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Holiday Reviews


We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same trip can have different views!
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Indonesia holidays, tailor made, Orangutans & Komodo dragons, independent reviews

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Reviewed 20 Mar 2009 by Kathryn White

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


The whole trip from start to finish was fantastic and I wouldn't do any of it differently. Seeing the orang-utans at Tanjung Puting National Park was the highlight, followed closely by the couple of days spent on board the boat to Komodo Island. The orang-utans were a joy to watch and we felt privileged to see these animals in their natural habitat. Cruising on the Blue Dragon to Komodo was very relaxing and we were very well looked after by the crew - the food they cooked for us was fabulous. Seeing the Komodo dragons was a unique experience and the snorkelling nearby was excellent - although watch out for the jellyfish!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Don't be put off going in the rainy season. Maybe we were just lucky but we didn't get too much rain and travelling in the low season meant that the national parks and other tourist attractions were very quiet - apparently places like Tanjung Puting can get very busy in high season.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Flying half way round the world obviously has a negative impact on the environment. However, many of the places we visited rely on tourism so not going would also have a negative impact. To compensate for flying, we offset our carbon emissions with a donation to the Orangutan Foundation. We used local guides and drivers and supported community tourist initiatives such as visits to traditional villages. We also paid conservation fees to enter the national parks. So all in all I think the holiday did benefit local people and contributed to conservation in that area.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


It was one of the best holidays I've had - partly due to the superb organisation by the tour company making it completely stress free - but mainly due to the people of Indonesia being the friendliest I have come across anywhere in the world.
Reviewed 17 Aug 2006 by Caroline Hoyes
We went on the Ombak Putih pinisi Schooner for a week to Lombok, Comodo etc. Probably the best bit. Looked after wonderfully. Mainly Dutch and French passengers. They don't seem to advertise in the UK. Saw remote tiny islands, snorkelled several reefs, went to remote villages and had lots of lovely Indonesian food with different fruits each day.

The boat was just wonderful. Also loved the Tanjung Sari hotel at Sanur. Old hotel with great charm on the beach. Not mad on Ubud but loved the trip we did to the north just beautiful, also loved Tanah lot sea temple.

Was it benifitting local people? Hard to know. Boat built with Dutch money but crewed and actually made by locals. I was assured both hotels owned by Balinese but second hotel part of an Asian chain so one wonders. They certainly employed plenty of locals so that has to help the area.
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