We would like to once again thank you for the wonderful experience. Although it was a short trip but all arrangement were being planned out very well. You and your team have certainly did a very good job. And of not forgetting the trouble you took in getting me the correct certificate. Million thanks to you!!!

Be assured that I will recommend ABC Tours to my friends who are interested in visiting Sabah. Keep up the good work!!!! Regards to AD as well.

Regards,
Tan Kok Hwa

Buongiorno Michela

Ti scrivo solo ora perche sono appena tornata dalla montagna dove non avevo a disposizione internet.

Devo dire che il viaggio e stato molto interessante e organizzato perfettamente. Mi ha fatto molto piacere trovare guide ben preparate e parlanti italiano; il tour leader italiano si e dimostrato molto competente e coinvolgente.

L'itinerario e andato benissimo, mi e piaciuto molto il tour sul fiume Kinabatangan e sul lago; speravo in qualcosa di piu nella Danum Valley dove, a fronte di un viaggio lunghissimo e scarpinate interminabili, abbiamo visto pochi animali; in compenso abbiamo potuto ammirare un bel cobra che faceva il bagno nella Jacuzzi Pool dove un minuto prima nuotava mia figlia....consiglierei ai prossimi clienti di stare molto attenti.

Lankayan e esattamente come me la aspettavo: una meraviglia. Il personale e di una cortesia non comune, la camera(24), l'ultima della serie quindi piuttosto isolata, spettacolare; abbiamo ricevuto anche la visita di una tartaruga che ha deposto le uova quasi sotto il nostro bungalow...siamo scesi a vederla in pigiama!

Le strutture sono tutte di ottimo livello, in particolare le camere deluxe della Danum Valley hanno un'ottima posizione che ci ha permesso di vedere cervi e macachi stando comodamente sul terrazzino; l'unico piccolo problema che abbiamo avuto e stato il dover dimostrare che avevamo gia pagato la colazione della bambina all'hotel Equatorial sia all'andata che al ritorno. A proposito dell'Equatorial, una curiosita:la tripla Superior del 5/7 era una semplice camera doppia con l'aggiunta di una brandina, quella del 20/7 era una suite con salotto e due bagni(?!).

Ottimi anche i voli Airasia, comodi e puntuali.

Bene, penso di averti detto tutto.Un saluto (AUGURI PER IL MATRIMONIO!!!)

Susanna e famiglia, Italy

We are finally back home in NZ. I can't thank you enough for making my second ascent of Mt Kinabalu possible. The weather was perfect and the views from the summit and via ferrata were magnificent. It was a privilege to be there and I am very, very grateful.

It's a great service that you provide ... when you sit at the summit in those early hours looking at the lights in the distance of Kota Kinabalu, you can't help but feel a real sense of achievement and disbelief that in a few hours' time, you will be back at your hotel (on a soft mattress).

The via ferrata was really well run. I enjoyed the Lowes Peak section in particular. Loved the bridges and finger-biting bits!

Friends are on their way in the next few months - will give them all your details.

Keep up the great work - you are running a faultless business.

With kindest regards and thanks ... Gillian Canham

Dear Anne!

Thanks again for organising everything so good for us! you've done an excellent job and we really appreciate your time you spend for us!

We all in all had a fantastic time in Sabah and even though some of it was a bit expensive, it was worth every penny (or ringit) !

of course we will recomend you to our friends and family. we added some of our pictures. If you need them in full qualitity I can send them to you again in better qualitiy, no problem!

so there you go:

3D2N Danum Valley - Deluxe Package 

2D1N Mt. Climbing Via Ferrata Low's Peak Circuit

5D4N Pom Pom Island Resort - Diver Package (Hexa/Beach Villa)

Mount kinabalu: the lunch given on the first day was a bit poor. Some bananas, nuts, bakery, chocolate etc...would have been easier to carry up and would be nicer to eat aswell. the mountain guide was very nice compared to others we heard from other travellers. But they could all profit from better knowledge of English, so communication is more easy. It was a fantastic experience with the muscle ache of our life after walking down...walking up was really the easy part :-)

Danum Valley: a great experience to be in the middle of pristine rainforest!!! the itinerary you gave us was not the same what we then experienced, but that didn't matter to us, because it was pretty similar.. We actually did more walks as stated in your itinerary and had two night activities: a night walk and a night drive. maybe it is good to tell your customers that they will be thouroughly informed there by Danum Valley staff about activities, even had a DVD show for information with the manager of the resort. it was very well organised and we could tell them our wishes, one afternoon we didin't go for a walk because we needed a rest, that was just fine. the tour guide was nice but we had the feeling that he was a bit stressed with our group, as there were also two homosexual men (obviously) and a man from Singapore who did not listen nor follow the guides explanations and rules, so he was a bit stressed :-) but still he showed us as many animals and plants as possible. we saw "king" the oldest male orang utan! he was very close and it was a breathtaking experience! (see pictures) we didn't like the logging going on just around the natinal park...maybe also inside?? the explanation for that given to us from the staff in Danum Valley was o.k. but we actually couldn't believe it in every terms... so it's a shame that it doesn't seem to be protected completely from the logging activities.

Pom Pom: an absolutely fanastic place! the staff there is great and really makes the difference! it's a beautiful island, we loved the diving! very good instructors! 3 times a day, very proffessionel and very good equipment (new: only 1 1/2 years old, very well looked after!) they made the diving very easy for us, as we didn't have to look after the equipment nor put it together or taking it from the boat, so very very comfortable! we liked that they work with WWF for the protection of turtles, also they are active in conservation work and "project aware". Also they like to teach you about marine life, about conservation etc. and I found that very very good! We actually saw many many turtles, on almost every dive! food was gorgeous too! the beach villa was very nice but we also liked the Hexa Villa (nicer bathroom, it's newer) the beach villa had a grat veranda with private beach and hammock in the palm trees, so just lovely. It would be great if they will get a sipadan permit for the future (they don't get it so far) so I think thats about it.
we hope we can help you with that.

wishing you a wonderful time!

thank you again!

cheers!

pamela and thomas, Switzerland

Hello Jessica,

after the hiking to Mount Kinabalu and the Via ferrata I am back in Singapore for a few days.

I wanted to give you some feedback, so that you know what the clients think after the trail and the summit!!

- The meeting with Anthony on Saturday 31st at the Headquarters and the registrations was made without problem

- We hat some problems to find a bus going to the Timophon gate. All buses were already gone. At the end we took a taxi.

- The way up was without problem. Anthony left me walk first and decide of the pac. We made this first ascent till the refugee in 2 hours 30 minutes.... a good time, said Anthony.

- We hat time to rest and for me do the briefing for the Via ferrata without stress. After that time to read and have a drink on the terrace.

- Dinner at 5pm, was very good. Sleeping at 8pm. I could not sleep very good, it was too warm, then too cold,....

- Stand up a 1:30am, I could have slept longer but Japanese stood at this early time!

- Way up to the summit after a good breakfast. Starting at 2:30am, arrived at 4:45am. We were too early there and had to freeze for one hour. The weather was not so good, so we did not see much of the sunrise. But for me was the climb of the mountain more important.

- Then back to the meeting point at 7am with Jon from Mountain Torq. Very nice and experimented guy. I had a lot of fun for 2 and half hours!! And Jon took all the pictures for me and of me.

- After that second breakfast at 9:45am, we started with Anthony at 10:30am the way down. I was in a tremendous form, so we went without pause an arrived a 1pm at the gate. We found a bus now without problem.

- After that collect the certification and say goodbye to Anthony.

I was very pleased with the tow guides, Anthony and Jon. These are very good guides.
If I conclude, the two days were very good and I am very happy. But I should find some points to make better as the world is not perfect..... wait, let me seek....

1.You should give more informations of the things we find at the refugees.

- For instance there are thick sleeping bags and the thin one inside in the Panar Laban Hut... so I took my thin sleeping bag when it was not necessary. No problem, it was a lot of weight. But imagine if somebody carries his thick sleeping back all the way up to the hut! - Another information: there is a very nice terrace at the Laban Rata Resthouse. So tell the people to bring sun creme, sunglasses,... they may forget. Ans a book would be also nice to have, if ever you arrive too early there as I did!

2.The problem of refund if the weather is bad.

If it rains during the ascent to the hut, it's not a problem. People should have the right clothes. If it rains on the summit day, the same. Right clothes and you go up. If you do not want, then you stay in the hut, but then it is my decision.

But if it rains on the summit day, the Via ferrata can not be done because of water falling on the it. And I can not stay one more night and wait for better weather on the second day. That means that the client pays a lot of money, maybe 400 RM, and then gets nothing for it because the weather is bad and because the refugees are full every day.

That is not acceptable for a client and it is different from the hiking to the summit. You should discuss with Mountain Torq and find a solution: - stay one more night and try the Via ferrata on the next day... even sleeping on the floor (I already did it). But there are complications because the hiking guide left to the headquarters. - or make like an "insurance" worth 50 RM: if the Via ferrata can not be made, the client gets part of his money back (meaning only the part of Via ferrata). I am sure that many people will apply this insurance and will not use very often.

As you see, these are minor expectations and commentaries from me. I told you I am very happy to have made the summit AND the Via ferrata and very satisfied of the work of ABC Tours.

Thanks again for your organization and time spent with the many mails! May this feedback help you too improve your business!

Bye,
Sergio Escudero

PS: I join a picture for Anthony. I hope you can mail him the picture or make a print and send it to him.

Siamo tornati, un po dimagriti, un po abbrozati e con tanti bei ricordi..

Grazie di cuore per l'appoggio e l'organizzazione, magari ci sentiamo per telefono uno di questi giorni. Saluti anche al tuo ragazzo,

Ciao
Elisa & Danilo

Dear Mic,

Please pardon the delay in my response, I appreciate that it is long overdue - as can sometimes happen, when we came home we had a few emergent issues to deal with and time just slipped away. My apologies.

I wanted to say first and foremost, THANK YOU for your assistance - particularly in going above and beyond in assisting us with our flight issue departing KK. There is no question that we would not have made it into Singapore in time to meet up with our friend there - and likely would have added considerable expense.

Our itinerary went off without a hitch, transitions were more or less seemless. It was one of our most enjoyable adventures in recent memory.

I will write reviews on TripAdvisor, and leave myself open for contact regarding travel in Borneo - and will gladly recommend your services to those who ask. Of course, I'll also recommend you to those that are traveling to Borneo that I meet in person. I had never met anyone who had traveled to Borneo, which was part of the appeal for me. It's a fascinating place.

Professionally speaking, unfortunately I don't see us operating a large scale Borneo trip in the near future and I'll explain. In the 8 or 9 days we spent in Borneo - I did not meet a single American traveler. Perhaps this is not the norm, but it became very clear to me that while the Europeans were in Borneo in large numbers, my hunch is that Americans must perceive it as too far, perhaps opting for the Amazon which is much closer to home. Activity-wise I think it's a great fit for our type of travel but over the past couple years with the economic turn-down, Americans seem to be traveling less and less to destinations that are further away from home - never has this been more evident than on our recent adventure. This is not something I look on as a negative as a traveler in any way - but I'm not sure we'd actually be able to fill a trip in this market. In any case, know that if I do come across an opportunity to recommend your agency - I will do so. You are also welcome to refer prospective travelers to my email if you need an endorsement.

A few random thoughts on the trip as I look back that I thought you might find helpful...

- Rasa Ria. It's a property I felt I had to check out. It's vastly over-rated, and for us was a jarring experience coming out of the jungle. My least favorite property on our entire 2 1/2 week trip. Good for British and Australians who want to lie on the beach - but in general I found the prices to be horribly gouging and the experience unauthentic.

- Kinabantagan. The Proboscis Lodge was quite good - food good, staff friendly. No real complaints. The air con (which you may recall I made a big deal about) was a huge advantage for us, we simply aren't accustomed to that kind of heat and humidity and the air con really helped. The boat excursions are unfortunately a bit repetitive, but that's the nature of the area. I can't imagine Sukau Rainforest Lodge or the other lodges in the immediate vicinity would have an advantage here.

What's interesting however is that we only saw one wild orangutan - located at least an hour up river - so my insistence to take a boat into the lodge was crucial. Something to keep in mind here, others saw elephants higher up on the river the day before us (we did not). If I were doing it over again, I would actually stay 1 night higher up on the river (maybe Abai) - and then one or two at Proboscis Lodge. My concern is that orangutans may be avoiding the well traveled areas around the lower lodges...and it sounds like you'd only ever see elephants higher up. Overall, from a wildlife experience we were saddened to see only one orangutan and 0 elephants...but we saw plenty of other stuff.

- Danum Valley. The setting of the BRL is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. We upgraded to the "suite" - you should recommend this additional cost to each and every guest, it was very worth it - and they will thank you if they take you up on it. Wonderfully run lodge experience. Unfortunately, our large game wildlife spotting wasn't great here - and the leeches are a major distraction. But, a true nature lover like myself appreciates all types of diversity - the trees are stunning, and the various "critters" were quite fascinating. If given the choice between the 2, I'd probably opt for Kinabantagan because the wildlife is better...but the vista from our suite at BRL overlooking the river was truly breathtaking.

- Labuk Bay. This was enjoyable, but I think we'd have been fine just making time to go and see one of the feedings, rather than spending the night. No regrets though.

Well - I hope you find this all helpful. Thank you again for everythign - if I can be of assistance please let me know.

Keith

Hi Anne and Jessica!

We're back for a week now!! The Mt Kinabaula climb and via Ferrata activity was superb! We had a little bit of rain while we were climbing but we managed to summit the majestic Mt Kinabalu!

We arrived at Pendant Hut at 230pm and took dinner at Laban Rata at 430pm. I went to bed at 630om but woke up with a pounding headache at 830pm. I took 2 paracetamol and tried to get back to sleep. By 1015pm, fortunately the headache went away!! Phew!! I've managed to acclimatise to the altitude..

Of course after the 'scary' episode, I proceeded to summit with no more issues! Hahaha.. Would like to share some pics with you. Thank you very much guys!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/samstef/KotaKinabalu811July2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCPeWv_u-mrG8Mg#

Regards
Michelle

Dear Anne

We have been to pulau mantanani and are now relaxed... we enjoyed the climb to mt. kinabalu and the via ferrata very much. it was a great experience, everything worked well and our guide jack was superb!!! we liked it very much!!!

conserning the picture, we can do that when we are at home.

thank you very much for all

cheers leonie & niggi

Dear Anne,

My Friend and I had a wonderful time in Sandagan and at Turtle Island. It was a trip worth making and the service provided was excellent.

Thank you very much for the arrangements made and thank you for the excellent service provided. Everything was well planned and arranged for us with patient and wonderful guides (Aryrun and Sam). Taking their time to explain and show us things.

We were both very satisfied with the service provided by ABC Tours and SI Tours.

I will be making recommendations about the service provided by you to my friends and the Malaysian Tourism Board.

And once again a Big Thank You!

Regards
Lorinda