I wanted to drop you an email to say thanks very much for everything you organised for our recent trip to Borneo. We had a fantastic holiday and everything went remarkably smoothly. The accommodation we stayed at in all of the locations was fantastic and all of the tours and guides we had were equally as good.
 
We were both incredibly busy with work before we left and probably didn't spend as much time researching the area or reading the itinerary you suggested as we might have liked, but I think it's fair to say it all exceeded our expectations.

We would definitely consider using Aqua Firma in the future.

(Clare Slightam, UK)

I had a great time and saw much more wildlife than I ever thought I would.

I had one amazing experience there when a pretty old female [orangutan] just came down really close to the cave entrance and just kept eating while I stood not far away at all watching her. Later we saw the mother with her 5 year old juvenile too.

The food was excellent.

(Andrew P, UK)

The whole trip worked brilliantly, the diving was spectacular and the jungle trip a unique experience, given the money and the time we would repeat the adventure tomorrow! Thanks for your help in putting the holiday together

(Mrs Sue Hobson and Family, UK)

We had a truly fantastic time in Borneo …..Our trip worked like clockwork. Our 3 nights on Lankayan Island were amazing, what a stunning island.  We were lucky to see 2 baby turtle releases, the beach and snorkelling were great. We were also very fortunate to see 4 Orangutans in the wild, all spotted by our excellent guides.

Our guide in Tabin Reserve, Stephen, was great, his local expertise finding Elephant, Orangutan, etc was fantastic his enthusiasm was infectious….. 

Thanks to all at Aqua Firma especially Ralph who arranged our trip and catered for our tailor made requirements.

(Trevor and Sue from Essex)

Firstly the trip exceeded expectations with all conections running like clockwork and no disappointments in activities and standard of accomodation.

The route and sequence we agreed was ideal with highlights at Danum valley and Sipidan. Snorkling was the best we have experienced by a long way and all staff we experienced performed their duties well.

Probably the best holiday we have had and while not every body wants this type of trip those that do will not regret it. Thanks for your help and all those involved.   Best regards    Roy

Roy & Marion Smith (Wildlife and Marine Life of Borneo)

Jesselton Hotel:
The Jessleton Hotel- First class, can well see why you use it. Staff very good and the adjoining restaurant very good quality food and they had some great wines, particularly a Barrossa Shiraz.

Kinabatangan River:
Regarding the Kinabatangan River saw the elephants and a large group of otters and many monkeys and 6 species of hornbill.The lodge itself was a good choice, nice setting and restaurant on the waters edge served good food.

Sipadan Island Diving:
Plenty to see, massive shoals of Jacks, Barracuda and other fish at  Sipadan plus many sharks it was a good finish to the holiday.

Overall therefore a month on, after we have had time to think about it, we'd definately rate it as excellent. There was not really any one section that disappointed. So again a big thank you for all the time and trouble you took in putting it together.

Howard & Sarah Bruce, UK (Borneo Dive Lodges & Wildlife Safari)

Down to earth with a bump!!
Karen and I had a fantastic holiday from beginning to end. The itinerary provided was great …. We had the bonus of seeing orangutans and an elephant in the wild during our river trip from the lodge at Kinabatangan. The dive resorts of both Kapalai and Lankayan were superb, the staff were so helpful I don't think I lifted a dive bottle in 18 dives. We look forward to our next adventure with Aqua-Firma next year.
 
Thank you.
Regards

(Peter and Karen from Fife)

I have travelled to Borneo and Socorro (Rivellagigedo Islands) with Aqua-Firma and can highly recommend them. Friendly, efficient, their trips run like clockwork and they have some fantastic destinations. Plus they are conservation-focused and thus helping to fight the battle against evil shark-finners, rescuing orang-utangs, etc..

(Roly Pitts, UK)

I think the programme you organised worked very well. I would not have done the different elements in any other order, and I think I got the most out of my available 10 days without too much time spend travelling. I did and saw a lot in that time, and overall I am very happy with the experience. So thanks very much indeed to you and Ralph, also I appreciated your flexibility about a possible delay due to the volcanic ash.

Throughout my trip I was struck and very impressed by the immaculate and helpful, personal and friendly organisation. It all ran like clockwork, everything was punctual, information reliable, people well-informed, and this quickly helped me relax and realise I was in good hands…..this is an enormous recommendation for holidaying in Borneo I think. Other travellers agreed.

1. It was really lovely to arrive in Sepilok rainforest resort on the first day - what a beautiful place to unwind after a long journey. It was great to be met personally by Mike and talked through my arrangements.

So….really great trip  - thanks again!!!!

(Francoise from Innerleithen)

Thank you and the team for the most wonderful trip to Borneo. We had an amazing time, and it was certainly our best holiday to date. As well as all the places and activities we very much appreciated the expertise apparent in the way that the itinerary built in sufficient time for relaxation.  … We received absolutely brilliant treatment throughout … with smooth transfers at every stage, and we found all the guides to have a real passion for preserving the country. One went out of his way to take us to see a rare Rafflesia in bloom, and we were inspired by our guide at Sukau's particular expertise in bird watching. The whole team at Tabin were exemplary - generously sharing their incredible specialist knowledge.

We had an absolutely great time diving there - Barracuda Point at Sipadan felt like being part of the 'Blue Planet' series … definitely the trip of a life time.

Many thanks again to you and all at Aqua Firma for a brilliant summer. We will aspire to travel through you in the future.

All warmest wishes,

(Holly and Adam Broughton)

We had an excellent time in Sabah - all elements of the trip came together well and we were lucky enough to see the vast majority of what we could have hoped to see and in some cases more.

Tour cover notes for the itinery were excellent and set a fair expectation of the varying overnight locations.  Highlights were so many but seeing the turtle laying its eggs on Turtle Island, watching baby turtles release on lankayan, the diving and snorkling on Lankayan, seeing a wild family of Oran Utans ( father with tiny baby and mother in the same tree, approx 80 identified different birds and last but no means least the people of Sabah who were just so friendly and helpful.

(Mr Paul Lammiman, UK)

Yep had a great time thanks….

Transfer's were all on time, friendly and helpful drivers. Lankayan was stunning and the staff were very friendly and helpful.  The Riverside Lodge was amazing, staff, food, location top notch as was our Guide, Jesselton Hotel was good value for money and in a good location.

I would without doubt consider using Aqua-Firma again.

(Mr Matt Smith, UK)

Had an absolutely briliant trip.  All went very smoothly and all the tour guides and resorts were brilliant and always on time.

I must say it was the easiest holiday I've ever been on and all your operatives in Borneo were great.

(Mr Greg Abbott, Cumbria)

Thanks. We had an excellent time, all the arrangements worked without a hitch and we were very well looked after. Full marks all round.

(Martin Bobrow, Cambridge)

Firstly the holiday was excellent. Malaysia is a wonderful and diverse country, the people are so friendly and genuine and the landscape is magnificent.

It is very hard to convey to someone else your own holiday but the jungle was amazing. I ran out of superlatives for it after about half an hour ! and still cannot describe what it meant for us to be there. The forest was very diverse, we walked through several types of habitat, each quite distinct. … The route followed trails rather than paths and you got the feeling that you really were miles form anywhere and that very few people had been there before.
The forest had a million things to wonder at, from the massive dipterocarp trees to the tiny 4mm pitcher plants to the countless variety of ferns and fungi that we saw. We were in constant wonder at what might be around the corner, let alone what could be in the other 85% of the basin there is still left to explore!

We would definitely recommend the Maliau for the plants and flora rather than wildlife but by no means were we disappointed by what we saw. The jungle was a place to make your heart sing with the wonder of it all - it just went on forever and seemed so untouched.  It was a truly magnificent enviroment and we felt very lucky indeed to be there.

To be in such a beautiful hotel after the jungle was a bit of a shock to the system and the luxury was very welcome indeed! Needless to say, we quickly adjusted!

Well i think that you can tell that we had a wonderful time on our honeymoon, we had such a diverse time in all senses and would highly recommend each and every part of our stay. Our memories are fond and incredible.

(Allison & David Thomas, UK)

We had a good trip …. we dived Sipadan twice a day everyday and at Barracuda Point everyday, Masses of turtles, lots of sharks and barracuda and jacks tornadoes ….and found a cuttlefish who had eaten such a big fish the tail was sticking out of its mouth and it was so heavy the cuttlefish couldn`t swim properly!
 
Dive centre well run and had 2 good dive masters.
 
Definitely chose the best place on the island for us to stay at …Brunei trip was well done and I think we saw everything there was to see.
 
…. everything went very smoothly.

(Brock family, Wales)

Boat trips along river all good - saw lots of Monkeys/ Snakes etc etc with lots of photo's. Guides also very good who tried very hard to get us to see some Pigmy Elephants

… a really nice trip, some lovely dives seeing some really good stuff both above and below the water

(Andy Oates, UK)