Question Re Day 11: trip to "private island and picnic lunch
Could anyone who has been on this tour tell me about the process of snorkeling on the "private island" on Day 11, i.e., is there a place to change your clothes before and after?
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Could anyone who has been on this tour tell me about the process of snorkeling on the "private island" on Day 11, i.e., is there a place to change your clothes before and after?
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There was no private island on our tour in 2022, must be an addition.
Thank you!
Hi, jteiii! Yes! There is a bathroom and also a small private bedroom area with a sink on the schooner. There were actually two boats (schooners) that took us all to see the Komodo dragons. We were on the smaller schooner but they are both a nice size. To get to the snorkeling area, you’ll be on a small motorboat; the schooner is anchored further out. The motorboat takes you to the reef as well as the private island. I couldn’t remember if we went back to the schooner or straight to the island after snorkeling; my husband thinks we went back to the boat first but I didn’t recall that. Although we did have to pick up someone from our schooner afterwards who didn’t snorkel so maybe he’s right (don’t tell him I said that - LOL! 😂). Maybe someone out there can confirm? However, I looked at my photos and most people (the ones who snorkeled) were wearing bathing suits/cover ups at the island lunch so if we did go back, it was likely just a quick stop to pick up those who did not snorkel. However, the schooner does have a private area where you can change before snorkeling - that’s actually what I did. We snorkeled after seeing the dragons. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much, Buonviaggio, for that information. It is extremely helpful
I just looked at the current itinerary. I first noticed that a visit to a small Ethnic museum where we enjoyed lunch with the owner has been eliminated from the Singapore part of the tour, yes you guessed it, the alternative is free time, which seems to be the way Tauck goes on many tours these days. I would say that the museum visit was one of the favorites of our group.
The boat ride from Flores to Komodo is long. We left very early in the morning. I checked with my husband. We did not go to a private island for lunch or snorkel. I suspect you will leave very easily that day. We all enjoyed the relaxing boat ride. A massage therapist came on board and gave us all wonderful leg and foot massages. We enjoyed the scenery and got the chance to get to know each other. There were two boats, on our return, the other boat broke down and we had to double back to pick up the rest of the group. Our boat had been peaceful and serene with great conversations, the other group was the opposite! .I wrote a review, you might find it somewhere after SEPTEMBER 2022 tacked onto Gladysorlando’s review where I tried to highlight different parts of the tour, on the forum.
Above, just a few pics I can find of the museum. The owner was great fun and the museum won best museum awards
I'm so sorry they eliminated the visit to the museum, that was one of my highlights for that trip. I do not remember any visits to a private island, must be a new thing. The trip to the Komodo Island was long but I enjoyed it. Wish we had more time in the island.
Hi, British & Gladysorlando984! I am not sure that the visit to the home museum in Singapore has been eliminated. I recognize the fabulous host and the museum from your pics, British - we went in fall 2023 - and I think they just refer to it differently. I looked at the current itinerary and they mention a visit to a “private home” on the first full day of the tour. I am pretty sure that’s how they referred to the museum visit in our itinerary when we went. I’ll dig up my itinerary when I have a chance to confirm. Maybe mil knows as she went after I did and she does her research! I agree with you - what a fun, interesting and memorable experience! The lunch was delicious as well! And the host was so sweet, funny and entertaining! Re: the boat ride to see the Komodo dragons - everyone on our boat loved the journey. We all thought it went fast (despite it being somewhat long time-wise) - I guess because it was just so relaxing and peaceful! The scenery was beautiful, we had great weather, and the nice breeze was so comfortable. There were places to relax and just take in everything. We too were offered massages (for a reasonable fee) although I was the only one who got one on our boat. The massage therapist was amazing!! We truly loved this tour. It’s fantastic all around! I agree with Gladysorlando though that we would have liked more time in Komodo National Park. British - just curious - did they serve lunch on the return boat ride?
I really don’t remember about lunch. I know we had breakfast on the boat.
We have several friends going to Singapore in the next few weeks, we will be joining them in Vietnam, another place we can’t wait to return to. Just hoping we survive the humidity.
buonviaggio - I remember eating in the boat and the massage opportunity, I think we had both breakfast and lunch.
Hi, mil! Like your pics! Oh wow - so your group didn’t have a BBQ lunch on the island? I wonder why? Did they do a BBQ on the boat? I think you went only a couple of weeks after I did. I remember they told us the specific snorkeling site was determined based on conditions that day. The snorkeling was great - very pretty coral and colorful fish. I saw a turtle, too. Wish I had brought my underwater camera! We didn’t go to see manta rays though which is on this year’s itinerary. That’s a bummer that a couple of the activities on your tour were cut short. So did anyone on your tour have a monkey encounter? A monkey swooped down and stealthily stole the sunglasses of one of our fellow Tauckers, but our “monkey bodyguard” got them back by bribing the monkey with pieces of mango! 🥭 😂 I did get a kick out of the monkeys, but you do have to watch your back (and your belongings!)! 😜
Thank you so much, Mil, for your extraordinarily descriptive answer. That definitely filled the bill!
There are two places where you see lots of monkeys. A forest and a temple. The temple is where you have to be very careful the monkeys don’t grab your stuff .We were advised to take off our glasses if we were ok without them. A monkey took the cell phone of one of our group and bolted down a cliff with it. A local climbed down and retrieved it by bribing the monkey with food. It had taken a selfie too..😂
I quickly found some random photos of monkeys in the monkey forest, which is not the same as the temple you go to as well. I think Mil got a raw deal became there was a disabled person on her tour and several places had much shorter visits than we experienced on our tour the year before. However, it is a newish tour and clearly still evolving.
The original tour was supposed to debut around the start of the pandemic. We had it canceled twice and another year we didn’t even bother to rebook but got our money back instead. The original tour, the island which was supposed to be the one to go to see the dragons, was closed. It was much nearer than the Komodo island that tourists now have to go to, hence the long boat journey. Whether there is a nearer island with a suitable hotel to accommodate Tauck guests. I’ve no idea. The problem is, that by the time you get to Komodo, it is very very hot and so the Komodo’s are moribund, they look dead because they are too hot and rest in the shade. We were lucky to see one juvenile running, a bit more exciting than those that looked dead.
Tauck is supposed to have rules in place to avoid that situation, he maybe ought to have been sent home. Anyone can have an accident on tour that might hinder the group, but to begin a tour knowing full well you are not up to it, is not fair and Tauck emphasizes that the TD must consider the group as a whole. It’s a very expensive tour and I don’t think you got the best experience Mil. We had this happen on one tour, three people who could barely walk, they had canes and had to stop snd sit down every hundred yards. Thankfully, for the rest of the group, they all got Covid in the first couple of days and were pulled from the group.
I’ve remembered the original island we were supposed to visited was Rinca. I think that is the one that is going to be developed into a disneyesque place with elevated walkways from which people can view the wildlife in the hope it will be better for the dragons. I am sure the plans can be googled.
When I went on this tour, there was no option to snorkel in a small island on the way back from the Komodo Island.
Yes, no options for us
Looking at my photos, I believe we actually did go to Rinca Island, not Komodo Island. Did you, mil? Also I don’t think the journey took close to 4 hours - at least it didn’t feel that long. It sounds like Rinca is closer? There was an elevated boardwalk there like you described, British, so first we walked along there and saw a couple of Komodo dragons (and deer) from above. Then we went down to the level of the dragons. We didn’t see many dragons but those we saw did move around - in fact, the big one walked too fast to get a picture with both of us in it! We saw a wee little baby, too, that looked like the Geico gecko! 😂 But I’m thinking we may have arrived a bit earlier in the day. Our guide told us that the dragons retreat when it gets hot so that’s why we have to leave so early in the morning. Maybe going to the closer island afforded us the time for snorkeling and the BBQ on the beach (?) We, too, had a BBQ on the beach at the Plataran the first night there, with a dance performance. It was fun and the food was delicious. I feel bad that mil got denied the full time allotment at some of the locations. That is really a bummer. I know that tour specifically says you have to be able to walk on uneven terrain for a certain distance and stand on your feet for periods of time. So glad you still had a great time, mil! You seem to bring the fun with you! 😉
Yes, it sure does sound as if you went to Rinca, it is much much nearer.. you will have arrived there earlier in the day when it was not so hot, the dragons more active and you had time for other activities before heading back.
Komodo National Park is located within the Lesser Sunda Islands in the border region between the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara. The park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Padar and Rinca, and 26 smaller ones. Komodo Island itself was closed for several months in the first half (or more) of 2020 for improvements.
I can't be certain, but believe Mil's photos of the visitor's center, etc. were taken at Loh Buaya on Rinca Island. Mil, do your photo files have location data (coordinates)?
Here are some of the pointers from our tour that some of you might recognize. We definitely went to Komodo. I can’t imagine why they might not say where you were going.
We had to climb up and down those steep steps without a railing to the small boat to get to our bigger boat further out.
I went to the same island as British.
Wow, Mil, how funny we only just figured that out.
AlanS - You’re right! At least, this is where our tour went to see the Komodo dragons. Mil - I’m very glad you enjoyed the trip and did the sail! 👍😀 British - thanks for posting your pics - I don’t recognize some of your signage so we must have gone to different islands.
So the tour is now as we originally signed up for it!
Just signed up for the Aug 24 trip- very excited. Thank you all for posting your pictures. We'll be arriving in Singapore 2 days before the start of the tour. Suggestions, please! Do you suggest we arrange a food tour before the Tauck tour, or the afternoon of Day 3 (Gardens by the Bay), when the entire afternoon and evening are free?