The summit ridge
Views over bays and islands.
Andhika bayu nugraha — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Elsa Primadita — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dewicilay — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Stepgun — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yusmar Yahaya — CC BY 2.0
Gili Lawa Darat, also called Gili Laba, is a small uninhabited island of grassy hills off the north-eastern tip of Komodo Island, inside Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. It covers about 1.6 square kilometres. A path climbs in about half an hour to its summit ridge, one of the park's favourite sunrise and sunset spots. Gili means island locally, while darat and laut, Indonesian for land and sea, set it apart from its neighbour Gili Lawa Laut. On 1 August 2018 a fire swept about 10 hectares of its savanna, closing the island during the investigation; police later ruled out arson and blamed natural causes after a long drought. In August 2021 visits were capped at 25 registered visitors a day. In August 2022 a second fire, fanned by dry winds, burned about 45 hectares and closed it again until the savanna recovered. The grass turns gold in the dry season, roughly May to October, and green after the rains. From the top the bays, Gili Lawa Laut and the hills of Komodo spread out below, and Timor deer, snakes and eagles live on the slopes. White-sand beaches suit swimming and snorkelling, and the reefs and channel between the two islands are known dive sites. It lies about 35 km west of Labuan Bajo, reached only by boat, often on overnight cruises that anchor nearby for a sunset or sunrise climb. In June 2023 the park made a naturalist guide compulsory for the climb. Pink Beach on Komodo lies 15 km south-south-west and Padar Island 20 km south.
Views over bays and islands.
Gold in the dry season, green after rain.
Reefs and dive sites next door.
Off the north-eastern tip of Komodo Island, Komodo National Park
No: park officials say the island is not dragon habitat. To see dragons, boats stop at Loh Liang on Komodo or Loh Buaya on Rinca, where rangers lead visitors.
The reefs are rich, but currents in the channel between Gili Lawa Darat and Gili Lawa Laut can be very strong. Snorkel near the beaches, dive only with an experienced local operator, and plan dives near slack tide.