a consideration.

I had always assumed that Cape Town was at the very bottom of Africa at the Cape of Good Hope, but the cape is about 90km further south. Close enough to the bottom if you are looking at the whole map of Africa, but not so close that you can stroll out of your hotel to get to the bottom of the continent.

On my first day in Cape Town I met a Thai guy and a Korean guy at my hostel who asked if I wanted to go to the cape with them the next day. They were hiring a car so it would have been a cheap day out if we split the ride. It was forecast to be a rainy day and I still had two weeks to spare so I passed.

To get to the cape I took a tour. I picked Baz Bus, which is a popular backpacker tour bus in South Africa. Their main product is a hop-on hop-off bus service that travels along the coast and onwards to Johannesburg. They also have a Cape Peninsula day tour, which departs from Cape Town. I booked the tour at their head office in Cape Town, and they sell tickets in all the hostels.

The first stop on our trip was at Hout Bay where an optional part of the day included a boat trip to a nearby seal colony. The ocean was rough the day we were there and we were warned the boat wouldn’t be able to go all the way out.

I went anyway and as soon as we left I wished I had stayed onshore. Our boat was riding giant swells and slamming hard on the way down. On just this short trip I began to understand why sailors would fear passing by the cape. I was happy for the boat to return after realising that there would be no pleasure cruise today. Anyway, if you want to see seals you can see them sunning in the port, waiting for generous fishermen to throw them some lunch.

Driving south from Hout Bay the road climbs up a cliff face with amazing views of the coast. This is the view of Hout Bay.

I booked this tour primarily to see the cape and enjoy the scenic drive. What I wasn’t expecting was the additional bonus of penguins. Our next stop was at Boulders Beach, where there is a colony of African penguins.

Boulders Beach is also part of the Table Mountain National Park, which covers Table Mountain (of course) in Cape Town, all the way to the Cape Peninsula, though not in a single contiguous area. Table Mountain is not included in the tour so it is something you should see in your own time (and going up the mountain is a must).

The penguin colony is on the beach right next to the town. There are special walkways so people can’t go on the beach, otherwise you know people would do that. I know that you shouldn’t interfere with wildlife, but these little fellas are so cute that you just instinctively want to reach out and cuddle one, so I was grateful for the enclosed walkway, lest I create an international incident; “Australian tourist caught fondling wild penguins in South Africa.”

Part of this tour includes a short bike ride component. The mini-bus had a bike trailer and once we got to the peninsula we were issued bikes and helmets to ride for part of the way down. There is not much traffic here and it is reasonably flat so it’s an easy ride. Riding along with the wind whistling through the spokes of my bike, it really felt like being at the end of the world.

We had a picnic lunch at one of the tourist facilities and then it was on to the cape. Along the way we met a curious ostrich. I think he was interested more in his own reflection than with us.

Before I visited South Africa I had assumed that the Cape of Good Hope was the most southerly point of Africa. If you are looking to stand at the very bottom of Africa then you are on the wrong tour. The most southerly point of Africa is at Cape Agulhas, which is about 150km away. Cape Point is the western edge of False Bay, so named because sailors would reach the eastern edge of the bay thinking they are now sailing up the coast of Africa, when in fact they have entered a large bay.

In this photo you can see Cape Point and the other side of False Bay.

The park is filled with roaming baboons. They can be aggressive if they think you have food so be aware. Not that anyone would think a baboon is as cuddly as a penguin, but you do get occasional people who have never encountered a baboon or monkey and think it would be fun to feed them. Not a good idea.

On our way to the Cape of Good Hope we saw another ostrich. As you can see the coast is wild and wind-swept, and looking like a sailors nightmare. So much of this coast reminded me of the west coast of Victoria in Australia. The Great Ocean Road and the Shipwreck Coast in Victoria has a very similar feel (just replace emu’s with ostrich’s). I love rugged coastlines like this so I was happy to be here.

At the Cape of Good Hope there is the obligatory photo opportunity at the sign. After fighting off four bus loads of fellow tourists I got a few seconds to get my photo.

Another thing I learned on this tour is that the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean meet somewhere near Cape Agulhas rather than at the Cape of Good Hope, as so many people believe. Our guide told us that people believed that you could actually see a difference in colour of the water where the two oceans met, as if the oceans knew they were two separate entities as determined by mankind. For the record, there is there is no difference in the colour of the two oceans where they meet.

Even though it’s the most south-western point of the African continent and not most southerly, it’s one of the most iconic geographical points in the world. I usually find that I am disappointed in myself whenever I get sucked in to visiting a geographical extremity, but here it’s so worth it because:

a) it is one of the most famous, and
b) the drive and the coast line to get here is so scenic.

Overall I enjoyed this tour. We had a great guide and driver, and it was the cheapest tour I could find for a whole day tour. I did feel frustrated when we were driving along such spectacular coast line that I couldn’t stop along the way, but these are the tradeoffs for the convenience of a tour.

The ticket cost 690 Rand (about $48USD) and there are discounts if you have a the main Baz Bus tour ticket.

View the 1 day Cape Peninsula tour here, or book anywhere in Cape Town where you see the Baz Bus sign (they seem to be everywhere).

An alternative list of tours can be found on GetYourGuide. This includes half day tours if you don’t have all day, plus private car tours.

If you are comfortable with driving then I would recommend renting a car, especially if you have a group.

When it comes to the big animals of Africa the hippopotamus lives in the shadow of the Big Five: African lion, African elephant, cape buffalo, African leopard, and rhinoceros.

The term “Big Five” was coined by game hunters for being the five most difficult animals to hunt on foot. It has since become a check-list for tourists of animals to see when visiting African animal reserves. Even the South African government has gotten in on the game by, ahem, lionizing the Big Five on the national bank notes.

Perhaps the olden-day hunters weren’t fond of hunting on water. Or perhaps they knew how dangerous hippos are. Yes, these ridiculous-looking aquatic vegetarians are the most deadly mammals in Africa (the most dangerous animal being the mosquito).

I was surprised to read that hippos were dangerous. Anyone who has played Hungry Hungry Hippos would not to get in the way of a hippo feeding frenzy, but that is common sense.

[A hungry but not hungry hungry hippo.]

Perhaps my perception of hippos was influenced by Fantasia.

[Image from The Disney Wikia.]

It wasn’t until I read an account of a man who was swallowed by a hippo and lived to tell the tale that I knew about the dangers of hippos.

This story was the first thing I thought when I found out I was visiting a hippo reserve. I was invited to South Africa as part of an Australian media trip on behalf of South Africa Tourism.

iSimangaliso Wetland Park (formerly known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park) is a national park on the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, a province in eastern South Africa. It became South Africa’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1999.

Here is a description from the isimangaliso.com website:

The 332 000 hectare Park contains three major lake systems, eight interlinking ecosystems, 700 year old fishing traditions, most of South Africa’s remaining swamp forests, Africa’s largest estuarine system, 526 bird species and 25 000 year-old vegetated coastal dunes – among the highest in the world. The name iSimangaliso means miracle and wonder, which aptly describes this unique place.

The park is the third-largest protected area in South Africa and it has 280 km of coastline, running all the way to the Mozambique border. It’s a huge area with lots to see, so for our short visit we focused on the Lake St. Lucia estuary, which has the biggest hippo population in South Africa.

This was my first wildlife experience in South Africa I was wondering was how easy would it be to see the animals. That question was answered almost as soon as we got on the boat, with hippos in abundance from the moment we started cruising.

Our first sighting was of a crash of hippos (or also known as a bloat of hippos) that had crashed out on the bank of the estuary. Hippos spend most of their time in the water, so to see them on dry land was a good start. We all rushed to one side, excited for our first hippo sighting, as if it might have been one of the few sightings of the day.

We needn’t have rushed. As we went further into the estuary it became apparent that there were hippos everywhere, with lone hippos and groups looking like submerged logs in the water.

We soon got up close to another group/crash/bloat and the first time you see a hippo “yawn” it becomes obvious why you would never want to cross one in the wild.

I mean look at those teeth!

This one looked like it was stalking our boat.

I christened him/her Captain Willard from Apocalypse Now.

Watching the young ones playing in the water with their big mouths open they are surprisingly cute, but yeah, you still wouldn’t want to get near them.

More to the park than hippos

The estuary is only a small fraction of the national park, so you aren’t going to see a wide variety of animals here.

Throughout our afternoon cruise we did see other animals, including Nile Crocodiles (or if the internet had named them, African Murder Logs).

And getting my Big Five account started there were plenty of Cape buffalo along the way.

Driving back from the cruise our guide suggested we make a detour to the beach before heading back to town.

This wide, sandy beach offered another glimpse into the diversity of this park.

Getting there

Durban is the closest city with an international airport. Durban to St Lucia is under four hours drive on an international-standard freeway.

Where To Stay

For hippo viewing, boats depart from near St Lucia. We stayed at Elephant Lake Hotel in St. Lucia.

Resources

iSimangaliso Wetland Park – Official park site.
iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal – Information from South Africa Tourism.

Disclosure: My trip to iSimangaliso Wetland Park was provided by South Africa Tourism (Australia).

One of the lesser-known attractions of the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam is the Tra Su Forest. The forest is a former plantation that is now a wildlife reserve. There are canals which are flooded (usually between November to March) and there are boats that will take you on tour.

The forest is about 20km from Chau Doc, which is on the Vietnam/Cambodia border in Southern Vietnam. There are tours that visit from Chau Doc, or can hire a motorbike and see some of the other sites in the area on the way.

Chau Doc is too far from Ho Chi Minh City to make it a viable day trip. If you have limited time in the Delta I would visit a floating market first. However if you are slow travelling around the Delta or if you have arrived in Chau Doc via Cambodia then it is worth making a detour for.

It costs 150,000 VND ($6.66 USD) per boat so if you are by yourself see if you can split a boat with another group. The tour starts with a speed boat through the larger canals.

On the way there is plenty of birdlife and you will see beautiful lotus flowers – the floral emblem of Vietnam.

The speed boat takes you into the interior of the reserve where there are smaller boats with rowers waiting for the next segment of the trip.

This is where the trip gets more relaxing as you now only have the sound of the rowers oar while gliding through the flooded forest.

During the trip you will see other canals that are now disused and filled with vegetation.

In such a noisy country is almost unnervingly quiet in this forest.

After being rowed through the forest it is back to the speed boat.

There are some walking paths in the forest and an area with an observation platform which is worth walking to.

Bonus: Eat Some Rats!

A specialty of the Mekong Delta are rats. These are not your average city rat that has lived its life in the gutter, but field rats from the rice paddies.

At the observation platform there is a food area which has a restaurant that serves rats. I had seen pictures of rats served on skewers which gave a visual impression of what you are eating. Here though the rats were served quartered. If I didn’t know what it was I probably wouldn’t have guessed it was rat.

The cooked meat looked very appetising. I’m not going to say it tasted like chicken, because it didn’t, but the meat was white and had the same appearance as bbq chicken on the outside. All I can say was it wasn’t gamey like I thought it would be, and it was a tasty meat.

Where to stay in Chau Doc

I stayed at the Thanh Nam 2 Mini Hotel, which is a reliable backpacker guesthouse in Chau Doc.

A good option is the Hung Cuong Hotel, which is the middle of the action in Chau Doc.

To search more hotels in Chau Doc visit Agoda. .

Tra Su Forest Map

I’m wrapping up my Flores posts to highlight how to travel Flores in the space of a week. Originally I had intended to spend 2 weeks there, but my trip was cut short when I realised I needed extra time to apply for an East Timor visa in Kupang, West Timor.

[The coast of Flores. And the answer to why bus travel takes so long.]

Even at two weeks I thought I was going to be rushing it. My friend Stuart recommends 18 days in Flores. Having finished travelling there I would say that too, but for many of us 2+ weeks would be a luxury.

If you don’t have 2+ weeks you can still see a lot in a week, and in the process see two of the great travel highlights of Indonesia (Komodo and Kelimutu).

For illustration purposes I’ve set Bali as the starting point seeing most visitors to Indonesia do so via Bali. This of course can be done from either direction.

Day 1: Bali to Labuan Bajo

Fly into Labuan Bajo and get a tour boat planned for a 2 day/1 night trip. Here is the boat tour I booked.

Day 2: Labuan Bajo to Komodo National Park

Depart Labuan Bajo for Komodo National Park. View Komodo Dragons, go island hopping and snorkelling coral reefs. Sleep on the boat.

Day 3: Komodo National Park to Labuan Bajo

Another full day exploring Komodo National Park, returning to Labuan Bajo in the afternoon, just in time for another sunset show.

Day 4: Labuan Bajo to Bajawa

Long travel day consisting of ten hours in a bus. Look for the blue Gunung Mas buses when booking a ticket. They are a reasonably spacious minibus and more comfortable than the older Bemo style buses.

Day 5: Bajawa Day Trip

Spend the day touring the area around Bajawa, including visiting some of the traditional villages and visiting a hot spring.

While most towns have since been concreted over there still remains some villages in Flores that have kept their traditional buildings. One of the villages I visited was Bena.

Day 6: Bajawa To Moni

An eight hour bus day to get to Moni. I got the local Bemo bus which made me realise how much better the Gunung Mas bus was, so try and book that one.

Day 7: Moni > Kelimutu National Park > Ende > Home

Get up at ridiculous o’clock and grumble about getting up so early, then realise it was totally worth it when you see the sun rise over crater lakes and mountains.

You will be back in the village of Moni by 9am, so time to pack up and get a bus or private car to Ende (about 2 hours away) and from there fly back to Bali or onward destination in Indonesia.

Other Options

If the thought of two long bus days has put you off, you could instead fly from Labuan Bajo to Ende and skip the Bajawa section. I would then spend more time in Labuan Bajo, either by opting for a 3 day boat trip or doing some day trips from LB to other beaches.

If you just want to get to one place stay put you could easily spend a week exploring the area around Labuan Bajo.

Komodo National Park is a protected watery expanse that covers a group of islands and reefs to the east of the island of Flores, Indonesia. Komodo is famous for the giant lizards of the same name, but it’s also home to some of the best coral reefs in Indonesia.

To visit Komodo you have to go via Labuan Bajo, the major port city on the west coast of Flores. Komodo Island is too far from Labuan Bajo to make a worthwhile day trip. If you are pressed for time you can visit Rinca Island in one day. Rinca has more Komodo dragons than Komodo so this is a reasonable option. To blow through in a day just to see the dragons though would be a shame, as part of the attraction of the Komodo National Park is the park itself.

A two day/one night boat tour will get you to Komodo and Rinca, as well as stopping at some other islands on the way for snorkelling and beach activities.

Finding a Komodo tour in Labuan Bajo

Finding a tour can be a challenge in Labuan Bajo. If you there in low season there might not be enough people to fill a boat and you could end up having to charter a whole boat yourself. All of the agencies on the main road in Labuan Bajo had signs up advertising “passengers needed for tomorrow.” That they didn’t have passengers in the first place wasn’t mentioned. I walked around and was quoted between 2.5 to 3 million rupiah ($210-250 USD), many of which were just trying to get me to charter a boat on my own.

And the winner is…

After walking around I found a boat that was going out that had passengers and could split the cost, and I was offered the rate of 900,000 IDR ($76 USD). The company was Putri Komodo Tours. It was the first boat I found that had enough passengers to share the expense so I booked it without any other consideration. Prices seem to vary according to how many others are on the boat and negotiation, so the price indicated here was what I paid.

The price included 2 days/1 night on the boat, plus food and drink. Not included is the national park fees (paid at Rinca or Komodo Island) and I had to hire snorkel gear separately (around $3 a day from a shop in town).

The Boat

I didn’t know what to expect from the boat. I was thinking that it was going to be like the backpacker boats that ply between Lombok and Flores over 4 days where everyone sleeps on the deck. The thought of even spending one night on such a boat left me with dread, but it seemed there was no other option to see Komodo and experience some of the other islands.

[The Boat.]

Fortunately the boat was nothing like I expected. For a start there were cabins. The boat had two cabins and I got the front cabin to myself while the other two passengers took the second one. No sleeping on the roof with partying backpackers here, though there were mattresses for the top deck if you wanted to.

[My cabin bed.]

[My cabin view.]

My other concern was toilet situation. I’ve been on a boat with a squat toilet, and let me tell you, it wasn’t a pretty sight or smell. I sighed relief to see a clean western toilet and shower.

[A toilet. Yay!]

Food and Drink

I brought a bag of junk food snacks in a last minute shopping spree, just in case. I needn’t have worried about bringing food as we were well feed the whole time. The crew caught seafood as required and there was always more than enough.

[Lunch.]

Tea, coffee, and ice-cold water was available all day, and afternoon snacks and shakes were served.

[Watermelon Shake.]

[Fried Banana Snacks]

There was nothing for sale onboard the boat, which was part of its appeal. We were told to stock up on beer if anyone wanted to drink. I was happy with the Kopi Flores.

The Crew

Part of my pre trip dread was from previous boat tours where the crew feel compelled to entertain you all day. Stuck on a boat with crew of the “are we having fun yet?!” variety is not my kind of fun.

The crew were great. Entertaining but not in your face. There were two young deckhands, the chef, and the captain. The two young guys would come up to the front to talk and practice their english and make a joke or two.

[The captain…]

[…and the crew.]

In the evening when the boat was about to drop anchor the deckhands were on the bow. They turned around and yelled out “James! James!”, like kids yelling for their parents to watch as they are about to do something silly. In this case they re-enacted the Titanic “I’m Flying” scene for me. Hilarious.

[A Titanic Couple.]

Activities

Dragon Hunting (so to speak)

Seeing the Komodo Dragons is the main event of this trip, and if you are lucky you will see them twice. On the first day the boat stops at Rinca Island and there are Komodo’s lounging around nearby the rangers office.

[Komodo Dragon on Rinca Island.]

On the second day we visited Komodo Island. The boat docked at the island overnight so we got started first thing in the morning. Once again there were Komodos gathered around the main office. We were told that they aren’t being fed but they seem to be hanging around in hope for something (people, perhaps?)

[A Komodo on Komodo – the meta dragon experience.]

On both islands we went for a walking tour through the forest for an hour or so, spotting deer and water buffalo (both dragon food). It wasn’t until we were near the end of the walk that our guide took out his phone and showed some photos of gruesome injuries of a park ranger who was bitten by a Komodo the month before. He was flown to hospital in Bali and the wounds were so severe that he was still recovering in hospital. Yikes!

After seeing the dragons there isn’t much else to see on the islands in terms of exotic wildlife, but it was good to walk around for a while on solid ground before getting back on the boat.

[Fellow passengers and our Komodo guide with his dragon stick.]

Snorkelling

I’m not a diver but I do like snorkelling, and it turns out that Komodo is an ideal place to snorkel. Being a national park has protected a lot of the reef from destructive dynamite fishing, which is a stupidly popular method of fishing across Indonesia.

One of the highlights was at the reef at Pink Sand Beach. I saw a number of giant turtles and countless colourful fish.

[Reef at Pink Sand Beach]

We also went to a spot known for manta rays, of which there were several.

[Manta Ray]

I was told dolphins were spotted in the area but I didn’t see them.

Island Hopping

At the reef at Pink Sand Beach the beach from a distance looks like a regular tropical paradise white sandy beach, but if you swim ashore the beach reveals it true colour. The sand is speckled with red coral, giving the illusion that it is pink.

On the way back we visited Kanawa island. The island has a private resort but because we weren’t staying the boat wasn’t allowed to dock, so we had to swim in. If they had allowed us to dock I would have taken photos of this lovely beach and spent money in their micro-economy at their little cafe. Instead I just swam in without out my camera (or money).

[As close as my camera got to Kanawa.]

Not quite going off the grid, but going off it anyway

I brought my laptop with me only because I didn’t have a secure place to store it, but I didn’t open my laptop on the trip. I was mentally prepared to be off the grid for 2 days and I gave advance warning to those that would notice where I was going. Turns out though that much of the area we were in was still emitting 3G mobile coverage so I was still on mobile internet. Apart from sneaking a few emails I used the time to read and meditate while watching the sea.

[Coffee Time]

This boat trip was a real surprise for me. I got lucky with picking a boat company has been highly recommended online (which I didn’t know when booking). And while I came to Komodo to see the dragons I was not expecting Komodo to be more than just the dragons. For me I place this trip as one of my highlights of Indonesia. The boat trip would be great with a group of friends to hire out the whole boat and it is certainly a feasible short side trip from Bali.

Photo Galleries: Putri Komodo Tours and Komodo National Park.

The North of Sumatra has seen less logging and palm oil/rubber plantation development thus has a the largest orangutan population in Sumatra.

One of the best places to see the Sumatran Orangutan is in Bukit Lawang in North Sumatra. This little jungle village made the news in November 2003 when a flash flood swept though the town, killing 280 people. Today the town has recovered its tourism facilities and is welcoming back visitors.

The guesthouses where tourists stay is upriver from the town itself and has a footbridge and new embankments along the river along with basic tourist amenities.

Orangutans
Visitors can see the orangutans by visitng the rehabiliation centre or by trekking in the jungle to see them in the wild.

While most people come here to go for a trek to see the orangutan in the wild, visiting the rehabilitation centre will at least guarantee that you will see an orangutan on your visit to Bukit Lawang.

[Orangutan Drinking Milk]

The rehabilitation centre is part of the Gunung Leuser National Park. The orangutans are fed twice a day which is when you can see them. They are fed a simple diet of bananas and milk, which encourages them to eventually go into the wild to look for more diverse foods.

[Orangutan with bananas]

[Thomas Leaf Monkey]

Treks to the jungle range from 3 hours to 3 days and must be done with an official guide. I took a 3 hour trek because, while I love walking, I’m not a sleep in the jungle kind of guy. I was told their was no guarantee of seeing a wild Orangutan on the trek, but luckily we saw one in our first hour of walking.

The guides are locals who love their home that is the jungle. Our guide for the day is probably the coolest looking guy in Bukit Lawang. With his tattoos, long hair and jewellery he looks more like a rock star from Jakarta than a jungle man from Northern Sumatra.

[Gunung Leuser National Park Tour Guide]

What I loved about him most was his trekking gear. You see the western trekkers on these tours in their North Face/Colombia boots and pants developed by NASA that wick away sweat, and here was our guide in shorts, singlet and no shoes! At one point he stopped and showed us his bloody toe. He said with pride that a leech and been and gone.

At one point someone commented on the density of the forest, to which the guide replied in song: “You know where you are?”

No one else seemed to know the words, so I replied: “you’re in the jungle baby”.
I refrained from finishing the sentence: “you’re gonna die”. This of course is from Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses.

Guides often bring an apprentice with them as well. In this case his brother. They bring a bag of fruit for the trek break and learn the ways of the guide along the way.

[Guide and brother]

Tourists as a tourist attraction

Returning from a jungle trek in Bukit Lawang our tour party passed a family swimming in the nearby river. The family saw us and ran up to us to say hello. They all wanted photos with us, which they used their mobile phones to take pictures of us with them.

[Tourist Attraction Tourists]

I asked for my picture as well. At the last minute the dad thought it would be a good idea if I held the young daughter, and he put her in my hands just before the photo was taken. As you can see I am not versed in the ways of holding children. I more look like I am holding a prize chicken at the royal show.

Our Indonesian tour guide told us that the family were from a town that doesn’t see any tourists, so we were something of a novelty.

Getting to Bukit Lawang
Bukit Lawang is four hours north of Medan, the biggest city in Sumatra. Medan airport has connections to cities across Indonesia and Southeast Asia. It’s also possible to ge to Medan by ferry from Penang in Malaysia.