Manado Safari Tours
North Sulawesi Tour Planning, Hotel & Scuba Diving Package Reservations - Manado, Bunaken, Lembeh Strait, Gangga, Raja Ampat & beyond
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Manado Safari Tours
is a member of the
North Sulawesi Tourism Organisation
North Sulawesi
Tourism Organisation

Testimonials 2009-2011


It was very welcome to be picked up at the airport and taken to the Hotel Aryaduta in Manado, which was a nice comfortable start to our trip. We took advice on where to eat and had a great meal in the Raja Sate restaurant. The Gunung Mahawu trek the following day was a great introduction to Sulawesi and to the birdlife of Sulawesi. We were able to get good views of the smoking Mt. Lokon and had a very nice late lunch by the side of Lake Tondano. Everything ran smoothly and we'd recommend Safari tours to others travelling to North Sulawesi. In all, we were in Sulawesi and Halmahera for nearly 3 weeks in that time we found everyone to be very friendly, and felt safe at all times.

Simon Wotton, Keith Blomerley, and Richard Winspear simon.wotton [at] rspb.org.uk
August 2011
(Hotel Aryaduta Manado, Mahawu Volcano Trek)

We were directed to Safari Tours when we asked our diving resort on Bunaken Island who could help us with domestic tickets in Indonesia as well as with hotels. I then drafted a long email to Safari Tours with all my questions and we received a fully informative reply with days. The ticket booking went without a hitch and we were glad Safari Tours did it for us because the planes were booked full when we did our travelling. Booking from Manado by ourselves would probably have stranded us (we were there in high season and close to Ramadan).
Safari Tours also booked our hotels in Manado and even in Ternate and all hotels were fine. The hotels Safari Tours advised all scored high- within our price class – on Tripadvisor and they were fine and excellently located. We did two tours, at the end of our stay and they were both highlights: The Tangkoko 2 day tour and the Mahawu volcano tour. We have travelled all over the world and seen many jungles, but the Tangkoko tour is still totally worth going. Very special, saw the Macaques and the Tarsiers as well as many birds. As to the birds, we were privileged that Safari Tours got us an excellent guide, Untu Baware, who took us on an extra long bird watching walk for us in the early morning of the second day. But Safari Tours guide Freddy was also very knowledgeable! He then took us to Mahawu – stunning views -and around Tomohon the next day. Plus he also took care of our airport transports. The Safari Tours Crew in all made us feel very welcome in Manado and if we come back – a very real possibility – we will for sure contact them again.

Alexander van Hulsenbeek & Rolsma Gerbertus vanhulsenbeek [at] wxs.nl
July 2011
(Tangkoko & Mahawu Tours, Travello Hotel, Minahasa Hotel, Manado-Ternate-Manado air tickets)

Perjalanan kami menggunakan Safari Tours & Travel sangat menyenangkan. Agak sedikit kecewa dengan service di Mama Roos Homestay, kelihatannya mereka tidak siap dengan kedatangan kami. Mengenai Tangkoko, anak-anak senang sekali karena mendapat kesempatan baik melihat Tarsius dan Macaque. Terimakasih buat Gracia yang sudah mengatur perjalanan kami dan terutama buat Pak Freddy sebagai pengatur di lapangan. Angkat jempol buat Pak Freddy yang bisa menyesuaikan acara tur dengan sikon di lapangan (walau tdk sesuai dg itenerary, so far sih cukup oke lah dengan kondisi anak-anak). Bisnya juga sangat menyenangkan...lebar, lega...Tour ke Bunaken juga cukup ok, walaupun sayang cuaca kurang mendukung sehingga waktunya terlalu pendek. Kami senang sekali pakai Safari Tours

Monica Oey & Family mam_oey [at] yahoo.com
July 2011
(Tangkoko + Tasik Oki Tours, Highland Tour, Horse Riding, Bunaken Tour, Hotel Aryaduta Manado & Hotel Sedona Manado)

Tangkoko was a different adventure. It’s so pristine and off the beaten path, which is hard to find these days. The forest is really amazing and the macaques are out of this world! We also spotted other wildlife such as tarsiers, monitor lizards, tarantulas, centipedes and many species of exotic bird. Our Safari guide and local ranger were both great! They are fun to be with and very knowledgeable. We felt like we made two new friends :-)
We also visited the Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Centre, which I highly recommend, and learnt more about macaque rehabilitation and the rampant wildlife trade that goes on in the area.

Nina Morstol nmorstol [at] hotmail.com
October 2010
(Tangkoko overnight + Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Center)

Tickets were sent out very quickly, check in was very easy and there was no problem with any of the flights.

Ben Crowson and Family benjoseph89 [at] aol.com
October 2010
(Domestic ticketing)

Both of us can only say that we had a wonderful time in North Sulawesi and that everything you did was excellent-we have already passed your name on and if we return we would only ever use you to fulfill our needs.
Regarding Gardenia-also excellent. We were well looked after and the service was excellent.
Thank you and your drivers for all your help.

Nicholas & Philippa Hogg nandph [at] talktalk.net
October 2010
(Gardenia Country Inn)

My impression is that the services provided by the Safari Tours & Travel STT is very helpful for my fun diving trip in Manado. It's more practical without me having to think about the transport and other arrangement as I am not familiar with Manado. Safari Tours' rate is cheaper than the other agents and during my dive I have been accompanied by a pleasant and patient dive master and we also got a good diving location. Therefore, I am delighted to travel with Safari Tours & Travel. Thank you.

Julian Lidya Rahmawati julian [at] pupukkaltim.com
October 2010
(1 Day of Diving)

Excellent service as usual.
This was the second time for us to ask Manado Safari Tours & Travel to buy Indonesian flights for us. Their service is extremely professional and quick.
By the way this was our second holiday in North Sulawesi (what a magic place!!!) and all the people we met (hotels' managers, dive masters.....) seemed to know Mr Jeremy and appreciate his outstanding and reliable service.
Do not hesitate to contact them to plan your holiday or for ticketing service, they will do whatever they can to make your holiday unforgettable.

Monica and Mauro Sarzetto zanfranceschi [at] libero.it
Italy - August 2010
(Domestic Ticketing)

Safari Tours made it easy to meet some of the real people and culture of North Sulawesi. Having pulled into Bitung via a ship, they made extra efforts to pick us up and drop us off at the dock for both the Tangkoko and Minahasa tours. The vans were very impressive, with comfortable seating and air conditioning so that we could forget we were in a van because we were too focused on looking out the window! Gracia made the arrangements a breeze, and Freddy was an awesome, enthusiastic guide for both our tours. We accomplished a lot on both days--we learned so much about the region, took photos and created memories that I will treasure forever. I look at my photos with fond memories of the tours as well as North Sulawesi in general. If we come back to Bitung, I will absolutely recommend Safari Tours to all of my shipmates. Thank you all so much for your hospitality!

Colleen Peters, Crew member of the Okeanos Explorer
August 2010
(Tangkoko Nature Reserve and Minahasa Highlands Tours)

I just want to thank you for your fine service on my package to the Murex Dive Resort. You were able to set up the travel from my ship at Bitung and return for an early hour on Sunday which I valued much since it allowed another nights stay.
As a crew member of the Okeanos Explorer (a US NOAA exploration ship), it is a pleasure to know that your company is there to arrange everything for a relaxing getaway for the weekend. Since I only had a couple of days and contacted you at the last minute I was relieved how smoothly it all went.
The stay at the Murex Resort was pleasant and comfortable too. My thanks to Gracia at the office and Ino the driver too. You are both truly dedicated professionals. Many other crew members on board are quite pleased with your service too.

Jack Standfast, Crew member of the Okeanos Explorer
July 2010
(Murex Dive Resort, Mainland)

Terima Kasih Gracia atas semua bantuan dan pelayanan yang telah diberikan selama kami ( Saya dan isteri ) menjalani bulan madu di Manado.
Perjalanan yang sangat mengesankan dan menyenangkan yang sangat indah untuk dikenang dan terlalu sulit untuk dilupakan. Terima kasih sekali lagi atas semua keramahan yang diberikan.
Salam untuk Pak Freddy dan Inoy kiranya Tuhan membalas semua kebaikan dan keramahan yang diberikan. Dan sukses selalu untuk Safari Tour.

Welly Polly dan Hartati
June 2010
(Cicak Senang Resort, Hotel Minahasa, Manado City Tour, Minahasa Highland Tour, Tangkoko Nature Reserve Overnight Tour, Gardenia Country Inn)

Dear Safari Tours,
We want to thank you for all your planning, support and follow through with our recent 6 weeks vacation to North Sulawesi. You were right there for us every step of the way. The planning stage went smoothly thanks to your prompt communication with us through email and skype. It seemed any question or concern was quickly researched and answered.
The resorts, Kungkungan Bay Resort, Lembeh Resort, Gangga Island Resort and Minahasa Lagoon were quality resorts that certainly met our standards and expectations. We enjoyed the diving, housing, food and staff at all 4 resorts and will hopefully return to them at a future date. Each resort offered a different variety of diving, yet the accommodations were of a high caliber and represented a variety of Indonesian experiences.
The ground transportation was incredible. You were always at the appointed times and places all along our journeys. After our initial meeting with Jeremy and Gracia at the Manado airport, we never had a concern about ground transportation, you were there for us, thank you. If we had questions or concerns during our vacation, we could easily contact you and we felt the support from your staff. It seemed at our vacation was your number one priority.
We look forward to working with you again, since Indonesia is a vacation hot spot for us. Thanks for all you help and well wishes.
Warm regards,

Judith Crews & Judith Kendall jcwildchild [at] msn.com
July 2010
(Kungkungan Bay Resort, Lembeh Resort, Gangga Island Resort and Minahasa Lagoon)

I had great pleasure travelling with Safari Tours during a 6 day stay in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Safari was able to organize tours to Bunaken Island, volcanoes in the Tomohon district and to Tangkoko Nature Reserve. These could be pre-arranged from Australia, or organized on arrival in Manado. Thanks to their efficient and cheerful staff, Fenny (in reservations) for her excellent work. Also to driver Ari Susanto. He had endless local knowledge and was a very safe driver. He was patient to stop for photos, some shopping and the village restaurants. Ari spoke excellent English, but was also able to help me learn more of the local bahasa language. Safari have connections throughout the Indonesian islands and are most reliable. They take the worry out of travelling in these places. I would recommend them to any traveler visiting Indonesia.

Frank Moxey fmoxey [at] ingal.com.au
Brisbane, Australia - May 2010
(Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Mt Mahawu, Bunaken Island)

Many thanks for your organisation and services. Our trip to Sulawesi has been fabulous: everything were absolutly perfect and we'll keep a marvelous mind of this country. We'll not forget to recommand you to all our friends, divers or not. We really spent very good holiday!!!! Best regards.

Nelly Chastagnol & Serge Gancarski nelly.chastagnol [at] yahoo.fr
April 2010
(Gangga Island Resort, Lembeh Resort, Gardenia Country Inn, Tangkoko Day Tour)

Sincere thanks to Safari tours for arranging yet another awesome vacation in Manado. The driver, Meidy, who picked us up was pleasant and courteous. Santika Resort is very strategically located to Bunaken. We could go back to our comfortable room between morning and afternoon dives. Thalassa dive center certainly deserves its 5* rating. We have wide selection for renting regulators and BCD. Our dive master Joddy was patient and assuring, helpful as my last open water dive was 12 years ago. I enjoyed the night dive very much.
As for Murex at Bangka Island, it feels like home. The boatmen remembered us and even asked about my kids who did not go with us this time. Daisy, the manager, has kept our room for us as promised. Improvement is noticed on the food and beverage. It tastes even better than previous visit. The new deck by the dining room is nice for lounging. We will for sure go back there again.

Melina Jonas & Spouse melina.jonas [at] gmail.com
March 2010
(Hotel Santika Manado, Thalassa 5* Dive Center, Murex Bangka Island)

I'm well back into the swing of things after a great holiday in Sulawesi. I was very impressed with the service of Safari Tours and my tour guide Freddy. I was also most impressed with the Gardenia Country Inn, it truly is a beautiful resort with great service. With regards to tours, I most enjoyed the Tangkoko tour.
Thanks again for a great holiday and a very good service. I will definitely recommend your agency to any friends that would be interested in a holiday in North Sulawesi.

Petra Bos
January 2010
(Gardenia Country Inn, Tangkoko Overnight and Minahasa Highland Tour, Mahawu Volcano Trek, and Murex Dive Resort)

Hi Jeremy and Team,
Our kids just left yesterday tired but happy.
Yes we had a great time in Manado and Environs, and that is thanks to Safari tours. The selection of activities, the accomodation, and the logistics all went smoothly. This allowed us to enjoy everything and make the most of our time there. We look forward to making another journey with Safari soon and will recommend you to others.
Sampai Jumpa Lagi,
The Feit Family

Liz Feit thefeits [at] mail.com
Balikpapan - December 2009
(Gardenia Country Inn, Gangga Island Resort, Minahasa Highland Tour, Mahawu Trek and White Water Rafting)

Hi Jeremy, Ninny, I am happy with your service and don't mind receiving your e-mails.
The one thing I truly appreciate from you is the ability to fit the package to my need. Although it is done electronically, I still feel that I am dealing with someone who understand my need. Thank you.

Martin Hadinata martin_hadinata [at] ch.ibm.com
November 2009
(Tasik Ria Resort and Divers Lodge Lembeh)

Dear Safari,
We were delighted with the service provided by Safari Tours and Travel. Gracia had great patience as we formulated our itinerary, Freddie and Donald, the drivers, greeted us with a warm smiles, the resorts at Minahasa Lagoon and Gangga Island beautiful and all travel arrangements went very smoothly. We would be very happy to recommend your company to anyone thinking of a fun holiday of scuba, white water rafting and nature treks in the Land of the Smiling People. Northern Sulawesi was even more magical than we had anticipated.
Thanks again,

Kate Budge & Family
August 2009
(Minahasa Lagoon, Gangga Island Resort & Spa, Tangkoko Overnight, WW Rafting)

Thank you very much to the team of "Safari Tours and Trave" who helped us a great deal in planning our trip to Sulawesi from home. Because we had less than two weeks to visit Sulawesi, Safari organized our transfer to the Togian Islands from Manado in a less than 24 hours trip (including car and boat), which definitely gave us a lot more time to enjoy these beautiful islands. We were impressed by the quality of their service both in planning the trip and during the trip itself, and especially it was great to have people perfectly fluent in English to talk to as unfortunately none of us spoke Indonesian. Thanks again for everything.

Thibault Peyronel & Sarah Pinto
August 2009
(Togian Islands)

Dear Safari Team,
Please share this with everyone-well the dust settled and would like to give you feedback on the process – which in a nutshell was GREAT! So here goes:
I never take the time to write a review on line, but I feel after my experience with Safari Tours that I simply had to say something, because their service was so outstanding. It started from the very beginning with a very professional and informative web site. Excellent service continued while we were setting up arrangements in Sulawesi. The staff was particularly helpful in making practical recommendations and accommodation suggestions even to the point of calling us in America. Additionally they helped coordinate things with the flights. But that was just the beginning, once we arrived we were greeted by our charming driver/guide, Freddie. Within minutes of getting off the airplane he had handed us a cold bottle of water. He was extremely informative, prepared, professional and accommodating. The trip went amazingly well and everything that the team had promised and provided was wonderful. The only surprises were all the wonderful encounters with the wildlife and extreme scenic beauty. The facilities they recommended were all excellent and we wish we had more time at each of them. The nature walks at Tangkoko were just what we wanted – a combination of a real hike and excellent spotting with an excellent and enthusiastic local guide, Eddie. The diving at Kungkungan Bay Resort was professionally and efficiently run and turned out to reveal all the exceedingly strange beings that we had hoped for. Tasik Ria was an absolute pleasant surprise. It was much more luxurious and plush than we expected (or their web site at the time revealed). Again the diving was very good and professionally run.
Even when a family emergency came up in the steps the staff at Safari Tours was available to help us deal with it as best as one could from 12,000 miles away.
Needless to say we were extraordinarily impressed. Impressed to the point that we would highly recommend using them and do so ourselves again!
Happy travels,

Alan Stewart, DVM, ACVIM
USA - July 2009
(Kungkungan Bay Resort, Tasik Ria, Tangkoko Nature Reserve)

Dear Safari,
We had a super time at Murex Dive Resort.....friendly, helpful staff, and beautiful natural surroundings at the water's edge with views over to the island of Manado Tua and Bunaken. The food was good and plentiful (delicious breakfast smoothie!) and especially thoughtful was the provision of fresh fruit and tea and coffee throughout the day. Our room was spacious and equipped with all necessities (the mosquito coil lit every afternoon was a great idea) and we enjoyed sitting on the patio watching the wildlife - including a visit from the family parrot. We spent one day on a Safari Tour to Minahasa Highlands where we were well looked after by our guide Novita, and the airport transfers were equally efficient.
We will return!

Margaret Dunckley & Leslie Gonella (thedunckleys [at] hotmail.com)
EXPATS living in Surabaya - May 2009
(Murex and Land Excursion)

Dear Safari Team,
We had a very pleasant stay in Manado and was very grateful on the hotel that you have suggested to us. We were a bit worried about the hotel condition because there is limited information on Minahasa Hotel. To our surprise it was a very comfortable hotel, our room is a detached house type which was situated on a hillside and they even have a pool which has a great view of the city. Mr Ricky who picked us up from the airport is very nice.

Jarica Yum (jaycamy [at] yahoo.com)
April 2009
(Hotel Minahasa)

Dear Jeremy and Ninny,
The trip to Manado was great and we certainly enjoyed the stay in Tangkoko Park. We were also fortunate to see the animals we had hoped to sight:) Much as we would like to stay longer in the forest, we had to cut our trip short since we had a plane to catch in the morning.
Ricky (Safari Guide)was prompt in fetching us from Bitung port and proved to be a good and patient guide. Well done!
Thanks again for the seamless arrangement of our trip.

Li Li (tohlili [at] gmail.com)
Malaysia - January 2009
(Tangkoko Nature Reserve)

Hi at Safari Tours,
We just wanted to write back for the great service we had from your part in North Sulawesi.
Welcome at the airport, transfer to Gangga and back was run smoothly and seamlessly by Ricky (probably not the most invisible minibus in that part of the world where zebras are getting scarce nowadays... :-) ). Miraculously, Safari Tours with the help of Gaspare from GIR managed the rain to stop instantly for our week stay. Gangga island resort team and their commitment for making diving easy and interesting are simply amazing (I am grateful they sailed a dive boat to Lembeh for only two divers, on our demand), truly one of the best and most professional dive center we have ever experienced. We also had the chance to meet at Gangga the Safari Tours wonder-girls Fenny and Gracia who handled our bookings efficiently from the beginnings (best regards to you). All in all a very pleasant stay we would repeat anytime (unfortunately too short). For divers lesser known Gangga/Bangka area is really on a par with its prestigious neighbors Lembeh and Bunaken, only with less dive pressure.

Patricia, Luna and Ludovic Galko (ludovic.galko [at] club-internet.fr)
February 2009
(5 days in Gangga)

Dear Jeremy and Ninny,
Many thanks for having arranged our recent holiday in Manado, we had a lovely time. We received a wonderfully warm welcome at Murex, within minutes it seemed that the entire staff knew our daughter's name and that she was there to get her Open Water Certificate. Needless to say, I was a little nervous at the idea of my 12 year old in the open waters of Bunaken island, but we could not have had a better, more reassuring or helpful instructor. By the end of the second day out daughter was certified and we were able to dive together as a family, however Eden continued to have one on one guiding which given the depth of the water was much appreciated. The flexibility of the guides regarding where were went and what we saw was much appreciated as were the photos which were given to us by fellow guests at the end of our stay.
Our three nights at Froggies was also lovely, the lack of mod cons was more than made up for by the live music provided by the security staff as we ate, and the education imparted by Christiane over lengthy meals. Again Eden had her own personal guide, the delightful Jimmy, who sought out nudibranch, scorpion fish and other hidden treasures and who provided her with cheerful reassurance when a sea snake swam in front of her and a shark underneath (not fortunately at the same time). The food was good at both resorts and we were especially pleased to see the attention paid to safety!
Again, thank you for having put the whole trip together.
Once again I enjoyed the great hospitality of Indonesia and the friendliness of it's (smiling) people! I am looking forward to my next visit, all the best for you and your team,

Linnet
Singapore - January 2009
(Murex Dive Resort & Froggies Divers)

Testimonials Archive: Testimonials 2002-2008

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