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

Visiting an orangutan reserve by speedboat, then returning by slow boat under the stars, watching the fireflies glinting in the palms.

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

Bring plenty of mosquito repellent! There are no strenuous walks so you do not need heavy-duty walking boots. Also make sure you bring a lightweight rainproof jacket. To get the full benefit of the photography tuition I would recommend bringing a digital SLR rather than a point-and-shoot.

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

Yes – local people were employed as our guide and boat crew – who incidentally cooked us delicious lunches onboard every day! The eco-lodge where we stayed was solar-powered.

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

Excellent! Very well organised and the small group-size of five or six was perfect for getting to know each other. The informal approach to tuition was great – Ian was always on hand to provide advice when needed without making the day too structured. The opportunity to get so close to the orangutans and observe their behaviour was awe-inspiring.

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

After a very stressful journey out to Jakarta due to missing connecting flight from Dubai, it was great to finally arrive at the peace and quiet of the Rimba Lodge. The best part of the trip was how close we got to the orangutans, and other wildlife. We were only a few inches away at some of the feeding stations! Luckily there were not many people at any of the feeding stations and sometimes we had them too ourselves. We were very lucky to have great staff on the boat and had the best food on board much better than at the 5star hotel I then went to in Bali.

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

If Ian suggests getting up at 5am agree! I love my bed but we had to leave at 5am to get our return flight, the sunrise on the river and the birds were wonderful. If I had realised I would have agreed to get up this early on other days! Bring an alarm clock and sufficient long sleeve clothes to avoid mossies. Double check your camera before you leave mine decided to refuse to work when I got there not good for a photography holiday. I was very lucky another holiday maker had a spare camera I could borrow very grateful!

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

Yes all the staff at the lodge and on the boat were local. We understood that the Orangutan Foundation also support projects in the local villlage. The donation we made to the foundation as part of the holiday fee went to local projects.

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

The problems I had were not due to the holiday organisation. I unfortunately was not able to get full benefit of the photographic advice available due to not having a working SLR. But really enjoyed having to just look at the wildlife instead.
I had a great time.

Read the operator's response here:

It was a shame Sue had such a stressful journey to Jakarta. Someone was taken ill on her flight which meant it had to return to Heathrow which in turn made her miss her connecting flight from Dubai to Jakarta. And then she was unlucky that her camera decided to stop working at such a critical time ... but I'm glad her problems dissolved away when she joined us and had such a lovely time.