Wildiaries Travel Reviews 25

The enthusiasm and passion of Simon, the itinerary and unique experience provided, being well looked after from start to finish, zen established.

Everything was great - the landscapes, the seascapes, the sea creatures, Pindito, the crew, the food. And, of course, the delightful and most interesting fellow passengers.
A very special experience which included swimming with whale sharks and dolphins.

This was my second trip on MV Pindito organised by Simon Mustoe at Wildiaries Travel. Once again I had a fabulous trip on the reliable and comfortable locally built boat with a fun group of Australian divers and snorkelers. As a relatively inexperienced scuba diver I felt very supported (2 instructors and 4 dive masters on board) - generally diving with just one other and a dive master. The boat is well kitted out and divers and snorkelers equally looked after. The food (& drink) on board is plentiful and delicious (food intolerances and preferences well catered for). This is the easiest way to have a relaxing dive/snorkel holiday in my experience. This itinerary spent less time in Raja Ampat and more in Fak Fak and at times the visibility was not great (hard to guarantee that I guess) and there was a bit more travelling than the previous trip (Komodo in July 2024) which some may consider in their choice of trips.

Simon Mustoe lead us on a wonderful expedition onboard the well run Pindito from Sorong to Ambon. Simon shared his knowledge and passion with us in a welcoming environment for all. We were treated to snorkelling and diving experiences along with the joy of whale and dolphin watching. This trip had a flexible itinerary which the ship’s Captain adopted to keep us all comfortable and to see the best of the wildlife. We would do this again.

We felt confident with the detailed and personalised itinerary/ travel plan and communication was prompt and helpful.

Excellent trip. Pre-trip organisation and information is thorough and makes the trip preparation and getting to the destination so easy. Amazing locations, fabulous crew on the boat that make sure you get the best out of your holiday and each dive/snorkelling site. Small group of like minded people making the trip so enjoyable and easy going.

Lots of information given before the trip. An amazing itinerary with every effort taken to enhance the experiences. Incredible snorkelling, soft and hard corals, manta rays whale sharks and so much more. All staff went above and beyond to make our time on Pindito exceptional. Simon is an incredibly knowledgeable leader. I learnt so much and had an amazing time.

I loved every minute of my trip with Wildiaries. We got to experience places and dive sites that not many other people visit. Indonesia is spectacular, the boat Pindito was so comfortable and the staff were fantastic. I am definitely going back again as soon as possible.

This was our fourth trip on Pindito. As always, a wonderful experience. Terrific people. Wonderful snorkeling. Wonderful Whale Sharks! Highly recommend this trip. Simon is also wonderful!

Simons knowledge and passion made our Raja Ampat experience truly memorable.
Coupled with the professionalism of the Pindito crew.
We highly recommend.

The proposed trip was very comprehensive in terms of visiting top places in Australia such as the Top End, the Red Center, Queensland and Great Barrier Reef but also less known but not less wonderful places like South Australia and 3 different rainforest national parks in Queensland which were the highlight of the trip. Byron Bay was a very nice conclusion of my trip with diving, walks on beautiful sea trails and beach and super cool surf lessons, another peak moment of the trip. Simon’ s recommendations and tips were instrumental in terms of giving me the opportunity to discover special places or enjoying unique wildlife viewing experiences. Simon and Andrew were always available for questions or to help solve issues arising during the trip.
Umap was a great tool to keep track of the trip and communicate.

I recently went on a trip to Raja Ampat, hosted by the amazing Simon Mustoe. There were 16 of us aboard Pindito and it was a trip of a lifetime, certainly in terms of fun and laughter, but more importantly due to what we saw and experienced, such as a 6.5m wide Oceanic Manta Ray as well as an Omura's whale which swam under our liveaboard. This was thanks to Simon's incredible knowledge of the area as well as the fact we had no set itinerary, rare on these cruises. The crew were absolutely brilliant, the cabins very comfortable and the food delicious and plentiful. Just brilliant!

All 3 trips have been great well organised. The information given has been accurate and correct. Then boat very comfortable, clean with all the crew go out of there way to make you fell at home and be helpful. I have made quite a few new friend on these trips ans will catch up with them again on the next tripe.

An amazing snorkelling trip on a beautiful boat with a simply fantastic crew (special shout out the to amazing chefs for the brilliant food that we were provided). Highly recommend.

Pindito is a great, locally built boat, which takes just a few passengers. The crew are marvellous, always cheerful and very attentive. The meals are excellent and the small cabins comfortable.
The sea and islands we visit are incredibly beautiful and the snorkelling and diving generally spectacular as are the whales and other sea life we see while sailing.
Evenings on the deck with the setting sun make a wonderful end to an exciting day.

My wife and I took this trip to Raja Ampat and the Banda Sea. I am a diver, and she is not, yet we both had a great time due to the mix of snorkelers, divers and of course the amazing underwater experience. In addition, we saw a variety of marine mammals, including Blue Whales

Simon is a naturalist and photographer. A perfect trip leader. The vessel has a dedicated camera room. The crew are friendly and helpful. Nitrox is available. The meals are first class. The best dive trip in Raja Ampat, in my opinion. 5 stars.

I've travelled eight different years with Wildiaries. Simon is extremely organized, sending updates and detailed itineraries before his trips. He is an incredible cruise director on these trips, full of knowledge, enthusiasm, always looking for you to have the best experience and has a great sense of humor. He writes up details of what happens every day on the trip and sends you a copy, going way beyond what is expected. I honestly don't know when he sleeps! Simon even helped me arrange a trip to Borneo with his contacts and saved me lots of time and money. I've travelled all over the world and rarely use the same company but Wildiaries is the best!

We all had such an amazing time with Simon on our exhibition around the Komodo Islands, it far exceeded my expectations. It was a special celebration trip with gal friends for my birthday and what a way to commemorate it. Simon was a fabulous host and a wealth of amazing knowledge. His positive persona and enthusiasm was uplifting. I loved every moment of the trip; 2-3 dives/snorkels a day (if you wanted or we could laze around the ship if not) and the Pindito crew were awesome. I hadn't scuba dived for a long time so it was reassuring to know how experienced and friendly the dive masters were. I also did some free diving and snorkelled. The food was healthy and plentiful, we were well fed! The diving was next level, and it was good to get so many great dives under my belt. The whale sharks and giant manta ray dives were my very favourites. The coral reefs beautiful and the water was warm! We are planning another trip with Simon for next year. I thoroughly recommend this to anyone wanting to explore the waters of Indonesia with a trusted, experienced host and crew aboard a very comfortable ship.

We had such a great time on our "trip of a lifetime" to Raja Ampat on the Pindito with Wilddiaries Travel in 2019 that we had to repeat the experience around Komodo in 2024. Nothing to fault the organisation, crew, facilites, catering and total experience. Relax, go with the flow and take in the marvels of the natural world.