Komodo is located 7 degrees below the equator between the larger Indonesian islands of Sumbawa and Flores . The Komodo National Park is one of the world's most diverse and interesting marine and wildlife parks with a total land area of 75,000 hectares. The Komodo National Park is home to a rare diversity of animals, including a population of the world's largest lizard, the famous Komodo Dragons (Varanus komodoensis). Home to a wild population of more than 5,000 Komodo Dragons, a topside walking tour of Komodo Island National Park is an experience like none other. The smell of the sun-baked earth and the strange cooing sounds of the exotic, flightless magapode birds will stay with you for years after. Walking in the dry river bed, you can view the dragons' cave like liars, keeping an eye out for marauding individuals approaching from the jungle. Excitement mounts as you approach the dragons' "feeding station," where your accompanying Park Ranger may have to fend off the curious (hungry?) dragons with his stout wooden staff. The chance to view and photograph these remarkable and frightening creatures, literally face to face, is an experience the traveler will not soon forget.