Discover Bali, Flores and Komodo Islands

First few days in Bali were a bit laid back and a little slow-paced for the taste of some people in the group. The walks were probably much less challenging then most people were expecting. Transport was pretty good and well-organised and the accommodation was good. The hotel in Belimbing was very pleasant. Transfer to Flores was very smooth. The hotel in Bajawa was more basic as described in the notes, but actually everyone found the rooms to be quite acceptable. The main downside was that the breakfast was fairly limited. Other hotels on the trip were of a good standard with high quality facilities. The overnight cruise to Komodo was aboard an upgraded boat so all the couples and singles actually had their own cabins with en suite bathrooms. They were simple but fine for one night. The Komodo walks were the highlight of the trip. Our tour leader Hadi recommended changing the ascent on Padar from morning to evening to observe the sunset, and we think this was probably a good move which allowed a more relaxed approach to the second day's activities, especially tracking the dragons on Komodo island. Hadi was helpful and seemed to have good communication with the transport elements. My airport transfer for my homeward flight in Densapar had orignally been booked at an uncomfortably late time by the hotel (probably unaware it was an international flight), but he got them them to rearrange for a more realistic time. Overall an enjoyable trip, probably in terms of activity more suited to the more senior age groups than younger people.

Thoroughly enjoyed this trip. We had a nice sized group of 10 people. Our tour leader Hadi was excellent, very friendly , organised and just an all round lovely jubbly guy! :-) Our highlights of the trip were definitely the boat trip around Rinca, Komodo & Padar Island, snorkelling at pink beach and spotting a Manta Ray. The hotels on this trip were really great and we had an upgrade on our boat meaning we all ended up with our own room with en suite, luxury ! Some long days spent travelling but well worth it for the stunning views and experiences. Thank you Explore once again for another amazing trip!

Overall and excellent trip with a diverse group of 10 travellers. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour especially the boat trip to Rinko and Komodo islands. Flores is under development and extremely rural with glorious verdant vegetation and stunning landscapes. A real ‘away from it all’ destination. Bali was very busy with dreadful traffic, however the area this tour goes to offered some tranquility from the hubbub. The boat trip exceeded expectations, was very comfortable with great friendly service. Despite being told we would have a shared multi-berth cabin, we had our own with bathrooms! To finish at the beach in Jimbaran was a great way to relax and restore our energy before the long journey home. Tip: massages are excellent and very cheap!! Highlight: Komodo dragons, snorkelling on pink beach -fabulous!

Highlight was obviously seeing the dragons on Rinca and Komodo islands. Our guide, Peter, was exceptional, well organised and available. We were lucky to have a small group on the boat, a full group would be very crowded. Worth staying another day at the end.

Fantastic itinerary..very varied from day to day. Great contrast doing 2 back to back tours of Indonesia. Tour guide Anton was extremely organised and cared very much for all of the group like we were his family. Each day brought new surprises for us all from visiting a school to making temple offerings, to been cleansed at a temple, swimming in the hot springs whilst Anton played `dad` and minded all of our belongings, purchasing bamboo straws after seeing them been made, staying on a boat overnight, snorkelling, walking up many, many steps for sunset-Anton made sure we all managed to see the sunset that night and meeting the komodo dragons the next day, Where ever we went everybody knew Anton and they were all genuinely pleased to see him. Thank you Anton for always making sure I had vegetarian meals. It was a pleasure for Anton to eat with the group every night.