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Nature Isle Explorers Tours


pauldevon
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If this was last week 3/13 we were on the other van with Donalson and also went to Champange reef where the woman died from a heart attack, very sad. We also went to the Gorge but did not try swimming through the water looked very cold and the rocks very slippery. We then dropped off some people at the falls and we went to Screw Spa, you can swim in 5 different pools of different tempeture water, we all enjoyed the day with Donaldson and all the places he took us too.

J.

 

OMG!!! I was in Dominica on 3/11 so not the same day as you. What happened??

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A French woman(about 60) from our ship was snorkling and we heard from a lady that tried CPR on her and didn't know if she had a heart attack or drown. She said she manageed to get a lot of water out of her but she didn't think she would make it.They had her wrapped up like a mummy from head to feet as they loaded in the ambulance. Very tough on everyone present,we left and the day got much better.

J.

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Just returned from our Tour of Dominica with Emerald Isle Explorers. Most of the people in our group wanted to go to Titou Gorge and Champagne Reef but we really wanted a tour of the Emerald Pool and Trafalgar Falls. As a result there was only two of us on our tour, but unlike other tour companies, Donaldson was still willing to let the tour run. Matthew was our tour guide and he was knowledgable, punctual and accomodating. He supplied us with beverages and gave us advice on the climbs up and down. He didn't pressure us to hurry at all. We had a wonderful day in Dominica and would highly recommend Emerald Isle Explorers to anyone looking for an Excursion.

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We too had a wonderful tour with Matthew. He was very kind and accommodating and we couldn't have asked for a better guide to spend the day exploring Dominica with. He also somehow managed to get us to the Emerald Pool at the perfect time just in between tour groups and we spent 5-7 minutes in the pool all by ourselves. Someone on our ship was in the tour group approaching the pool while we were swimming and filmed us and gave it to us back on board. How nice of him.:)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I didn't see an answer to what the Cruise Critic Promo code is for his booking area. Did anyone answer it, and I missed it?

 

Did you have to pay the full price before the tour? What is his cancellation policy if any?

 

Thank you!

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Just wanted to agree with those who chose Nature Isle. We were a little nervous at first about the swim at Titou Gorge but thanks to Donaldson's unique way of getting us used to the cold water temps, we had a great time! The trip to Screws Spa was a soothing stop to go afterwards along with the platters of fresh fruit. We would recommend their services to anyone going to Dominica, I just hope we can go to this island again.

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I booked Nature Isles for the spa tour based on me explaining to Donaldson that I have a problem with walking. Once we (my husband and I)met up for the tour things were very unorganized and chaotic. After making us wait until 9:30 while they looked for more customers (so much for pre-booking with a deposit) they said lets go and piled us into 3 vans. I questioned why we were being all put into vans when some of us had different tours. I was to find out very soon! They just group everyone together and while people went snorkling they expected us to sit in a chair with the sun beating down on us for an hour. When I said something I was told by the driver Alvin (not the tour guide who played dumb) that mine was the first complaint ever in 10 years. I told him to call Donaldson because I wasnt sitting there like a dummy. Their answer was to never let me get a word in since the driver kept speaking over me and said that he would take us back to the ship and give me my deposit back. That wasnt the issue we only had one day in the port and I had chosen to use their company but they were not doing what they stated they would. The driver took us back to the port driving like a maniac doing over 60 miles an hour. A couple of times I thought he was going to rear end the vehicle in front of him. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS TOUR COMPANY TO MY WORST ENEMY!!!! There are other companies that are reputable and dont try to pull a fast one on the customers. The only thing this company wants is your money!

Edited by marianrobertson
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I booked Nature Isles for the spa tour based on me explaining to Donaldson that I have a problem with walking. Once we (my husband and I)met up for the tour things were very unorganized and chaotic. After making us wait until 9:30 while they looked for more customers (so much for pre-booking with a deposit) they said lets go and piled us into 3 vans. I questioned why we were being all put into vans when some of us had different tours. I was to find out very soon! They just group everyone together and while people went snorkling they expected us to sit in a chair with the sun beating down on us for an hour. When I said something I was told by the driver Alvin (not the tour guide who played dumb) that mine was the first complaint ever in 10 years. I told him to call Donaldson because I wasnt sitting there like a dummy. Their answer was to never let me get a word in since the driver kept speaking over me and said that he would take us back to the ship and give me my deposit back. That wasnt the issue we only had one day in the port and I had chosen to use their company but they were not doing what they stated they would. The driver took us back to the port driving like a maniac doing over 60 miles an hour. A couple of times I thought he was going to rear end the vehicle in front of him. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS TOUR COMPANY TO MY WORST ENEMY!!!! There are other companies that are reputable and dont try to pull a fast one on the customers. The only thing this company wants is your money!

 

Sorry you had such a bad experience. My trip to Dominica with Nature Isle was a complete 180 from what you have posted. I was there last month, we had Marvin as our tour guide. I spoke with Donaldson before we got onto the vans, and he was very personable. Answering all the question I had and other people in our group. I would recommend this tour company to my best friend or worst enemy. It was probably the best run of all cruise excursions have taken.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I just checked the web page and it seems to be working. Go to section for tours and you should be able to reserve trip. We paid a deposit by pay pal and paid rest by cash on day of tour. A water camera is great on this Tour. We had a cheap Kodak underwater camera. This is such a beautiful country. Enjoy!

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  • 1 month later...
We are cruising on 28th on the Serenade.

 

we are actually planning to do the Dominica most captivating tour which includes the 45 minute Middle Ham falls hike.

 

anyone knows if the hike is strenuous ?

 

I would say moderate - we did it the day after hiking the volcano in St. Kitts and were very sore from the day before - it was fine... and the falls are spectacular - totally worth the effort

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
My husband and I are sailing on the Norwegian Sun and booked this tour for Jan 10th. We wanted to get more people to go along with us, because I don't know if they will take just the two of us. Email me at goldgraphix@gmail.com if you are interested and I'll send you the link.

 

We are looking to book the Dominica Jewels tour with Nature Isle Explorers,

Do you pay for the tour before or after the tour has finish?

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  • 4 weeks later...

Donaldson Magloire is the owner of Nature Isle Explorers (http://www.nietours.com). He makes certain that all tour inquiries are timely answered. If you only have 1 or 2 people, the Dominica Jewel Tour is cheap and very good. However, if you have 4 or more in your party, he will work with you to customize a 5 hour+ tour of the island for a per person rate that is CHEAPER than what you would pay for a 3-4 hour cruise ship offering. For photographers, the fishing village of Soufriere and the landscapes at Scotts Head are totally awesome. Photos of these are attached to this post. These are marvelous sights to see even if you don't like photography. You also still see Trafalgar Falls, get to bathe in thermal pools, snorkel at Champaigne Beach, see the botanical gardens, and do all the rest of the things that are offered on typical group tours. I just cannot say enough good things about this tour operator. Start with the Dominica Jewel Tour on the web site and add Soufriere and Scotts Head and you will have a custom tour that you will remember for a long time- at less than a group tour price.

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  • 4 weeks later...
I booked Nature Isles for the spa tour based on me explaining to Donaldson that I have a problem with walking. Once we (my husband and I)met up for the tour things were very unorganized and chaotic. After making us wait until 9:30 while they looked for more customers (so much for pre-booking with a deposit) they said lets go and piled us into 3 vans. I questioned why we were being all put into vans when some of us had different tours. I was to find out very soon! They just group everyone together and while people went snorkling they expected us to sit in a chair with the sun beating down on us for an hour. When I said something I was told by the driver Alvin (not the tour guide who played dumb) that mine was the first complaint ever in 10 years. I told him to call Donaldson because I wasnt sitting there like a dummy. Their answer was to never let me get a word in since the driver kept speaking over me and said that he would take us back to the ship and give me my deposit back. That wasnt the issue we only had one day in the port and I had chosen to use their company but they were not doing what they stated they would. The driver took us back to the port driving like a maniac doing over 60 miles an hour. A couple of times I thought he was going to rear end the vehicle in front of him. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS TOUR COMPANY TO MY WORST ENEMY!!!! There are other companies that are reputable and dont try to pull a fast one on the customers. The only thing this company wants is your money!

 

Our tour with Donaldson was the complete opposite. Out of 16 cruises and countless land vacations his tour was by far the best we've been on. Donaldson was very accommodating and customized the tour to our liking.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just back from the Norwegian sun today. We used nature isle and would recommend to anyone. Really, really good time. Easy to find. Everything was smooth. The tour ended up being 6 hours long, the whole day. They never pushed us. We had 3 major parts of the tour and all 3 were a real adventure. Our guide got in the water with us and took us personally on each location. And he had local guides at each location to give us direction and help. Highly recommend! You will want to be in decent physical health. There is some climbing through uneven terrain. Also, use the restroom at champagne reef. It is another hour or more before another can be found and drinks are flowing by then.

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  • 4 weeks later...

We just returned a few days ago from the Emerald Princess 10 day visiting Dominica.

We booked Dominica's Most Captivating Tour with Nature Island Explorers

 

There were my husband and myself and our dear friends on this tour. Only four of us! It was the highlight of our excursions! Though we were to go into the main port, it was learned later that we would dock at the commerical port. Donaldson let me know and changed the meet time a little. I found his communication to be very prompt and courteous.

 

Our guides were driver Markley and guide Aly or Oly not sure of spelling.

We had a wonderful time with both guys.

IMG_4923.JPG

 

Middleham Falls was a beautiful but strenuous hike. It took us close to two hours round trip but that included looking at the falls for a long time. We are all in our 50's. Our footwear ranged from open toe Tevas, to closed toe hiker sandals, to tennis shoes. We all did just fine. My calves were sore for a few days after the hike, though.

Here is a picture of the water we crossed:

IMG_4925.JPG

Here is a picture of the top of the falls, which was so worth the hike.

IMG_4933.JPG

The beauty in the hike itself were incredible.

IMG_4946.JPG

Next we went to Titou Gorge which was incredible. Aly and another guide went in with us. My disposable underwater camera shots did not come out as it was too dark, so save yourself some bad pictures if that is all you have. We drove through the Botanical Gardens.

We really wanted to do Champagne Reef and we were running low on time, so we chose to bypass Trafalgar Falls. Maybe next year as I hope to use this tour group again.

Our friends rented snorkel masks and we brought our own. Another guide took us in to the water and pointed out interesting sites. It was very clear water and we saw two rays and many fish. Sadly, though the guide looked hard, we did not see the sea horses. Again, maybe next time.

We had a wonderful day and can't wait to get back to Dominica again.

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  • 4 weeks later...
We just returned a few days ago from the Emerald Princess 10 day visiting Dominica.

We booked Dominica's Most Captivating Tour with Nature Island Explorers

 

There were my husband and myself and our dear friends on this tour. Only four of us! It was the highlight of our excursions! Though we were to go into the main port, it was learned later that we would dock at the commerical port. Donaldson let me know and changed the meet time a little. I found his communication to be very prompt and courteous.

 

Our guides were driver Markley and guide Aly or Oly not sure of spelling.

We had a wonderful time with both guys.

IMG_4923.JPG

 

Middleham Falls was a beautiful but strenuous hike. It took us close to two hours round trip but that included looking at the falls for a long time. We are all in our 50's. Our footwear ranged from open toe Tevas, to closed toe hiker sandals, to tennis shoes. We all did just fine. My calves were sore for a few days after the hike, though.

Here is a picture of the water we crossed:

 

Here is a picture of the top of the falls, which was so worth the hike.

IMG_4933.JPG

The beauty in the hike itself were incredible.

 

Next we went to Titou Gorge which was incredible. Aly and another guide went in with us. My disposable underwater camera shots did not come out as it was too dark, so save yourself some bad pictures if that is all you have. We drove through the Botanical Gardens.

We really wanted to do Champagne Reef and we were running low on time, so we chose to bypass Trafalgar Falls. Maybe next year as I hope to use this tour group again.

Our friends rented snorkel masks and we brought our own. Another guide took us in to the water and pointed out interesting sites. It was very clear water and we saw two rays and many fish. Sadly, though the guide looked hard, we did not see the sea horses. Again, maybe next time.

We had a wonderful day and can't wait to get back to Dominica again.

 

Based on the raving reviews here on CC, we have booked the Dominica Jewel tour with Nature Isle Explorers and are looking forward to our day in Dominica

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I was trying to pay the deposit through the link Donaldson sent me. I notice there is $3 tax. Do I have to pay it?

 

Btw, I didn't find the code either.

 

We paid a deposit of $20 for both of us beforehand through PayPal or credit. The rest was due at the end of the tour. I never found a code.
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  • 3 months later...
I was trying to pay the deposit through the link Donaldson sent me. I notice there is $3 tax. Do I have to pay it?

 

Btw, I didn't find the code either.

 

We had a wonderful time in Dominica with Donaldson in the Jewel Tour. We visited the Champagne Reefs for snorkeling, drive through the Botanical Gardens, a panoramic view point of the City and the ship. We also visited the Ti Tou Gorge which was absolutely amazing, we then ended our day with a visit to the Trafalgar Falls where we relax in the warm volcanic pools.

 

Highly recommend doing the Dominica Jewel tour if you visit Dominica

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