10/10 no notes needed - This was the trip of dreams! Komodo had been experiencing closures when we were scheduled to go so the wonderful tour staff of East Cruise Tours offered an alternative, private, plan to see komodo dragons and snorkel. However, last minute they were able to secure a permit for our original itinerary! Through the entire process, they were very communicative and made it as seamless as possible. On our trip, the guides went above and beyond to make sure we had a great time, with safety as the #1 priority. The itinerary is packed with adventure, but at no time did I feel rushed or that I could not enjoy the destination.

Great day trip from Labuan Bajo. - Great day trip, although the itinerary had to be adjusted due to weather. Faris was an excellent guide! And we saw lots of manta rays while snorkeling, which was very cool.

Unforgettable All-day Tour of the Komodo Islands. - This was a fantastic tour!! The guides and boat staff were so helpful (especially Elias) - I was travelling with my brother and we both have physical limitations but they could not have been more helpful or kind - carefully helping my brother in and out of the boat each time and pointing out the manta rays and turtles while we were snorkling so we could see them!! The view from the top of Padar island was unforgettable - definitely worth the long and steep climb up!! The pink sand beach was so beautiful and the water so blue and calm. The guides at Komodo National Park were also great and took pictures of us with the komodo dragons and took videos for us that we could not have taken ourselves. The 3 snorkling stops were fantastic too. All in all an unforgettable day - do not miss the chance to do this!!!!

Komodo dragons and stunning views with a great crew - Overall, a fabulous day out with a great team. Highlights: * Komodo Island, naturally. We had 3 guides for our group of 25, and were well-briefed (e.g. don’t go off the path into the bush !). We were warned we might not see any Komodo dragons, so seeing one - and then seeing it MOVE (quite quickly, really, scattering tourists everywhere) - was a huge thrill. And then we saw 2 more. Amazing. * Padar Island. It doesn’t look like much as you get to it, but the views really are astonishing. LOTS of people climbing up and down the (well-built) stairs, so it was good we were there fairly early. * the crew. Really good communication beforehand, and a great team on the day. I’m not so great at getting on and off rocking boats - I had plenty of helpers ! * Pink Sand Beach -what a gorgeous spot for lunch and a swim. Suggestions: * the TripAdviser brief description says the tour is for 20 people - but in the details it says 36. We had 25, which was fine (especially as we met some like-minded travellers and had a great day - and evening - together) * entrance fees aren’t included, which is clear from the description. But you don’t find out until after you’ve booked how much they are -IDR 425,000 per person. It would be good to be pre-warned about that before you book. It’s still well worth it, though. * the included lunch is ok, but fairly small for an all-day active tour. * the snorkelling gear is free, which is great - but the masks aren’t so good. Of our little group of 4, 3 of us found our mask/snorkels didn’t work well, even with tightening. So, we tried snorkelling at the first 2 spots but not the third - too hard when masks kept filling up. * we’d been given a pick up time of 5.30-5.50am for a 6.30am departure. The driver was right on time at 5.30am. And then by the time we’d picked up other passengers, it was 6.40am. And it turns out the harbour is just a 5 minute drive from where we were staying. Obviously the tour waited for us, but 70 minutes is a long time driving around - had we known, we’d have just made our own way to the harbour. Overall, though, it was a great tour, we saw what we’d hoped to see (and more) and we’d happily take this tour again.

Fun packed adventure. Worth the value for. - Amazing one pack adventure. Be ready to hike, swim your arms away to see the magical fishes of the sea aswell the gentle walk at the king komodo park. Bring extra snacks to be energised because you do need energy for this trip at this heat, I really loved the New Hope 9 crew who helped us all the way. Although we didnt see the manta ray but turtles, baby sharks and the amazing corals really put a smile on your face and my 10 year old son aswell.

Thank you Gorgeous and his crew!! - Our guides were amazing from start to finish! Gorgeous and his crew were fun, engaging, went above and beyond to make sure we caught all the moments. Our favorite part was the extra effort to see the manta rays away from the crowd. That was an experience you should not miss!

Dreams come true ! - Charter boat to Padar Island, Komodo National Park, Pink Beach- snorkeling & Manta Ray cleaning station. Jennifer @ Ayana resort can book this full day tour.

Good tour if you are on a budget - Nice tour. We got to see everything that Komodo area has to offer. Padar island hike is iconic and instagramer-heaven! We got to see 3 Komodo dragons on Komodo Island and enjoyed the 4 beach/snorkelling sites. The reefs in this area are very healthy and teeming with sea creatures! The tour itself was good. The guide was very professional and attentive and the boat was in good condition. One star has been deducted due to the following matters. Pick up time was changed twicw within a day of the tour getting earlier and earlier. Our hotel was 10 min away from the pier and we were told to be ready at 5:30 am. The boat departed at 7am! So a lot of waiting around for no aparant reason. Also, this is one of the biggest groups we saw on the day. There were about 30 of us which meant the everything was slow and the day ended up being too long (about 11 hours). The same itinerary in a smaller groups takes 7-8 hours

Careless trip guide - Unfortunately the trip was not as I expected because our group had the most careless trip guide I’ve have seen. The harbour check in was disastrous.

Promises one thing but what we got was not what we had been promised in writing. - When we arrived by ship after writing back & forth with Komodo Mas Tours (Yohanes Romualdus) we got off in the 1st tender met with the guide holding the sign & immediately advised them that we were not interested in snorkeling or swimming ( weather was overcast & the 4 of us purposely did not pack Swimsuits). We paid $100 each for walking tour of Komodo National park, to see pink beach, lunch (requested vegetarian & confirmed that it was no problem &it had meat in it- so ate none) they dropped us & guide off at the beach & there we sat for an hour or more. There was no way for guide to communicate to get off that beach. We missed seeing the Village which we SPECIFICALLY said we wanted to do. The guide could not or would not contact his boss. And we wasted most if our only day in Komodo. The guide was pleasant & I cannot fault him but I do fault Yohanes & I absolutely urge you to book with another company.