Wildlife of Java, Flores and Komodo, Indonesia

After leaving Waigeo Island I spent a pleasant few days relaxing in the forest of northern Java before the final leg of my Indonesian adventure on the islands of Flores and Komodo. Unfortunately it wasn't quite the exciting finale I'd hoped for, but I did manage to get photos and video of some nice animals, including the superb Komodo dragon.

Overall, my four weeks in Indonesia was a superb experience. It's not an easy place to travel, particularly if you're heading into the more remote regions, and the standard of facilities and guiding is generally lower than more established wildlife-watching destinations. However, in my opinion it is the most under-rated, with the merging of Australasia and Asia providing a huge range of incredible animals found nowhere else in the world.

I always use local guides when I travel to developing countries, so all the money I spend goes directly into local wildlife conservation rather than wealthy international tour companies. This brings risks as there are no guarantees or safeguards and I never really know what I'm going to get until I arrive. However, in all my years of travelling across the globe, this is the first time anyone has really tried to scam me and even then I still managed to see some nice birds and get the videos of dragons I was after... so for me its definitely worth the risks.

The trip highlight was the birds-of-paradise on Papua (see the reports here... and here,) but although the crowds on Komodo were disappointing, their money pays for the maintenance of the huge Komodo National Park which has been designated as one of the world's top biodiversity hotspots... protecting not just dragons but many other species which would otherwise be in real danger of extinction. By visiting these wild, remote places and paying to see the weird and wonderful wildlife that lives there we can all help to preserve them for future generations.