Nature Travel Specialists

 

FEEDBACK

This is where we share some of our clients' comments.

GENERAL

Dear Andrew,

As of last evening I completed contacting the references you supplied us; thank you for that. I was able to make contact with all but the ***** and spent several hours on the phone asking questions and listening to what they volunteered. Andrew, anyone would be proud to hear themselves and their business practices descibed in the glowing terms these people used to tell about their experiences with you. Universally, they were pleased and spoke of your extra effort to provide a good experience. I have conveyed my findings to Richard, and we will be in contact with you after the first of the year. Thanks again.     Ron

I am in Greece with Star Clipper, I had Andrew arrange this. I will never use any other travel agent again, this guy is top notch. Intelligent, willing to think outside the box, cost conscious and extremely knowledgable. He is an Aussie and he knows it well. Was in ornithology there and is an ardent nature and animal lover.       Judy

Check the official Australia website, Australia.com, for information about us - just click on the Aussie Specialist section and put in our zip - 35007.

PACIFIC

"The Echidna Wildlife trip in Melbourne was an incredible tour. We loved it."    Shay, Australia December 2004

"10 STARS!!! Was my dream trip - wish I could visit a part of Australia every year. Thanks for making my dream trip a reality."     Sharon, Australia August 2004

"We would both return and do the same trip exactly tomorrow if we could..." Roy & Nancy, Australia August 2005

"We had a really wonderful trip to Australia and Fiji. It was truly amazing how everything worked out so perfectly. Both of us enjoyed every bit of it - all the places we went and all the great tours. You certainly knew best where to stay and the length of time for each place. This trip was definitely one of our favorites. Everything worked like clockwork - no delays, no guess-work, and no worries of arriving anywhere late. The entire trip was very well planned and carried out."      Shirley & Jim, Australia 2005

"...I appreciate the time and effort you took to put this itinerary together. It was as close to what I wanted as I could have asked for. Thank you for making this the trip of my lifetime."    Larry, Australia and New Zealand, 2005

"... a great trip. We both loved the country and people, and hopefully someday we'll go back. First, Thala Lodge was very nice, service and food was great, as was the room. Beautiful views. Tasmania was terrific. The Inala Lodge on South Bruny Island was just perfect and our guide, Ruth, was very knowledgable. She really wanted to get us all the endemics, which she did. The white kangaroos were a real treat. Also, I see why you had us stay as long as we did on Tasmania. What a wonderful place. Probably our favorite of the trip. Great job."      Dennis & Christi, Australia, 2005

"Thank you so much, Andrew. I had an incredible trip/experience in Autralia and New Zealand. I appreciate all the work you did to make our trip Amazing."      Landra, Australia & NZ 2005

"....very very detailed, nothing left unturned. Overall excellent trip. Could have used 1 more day in Uluru for King's Canyon [it's always too short! - Ed]. Dinner under stars at Uluru great. Hunter Valley wine tour super! Hikes in Alice Springs beautiful."    Sherry, Australia, 2006

"Thanks for a FABULOUS trip to WA and the outback. My parents and I loved it..."       Katy, Australia 2006

From one of our suppliers: "On another subject do you have an email contact for Deb who came with Kort. They were a lovely couple by the way and spoke most highly of your ability to meet their needs. Deb was impressed that when she rang and woke you it was only seconds before you were on top of everything. We all had a great time and finished off with a family group of tree-roos.

"We could not rave enough about Andrew's very personalized planning for us. He developed a trip for us which gave a perfect balance between an individualized 'on our own' experience and the benefits (and lack of confusion) you get from a very good group tour. His knowledge of Australia especially was amazing. Value of what we got in relation to the cost of trip was outstanding. Accommodations varied but we mostly had B&B's which were mostly delightful very friendy and helpful. We liked having a cabin in Uluru and nicer places elsewhere. Generally accommodations fit the location and our activities well. We were completely satisfied and most definitely want Andrew to plan our next trip and have already recommended him to friends interested in travel." Sharon & Steve, Australia December, 2006

"I wanted to thank you for all your efforts in arranging the trip. Everything went extremely smoothly and we thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the trip with the possible exception of the long flight. I will certainly recommend you to anyone who is planning a trip there. And when we get ready for a second trip, we will call you."           Shirley, Australia & NZ 2007

"Just wanted to let you know that the trip you planned for us was fantastic!! It was planned so perfectly! We are more than pleased with everything --- THANK YOU!"             Brandi, Australia 2007

"Prior to the trip Andrew spent many hours with us in person, on the phone, and through emails, answering questions from the most basic to the most complex. He was tireless, patient, and thorough. And, he took my initial itinerary and worked out the logistics to implement it under budget, saving us money and providing better value than I could obtain for us on my own. Fifteen flights, four car rentals, numerous transfers, guides and attractions were all taken care of and worked without missing a beat - - impressive. Particularly outstanding were our accommodations...their locations were handpicked to make our stay more pleasant. This was especially apparent in the cities, where a short walk from your doorway gave you easy access to public transport, shooping or restaurants....what we could never have done on our own. My wife and I are very experienced independent travelers, my brother is a very experienced tour traveler; his wife is an inexperienced traveler. Andrew was able to meet and exceed the expectations of us all."   Ron & Linda, Australia & New Zealand 2007

"Your travel agency was wonderful. You were there when we really needed you (especially when we were waiting in Austin on the plane to land in Dallas - you made arrangements with Qantas for later flights AND then when we were "bumped off" the flights you spoke with Qantas ground people on our behalf.) That was a life saving for us as we were just starting our trip. ........ Your follow up emails and visit was very touching and much appreciated."      Carol, Australia & New Zealand 2008

"4 stars: everything went as expected and standard high; would repeat and recommend."...Andrew did a very good job of scheduling the places and activities that we requested...the BReakfree in Cairns was inthe best location possible....Thanks for making a grand vacation.     John & Theresa, Australia 2009

Thanks for all you did for us. We know the article, the Bindi meeting, and the unbelievable success of the trip would not have happened without your incredible dedication to our cause. You should be proud of making our dream trip a reality and fulfilling the dream of an 11 year old [to meet Bindy Irwin]. It was everything and more than he had ever hoped.         Joan & Family, Australia 2009

photo courtesy Australia Zoo

 

Andrew, I have meant to write but backed up at work.I loved our trip! you did a super job setting up everything. we have friends that want to go and I forwarded your name to them. Janine was great and we loved all the tours. Australia is wonderful the people were so nice even to us Americans! the scenery was magical and the flights on V Australia were really nice.       Jenna, Australia 2009

Thank you so much for everything Andrew! Australia has changed my life!! I really enjoyed it and the trip with my mom was so amazing!! Thanks!!         Kaitlynne, Australia 2009

Andrew: Thanks for a great vacation. I liked everything you planned, hotels, tours, sites. Clayton was so knowledgeable of the plants, animals, birds and sites in the tablelands. I would recommend him as a guide to anyone. Even though we only had one day with Roger, I have to say the same for him. Both of them were great. Australia is beautiful. Michelle, Aysia and I thank you.              Donald, Australia 2009

Andrew, I have been meaning to drop you a note to let you know that Susan and I had a fantastic time on our trip Down Under! Thanks for setting up a great trip.          Karl, Australia, 2009

 

We had a lot to say so decided to do this with Word. Thank you again so much for helping us plan this fabulous trip!                                                         Susan and Ron, Australia & New Zealand 2009        Click here for the long version of this report

 

Hello, Andrew
We just got back yesterday morning. We want to thank you for a really wonderful trip! Everything went like clockwork, and the guides were excellent, knowledgeable, personable and we regard them all as friends - ALL OF THEM! We saw almost everything we came to see, leaving a few for the next time! We enjoyed the people we met, the food (most of it) and all the beautiful birds and animals. We got many stunning photographs and some really fun video! For the future, we are seriously considering asking you to arrange a similar trip to New Zealand for us. Many, many thanks. Mahalo! Aloha,                                   Gerald & Norma, Australia 2009

Andrew, I just wanted to drop you a line to say thanks for planning our trip. We had a great time and all the tours and suggestions from you worked out fantasticly. We met some very nice people and made some new friends. I don't think that we could have had a more enjoyable time without your help.          Connie and Gary, Australia 2010

Andrew, we had an extraordinary time. We saw virtually every mammal, bird and reptile that had hoped to see, and the guides were fantastic. Jeff, Alan and Denise all worked very hard to show us the very best their regions had to offer, and were extremely patient with our photography. Alan went to great lengths to find bowerbird bowers for us - a true highlight of the trip - & Jeff & Irene made our experience at Kangaluna truly exceptional. Thanks so much for your hard work in putting this together for us.         Bill & Leann, Australia 2010

 

We also wanted to let you know how very much we enjoyed the trip. It was all we hoped it would be, and more!      Dena, Australia 2010

 

Andrew, Jim and I would like to thank you for the wonderful trip you planned. It was incredible how detailed your itinerary was and how much you packed into 3 weeks. Everyone who saw the itinerary was blown away. I have a favor to ask. Would you send me a picture of you for my album? Thanks again.                  Jim and Barbara, Australia and New Zealand May 2011

Australia was our seventh continent, and what a perfect way to see it. The guides were great and allowed us to accomplish our goal of great wildlife photography. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see and experience the natural side of Australia. Our trip was fantastic and we thank you so much for making all the arrangements.     Tom & Nelda, Australia March 2011

 

Our trip to Darwin and Cairns was marvelous. Denise Goodfellow was an amazing guide. She took us and Steve's colleague Minghui under her wing. She is so full of knowledge and is very engaging. We learned so much about the ecology and the culture of the Top End. In Cairns we enjoyed and learned a lot from both tours and in particular the Great Barrier snorkeling. I also appreciated your reading list, Andrew, and read A Town Like Alice, which was a very good prep for the trip.                            Catherine & Steve, Australia, 2011
                                                                                                    

 

CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA

'We wanted you to know what a fabulous time we had in Costa Rica. Everything met or exceeded our expectations! We even mistakenly left our packet of vouchers at our first hotel and your ground operator took care of everything by faxing new vouchers to Nature Air, etc. to be sure we were taken care of. The drivers and lodging and meals were outstanding. All your suggestions for packing and travel were so helpful.
Thank you so much for everything you did to make this a memorable, fun trip!! "    Lee & Kent, Costa Rica 2011

"We had an incredible trip to the bottom of the world." Julie & Bernard, Patagonia April 2005

"I want to thank you for all your helpful suggestions about Patagonia, most especially that we rent a car to see the park for ourselves. With the car, we went everywhere, and stopped as long as we wanted to watch condors, or guanacos, or flamingoes, etc. Every little pond had new birds to identify in our book. Even the drive from Punta Arenas to the park was filled with many stops for bird-watching, throwing off all estimates of driving time.( I think for every hour spent driving, we must have spent two parked along the roadside.) And thanks for NOT warning us about the black bridge - that might have dissuaded us from driving ourselves!"   Val & Susan, Patagonia December 2005

Everything went like clock work - Costa Rica is truly beautiful. Thanks.   Amyna 2008  

"...we had an unforgettable adventure....Hosteria Las Torres--excellent accommodations; very good meals; top notch guides and very attentive staff. Definitely recommended. We also stayed in their backwoods lodge, which was more rustic but had hot showers, beer and wine, and very good meals. Thanks so much for all the arrangements you made. We had a great time.    Elena and Rob, Patagonia April 2006

"How would you rate the trip overall?" Outstanding. 4 stars, everthing went as expected and standard high; would repeat and recommend... We could not recommend the guides more highly - we would have seen very little without them. We will definitely use Andrew's company again and recommend to our friends.    Stephen and Sharon, Costa Rica 2009


SOUTHEAST ASIA

(To our operator): "thank you and your entire staff for making my first trip to Sulawesi such and enjoyable one. Your attention to detail and personal service was greatly appreciated. I can't say enough about Naja our guide and Sabir our driver... They did all that was asked of them and more. We are presently making plans with Andrew to return next year."    David, Sulawesi April 2005.      [and they did - and 2007 as well]

"We just got back from Bali yesterday. We had an amazing time! Thank you so much for all your efforts. The itinerary was great, the live aboard boat was perfect, and Indonesia is just incredible."       LauraMin, Bali & Komodo, 2008

Hotels. Both hotels on Bali were just the right type of Bali style and up-grade we were looking for.
Guides/Transportation. The local guides and transportation were great. On time every time and helpful.
Trip to Flores Island / Komodo Islands. The trip to Flores/Komodo went without a hitch. Even the local airline was on time. The local hotel on Flores, which took 40 minutes by local boat to a secluded resort.... we enjoyed it, and especially because of the speed boat to Komodo and the great snorkeling close by. We watched the sun set both nights on the dock -- a million dollar view. We also saw Dragons, so that was good. So I guess that's it. Was good--you did a good job. I do, however, feel sorry for Bali--I don't think they are getting enough tourists. We felt completely safe everywhere and were greeted warmly by all Indonesians.            Mike, Bali & Komodo, 2008