Komodo Island, can we get our own excursion?

Hallo, is this right the companys (HAL) dont let you get off in Komodo Islands if you havent booked a excursion with them?

Dont fancy to much to go abroad with 1000 people at the same time.

SO if there is any chance, i would get my own tour.

thank you

It's tender port. I doubt that everybody is in the National Park at the same time.

No, it's not right. The cruise lines don't really care if you go ashore in Komodo without a cruise line excursion. But since the entire island is an Indonesian National Park, the Rangers who manage it DO care. They will not allow you to go ashore on their island unless you have booked - in advance - a shore excursion with the cruise line or one of the local tour guides.

It is a tender port - and it is always very hot there. As a result, the limited number of passengers going ashore at Komodo is rarely a problem.

In previous years the Rangers fed the dragons before the ships visited, eliminating their hunger and reducing the chances of a passenger being attacked or eaten. They no longer feed the dragons, increasing the chances of an attack. This is one of the reasons why they insist that you book your visit with a qualified guide.

Thanks very much, this was a good help.

so any excursion we take with a local agency will be ok aswell. Never relased it could be so danger out there:eek:

Hi, we have booked a private tour with Gotokomodo.com, it will be a tour to see the Dragons with guides and then a tour to pink island beach, half the price of the ships tours.

Hi, we have booked a private tour with Gotokomodo.com, it will be a tour to see the Dragons with guides and then a tour to pink island beach, half the price of the ships tours.

Please report back after you have taken your tour and let us know how it was. :)

We have 2 offers,

1º is a boat trip to the island to see the dragons and after snorkeling

2º see the waterfalls and after going to a village where they have a market on.

Think we take 2º option.

Dont have the price yet, but in nearly all of the its 80$ a day for the 4.

Hi, we have booked a private tour with Gotokomodo.com, it will be a tour to see the Dragons with guides and then a tour to pink island beach, half the price of the ships tours.

We are paying 95 US dollars each for our tour for the day, it includes the entrance fee to the park, walking tour to see the dragons and a trip on a boat to pink beach, it's 5 US dollars extra for the hire of snorkling equipment,

Hallo again,

need to know name of the port where the tenders arrive!

Because my guide thinks they stop where the dragons are which is not true.

I think we pay 25$ each or even less for the whole tour.

Anybody knows if we get to Labuan? This would be the only place where the guide can

pick us up.

Dont understand why HAL doesnt give all this informations.

thanks for the help

Please report back after you have taken your tour and let us know how it was. :)

Can you tell me whats the name where the tenders arrive?

Need to know for my guide to see if they can pick us up there. Can not see any information nowhere.

thanks

We are paying 95 US dollars each for our tour for the day, it includes the entrance fee to the park, walking tour to see the dragons and a trip on a boat to pink beach, it's 5 US dollars extra for the hire of snorkling equipment,

Do you know where the tenders arrive? Name of village or port please?

Do you know where the tenders arrive? Name of village or port please?

Hi, our tour organiser has sent a list of names of who's on our tour to our cruise director so that we will beable to leave the ship.

Hi, our tour organiser has sent a list of names of who's on our tour to our cruise director so that we will beable to leave the ship.

Dont think showing them the tour and agency lo leave the ship.

But which place to meet you did you tell your guide?

Thats my problem, can not see the name of the port or village.:mad:

Hi, The tour operator who has been doing these tours for years will know where the tenders arrive. We have booked with a recommended tour operator.

 

In previous years the Rangers fed the dragons before the ships visited, eliminating their hunger and reducing the chances of a passenger being attacked or eaten. They no longer feed the dragons, increasing the chances of an attack. This is one of the reasons why they insist that you book your visit with a qualified guide.

Hi, Bruce,

We went some years ago.

I reckon that must have been before the change of feeding policy, cos the dragons were a bunch of fat, lazy, over-fed pussy-cats. ;)

I suppose they've stopped feeding the dragons with chicken & such due to the world-wide recession.

Much cheaper to let them eat cruisers instead :D

Hallo again,

 

need to know name of the port where the tenders arrive!

Because my guide thinks they stop where the dragons are which is not true.

 

I think we pay 25$ each or even less for the whole tour.

 

Anybody knows if we get to Labuan? This would be the only place where the guide can

pick us up.

 

Dont understand why HAL doesnt give all this informations.

 

thanks for the help

Hi Mellis,

As it happens I've just answered your question at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2280255

And yes, Labuan is almost-certainly the place where the ship moors - so your guide will meet you at the jetty.

But I'd be grateful if Bruce or anyone else can check my post there, my info is from a fairly shaky memory.

JB :)

Thanks John Bull:)

Answer from HAL:

. We will be in Slawi Bay, and tender near the national park area.:(:confused::confused:

Answer from HAL:

 

. We will be in Slawi Bay, and tender near the national park area.:(:confused::confused:

A quick google search has told me that Labuan is in Slawi Bay, so it's all the same place :)

Like I said, your guide will meet you at the jetty that all the ship's tenders use & that I linked on Googlemaps.

JB :)

A quick google search has told me that Labuan is in Slawi Bay, so it's all the same place :)

Like I said, your guide will meet you at the jetty that all the ship's tenders use & that I linked on Googlemaps.

 

JB :)

great JB, you should get paid for all the help you give in the forum.;)

Had the same answer from the tourguide.

So now i can relax organizing the rest days we have left.

I notice talk of alternative tours on Komodo. I will be on the Azamara Quest arriving there on 19 Dec, & have booked with 'hendrickenglishtourguide@gmail.com' at $95 per person to include a the dragons, boat trip & visit to the Pink Beach. He is trying to get more people to a max of 15. Anyone interested should email him direct.

I notice talk of alternative tours on Komodo. I will be on the Azamara Quest arriving there on 19 Dec, & have booked with 'hendrickenglishtourguide@gmail.com' at $95 per person to include a the dragons, boat trip & visit to the Pink Beach. He is trying to get more people to a max of 15. Anyone interested should email him direct.

Hi, Tiger, & welcome to Cruise Critic,

I suggest you post this on the RollCall for your cruise.

There's 45 pages of posts there from folk on your cruise, and they're the ones you need to target.

A lot of the thread is idle chit-chat, but there's also lots of posts about tour-sharing and good info about your ports.

Here's a link to your RollCall

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1957263&page=45

JB :)

I notice talk of alternative tours on Komodo. I will be on the Azamara Quest arriving there on 19 Dec, & have booked with 'hendrickenglishtourguide@gmail.com' at $95 per person to include a the dragons, boat trip & visit to the Pink Beach. He is trying to get more people to a max of 15. Anyone interested should email him direct.

Hi easytiger, There's about 50 of us from the Azamara quest booked already with Hendricks, I've sent him a list of 30 guests, the reviews are good, see you in December

No, it's not right. The cruise lines don't really care if you go ashore in Komodo without a cruise line excursion. But since the entire island is an Indonesian National Park, the Rangers who manage it DO care. They will not allow you to go ashore on their island unless you have booked - in advance - a shore excursion with the cruise line or one of the local tour guides.

 

It is a tender port - and it is always very hot there. As a result, the limited number of passengers going ashore at Komodo is rarely a problem.

 

In previous years the Rangers fed the dragons before the ships visited, eliminating their hunger and reducing the chances of a passenger being attacked or eaten. They no longer feed the dragons, increasing the chances of an attack. This is one of the reasons why they insist that you book your visit with a qualified guide.

Yes, they don't feed the dragons because they were getting lazy.

It used to be that you had to do the ship excursion but there was an extensive post on another thread last year where people could book their own.

The last time we were there was 2011 and at least at that time and on our cruise line we had to take the ships tour which for us was complimentary.

But as I said last year others were booking their own tours.

Keith

I notice talk of alternative tours on Komodo. I will be on the Azamara Quest arriving there on 19 Dec, & have booked with 'hendrickenglishtourguide@gmail.com' at $95 per person to include a the dragons, boat trip & visit to the Pink Beach. He is trying to get more people to a max of 15. Anyone interested should email him direct.

We are going to see the waterfalls, small villages and some markets. All day 20-25$ per person, same if we would go to see the dragons.:p

95$ each think its far too much! More people they put in the same boot more profit.

Hallo again,

 

need to know name of the port where the tenders arrive!

Because my guide thinks they stop where the dragons are which is not true.

 

I think we pay 25$ each or even less for the whole tour.

 

Anybody knows if we get to Labuan? This would be the only place where the guide can

pick us up.

 

Dont understand why HAL doesnt give all this informations.

 

thanks for the help

Labuan Bajo is the closest Island / town to Komodo Island and where the airport is located, and where those flying in arrive. It is a 4 hour boat ride each way to get to Komodo Island or 2 hours each way by fast boat.

If you are arriving by ship you need a guide who will meet you on Komodo Island!