May 3, 2026
KOMODO VILLAGE is a small, mainly fishing family population of just 300 to 350 households. It sits on the east end of Komodo Island within the National Park and is a unique community where locals coexist alongside the native Komodo Dragons.
Photo credit above belongs to Basia (check out her blog Basiak.blog). We both took basically same photo and her colors blew mine away because hers was shot in the sun and mine in shade. This is Village Pier - so warm and charming, like the people we met!
View more
The poverty here is striking but you wouldn't know it from the children! The only new construction we saw going on is this massive ornate temple, for such a small village. These 3 boys gave me a street dancing performance, when they saw me taking photos.
Below is a wood carving I thought was so creative that I would have loved to buy, but sadly I have no room to display in my cabin.
PADAR ISLAND , one of the other 3 major islands in Komodo National Park is stunning and unihabited with a walking trail of over 800 steps to the summit, for these amazing views.
KOMODO ISLAND NATIONAL PARK in Indonesia was an unexpected rare twist on this voyage. We had no idea that we would be able to anchor right in the heart of this National Park for 3 days. The National Park is comprised of 3 major islands & 26 smaller ones and is home to the legendary Komodo Dragons! We were suppose to anchor at the coastal town of Labuan Bajo and shuttle into the Park. But hours before docking, the Port Agents directed us to anchor right in the heart of the Park. Captain Val made it possible for our tour vendors, to pull right up to the Odyssey , so we had super easy access to our tours saving us lots of logistics and time.
We met up with the Ship in Timor Leste or East Timor, one of the youngest countries in the World . This sovereign state just gained their independence on May 20, 2002 from prior Portuguese rule (1515 until 1975) and Indonesian occupation (1975 until 1999). The Ship was anchored off the coastal town of Dili, the capital city with a population of roughly 1.4 million.