North Sulawesi Tour Planning, Hotel & Scuba Diving Package Reservations - Manado, Bunaken, Lembeh Strait, Gangga & beyond

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Manado Safari Tours
is a member of the

North Sulawesi
Tourism Organisation

Testimonials 2002-2007

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)

Dear Jeremy & Ninny
Land of the Smiling People indeed! We had the most wonderful time in North Sulawesi surrounded by friendly faces and Safari Tours was no exception in going the extra mile for us. We spent a fantastic day river rafting in the Minahasa highlands, a bit of white water excitement but mostly just relaxing and watching the jungle float past. The many laughs shared with our guides despite the language barrier are testament to the lovely nature of the Minahasan which makes every interaction such a pleasure.
Our overnight tour in Tangkoko was definitely a highlight of our trip. The transport was comfortable and our capable driver Robbie looked after us very well (including organizing lunch for us when we arrived hungry!). Watching the little Tarsius was absolutely magical, and our guides made every effort to help us get good photos.
All logistical arrangements were seamless; all our drinking water and bug lotion needs were met - and the food and hospitality were excellent. We'd recommend a visit to North Sulawesi to anyone up for a bit of adventure - and particularly Safari Tours to help you get the most out of your trip. We'd be happy to help out if prospective visitors have any questions they'd like to ask.

Lisl, Nick, Sarah & Russell (lislrobertson [at] gmail.com)
Cape Town, RSA - December 2006
(Tangkoko Overnight Tour & White Water Rafting)

Good evening Jeremy and Ninny,
Thanks for your E-Mail. Sorry for this late reply but it is just 5 days that we are back from our very long holiday.
First, we travelled through Bali, Lombok, Gila Trawangan, Gili Air and Meno, then Bunaken (Cha Cha Nature Resort), then a 15 days diving cruise through the Raja Ampat, then Malaysia and last extreme south of Thailand. Now, we are at home and are preparing our next long holiday.
The stay at the Cha Cha Nature Resort was absolutely wonderful. We can only recommend it to other travellers and friends. Very nice bungalow, friendly staff, fine various meals, quiet place and very nice dives. We enjoyed it 100% and are sure to come back there for a longer stay alone or with friends of us.

Suzanne Jaccard (suzanne.jaccard [at] bluewin.ch)
Switzerland - November 2006

Dear Jeremy & Ninny,
It was the third time I travelled through Indonesia thanks to Manadosafaris services and, as before, everything was fine and on time. Managing a long journey to small foreign islands is not something easy for Western people and it is very important for me to be able to rely on a travel agency such as Manadosafaris to make it as comfortable as possible.
From your quickness to answer our e-mails and inquiries, up to the smile of your people who welcome us at our arrival, thank you!

Eric Basstistoni (ebattistoni [at] bee-ware.net)
November 2006
(Lembeh Resort)

We always wanted to go to some place where diving is excellent and small children are welcome. (Before we had twins I did not know how hard this would be to arrange!) But Jeremy and his team made it possible. After asking lots of questions we finally decided: we would stay on Gangga Island. Safari Tours picked us up from the Airport, we had a MPV for the 5 of us (we saw other people traveling who had to squeeze in Jeeps with 7 persons) and lots of drinking water on board. The trip turned out to be quite challenging, because we left the road early and went through the bushes up and down hill! Safely and relieved we arrived at the jetty where a friendly helpful crew expected us. An additional half an hour and we arrived on our Island. Gangga staff was excellent, service very good. The bungalows were suitable, but not luxury. Dive masters…well everybody thinks different, the Instructors I can recommend, crew on board very helpful. The only thing you had to do on your dive day: get on board, let them know your equipment and they would help you to get dressed and undressed, changed tanks etc. To be honest - very easy and relaxing diving! Back on the Island lunch menu was waiting, same in the evening. 5 course every meal if you want! The only problem, no dinner before 8.00pm! The kids had a great time, even if we had our in-laws with us, Hanne offers free baby sitting service all day long and the kids can run around the island, enjoy the pool or the beach, get something to eat whenever and whatever they want and once again the staff is perfect! On our way back the same procedure followed and while our Italians had to squeeze in cars we had the MPV again. Safari tours helped us to the Airport and we can not say something else: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. We had a great time and can only say the best. Fast email responds, honest and helpful to all questions and good service.

Anke Kraemer (Anke_1972 [at] web.de)
Malaysia, November 2006
(Gangga Island Resort)

Thanks so much to Jeremy Barnes and his team for their outstanding service. You can ask for anything and Jeremy will manage it for you with a smile. Manado Safari Tours & Travel will always do its best to make your stay in Minahasa Land unforgettable.

Noemie & Ambroise, frequent repeaters to Manado area (noemie.keller [at] free.fr)
Germany, November 2006
(Lembeh Resort)

Dear Jeremy
We were indeed very happy with both Safari Tours and Travel services and with the Gangga Island Resort and Spa. The resort is beautiful and peaceful, with spacious and very comfortable rooms. The staff is friendly and the owners always eager to please their clients. The diving was great and the staff most professional.
You can post this appreciation on your website and I agree to receive information from you once in a while. However, I cannot agree to have my email address posted on the website as I have way too many problems with spam and you cannot prevent visitors from copying it and using it for spamming purposes. Sorry!*

Gaëlle ULVOAS
October 2006

* Note from the webmaster: This is exactly the reason why we publish emails in a form that isn't readable for spam robots, like name [at] domain.com. The spamming is not done by people but by automated robots, and this way we ensure that you won't get spammed.

I have just returned back home from my vacation in Indonesia. North Sulawesi was definitely one of the highlights of my trip ! Breathtaking landscapes, magnificent Bunaken island with a coral reef that invites both divers and snorkelers, interesting Minahasa culture and colourful markets. Not to forget the unique flora and fauna of Tangkoko Nature Reserve. Thanks very much for your perfect and reliable services ! Your individual tours are a great way to explore all the interesting sights in the region and can be recommended to any visitor!

Armin Bader (a.bader01 [at] web.de)
Germany, September 2006
(New Queen Hotel, Highland Tour, Tangkoko Day Tour, Snorkeling with Murex, and domestic ticketing)

Hallo Jeremy,
We had so many activities (Gardenia Country Inn, Toraja, domestic tickets in Indonesia and a Singapore stopover) I have been also on busines trip for a two weeks. Our holidays in Sulawesi is unforgotten, especially in the Torajaland. Also the Singapore. Tour was very nice. We have about 500 pictures all of our friends (and we enjoy) looking at them. Our guide in Toraja Mr. Jojo is special. Thanks a lot for the wonderful journey.

Judith and Dusan (wemex [at] siol.net)
August 2006

Dear Jeremy & Ninny,
We are back home after a wonderful vacation. Gangga was a relaxing, lovely and friendly place for the family, just what we needed for a perfect rest, and the diving was fantastic. Thank you for your help with the normal business as well as the unexpected events: we got our lost luggage back in perfect condition after 2 days at Gangga. We only regret not having more time for touring Sulawesi: we hope to come back in the future and will certainly get back to you on that occasion.
All the best,

Bruno Amati & Family (filter-bamati [at] ifom-ieo-campus.it)
Italy, August 2006
(domestic air tickets 6 persons - and Gangga Island Resort)

Dear Jeremy,
We recently visited northern Sulawesi and wanted to spend some time at Tangkoko Nature Reserve for bird and animal watching. Our US travel agent was repeatedly unsuccessful in her efforts to find any available reasonable accommodation (i.e. one with running water) for us. With only a few days left before our trip, we contacted Safari Tours and they were able to find us accommodations at an exceptionally nice and reasonably priced resort very close to Tangkoko, Benteng Resort, with white sand beach, air conditioning, and excellent food. Safari also found us an excellent bird guide who helped us find many interesting birds, including Red Knobbed Hornbills, at Tangkoko. Safari arranged transport for us to our next accommodation (Minahasa Lagoon, incredible resort and fabulous diving including being in the water with pilot whales, dolphins, and a dugong mother and pup). When the van Safari was using developed mechanical problems en route to Minahasa (could happen to anyone) the Safari driver immediately contacted a local taxi driver and had us in another (also nicely air conditioned) van in about 5 minutes! Safari was very professional, efficient, and friendly and I would recommend them to anyone visiting Sulawesi.

Mindy Brooks (mindybrooks [at] earthlink.net)
Martinez, California, USA, August 2006

Dear Jeremy and Ninny,
We would really like to thank you for all your help and congratulate you for your professionality. You made it very easy and quick to arrange the hotel and transfer from the airport before we traveled to Indonesia. We could easily arrange everything by mail and it turned out to be perfect!!!! Hotel Minahasa was a great place to stay and you just arranged perfectly, easily and quickly all our flights tickets. Jordi's flight to the Philippines was also perfect thanks to your arrangements.
Thanks also for the nice wellcome and all the information and advices you gave us. You all are very nice and we hope to see you again!!!

Marta Faba & Jordi Urgell (mafaba [at] terra.es)
Barcelona (Spain), August 2006

We very much enjoyed our stay at the Murex Resort. It is run by a family and has a feeling of staying with a family, rather than at an impersonal large resort. All the staff were very helpful and friendly, and went out of their way to accommodate us. It was really a funny coincidence when the daughter of the family turned out to be the person from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that I had been corresponding with before coming to Indonesia!
The diving and snorkeling at Bunaken were wonderful and spectacular. We enjoyed them immensely.
Our trip to the Tangkoko Nature Reserve was also fun, and it was nice that there is a cooperative family of Tarsiers in one particular tree who are accustomed to people and pose for photos when they get up at 5 PM before going about their nightly business.
We would have liked to stay longer, but this was our holiday at the end of a 2-week stay in Makassar on business, and we did eventually have to go home. This was our third time in Indonesia which we love to visit, despite the fact that it is as far away from the east coast of the US!

Judith Weis (jweis [at] andromeda.rutgers.edu)
June 2006 (Murex Resort)

Dear Jeremy and Staff,
We are now finally home back in Evansville, in USA. After our 2 week dive vacation from May 27 to June 9, 2006 Our dive shop Aquatech organized a once of a lifetime dive trip to Manado, Indonesia along with the help of Safari Tours. 24 divers made the trip to North Sulawesi unaware of exactly what we may find. When we arrived at the Manado Airport after 30 hours of flying, totally exhausted - there was Jeremy and staff from Tasik Ria Resort to escort us to our home for 2 weeks. Unfortunately the Airlines lost some of our luggage, but Manado Safaris handled the situation with great ease. They took the divers shopping for necessities - (money was supplied by the airlines) and also had the other bus start off with the other passengers to Tasik Ria Resort. After a much needed good meal and good night sleep our trip was able to start the next day. The divers that needed equipment were able to get what they needed from the dive shop at the Resort - Eco Divers - (again paid by the airlines) all the while Manado Safari along with Tasik Ria Resort worked with the airlines to get our personal belongs to us within 48 hours. The diving was fantastic, utterly out of this world, and the dive boats that Eco Divers use is top notch, and their boat crew, divemaster were wonderful. We saw more fish life and beautiful coral species than we had ever seen before. We also had dolphins following our boat and putting on a show of spinning and diving, One day the famous Captain Sanchez spotted a huge pod of pilot whales and took us right to them - what a majestic sight - simply unbelievable. Every day the diving was new and wonderful, out dive master made sue to show us all the unique sea creatures like Frog Fish, LionFish, Scorpion Fish, LeafFish, and of course nudibranches. We encountered a Green Sea Turtle as big as A volkswagon - we were stunned by her huge shell and how close at least 8 divers got to her before she decided she had poised enough. We took the long boat trip to the Northern Island of Banka - The colors and sealife were truly something out of a picture book. This is a trip well worth taking. The dive crew also to a trip to the Lembeh Straits and found all sorts of unique sea creatures - it was a photographers dream. Every day we returned to our 2 week home Tasik Ria Resort. The management staff of Danny and his crew were great. They bent over backwards to treat us to every hospitable luxury they could muster. The swimming pool with its swim up bar was our retreat every evening along with Danny the bartender climbing coconut trees with a machete in his mouth to cut us fresh coconuts for our drinks. He really put on a show. The food was good and they tried to always have something more (American) the for 24 of us. I can't say enough about the SPA they had also on the premise -- what a treat, Hot oil massages, facials, etc., at prices that was a steal. That hot oil massage really felt good after 3 dives every day. Some of our crew took tours into the mountainlands and could not have enough good things to say about the friendly local people. The native people and the people in the tourism of North Sulawesi were some of the friendliest, and so excited to have Americans see their homeland. All and all our trip was like a dream and I can't say enough good things to say about the people, the diving with Eco Divers, the Tasik Ria Resort, and helpfulness of Manado Safaris. If anyone is planning a trip to Manado Indonesia and has some questions, please feel free to contact us.

Janie and Randy Kramer (DIVEDAKOTA1 [at] aol.com)
USA, June 2006

Hi Jeremy & Ninny:
We would like to thank your company and especially Ninny for taking great care of us and guiding us during our recent trip to Manado and Halmahera. Ninny did such a wonderful job to ensure that everything went smoothly and this helped us to be able to just focus on our birdwatching without any worry and to enjoy the remarkable Wallace's Standardwing Bird-of-Paradise.
I would not hesitate to recommend your company to anyone who planned to visit the beautiful island of Halmahera. It had been a truly enjoyable and memorable experience. I certainly plan to be back and of course I'll look up to Safari Tours to guide us.
Thank-you!

Kim Chuah Lim (likc [at] chevron.com)
Nature Society (Singapore), May 2006

(click to enlarge)

Dear Jeremy,
My trip to Manado and beyond, was for me, in some ways, a journey into the unknown. Indonesia seemed a remote destination, and Manado, even more so. I have been so gratified to have your assistance, support and guidance.
As you are aware, my travel needs were quite specific, and required liaison with others, and some complex booking and arranging. You and your team did all this for me with aplomb and efficiency. Communications were always smooth and prompt, and all the arrangements worked out superbly.
Please accept my thanks, and feel free to refer future potential customers to me if they need a reference.
Thanks again

Gilad Stern - Gilad (eden [at] iafrica.com)
Cape Town, South Africa, May 2006 (Carstensz Pyramid)

Dear Jeremy,
I was happy with Hotel Minahasa (located in town), it is ideally situated for me. Pizza Hut at the MegaMall serves great food.
I am thinking about going to Gorontalo, BUT, it all depends on Merpati's schedules. I read Takeko Uno's account of Gorontalo in your "What's Happening" and another story in Asian Diver and it sounds fabulous. I am booked to arrive in Manado on Sat. 12th August and depart on Sat. 19th August. I haven't booked with Gorontalo yet as it all depends on Merpati's flight schedule. Can you please tell me if Merpati has a flight that goes there on the Saturday after I arrive or do they have a flight the following day on the Sunday?
By the way, my trip on Kararu's VOYAGER was fabulous. We passed Kri Island (met Max Ammer) and went down to Misool, which has indescribably great diving spots.
Cheers

Annabelle Webb (annabellew [at] excite.com)
April 2006

Dear Jeremy,
Thanks for arranging our stay at the Tasik Ria and the Siladen. We had a really great day at the Tangkoko nature reserve. Our 8 year old daughter loved the Tarsiers and did not seem at all concerned about the creepy crawlies- rather the opposite! We can highly recommend your services and North Sulawesi to other families!

Dr Alasdair Parker (Alasdairparker [at] aol.com)
Cambridge, UK, March 2006

Dear Jeremy,
Back at home, and already back in full swing of things, we'll remember Sulawesi as sweet memories of green gardens, the view on the magnificent volcano's from our veranda at Onong's Palace in Tomohon, even as the promised “delicious local food”, served by very gentle and always smiling people of Onong's. Authentic local markets with a great variety of blooming plants and flowers, local spices and beautiful handicrafts, made our visit to an unforgettable experience.
The Grand Puri Hotel in Manado has been a comfortable and safe harbors to rest, after days of traveling around. The excellent cuisine has given us the real taste of Indonesia, delicious food and drinks, and most kind service. Nice music and performances by life musicians, EXCELLENT!!
We'll thank you and your staff for all the arrangements you've made and for the very pleasant drives we've made by Safari Tours mini busses, all over the area, from Manado and Tomohon up to Woloan and Lake Tondano, as well as the transfers from, and back to the airport.
We've experienced North Sulawesi as a kind and save area for holiday stays, and come back for sure, to explore more. We keep you informed about our plans! We'll be happy to tell everyone all about Sulawesi, so tell them to contact us !!
Warm Regards,

Party Lucas (asiancottage01 [at] asiancottages.nl)
The Netherlands, March 2006

Hi Jeremy & Ninny,
Thank you for arranging our dive trip to Cha Cha Dive Lodge on Bunaken Island. Everything that you arranged went smoothly. The diving was wonderful. There were huge schools of fish, healthy corals, and several interesting fish sightings. The owners of Cha Cha Dive Lodge (Raf and Reiko) were superb hosts and the "Asian Fusion" food was interesting, delicious, and unusually well presented. It was very convenient to stay on the island of Bunaken where the dive sights were only 5 to 20 minutes away. We highly recommend the Cha Cha Dive Lodge because they are the only lodge on Bunaken with hot showers. We combined our stay in Indonesia with a 9 day tour of South East Asia. We did 3 nights each in Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore before our week of diving. Coming from the US, it was convenient to get over our jet lag in the other cities while we were sight seeing so that we could enjoy our diving even more. Please feel free to have people contact us for references.

Bob and Leslie Tutelman (ltutelman [at] san.rr.com)
San Diego - California, December 2005

Dear Jeremy,
Sure we are back at home and we live already 50 days our normal live. We are at this moment very busy with the foto's we made in Indonesia. And every time we look at the foto's we are in our mind back in the [as Multatuli wrote in his book] girdle of emerald. It was a very good time and we have enjoyed the whole trip.
All the things we did arrange by your Safari Tours were very good. Your personal escort we did appreciate especially.
Many regards from

Janny and Theun van der Duin (thvdduin [at] hetnet.nl)
from the cold Netherlands, November 2005

After two weeks back to work, I know really what I had to say on Manado. Everything was well organized - from the pick-up at the airport until I left the Island.
Tasik Ria Resort offered a very satisfying service as well as the Eco-Divers - even better than I expected after our e-mail conversations. My liveaboard on the Mimpi was also an experience which I will keep as a good memory. All the dive sites at Bunaken, Banka or Lembeh were great, clean (most of them) and full of all kind of marine life. I liked the efforts of Eco-divers to keep the reefs alive by threaten all divers to refuse them from diving if they touch and damage the reefs on purpose, which I missed on the Mimpi.
Finally a BIG THANKS to the Safari-Tour team to organize a great and relaxing time for me on North-Sulawesi and around.
Best regards and best wishes for the future

Ralf Goehringer (r.goehringer [at] grohe.co.th)
Thailand, November 2005

Jeremy and Safari Tours and Travel provides many wonderful services. From before you arrive in Indonesia until after you leave he is your agent. Reservations are handled efficiently and no matter how many changes you make he keeps up with you. What are easy arrangements in your hometown would be more difficult in another country.
From transfers to and from the airport to reservations at hotels and resorts to shopping and helpful suggestions Jeremy offers it all. No transfer is ever late and you are never left to try to communicate in Indonesian without one of his staff.
The day before we were to leave Lembeh Resort I had a phone call from Jeremy informing us of our pick up time and arrangements for transfer back to the airport. I never had to think about it, he was always one step ahead of me. When our plane was delayed he asked if we wanted to do some shopping. He knows all the ins and out of Manado.
Thank you from the six of us for a smooth efficient trip.

Terry Schuller (terry [at] ulcs.com)
Ultra Light Control Systems
November 2005

Dear Jeremy and Nini,
Just wanted to say thanks for your recommendation to stay at Siladen. We had a great time there - the resort was great, and we had some really nice dives too! Its our 2nd trip to Manado in 3 months and both times, the decision on where to stay and all the bookings/reservations went extremely smoothly...you make going on a holiday a completely hassle free process! Thanks lots! Will definitely contact you if we head to Manado for a 3rd time!!!

Siew Ling (ustwo [at] singnet.com.sg)
Singapore, September 2005

I contacted Safari Tours late on a Friday afternoon with short notice to make arrangements for my first time visit to Manado. Jeremy answered the phone and immediately made all the arrangements. His choices were excellent and everything was better than expected. I am happy to recommend Safari Tours and Jeremy to anyone.

Justin Doebele (jdoebele [at] frobes.com)
Contributing Editor
Forbes
Singapore, July 2005 (Hotel Gran Puri and Murex Dive Resort)

Jeremy and Safari Tours and Travel provided a fantastic service. From the first inquiry e-mails were answered promptly and comprehensive information was provided. The travel arrangements were excellent and we were met promptly by all ground and water transport. We stayed on Gangga Island where the resort and all personnel were wonderful. It is a beautiful, quiet, restful place. The diving and dive staff couldn't have been better. We truly enjoyed our trip to Sulawesi and Safari Tours played a large part in insuring that this would be the case.
Our best to you,

Judy and Bob Havens (jhavens [at] sas.edu.sg)
Singapore, April 2005

Dear Safari Tours,
thank you so much for making my stay on Sulawesi that pleasant & convenient! I am back home in Germany since 2 weeks, but with my thoughts still in/around Manado, especially on Gangga island. Your recommendations were great, you made me feel welcome, I enjoyed it taking the short-cut with your travel-agency and professional support, Jeremy! Thanks. Hope to come back soon and explore more of Manado`s peripheral spots.

Nicole
Germany, April 2005

Arriving in Manado late (midnight) on Easter eve, we were charmed by the dark, quiet streets that were lit up by red paper lantern crosses hanging in front of local houses and churches. We (booked and ) were escorted to our dive resort by Manado Safari and had a very relaxing time diving house reef, coasts and drop-offs in the area. The coral diversity was excellent and our half-day at the end, driving to the hinterland of Manado was also lovely. Next time we would like to get up to Gangga and maybe over to Lembeh, as Nth Sulawesi is an excellent holiday destination.

Lucy Mitchell
Expat living in Jakarta, April 2005

Dear Safari Tours & Travel
Thanks so much for organising our holiday in Gangga. It was definitely one of the best trips we have done. The diving was spectacular and the children were incredibly well looked after. They made firm friends with many of the staff and the dive team were also very accommodating, organizing things so that while we were diving, they quite often snorkelled above us.
Now that we know it is such an easy hop from Singapore, we think we might go back in November!
With best wishes

Fiona Henderson (ajhenderson [at] pacific.net.sg)
Singapore, March 2005

Hi everyone,
We would like to thank you very much for your hospitality during our stay in North Sulawesi. The service that we received was incredible. We were very happy that everything went smoothly; from the minute we arrived at the airport to the last morning when we were picked up at 5:00 in the morning to continue our trip to Bali.
If anyone has not yet been to North Sulawesi and is thinking of going, we would definitely recommend it. If they are hesitant, please feel free to provide them with our email address. We will be happy to answer any questions. North Sulawesi is truly an incredible place. The people, the resorts, the food, the coral reefs, the nature (and everything else we could not possibly list them all) were absolutely worth the 24 hours flight that we had to endure.
We will definitely recommend anyone to use Safari Travel because it is located in Manado; and most importantly, it is trustworthy and very professional.
We will also recommend anyone to stay at the two resorts we used during our visit to North Sulawesi: Gangga Island Resort and Gardenia Country Inn. I could not say enough good things about those two places. They are definitely what can be described as paradise on earth.
We are looking forward to come back to North Sulawesi. We just cannot have enough of the place.
Best regards from your friends in the USA and the Netherlands

Han Sudjunadi (gobluehan [at] yahoo.com), Michel, Stacy and Judith
March 2005

Dear Jeremy & Ninny,
Yes, we're back in Jakarta and back into the swing of things!!! We want to thank you for helping us arrange our Advance Open Water course and dive holiday with Eco Divers. Just as you said, Eco Divers are professionals and we had excellent instruction by Kim. We enjoyed staying at the Tasik Ria Resort; what we liked best about the room was that it has a little sitting area and two balconies; it gave us a sense of a lot of space! The grounds are also very pleasant and the meals are fairly good.
We will recommend your services and the resort to our friends!
And, yes, you may send future informational emails but please don't give out our email address!
Thanks for everything.

Regina & Jerry, USA
Indonesia, February 2005

Dear Jeremy,
Mi scuso per il ritardo nella risposta alla sua e-mail.
Il nostro soggiorno a Siladen è stato ottimo, sia come resort che come sub, e siamo stati molto contenti di aver prenotato il soggiorno con voi, così abbiamo anche risparmiato rispetto alle altre agenzie. Nel caso di un nostro futuro soggiorno in North Sulawesi, vi contatteremo sicuramente.
Grazie ancora.

Giorgio Libardi (giorgio.libardi [at] argentea.it)
Italy, January 2005 (Siladen Resort)

Dear Safari,
First of all , I'd like to say lots of thanks to Jefrey and Jeremy for the helpful and friendly service that you guys had given to me, really appreciate it very much.
I am planning to go back to manado for diving course with my mates but still not sure when it will be. I will be happy to have your service if it happens.
Thanks once again,

Subrata Tedjakusuma (tedjakusuma1 [at] hotmail.com)
Indonesia, January 2005 (Lembeh Resort & Tasik Ria Resort)

Our recent successful trip to North Sulawesi was efficiently organised by Safari Tours & Travel, who offer a great choice of accommodation and keen pricing. They dealt with every possible aspect of the trip and we were able to relax and enjoy everything without any worries. I would have no hesitation in recommending them to any potential visitor to this wonderful area of Indonesia.
Regards to all

Richard & Caroline Whiteley (richard [at] whiteleyrj.f2s.com)
USA, December 2004

Dear Jeremy and Ninny,
What a fantastic experience I had, visiting Manado and scuba diving for the fist time. First, the lovely staff at Santika bent over backwards to make me comfortable. Then at Thalassa, everyone was so friendly yet professional.
Scuba diving is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but I couldn't find anyone to do it with.So I decided to do it by myself. My Instructors at Thalassa, Franceman and Anwar were wonderful, but even more wonderful, was Simone, the Course Director at Thalassa. When I was overcome with fear and afraid to continue my Open Water course, Simone used her "Special Tactics" and was able to give me back my confidence. She is a legend! I was so thrilled when I finally completed all my skills and passed my theory exam, thanks to Simone. It was such an achievement for me and the best Christmas present I've ever had!
And WOW!.... the underwater world at Bunaken was unlike anything I could ever have imagined. Breath-taking and amazing! Absolutely gorgeous! I just loved it and would recommend diving there to anyone.
Thank you Safari Tours and Travel for your excellent communication and organization of my fantastic and truly memorable holiday! I had a ball!

Julie Hilton (angelsrhere4me [at] yahoo.com.au)
Living in Jakarta, December 2004

Safaris provided us an excellent and very professional service, the holiday ran as smooth as clockwork - and I'd highly recommend Safaris to anyone going to Northern Sulawesi.

SJA
UK, October 2004

Dear Jeremy & Ninny,
Thank you very much for your arrangements!!! I came back to Singapore last evening and took a rest, washed my diving equipments, etc... today.
I really enjoyed there during the staying at Cha Cha; I really appreciate your recommendation because I really managed to forget my daily working matters in Singapore! I promised Raf and Reiko to come back there ASAP.
Warmest regards with smile

Saiko (saichan [at] pacific.net.sg)
Singapore, September 2004

Dear Jeremy and Ninny:
Thank you for a seamless well planned trip for our Aquatic Image Group. I can see where west meets east is a perfect combination in using Manado Safari Tours. The pick up and transfers were just perfect and timely, the assistance at the airport was so helpful, your staff is friendly and strong!
The Tasik Ria amazing and thank you for hunting down my luggage I left behind.
We really enjoyed the tour led by Ninny, she really knows the jungle and is a teriffic hiker.
The Lembeh Resort was a true fantasy Island.
We will continue to use you in many years to come.
Thank you again,

Patty Shales, Aquatic Image (Pattyshale [at] aol.com)
August 2004 (13 persons)

Our vacation in Sulawesi was really fantastic and we saw the funerals over there (Toraja) as we have hoped.The hospitality in Toraja village was really nice even if the trek was a little bit hard for Carolina, but after a day of delicious rest at the hotel we forgot everything. The last night we had the room that we asked you. We will never forget the kindness of Nini, her beautiful smile and her disponibility. Thank you so much!!! So we will give your adress to anyone that would like to visit Sulawesi.

Chiara e Alfredo (chiariotti [at] virgilio.it)
Italy, August 2004 (Gangga Island Resort, Gardenia Country Inn, Toraja Tour - 8 persons)

Our family ( my wife and I and our 12 year old son) spent 2 weeks diving at the Tasik Ria resort. We booked both the accommodation and diving through Safari Tours. They got us good prices; there was no hassle and no hidden extras.
North Sulawesi is amzing both above and below the water. Eco Divers was very professional and friendly they are world class and put many much larger operators to shame. My wife had never dived before she is now a qualified addict!
The people throughout the island could not have been more friendly no hostility here; and this applied within the resort they could not have more helpful. Ask the new British Catering Manager, Danny, for a special meal or a particular dietary requirement and he delivers all at very affordable prices. Will we return most certainly.

Derek Kemp and Family (Derek [at] humanandlegal.com)
UK, August 2004

Dear Jeremy and Ninny,
Thank you for all your help we received during our wonderful stay in Manado and the Highlands. Our first 2 weeks we stayed at Bunaken, were we had a great time at The Living Colours Dive Resort. The diving and snorkelling is beautiful over there.
After that we needed transport and a stay for a few days somewhere else, just one phonecall and you arranged, on your day off, on Sunday, a stay in the Tasik Ria Resort, where we had a very relaxing time and great buffet diners.
On our last days we discovered the Highlands, stayed in Tomohon, in the Gardenia Country Inn. There we found peace and rest. A beautiful resort with a lot of flowers.
We were transported by your lovely employee Rini, who we will never forget. She did a wonderful job and we still are in contact. Also our compliments for the driver.
We fell in love with North-Sulawesi and it's lovely people. And I am sure we will be back. It is good to know that there is a good travel agency like Safari Tours that you can rely on.
It was a pleasure to meet you all and your children.
Best regards

Anja, Willem, Tim and Lara Bruins (jwillem.bruins [at] wxs.nl)
Netherlands, August 2004

Dear Jeremy and Ninny,
We would like to thank you and Ninny for helping us to organize an unbelievable trip to Lembeh earlier this summer. You made it clear and easy for us to determine our schedule and the cost and were very gracious in answering my onslaught of questions. Not only will we recommend Manado Safaris and the Lembeh Resort to our friends, but also we are hoping to be able to make it back again as soon as we can!
The Lembeh Resort was just as magical as the diving, and the dive staff and resort staff could not have been better. We were able to see almost every critter on our wish-list (some many times over) and the guides were great about helping to facilitate the finds. Aside from the diving, the trip to Tangkoko was wonderful and we highly recommend it to anyone visiting North Sulawesi (seeing the Black Macaque and the Tarsiers was a real treat).

Andrew and Allison (asnowhite [at] hotmail.com)
Virginia, USA, August 2004

Thank you to Manado Safari Tours for having organized vacation for us in Walea Resort, Lembeh Resort and Siladen Resort and especially the transfers.
We travelled Indonesia every year since 98, Manado Safari organisation is one of the best we used.
Walea is a very pleasant place for rest or diving with a friendly Italian staff, dives are as usual in Togian island : a top.
Lembeh resort is a very good hotel with a very professional diving club, dives are a top for photographs, Siladen Resort is a very new hotel with all comfort , dives are 10 minutes away in Bunaken marine park one of the top diving place in the world.
It was our second trip in North Sulawesi and we hope to go back in the future.
Thanks to Manado Safari staff.

J Sestillange (jsestillange [at] labomaine.fr)
France, June 2004

Hi Jeremy and Ninny,
I apologise to have taken this long to write this note of thanks ( but if you read the following passage you would probably understand that this was well thought of and carefully worded to impart the important message.
I wish to thank the both of you for making my guests and ourselves very happy and satisfied during the stay there at Manado. It was indeed a privilege for me to have met the both of you Jeremy, I would like to provide the following feedback for you to digest.
One outstanding thing that i particularly liked about your methodology of doing business in that you take a very personal interest in the welfare of your clients. You came across as a reliable person right from day one when I contacted Sulawesi agents for travel, diving etc...you definitely stood out for being very straightforward and clear about things. Interestingly, you had even beaten the more well known names like xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (where diving was concerned); they were vague, in their offers and email replies were hard to come by. Ninny was just great in her ways of dealing with us as her clients. We throughly enjoyed her promptness in time keeping and her warm ways of mingling with us. The efficiency shown in collecting and dropping off, the valuable information provided on the eateries ( Anugerah for example...) were all very well appreciated.
About the diving part-the dives at Bunaken were excellent and the dive masters took good care of us. We had the wonderful opportunity of watching a cultural dance by school children on the last night (at Tasik Ria).
I would recommend your excellent services to some of my instructor friends here. I have to single out the very enjoyable and memorable stay at Gardenia - all thanks to you. Tasik Ria was good, its staff courteous and friendly. Eco Divers staff were friendly and helpful.
I have to separately mention the excellent stay at Gardenia and I would consider as one of the highlight of the holidays there. You have justifiably done well in recommending that place and we had the privilege of meeting the wonderful doctor and his wife! The next time we will have to spend more days there and to climb the other volcanoes like Lokon etc. Can that be done by your company ? I would certainly welcome any updates of the region and in fact I shall look forward to returning to the region or land of the smiling people.
I personally was so glad I came because for me it was a long time coming since I have been diverted to other places like Sipadan, Layang 2, Cebu, Thailand ! I certainly like to visit Lembeh and to stay there for a couple of days and then to go hike up Lokon or one of those volcanoes (volcanoes are a big thing for us as we dont have any in Malaysia ), of course that means making Gardenia as our base .Please convey our sincere thanks to the doctor and wife.
Ninny, you have done well in bringing us to the day market ( showing us the bats and dog for sale !!!!!) Up Mahawu and then to the lunch at the Lake Tordano, feasting on the wonderfully bbq fish. The tour included the mud pool, hot water springs which nicely wrapped up the tour, Yes that was nice and I would want my friends and clients alike to do that as well.
Well Jeremy, I shall keep in contact with you and we wish you both all the very best in your business and deservedly success shall seek you out. I told the doctor that the land of NE Sulawesi was blessed and I firmly believe so; in so many ways, preserve it!
Warmest regards,

Francis Khoo (francisk_22 [at] yahoo.com)
(Dive Group from Malaysia, 10 pax), July 2004

Jeremy & Ninny,
Thanks again for all your assistance and advice during our recent holiday to North Sulawesi and Manado. With my parents coming to visit us every year in Jakarta I always try to take them to a place that is different, new and interesting. North Sulawesi proved to be all of these.
So much of what one hears of Manado and North Sulawesi is dominated by Bunaken and the diving available. In fact if I did not have my parents with me, the trip would have been dominated by diving. As we discovered there is far more to Manado and surrounds than diving. For showing and explaining everything to us so well I would like to say a special thankyou to Ninny.
The highland tour was fantastic, from the Traditional market to dining al fresco at Lake Tondano. My sons were especially amused at lunch when the people at the restaurant caught lunch in the lake then promptly cooked the fish and served it. The food in general we found to be fantastic. Although I must admit some of the local delicacies are not for every palate. The dining was probably as whole our favourite.
The seafood restaurants a few minutes West of Manado are worth the trip to North Sulawesi themselves. It is not very many places in the world where one can dine out over the water. Our two favourites were Kharisma and Nelayan, I am sure more people would be staying in Manado instead of out on the islands if they knew what dining pleasure awaits them. Year round outside dining over water is a luxury not readily available in the world let alone Indonesia. I have seen places similar before but none had the range and quality of fresh fish, crabs, prawns and other delicacies. We particularly enjoyed the Chili Crab.
We found the accomodation at the Murex resort very pleasant and the people very helpful. While we only had our breakfasts at the Resort as we were far to busy each day out and about trying different things what we did have to eat at Murex was good. While we only went diving the one day my son and I certaily enjoyed it, gave us a taste of what is available and ideas for our return.
I have taken any opportunity to recommend a trip to North Sulawesi to all my friends in Jakarta and hope they will take the time to visit Manado. I have also advised them to speak with Safari Tours and Travel for all their needs.
Many thanks again for your assistance in making the holiday special. Again also to Ninny for being such a fantastic tour guide and taking the time to explain everything for us. My parents have now returned to Australia and are regaling their friends with tales of Volcanic lakes, fresh fish, giant crabs, beautiful sunsets, great markets and of course the extremely friendly people.

Jamie Parry (JParry [at] premier-oil.com)
American, June 2004

We had a wonderful time in Siladen Resort and Toraja. The diving in Bunaken Marine Park is spectacular; it is the best coral that we have ever seen. Daniele & the resort staff are very, very nice. They clearly have a great thing going with excellent food in the bargain. We would definitely recommend it to our friends.
Our guide, Mustari, in Toroja is very helpful and knowledgeable about local customs. He found out there was a 7 day funeral ceremony during our visit. We brought one carton of cigarettes and attended the ceremony, it was just one of the wildest experiences that we ever had.
We would like to thank you for the wonderful arrangment, we enjoyed our vacation so much and we can't wait to go back.

Alissa & Eric
USA, June 2004

A big thank you to Jeremy & Ninny Barnes of Safari Tours for having organized such a wonderful vacation for us in Lembeh Resort and Siladen Resort. We had a great time! Everything went extremely smooth. Needless to say, the diving was superb, and the services at both resorts were immaculate. People are so friendly and trying to help at all times, which made us felt really welcomed. This holiday in Manado certainly ranks as one of our top diving/relaxation lists amassed over the years.
We are surely looking forward to returning to Manado again and again in the future.
Many many thanks,

John & Catherine Lewis (ewis [at] pacific.net.sg)
Singapore, May 2004

My mum and I travelled to Manado in Mid April and we took a day trip with Safari Tour to Minahasa Highland, the trip was enjoyable and we were well served by knowledgeable guide and driver of Safari Tour.
Manado has a relaxed and rustic ambience and we are glad to have visited Manado to experience its people, landscape and the marine park.

NG Shiuh Huei
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 2004

We had a fantastic time in North Sulawesi, both at the Villa, and also on Gangga Island. The Villa was a perfect base to explore the lovely countryside around Manado, and we really enjoyed our day trip with you up to the volcano, and to the local market. Tom and Ellie have been busy telling friends about the local delicacies on offer - especially the rats and bats! We would thoroughly recommend both the Villa and the day trips you offer through Safari tours.
Gangga was great too - an excellent place for a complete rest - and we all enjoyed the snorkelling around the island. We were lucky to have two other Australian families on holidays there, so all the kids played very happily together the whole time we were there (and that makes for a great holiday for the parents!). The food was excellent, and the chalets were very comfortable and clean.
We would love to return to North Sulawesi again, and have been telling our friends here to consider a holiday to a place that has the best of both worlds - not spoilt by tourism and yet with lots of natural attractions and wonderfully friendly people.
Warm regards,

Jill & Malcolm Downing (jilld [at] singnet.com.sg)
Singapore, April 2004

Hy, this is Thomas Schlug. When I was in Manado last week, I did a tour to National Park to see the little monkeys. We had a wonderful time, thank you very much for taking care of my son and myself. We will recommend you to our colleagues and friends in Jakarta!

Thomas Schlug (schlug [at] cbn.net.id)
Jakarta, April 2004

Thanks for a wonderful trip !
Your guide and driver are very friendly- my kids enjoy their company very much, their best activity? Running around and feeding leftovers to the fishes at the lake side restaurant !
The Gardenia Resort at Minahasa was great - lovely gardens, have never seen so many species of flowers! Breakfast with such a wonderful view of the volcano was unforgettable!
Siladen Resort was worth mentioning...we didn't imagine we can steal a dive each and still go snorkelling with the kids! The spa completes the day !
Mountain, rain, sun, sea & sand we got them all !

Siew Yim Country Holidays Travel Pte Ltd
Singapore, March 2004

Dear SAFARI TOUR - Mr. Jeremy, Ninny & Staff,
We wish to express our appreciation to SAFARI TOUR for your prompt assistant in hotel reservation and also recommendation to places of interest in Manado. Not forgetting the arrangement for us to dive with MUREX DIVING which facilities and crew were excellent.
With your professional service, our holiday in Manado was indeed a very enjoyable one and everything went on schedule smoothly. Looking forward to another trip with SAFARI TOUR in the near future.
Cheers! Cheers!

Edwin, Alfred, Francis & Kerby (edwinkiang [at] lycos.com)
Singapore, March 2004

Dear Jeremy and Ninny,
I am back home and of course back at work.
The trip to Toraja was a great succes. The guide and the driver were very kind and they did all they could to ensure us a good time.
The hotel in Rantepao (Toraja Heritage) was just splendid. I think it is one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever seen.
So, we spend a very good time in Sulawesi and we would like to thank everyone for the excellent service.
Greetings

Tina Joossens (T.Joossens [at] regzhsintmaria.be)
Belgium, March 2004

Dear Ninny / Jeremy,
+ Just to let you know that i found the local tour arranged by Ninny most interesting and had a great time diving during my stay at the Lembeh Resort ( LR ).
+ Special thanks to Ninny for bargaining on my behalf with the local fruit vendors and making the fruit selections. I ended up sharing the tasty and sweet durians, oranges and mangoes with the local boat / dive crew and Swiss / Japanese guests at LR after our dives which appear to have been enjoyed by all.
+ Look forward to returning to Manado / Lembeh soon.
All the best,

James Koh (jameskoh_30c [at] yahoo.com)
Hong Kong, October 2003

Dear Jeremy and Ninny,
Thank you very much for all your help. We are really pleased and happy with all the services you arranged for our trip around Sulawesi (Toraja tour, diving with Eco-divers and accommodation at Tasik Ria Resort in Manado, domestic flights Makassar-Manado and Manado-Denpasar). Everything was perfect and people kindly waited for us in the airports (Ujung Padang and Manado) even if the flights from Padang and Makassar arrived late. The tour around Toraja Land was excellent, it couldn't be better.
And what can we say about diving in Bunaken, it is the best diving we have ever done.
We strongly recommend visiting Toraja Land and Bunaken, and we recommend Safari Tours and Travel to arranged all the tours around Sulawesi, they are proffesional and efficient, and the serviced provided is excellent.
We hope to go back to North Sulawesi in the future, and if we do so, with no doubt we will travel again with Safari Tours and Travel.
Terima kasih, Jeremy and Ninny.

Irantzu and Ismael
Basque Country, August 2003 (Toraja tour, diving with Eco-divers and accommodation at Tasik Ria Resort in Manado, domestic flights)

Dear Ninny,
We'd like to say 'thank you' from the bottom of our heart. While we were staying in Manado, we didn't have any trouble and felt comfortable because of your good job. Hiromu says , 'The best one of this trip was seeing Tarsius'. As I told you, we had visited another places in Indonesia on the trip, besides, Manado was the first destination where it's easy to forget. Even so, it was the most impression place to him! I felt the same way, but I liked diving in Manado better than seeing Tarsius.
Someday, I'd like to visit Manado again. I'll let you know when I have decided.

Kanako Kurashina (email withheld by request)
Japan, July 2003

Hi Ninny & Jeremy
Everything was perfect in Sulawesi : all domestic flights on schedule, kind and helpful people waiting for us everywhere, quality on the resort / diving center ! Diving there was incredible : that's the best diving area we have ever been. Diversity there is amazing : offering such magnificent and different diving opportunities as Lembeh Strait and Bunaken, in the same area, is absolutely unique.
Thanks again for your kindness and professionalism and hope to talk to you soon... because we will definetely go back to Sulawesi !

Ben & Amandine (benoit.barbereau [at] bnpparibas.com)
France, August 2003 (domestic tickets, diving and resort reservations)

Thanks for all your help organising the trip - the diving and accomodation (Tasik Ria Resort & Eco Divers) were excellent and your service you provided for our group was excellent.

Craig Fields (craig [at] craigfield.com)
Abu Dhabi, July 2003

Hello, this is just to thank you for your efficient and friendly help when we arrived in Manado on 12th july; everything went fine and the driver you assigned us , touan JANTJE , was exactly as you had described him, nice and helpfull ; moreover he is a first class driver , as well as a very patient teacher of Bahasa Indonesia ! As a matter of fact I did not tell you ,that with the help of Jantje we had a few smashing dinners. Please give him my best regards next time you see him. On our side we liked Minahasa , and liked the nice people of your area ; next time we make a trip in your direction we might study , with your help, a trip to Pulau Peleng ... renting a boat??
In the meantime , all the best to both of you and thank you again.

Michel Gada (colexo [at] wanadoo.fr)
France, July 2003

Jeremy and Ninny,
During our first trip to North Sulawesi we learned that round trip tickets (Singapore-Manado) are less expensive (half price) if purchased in Manado, versus purchasing them in the US. We contacted Jeremy and Ninny at Safari Tours & Travel and asked for their assistance in purchasing our tickets and sending them to us here in the US. The communication via email went smoothly, they always answered our questions plus provided other information that we found helpful. Once we had wired them the money, they immediately purchased our tickets and express mailed them to us, providing us with a tracking number. The whole transaction went smoothly plus saved us a great deal of money. We are very thankful for their assistance, and highly recommend them for any travel needs you may have.
Our trip to North Sulawesi was WONDERFUL!!! We were there for 3 weeks (March/April 2003). The people in all the villages we visited were gracious hosts, I understand even more now why North Sulawesi is 'The Land of Smiling People'. In Manado just about everyone had a smile and a wave for us and they were interested in where we were from. It did not matter that we were from the US, as we are all just people enjoying one another.
We will probably return to North Sulawesi again within the next few years. We seldom return to the same place twice as there are so many great places and people to experience, however, a third trip to North Sulawesi is defintely on our agenda. Plus the diving is awesome.
Please feel free to email any questions.

Tom and Linda (tal [at] psln.com)
USA

I am most pleased to once again say that I have had a pleasant visit to Manado arranged by Safari Tours. As one might notice, I sent an earlier testimonial (July 2002); obviously, I enjoyed the visit enough to return a second time - and to bring my wife with me. Tasik Ria Resort was once again very comfortable; the staff at Eco Divers continue to be highly-professional and very personable; and Jeremy and Ninny from Safari Tours & Travel ensured that our visit was again memorable and without hassle. We hope to return in the future!

Jon Richards
USA, July 2003

A nice trip in Manado
Baru-baru ini, saya dan teman liburan di Manado. Liburan yang menyenangkan &. apalagi ini adalah yang pertama kali ke Manado. Selama liburan disana, banyak hal-hal yang menyenangkan; jalan-jalan di kota Manado, tour ke Minahasa, snorkling di Bunaken, makan malam di Tinoor dan tidak ketinggalan nongkrong di Boulevard sambil menikmati, roti bakar, es kelapa muda dan hot choclate.
Liburan ini agak mendadak; tidak banyak waktu mempersiapkan segala sesuatunya, tujuan kita hanya satu saja, mau snorkling di Bunaken. Untunglah salah seorang teman merekomendasikan Safari Toursuntuk mengatur perjalanan kita selama di Manado. Tour kita ke Minahasa & Bunaken sangat menyenangkan berkat bantuan dari Safari Tours yang meng-arange semuanya dengan baik and profesional. Terima kasih pada Jeremy yang memberikan banyak informasi. Tour seharian ke Minahasa di temani oleh Rini, tour leader yang charming. Banyak tempat-tempat yang kita kunjungi, pemandangan di Rurukan, Bukit Kasih di Kanonang, melihat rumah adat Minahasa di Woloan dan makan siang di restoran Terapung.
Pengalaman yang paling exciting saat snorkling di Bunaken, melihat ikan ikan yang beraneka rupa dan aneka warna & trumbu karang. Tapi selain pengalaman yang exciting, ada juga pengalaman yang mendebarkan. Sewaktu divers dan snorklers lagi asyik bermain dengan ikan-ikan pada sore harinya, tiba-tiba angin kencang dan ombak besar datang menerpa. Tinggi ombaknya sampai 3-4 meter. Konon khabarnya, ombak seperti ini setiap 3 tahun terjadi karena angin barat yang sangat kencang. . Untunglah semua divers kita selamat dan kebetulan kapal kita besar, sehingga sorenya kita bisa balik ke dermaga setelah ombak mereda, sedangkan kapal kapal kecil lainnya harus menginap di Bunaken. Tapi pengalaman badai ini tidak membuat kita takut dan kapok, besok harinya kita masih mengulang lagi snorkling, kita belum puas melihat ikan-ikan yang cantik itu.
Suatu hari &....&.kita mau kembali lagi ke Bunaken.

Lisbeth & Sorta
Indonesia, June 2003

We had an enjoyable time and were happy with the resort, as well as the dive centre. The people there were most friendly and efficient. Thanks for everything.

Irene Man (ireneman [at] attglobal.net
April 2003

We recently returned from a 10 day dive trip to Manado. We stayed at the Santika, a hotel with good accomodation and facilities and a very friendly staff. Our three old daughter spent her days at the hotel swimming pool accompanied by her nanny and had a great time playing with the hotel staff. The diving was simply superb. We are very impressed by the diversity of creatures we found in our dives in Bunaken, the Northern Islands and the Lembeh Strait. We met lovely people during our stay, specially the staff and dive guides of Thalassa Dive Centre, which made our diving even more pleasant.
Safety was never a concern for us. The local people are extremely friendly and very peaceful.
We are very glad we had Safari Tours organizing our trip. They gave us all the information we needed and were always very friendly and quick in responding our (dozens of) emails. They tried to meet our every need, always adding a personal touch to their services. We really enjoyed our vacation and we are already thinking of returning to Manado next year.

Claudia & Julio (claudiastein [at] pacific.net.sg)
Singapore, April 2003

I recently spent a week at the new Lembeh Strait Resort. It is small and friendly with very nice, spacious bungalows. We loved the big, shady verandahs overlooking the strait -- great for relaxing between dives. The staff anticipated our needs without being intrusive and were always pleasant and helpful.
I can't say enough good things about the dive guides and boat crew. They were cheerful and enthusiastic, they were fun to dive with and they took good care of our gear. We saw all sorts of great things, including pygmy seahorses, regular seahorses, ghost pipefish, mating mandarinfish, frogfish, flying gurnards, ribbon eels, mantis shrimp and lots of different crabs...it was like diving a highlights reel.
Safari Tours did a great job of organising our trip and were always quick to respond when we needed information or advice.

Mary Lojkine
Singapore, March 2003

My wife and I recently returned from a 3 week Holiday in North Sulawesi on 21st March 03, during this tour we utilised Safari Tours for some of our travel arrangements. They carried all of this out efficiently and were happy to provide good advice and assistance over and above the items we had dealt with them over. I know that they can offer a full service to arrange any items required in Sulawesi and would have no trouble recommending there service.
Regarding the security situation in North Sulawesi. I can only say that I kept track of events in Indonesia prior to travel mainly through the Jakarta Post. I did not find anything of concern for this area. During our stay we found the people to be the friendliest we had ever meet in 30 years of global travel (I am ex Merchant Navy). Although it was low season and not many European travellers around we never felt anything other than the good nature and friendliness of the local people. We had dealings with many of the local ex-pat population and their relaxed manner was an indication of the predominant lack of tension in the area.

Dave Stocking (davestocking2000 [at] yahoo.co.uk)
UK, March 2003

Hello there Jeremy and Ninny,
Thanks for all the arrangements, I'm sure Jeffry (a local dive guide from Manado) is very excited about this trip. This is his very first time travelling on a plane and outside of Manado region.
Manado is pretty much like a second home to me and I'll normally do a few trips per year. In fact my last trip was Jan and in mid-April I shall return for another wonderful dive trip.
It's been a pleasure planning this trip with you guys (Safari Tours & Travel), thanks again.

Ee Wan
Singapore, Feb. 2003

Hi Ninny and Jeremy,
What can I say; I have and will indeed retain very fond memories of my two-weekends in & around Manado: your warm welcome, your availability and flexibility, your personal approach and the lovely and peaceful people and places I have had a chance to visit - Hope to see you again one day and with the very best regards to your children,

Peter Thoenes (Rosanna.Faillace [at] tin.it)
Italy, Jan. 2003

King Fish that weighed in at over 20 kilos

A short note to say thanks for the great hospitality we received, as for Safari Tours & Travel, a well organized tour operator who offers good advise and ensures all your reasonable requests are met - i.e. allowing us to take a small inflatable boat to the hotel for fishing, even going out of their way to assist in repairing punctures on the boat, and finding basic things we forgot to bring along. A very personalized service larger tour operators would find difficult to match. We wish you all the very best in the New Year.
PS: Keep those big fish in North Sulawesi a secret, we will return

Kirk & Lizelle (kmgemmell at msn.com) Expats living in Jakarta
December 2002

We spent the first 10 days of our vacation on Gangga Island, a place we warmly recommend for its very good accommodation, its wonderful beach, the good service provided by the whole staff and especially the great diving. The boat will bring you not only to the places nearby which include Bangka Island, but also to Talisei, Bunaken and the Lembeh Strait. We encountered lots of different species during our dives, ranging from the sea horse and the ghost pipe fish to the sea snake, the green turtle and the black and white tip shark. Not to forget the beautiful soft corals which are still intact.

We had also booked a 3-day trip to a national park and Tomohon, from where you get to the Mahawu volcano. This had been organized by Safari Tours & Travel. They offer very interesting tours and we can recommend them for their professionalism, their good service and their extreme flexibility in case a change of plans is required. When we arrived at the national park Bogani Nani Wartebone after a 6-hour drive and found out it was not the place where we'd like to spend 2 nights - great 'jungle trip' though, but bad accommodation as the place is rather dirty - Ninny, our guide, managed to arrange very quickly for us to stay 2 nights instead of 1 at the Gardenia Resort in Tomohon, a beautiful place by the way. Ninny, thanks for all the interesting information you gave us during the trip and for keeping smiling under any circumstances!
We definitely enjoyed our stay in North Sulawesi and plan to discover more of it another time.

Edwin & Sylvie (mr.ed at bluewin.ch)
Switzerland, October 2002

Dear Ninny
We had a fantastic time, couldn't have any better really. Here is our email address if anyone would like a recommendation!

All the best
Kristine & Finn (karnvig at blueyonder.co.uk)
One night Jakarta, Acacia Hotel, Domestic Flights, Two Fish Divers, Pulisan Jungle Beach Resort
September 2002

Dear Ninny and Jeremy
Anyway, thank you very much for the great arrangement. We enjoyed our holiday very much! The Task Ria was nice and clean. The food was very good. The geographic setting and hospitality in Pulisan were excellent. We had such a relaxing and beautiful week. We spent our time sleeping, eating, napping, reading and swimming. The coral reef was just amazing. I have never seen anything like that in my life. All these things are a good memory now. The best thing is we enjoyed everything happened that there!
Thanks and best regards from Tokyo...

Atsuko Shintani
Japan, September 2002

After having had a wonderful honeymoon in North-Sulawesi in 1999 we decided to return. As we wanted to visit the whole of Sulawesi this time we were looking for a serious and reliable tour operator. It was not possible to organise our somewhat special trip from Germany, because nobody here was able to book at least the flight tickets from Merpati, the national subsidiary of Garuda Airlines.
As a consequence we were searching the Internet for local operators. The most serious one and the only one offering a good suggestion for the 3-week-trip from Manado to Walea (Togian Islands), to Lore Lindu and to the Toraja highlands was Safari Tours & Travel in Manado, run by Ninny and Jeremy. So we decided to make all the necessary bookings by them.

As we arrived in Manado we were welcomed by Ninny and felt immediately at home. We were handed all the flight tickets and vouchers and after 3 relaxing days at the Tasik Ria hotel we started our Sulawesi trip.

The next stop, Walea Diving Resort, was marvellous. We warmly reccomend this island to everybody who wants to enjoy world class diving and snorkeling, first class accomodation and cuisine and Italian lifestyle in combination with South Sea atmosphere and untouched nature.

The transfer to our next stop, Palu and Lore Lindu National Park, was less comfortable. Merpati cancelled our names from the passenger list even though our flight tickets were reconfirmed with 'OK' status. So we had to return to Walea for another three days which was not really a sacrifice. The money already spent for the stop in Palu was later refunded by Safari Tours. The next try with Merpati was a horror trip, too. The plane was 8 hours late even if the weather was quite fine. So we missed the connecting flight to Makassar and lost one day in the really fantastic Toraja highlands and the first class Novotel Coralia hotel. But the excellent guide Safari Tours organised for us made us forget all the stress with Merpati.

We warmly recommend Safari Tours for any trip you want to make to Sulawesi. And Sulawesi is full of really beautiful and interesting places. We would also be pleased to answer your questions directly. Just mail to konrad.litschel at web.de.

Marina and Konrad
Germany, July 2002

Extending our business trip while in North-Sulawesi seemed like a good idea to the three of us. However, there was a concern with where to stay. My traveling partners preferred to take their chances and find a good place when we arrived. I am just not built this way and prefer to get the accommodations out of the way so there is more time for vacationing. I am sure glad we had you there to make our reservations for us and confirm the resort we found was a good one.
Tasik Ria Resort and Eco Divers Dive Center is first class. The resort facilities were outstanding, the service reminded me of our last cruise. You left for dinner and when you got back the bed was turned down and there was chocolate on the pillow (dinner was great, the wine could have been better). The help was very friendly and greeted us by name as we came into the room or passed by.
The Eco Divers diving center facilities were outstanding as well. They have two large boats that are very well maintained. The rental equipment was in great shape and I am particular about these things. The diving on the house reef was great, I saw a cuddle fish on my first day. The day trips to the Bunaken National Park on the big boats was lots of fun. I thought the distance to the park might present a problem but it didn't take very long at all and we sun bathed on the deck - it was very relaxing. On the way back we had a school of dolphins swimming along side the boat, we tried to take a picture but the digital camera was just too slow. Our dive masters were simply the best! very professional and their knowledge of diving and the ocean is unbelievable. Like diving with a marine biologist, oh wait she was a marine biologist (and very pretty too).
We were a little concerned about coming to Indonesia but there was absolutely no problem. The people are very friendly and if you can manage a smile you are sure to get one back. The only thing missing was my wife. Here is a place of romance, the evening walks on the jetty watching the sun go down, the sound of the waves lapping on the rocks, the moonlight glistening on the water ... maybe next year.
Thanks again for taking such good care of us...

Tim (tim.enright at gtemail.net)
USA, July 2002

I stayed at a resort, the Tasik Ria, that was arranged by Safari Tours and thoroughly enjoyed my stay. The room, pool, dining room, service, dive activities were all outstanding. (I would love to return on a trip that is not business-related and bring my wife!).
I also enjoyed a highlands tour with Safari Tours. The day was great fun - visits to a temple, a hot springs, and a traditional market were among the highlights. Ninny and Jeremy take good care of their guests/clients and make certain the experience is enjoyable and memorable.

Jon (j.c.richards at att.net)
USA, July 2002

SULAWESI & HALMAHERA
25th May 2002 to 15th June 2002

Birdwatchers Recommendation-
Firstly to Aidan Kelly and Howard & Thais Armstrong who kindly invited us along on their trip. Terry Cooper, Richard Fairbank, Jon Hornbuckle, Jon Riley and Barry Wright all gave us pre-trip assistance and/or advice. Jeremy & Ninny Barnes of Safari Tours in Manado - info@manadosafaris.com provided an excellent efficient service booking all our internal flight arrangements and organising our first visit to Tangkoko NP and our stay at the good value Hotel Minahasa in Manado.

David & John F. Cooper
(godwits at yahoo.com, rubythroat at beachyhead500.freeserve.co.uk)

Manado is obviously a very nice place to relax ourselves. Especially on the diving. It have been great to have Safari tours to organize and line up all the activities for us during our stay in Manado. Safari tours have been very professional in organising the activities. Below, are some of the events that have been organised by Safari tours during our trip to Manado:
1) Arrangement of Dive packages with Eco Divers (2 days trip)
2) Day tours by Safari Tours to various Manado locations like mud pools, Manado traditional market, furniture making factories
3) Special arrangment for white water rafting.
Lastly, Jernice and myself would like to thank Ninny and Jeremy for their wonderful arrangement. Although we only spend 4 days 3 nights in Manado, we have lots of fun there. I will definitely be back again to Manado to complete the rest of our remaining diving sites.
Best Regards

Daniel (scuba8085 at hotmail.com)
Singapore, June 2002

Safari Tours had made a seamless arrangement for our vacation in Manado, we are very satisfied with their services and charges.

Eric Soh (ec.soh at switchcore.com)
Singapore, March 2002

These are my unbiased comments in the 1st trip with Safari Tours:
1)service of guide : Ninny is competent n obliging. Also can act multi roles i.e., hill climbing ,rafting ,diving.

2)Budget planning for guest: flexible & not gunning for the last rupiah. Perhaps reflects Safaris Tours philosophy of accommodating the guest's budgets & interests!!
3)Resources beyond Manado: Safaris Tour also links up with other tours (in this case, a tour operator in South Sulawesi familiar to them). Such linkages ensure minimum disruptions to guests limited time & ease their mind of last minute disruptions, vs. common of such less main stream tourists routes. Keep up Safaris Tour.
Overall, I find both Ninny and husband an effective team that best caters to focus groups for max coverage of Sulawesi.

Mr Goh (millgoh at catcha.com)
Singapore, March 2002

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