For early explorers, the blank parts of their incomplete maps were often etched with a warning: “Here Be Dragons.” Tourists generally have no such worry, though when you hike into the densely forested interior of Tioman Island, it is worth remembering those ominous words.

Every now and then, you’ll hear something crash through the undergrowth. Chances are it’s a monitor lizard. On Tioman, they are big and bold, and will even venture into resort chalets. At up to 6 feet long, they are almost as impressive as their fearsome close relatives, the dragons of Komodo.

With its jagged spine of granite peaks, Tioman itself resembles a sleeping dragon. In fact, according to legend, it was formed when a dragon princess stopped to rest while flying from China to Singapore. Lulled by the lapping water, she turned to stone. Here is a dragon.