Manado Safari Tours
North Sulawesi Tour Planning, Hotel & Scuba Diving Package Reservations - Manado, Bunaken, Lembeh Strait, Gangga & beyond
.: TRAVEL SOLUTIONS :.
.: TOP DESTINATIONS :.
.: MORE DESTINATIONS :.
.: GENERAL INFO :.
.: MANADO SAFARI TOURS :.



Manado Safari Tours
is a member of the
North Sulawesi Tourism Organisation
North Sulawesi
Tourism Organisation

Testimonials 2007/2008


Dear Safari Tours and Travel
We would like to express our gratitude and complete satisfaction with our recent Sulawesi trip that you organized for us.
Jeremy organized a fantastic split diving trip for us between Bunaken (Cha Cha Resort) and Lembeh (Kasawari Resort). After responding to countless Email requests and questions he put the perfect package together. We had a wonderful time at both resorts and all the arrangements were seamless. Even the customized transportation between Cha Cha and Kasawari was arranged with no fuss. It was a very comforting feeling to know that help was just a phone call away if needed.
Full marks to Jeremy and his team!

Andre and Heila Smith (dresmit [at] shaw.ca)
Canada, August 2008
(Cha Cha Nature Resort and Kasawari Lembeh Resort)

It was really interesting to explore Safari's website. We have been recommended to Manado by a friend and wanted to know more about the place. Safari's website provided the most relevant info and variety of accommodations and tours. Info correspondence via email was fast and efficient with Safari. We were also very comfortable on the arrangement with payment. Although, I would think that credit card payment would be a lot more secure and convenient.
Well, we finally decided to book our land contents with Safari and it turned out to be a wonderful experience.
On arrival, we were met with a welcome from Safari and transferred to Gangga Island a beautiful place. Highly recommend it! The food was great with great menu options available everyday. It is a safe and peaceful environment.
After spending 4 days on Gangga, we transferred to the Gardenia Country Inn. It was a nice change to a cooler environment. On the way there, we took a day tour up to Kali Waterfall which is near Gardenia Country Inn. The stay at Gardenia Country Inn was fabulous. Fine dining and cozy cottage style and amazing view at the gazebo during breakfast.
During the second to last day, checked out and move to town area. On the way, we took a tour to MT Mahawu and had a great time. The view at the peak was spectacular. Our 4 years old son enjoyed it very much too. It’s a nice soft adventure day for us. After the tour, we checked into town at Hotel Minahasa. The room was not that great and furthermore, water supplies were cut most of the time. On the day of our departure, we got a call from Safari informing us that our flight back to Singapore was delayed. Since we had a full day ahead, we wanted to make a trip to Bunaken and Safari was able to arrange that on short notice. The day turned out to be fabulous as we were able to get some last minute snorkeling at the best dive site in Manado. It was a great end to a wonderfully arranged vacation for us by Safari Tours & Travel. Many thanks!

Joseph, Lynette & Neal Chia (joelynette [at] mac.com)
June 2008
(Gangga Island Resort, Gardenia Country Inn & Hotel Minahasa as well as the tours - Bunaken Tour, Kali Waterfall & Mahawu Trek)

Dear Safari Tours,
The welcome at the airport and the check-in at the Santika went well and without a hitch. That was - however - no more than what we expected. What came as a very pleasant surprise was on the day of our departure. Our flight back to Singapore was delayed by 5 hours - and the agent at Safari Tours managed to get hold of us even though we were at the pool at that time to tell us of that fact. This was so much over and above what we had expected especially as we had not even arranged with Safari Tours for transport to the airport.
Cheers

Yap, Siew Leng
June 2008
(Hotel Santika Manado)

Dear Jeremy,
Before going, I knew little about Sulawesi except that it had some of the best Critter diving in the world. As an experience dive traveller, I had intended to put my tour together on my own, using the Internet. I have long ceased to be a back packer and wanted to have the extra comforts middle age desires so I found the choice difficult. However, during my research on the net I stumbled across Safari's site. The site was an excellent resource showing the different dive sites and hotels available. The people at Safari Tours were extremely helpful and it didn't add to the price of my package so I ended up using them build and book the holiday.
I had a tight itinerary (half term week) and had initially decided to go for the Aggressor live aboard but it didn't run that week. I wanted to maximize my diving but get a good feel for all the diving around Sulawesi. Eventually I plumped for 4 days at Kima Bajo and 4 at KBR hotels and I must say I soon realized that I missed very little by not being on a live aboard (all the diving is close enough to shore). The hotels I chose (with help from Jeremy) minimized the daily boat trips, gave me up to 5 dives a day, provided the level of luxury I wanted but surprisingly didn't cost much more than the lesser quality resorts (because the dive package was so good) and considerably less than Aggressor.
I had considerable concern using a Bank transfer to pay but all the hotels know Jeremy well and where happy to confirm he had made provisional bookings and pass on a reference. Safari Tours quickly sent me vouchers of all aspects of the trip and I had absolutely no problems.
I can't image how my trip could have been any better- except for maybe having the extra week to dive Bangka Islands (but that’s next years trip).
The Diving in Bunaken was beautiful (long colourful drift dives on massive walls) but Lembeh was truly amazing diving. So weird every dive.
Safari Tours also arranged the transfers, stopping between hotels to see the Tarsier. Well worth missing the afternoon dive for. I also went into the Highlands on my final day, staying at Gardenia (whilst I de-fizzed). The roads where a little wild but the place was beautiful and Freddy (my Safari tours guide) was excellent. Sulawesi is a fantastic place. My Week there was some of the best diving of my life (and I have dived all over the world).
Jeremy runs an excellent organization and anyone travelling to Sulawesi, on any budget, will benefit from their assistance. Once again “Thank you” for organizing all this for me.

Gregory Mellish (Greg.mellish [at] barclaycard.co.uk)
May 2008
(Kungkungan Bay Resort & Kima Bajo)

Smiling People : la gente che sorride. Mai definizione è stata più giusta per definire un popolo e le persone che ho trovato a Gangga Island Resort hanno pieno merito di definirsi tali. Abbiamo fatto una vacanza stupenda, nonostante la pioggia sia stata una compagna molto assidua, facendo immersioni. Siamo stati assistiti in modo stupendo : abbiamo consegnato l' attrezzatura all' arrivo e non ce ne siamo più preoccupati fino al momento di rifare i bagagli quando c'è stata riconsegnata lavata e perfettamente asciutta. Il soggiorno è stato tranquillo e rilassante. L' ospitalità e la qualità alberghiera è stata all' altezza della situazione con pasti alla "carta" e con le camere sempre pronte ed efficaci. E' una vacanza che consiglio a tutti coloro che cercano relax, fare immersioni o snorkeling, magari leggere un buon libro senza l' invadenza delle "animazioni" che spesso si trovano in altri posti di vacanza. I miei complimenti a tutti ed alla professionalità dell' intero staff.

Arturo Fiocca (3 persons) (arturofiocca [at] tiscali.it)
April 2008
(Gangga Island Resort, 11 nights)

Dear Safari
Terima kasih atas pelayanan & panduan staff anda selama kami berlibur di Manado.
Kami senang sekali atas ketepatan waktu dan keramah-tamahannya. Setelah Highland Tour di jalan pulang kami boleh melewati Tanggari (tempat kelahiran papie/opa) dan bisa melihat Waruga di Sawangan. Snorkeling di Bunaken adalah pengalaman pertama yang sangat mengesankan, dipandu ke 3 tempat yang taman lautnya indah sekali. Kami sudah merekomendasikan perusahaan anda kepada saudara2 di Jakarta dan akan merekomendasikan juga kepada teman2 di Jepang.
Salam,

Marisa & Carolien Haruta (haruta_sami [at] yahoo.co.jp)
April 2008
(Manado Tour Package 4D 3N, Mahawu Trek, Highland & Bunaken Tour, Accommodation in Hotel Ritzy)

Dear Jeremy
Just a note of thanks for taking personal interest in arranging our tours & stay at Manado during our week of 11-16 Feb 08. Gardenia Country Inn is really something!
Your tour guides did a marvellous job for all our tours, we had a great time. It was well organized, coordinated and well executed,we could not be more pleased.And certainly impressed at the quality of friendly service.We have also recommended you and your Manado Safaris Tours to relatives and friends. We'll certainly return for more.
May you and your business continue to prosper in its success.

Casper & Juliana Liew (casper_liew [at] hotmail.com)
Singapore, February 2008
(Gardenia Country Inn, Highland Tour, Whitewater Rafting)

Dear Jeremy
I wanted to write to you and thank you for the excellent service I received on my short trip to Sulawesi recently. Prompt and reliable pick-ups, always on time, make a trip to a new and unfamiliar place much more enjoyable and relaxing. My guided trip up the volcano was very well organised, and your staff were all enthusiastic and well informed, as well as efficient of course.
Thanks again, and I would recommend your services without hesitation to anyone looking to visit your corner of Indonesia.

Johnny (john.ellison [at] westsv.com)
Singapore Expat, November 2007

Hi Jeremy,
A few months before I left I knew nothing about Sulawesi let alone the best way to get there. I had some time to travel and a friend mentioned he had always wanted to go there so I did some research on the net and stumbled across Safari's site. I'm a rough traveler, always on a shoestring budget and I like having as few plans as possible before I go to a new place. For this month long trip I decided to do all my overland travel on an old mountain bike in North Sulawesi. The people at Safari Tours were extremely helpful starting with our first email exchange. I had no itinerary and a tight budget. I just wanted to pedal around and dive as much as I could afford to. I can't image how my trip could have been any better- except for maybe bringing an extra chain with me. At a busy time, the crew at Safari helped me find a dive package on short notice that fit my budget. It was amazing diving. They also suggested roads which would be beautiful to ride on and places to stop along the way. Sulawesi is a fantastic place. My month there was one of the best of my life. Jeremy and his staff helped it all work out. Safari Tours is a great organization and anyone going to Sulawesi traveling on any budget level will benefit from their knowledge, kindness and connectivity to the area.

Bradford Reed (pencilina [at] verizon.net)
New York City, August 2007
(Two Fish Divers, logistical support)

Hi Jeremy & Team!
I want to thank You for all the services you provided for me during August 2007. You were able to book airline tickets for some difficult connections between Sulawesi-West Papua-Borneo, in fact I got no help from other agents. On top of that my flight schedule was a bit tight requiring some changes on the tickets, but you handled also all the changes just brilliantly! Now I know who to contact when booking my upcoming trips to Indonesia.
All The Best :)

Sakari Lehtoranta (sakarilehtoranta [at] yahoo.co.uk)
Finland, August 2007
(Domestic Tickets & overnight Jakarta Hotels)

Dear Jeremy,
Thank you for your excellent help with all the planning and bookings in Sulawesi and Bali. Only with your support was it possible to have such a wonderful time in Sulawesi. Since I am traveling always on my own in countries were tourism is not so "normal" as for example in BALI ( I prefer regions which are a bit back laid) it is very difficult to organize different tours and transfers.
In the specific vacation I had to book spontaneous and very short hand. Without your help (Jeremy) it wouldn't be successful. It was exciting to have your immediate response after short request, followed up by continuos email (even during the night). Finally you organized 3 weeks with different highlights of Sulawesi culture and lifestyle in at least 24 hours. All transfers and flights and accommodation were perfect and made my vacation unforgettable.
From the pick-up at Denpasar (airport) to the excellent hotel, next day to Makassar with GARUDA, the TORAJA Land TOUR, and both dive-resorts ( Tasik-Ria and Cha Cha at Bunaken Island) were more than excellent. The management in the hotels and all staff was friendly and flexible when I came with some ideas.
It was my first vacation where everything was just to relax- thanks the perfect organization! I would like to come back to Sulawesi another year ( please help me again with your excellent organization!)
Thank you and your team!

Margarete
(from VIENNA, Austria, first time in Sulawesi in July 2007- Tasik Ria, Cha Cha Nature Resort, Hotel Santika Bali, Toraja Tour)

Dear Jeremy, Our holiday was terrific. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Tasik Ria, the diving was great and your representative was there to meet us when we arrived and ensure we and our baggage got safely to the Resort. Thank you for your excellent help in the planning of our vacation.

Colin Goddard (clg0409 [at] bigpond.net.au)
July 2007
(Tasik Ria Resort/Eco Divers)

Hi Jeremy
Therese and I would like to thank you and your staff, in particular Ance who guided us wonderfully on so many occasions. All travel arrangements - flights, hotels and tours - were first class and went as planned. You made our staying, diving and visiting in North Sulawesi extremely enjoyable. You have a great team to work with and a great region to show to the world.
Thank you very very much,

Louis and Therese Gagnon (lougaroulou [at] hotmail.com)
Montreal, Canada, June 2007
(Hotel Santika & Thalassa Dive Center, Lembeh Resort, Park Royal at Kitchener Singapore)

Hi Jeremy
Back in Switzerland, I would like to thank you for helping me organizing my one-month vacation around Manado.The e-ticketing is very helpful, I am sure to make use of it again in the future.
All tours, hotels and resorts were of very good quality, I hope to be back soon

Rolf Bächtold (rolfbaechtold [at] bluewin.ch)
Switzerland, May 2007
(Cha Cha Nature Resort, Bunaken Island)

Dear Dr. J, (the fixer)
Thank you for once again providing the right prescription for great fun in North Sulawesi. The stay at Cha Cha was a blast - altogether comfortable, relaxing, and entertaining. Raf and Reiko know how to take care of their guests and guide dives to the most interesting places and things, providing the best Bunaken experience I have had yet. Gardenia was the total 'chill out' romantic hideaway. I can just think of the place and de-stress several notches. The accommodation, food and, service at both places was as sweet as can be. Excellent calls. Spendid warm-up and cool down experiences on each side of my Raja Ampat trip.
I want to thank you again for the prompt responses to all my inquiries and arranging all those flights. You and MST are without a doubt the most responsive and professional travel outfit I have dealt with in northeast Sulawesi, or most anywhere else for that matter. Will be back, and with friends and family in tow next time.

Todd F. Jones (lionfishhunter [at] yahoo.com)
Phoenix, Arizona, USA - February 2007
(Cha Cha Nature Resort - Gardenia Highland Resort)

Dear Jeremy,
I would like to compliment you and your staff on the excellent service you provided us during our stay in Manado. For weeks before our trip, Erick was so helpful in arranging for the hotel, airport pickup (with stops for shopping and money changing graciously added for our convenience!) and checking on our Lembeh reservations, as well as assuring that the Lembeh staff had our departure tickets as previously arranged. He could not have been more willing or more helpful in making everything go smoothly. Then, when we wanted to change to the new and beautiful Quality Hotel, Lisa took care of all the arrangements, and we were able to move with no charge from the originally reserved hotel. While there, your staff helped with our other shopping, transportation and money changing needs, always ready to help whenever we needed them.
Any visitor to Manado would be most fortunate to avail themselves of your fine services!

Pat and Bob Watson (pwatson [at] brightok.net)
January 2007
(Quality Hotel)

Hi Jeremy,
I have just returned from North Sulawesi. As a solo female traveller, I was apprehensive about the trip. I contacted Safari Travel via the internet and received a long distance call from Jeremy Barnes. I was extremely impressed with his efficiency and the personal service that he offered. He answered my questions and immediately sent me several itineraries from which to choose. I was very pleased with the prices he quoted, and he even arranged the internal flights for me. Once in Indonesia, the Safari Travel driver was prompt, helpful, and caring. I can highly recommend the two places I stayed, Tasik Ria Resort & Kasawari Lembeh Resort, both arranged by Jeremy. All in all, it was a super trip. I felt safe, the diving was amazing, and I can't wait to go back to Lembeh! Thank you Safari Travel!

Lisa Andrewes, MSc
Abu Dhabi - January 2007

To those traveling in Northern Sulawesi,  I had the opportunity to use the services of Safaris Tour and Travels while spending a short time in Manado and was very impressed with their operation. They directed me to a hotel that fitted my needs and provided transportation with English speaking drivers. My time was limited and I used them to arrange a taxi for a three hour early morning tour of the city. A photographer, I wanted to catch the first rays of light in the morning market and the driver was there with plenty of time for "bumping" through the market. (Great shots!) The staff at Safaris had a "can do" attitude and delivered what they promised.
Manado felt very safe and I plan to visit there again next year. This time I will allocate more time and do some diving and underwater photography. I feel that Safaris Tour and Travel are trustworthy and will use them for all my arrangements.

Dan Page (dopage [at] mac.com)
January 2007
(Quality Hotel and Tour)

Testimonials Archive: Testimonials 2002-2006

Manado Safaris Home | Related Sites | Contact/Info Request

Manado Safari Tours, Jl. Sam Ratulangi No. 178, Manado - North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Phone: 62 431 857637, Skype: jhbmanado

© Manado Safari Tours