Testimonials
Here is what our guests are saying…
For more testimonials, please see our page on TripAdvisor.
33 entries.
Dear Manado Safari Tours & Travel,
We safely arrived back in the Netherlands after a wonderful trip in Indonesia.
The 4 days we stayed in Manado were very special and the excursions which Safari Tours & Travel had organized for us were a wonderful experience.
We had booked three excursions there:
04 Feb-2017: Minahasa Highland Tour.
05 Feb-2017: Bunaken Snorkeling Trip.
06 Feb-2017: Manado City.
About each tour day we are very satisfied, everything was perfectly and efficiently organized. Snorkeling in the clear seawater between vast numbers of colorful fish and coral, during the Bunaken-trip, was fantastic.
Especially we want to thank David, our tour guide during the Minahasa- and Manado City tour.
David is an excellent guide, with great knowledge of the area and interesting places. But he is also a very nice, helpful and flexible person and he adjusted the program perfectly to our wishes. Without the contribution of David, certainly our stay in Manado would not have succeeded so well.
Among other, thanks David we finally managed to find a place where my wife could eat her favorite fruit, namely: the durian (David will remember :-).
Finally, we wish all the employees of Safari Tours & travel in Manado the best for the future and especially David, thanks again!
(Minahasa Highland Tour. Bunaken Snorkeling Trip. Manado City tour)
We safely arrived back in the Netherlands after a wonderful trip in Indonesia.
The 4 days we stayed in Manado were very special and the excursions which Safari Tours & Travel had organized for us were a wonderful experience.
We had booked three excursions there:
04 Feb-2017: Minahasa Highland Tour.
05 Feb-2017: Bunaken Snorkeling Trip.
06 Feb-2017: Manado City.
About each tour day we are very satisfied, everything was perfectly and efficiently organized. Snorkeling in the clear seawater between vast numbers of colorful fish and coral, during the Bunaken-trip, was fantastic.
Especially we want to thank David, our tour guide during the Minahasa- and Manado City tour.
David is an excellent guide, with great knowledge of the area and interesting places. But he is also a very nice, helpful and flexible person and he adjusted the program perfectly to our wishes. Without the contribution of David, certainly our stay in Manado would not have succeeded so well.
Among other, thanks David we finally managed to find a place where my wife could eat her favorite fruit, namely: the durian (David will remember :-).
Finally, we wish all the employees of Safari Tours & travel in Manado the best for the future and especially David, thanks again!
(Minahasa Highland Tour. Bunaken Snorkeling Trip. Manado City tour)
We are back in USA after our Southeast Asia travel. Thanks very much for arranging the Indonesia part of our journey. Freddy was waiting for us at Manado airport and provided us with a great tour of Tangkoko and the Minahasa Highlands. At Tangkoko, Freddy and the local guide (Mendi?) led us to a group of 60 or more black macaques just awakening at 0630. The macaques climbed, played, ate, squabbled, and groomed each other, sometimes within a meter of us watchers--a spectacular wildlife experience. We also got good views of tarsiers, couscous, and a male knobbed hornbill feeding a female in her tree hole. The people at Tangkoko Hill cottages were very nice and the meals were excellent. The cultural tour of Minahasa was also informative and fun. The Tomohon market was good, the knockdown houses very interesting, and we received an excellent weaving demonstration. The scenery is serenely beautiful--lovely lakes Tondano and Linow, Klabat the volcano, and terraced fields of many crops around Tomohon. Our time was action-packed.
Our stay at the Aryaduta Hotel with morning free time (to a market in town center) was fine. Looking back, Lusia was correct that we should have stayed another day! Freddy was excellent--knowledgeable about many things, and flexible in modifying the itinerary to work with our busy schedule. Manado Safari Tours did an excellent job, even better than my high hopes! And we highly recommend Tangkoko Hill Cottages. Thanks again.
PS. Tess, our 10-year-old, ranked the tour as a 10 on a scale of 1 to 5, and she enjoyed getting photographed with local girls at several stops.
(Tangkoko, Minahasa Highland Tour)
Our stay at the Aryaduta Hotel with morning free time (to a market in town center) was fine. Looking back, Lusia was correct that we should have stayed another day! Freddy was excellent--knowledgeable about many things, and flexible in modifying the itinerary to work with our busy schedule. Manado Safari Tours did an excellent job, even better than my high hopes! And we highly recommend Tangkoko Hill Cottages. Thanks again.
PS. Tess, our 10-year-old, ranked the tour as a 10 on a scale of 1 to 5, and she enjoyed getting photographed with local girls at several stops.
(Tangkoko, Minahasa Highland Tour)
“Jeremy and Manado Safari Catered to our every request!” - from TripAdvisor; July 2016
It is really hard coordinating a perfect vacation to a place literally across the world. A place you have never been to, a different time zone, a different language, etc etc. I spent SO much time trying to research on my own on all the various travel forums. When I got in touch with Jeremy it was so great to have someone who understood my needs, spoke the same language, and most importantly had our best interests in mind.
We were looking to set up a perfect diving vacation with very precise and strict requirements. There are so many options and possible itineraries. Everything Jeremy recommended coincided with my own research, but instead of just researching, he was able to contact the hotels and dive resorts locally and make all the necessary arrangements.
His driver transported us to and from the resorts as well as the hotel. Freddy, I think, was hilarious and we looked forward to our drives with him. We also did a tangkoko forest tour with him.
Jeremy made planning our vacation a cinch, the services he provides are top notch and only add to the amazing experience that is N. Sulawesi.
(Thalassa Dive Resort, Murex Bangka Kungkungan Bay Resort , PADI Open Water, land tours)
It is really hard coordinating a perfect vacation to a place literally across the world. A place you have never been to, a different time zone, a different language, etc etc. I spent SO much time trying to research on my own on all the various travel forums. When I got in touch with Jeremy it was so great to have someone who understood my needs, spoke the same language, and most importantly had our best interests in mind.
We were looking to set up a perfect diving vacation with very precise and strict requirements. There are so many options and possible itineraries. Everything Jeremy recommended coincided with my own research, but instead of just researching, he was able to contact the hotels and dive resorts locally and make all the necessary arrangements.
His driver transported us to and from the resorts as well as the hotel. Freddy, I think, was hilarious and we looked forward to our drives with him. We also did a tangkoko forest tour with him.
Jeremy made planning our vacation a cinch, the services he provides are top notch and only add to the amazing experience that is N. Sulawesi.
(Thalassa Dive Resort, Murex Bangka Kungkungan Bay Resort , PADI Open Water, land tours)
David and Mehdi were two of the best guides I have had the fortune of having. It was great to have two guides who were so knowledgeable passionate about their work. They were flexible and funny and went out of their way to find the species I wanted to see. I couldn't recommend them enough. Thanks a lot.
(Tangkoko Tour)
(Tangkoko Tour)
My family had a very pleasant tour in North Sulawesi and we are thankful to have Pak Freddy as our tour guide as he is very friendly, informative and nice. He helped us discover more of North Sulawesi.
However, it is regretful that the hotel we were staying wasn't quite good, in terms of services and sanitation (the rooms, the room's telephone and bed sheets were odour). Besides that, our guide when we were snorkelling in Bunaken was not quite helpful.
But, those were not Safari Tour's fault. Overall, Safaris has given us a 5-star service, including Kak Lusia who corresponded with us prior to our trip. We will surely come back to North Sulawesi with Safari Tours & Travel.
(Minahasa Highland, Bunaken Sightseeing Tour)
However, it is regretful that the hotel we were staying wasn't quite good, in terms of services and sanitation (the rooms, the room's telephone and bed sheets were odour). Besides that, our guide when we were snorkelling in Bunaken was not quite helpful.
But, those were not Safari Tour's fault. Overall, Safaris has given us a 5-star service, including Kak Lusia who corresponded with us prior to our trip. We will surely come back to North Sulawesi with Safari Tours & Travel.
(Minahasa Highland, Bunaken Sightseeing Tour)
Safaris Tours & Travel are always efficient. We did a white water rafting tour from Manado with them and everything was professionnal, we really enjoyed our day. We were only 2 guests in the raft with 2 guides who knew very well the river (category 2 - 4). In the middle of the tour, we stopped to drink water and some pastries and we had lunch (simple but quite good) in a small restaurant after the tour on the way back to Manado. It was very nice to speak with our guide, Franck Kowaas before and after the tour.
Many years before, the Toraja tour was also a very professionnal one and our guide a 4* one.
(White water rafting in November 2015; many years before: Toraja land tour, volcano tour, tarsier tour)
Many years before, the Toraja tour was also a very professionnal one and our guide a 4* one.
(White water rafting in November 2015; many years before: Toraja land tour, volcano tour, tarsier tour)
We were so glad that we booked with Safari Tours and Travel. Every connection went smoothly over the fourteen days and the sights and experiences were the most memorable we have had for a long time. In addition to the comfortable accommodations and incredible vistas we enjoyed, it was the company of our tour guides that was also a highlight. On the Southern leg Soba was a witty, intelligent guide always up for a laugh but full of new information and Mengis was a very competent driver on often difficult roads. In the Northern leg Freddy was both guide and driver and he handled the five days with wonderful warm-hearted good cheer. He was a joy to be with on the trip.
The Gangga Island stay capped off a fabulous trip to Sulawesi where we snorkeled over three days and saw a myriad of colorful fish of many species and a few sea snakes. The resort was excellent.
In total it was a safe, wonderful trip, full of interest and handled by very engaging staff. Thank you for going the extra yard to make us feel truly welcomed on your island. To the office staff who we did not meet we offer our thanks for smooth transfer of all bookings of accommodations, plane flights and entrance fees. We thank you most sincerely. We have encouraged several friends to come to Sulawesi and hope to come again within a few years to the Minahasa Highlands and Gangga Island. We particularly loved the stay at Gardenia Hotel where the food was first class on any scale and we would love to stay there again.
(Toraja Tour - Discover Minahasa: Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Minahasa Highland Tour, Mahawu Volcano Trek, Gardenia Country Inn - Gangga Island Resort - Sintesa Peninsula Hotel Manado - Domestic Ticketing)
The Gangga Island stay capped off a fabulous trip to Sulawesi where we snorkeled over three days and saw a myriad of colorful fish of many species and a few sea snakes. The resort was excellent.
In total it was a safe, wonderful trip, full of interest and handled by very engaging staff. Thank you for going the extra yard to make us feel truly welcomed on your island. To the office staff who we did not meet we offer our thanks for smooth transfer of all bookings of accommodations, plane flights and entrance fees. We thank you most sincerely. We have encouraged several friends to come to Sulawesi and hope to come again within a few years to the Minahasa Highlands and Gangga Island. We particularly loved the stay at Gardenia Hotel where the food was first class on any scale and we would love to stay there again.
(Toraja Tour - Discover Minahasa: Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Minahasa Highland Tour, Mahawu Volcano Trek, Gardenia Country Inn - Gangga Island Resort - Sintesa Peninsula Hotel Manado - Domestic Ticketing)
My wife and I ended our dive trip to North Sulawesi with a land-based trip to the Minahasa highlands and Tangkoko nature forest. Our operator for this part of the trip, Manado safaris tour, was exceptional. The itinerary was fun and our guide, a gentleman named Freddy, was really more of a cultural ambassador for us or an oracle of all things Indonesian. He was light-hearted, kind, and tremendously informative. We enjoyed our time with him very much and frequently remarked how his contributions enhanced our experience. The other piece I'm compelled to mention is the service we received from the owners. On two occasions, especially one involving a mess of our own making, they personally went far above and beyond what anyone could reasonably expect to make our trip a success. It is without reservation that I recommend their service to anyone travelling to North Sulawesi.
(Discover Minahasa Package: Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Minahasa Highland Tour, Mahawu Volcano Trek, Gardenia Country Inn)
(Discover Minahasa Package: Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Minahasa Highland Tour, Mahawu Volcano Trek, Gardenia Country Inn)
We chose the 2-day tour from Manado. We had lunch in the countryside with a beautiful scenery surrounding us. Then we got to the homestay before leaving for Tangkoko forest right before dusk. There we saw a couscous bear, a handful of Tarsiers, snakes, etc. After a good dinner and a comfortable night of sleep we woke up before dawn and went back to the forest to meet and walk with dozens of black crested macaques. We also spotted a few hornbills on the way back. Our ranger was Mehdi, and is considered one of the best in Tangkoko (other groups did not spot as much wildlife as us). Our guide and driver was David, young, dynamic, fun, and exceptionally interesting to talk with on many subjects. He was definitely great company. Requesting them both will change your tour for sure!
(Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Overnight Tour)
(Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Overnight Tour)
My sisters, brother in law, and I traveled to Manado in April of 2015. My sisters and I were eager to return to Indonesia after growing up on Sumatra. There are not enough amazing things I can say about our trip with Manado Safaris. Lusia perfectly arranged and planned the trip, even after I kept changing dates and times. David was the most amazing guide and even took us to local restaurants at our request. He was flexible when bad weather interrupted part of our trip and made sure we always had anything we needed. We would recommend this trip to anyone looking for an amazing adventure!
(Discover Minahasa Package: Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Minahasa Highland Tour, Mahawu Volcano Trek, Highland Resort)
(Discover Minahasa Package: Tangkoko Nature Reserve, Minahasa Highland Tour, Mahawu Volcano Trek, Highland Resort)