T6312OEhollym
05 Feb 2023
I rarely write reviews, but was compelled to after this horrible excursion in hopes of saving others from going through the same mess. First, we would told by our mandated butler (TRS Turquesa) to book through excursions through the hotel as they are cheaper than our normal Delta Vacation vendor and the same excursions. Mistake number one. We decided on this excursion and one other. The prices were high and the sales person had a hard time explaining the trips to us, what to wear/bring, and had very limited material (brochures, pamphlets). Also, pretty convinced these are the same people who sell excursions on the beach (which is always a big no). We were picked up at 6:30 in the morning, drove an hour in a bus and stopped on the side of the expressway, where we picked up more people, back to an hour plus of driving. Once we got to the catamaran, we were served what they call a gourmet breakfast, which consisted of a white bread, half slice of ham and cheese, and a sliver of watermelon. Then, crammed us all on a catamaran for a bumpy 45 minute ride. Off the catamaran and onto a “safari” truck for another hour ride to the waterfalls. Get to the waterfalls and there is a sea of horses. Very malnourished looking. You are given a helmet and put on a podium where the locals will decide what horse best suits you/can support you. They throw you on the horse and you make the 30 minute trek down to the waterfall. The local handlers lead the horses through muddy (manure filled), slippery, difficult trails and horses frequently slip/lose footing and many are hit with whips/switches along the way. I am small in size and my horse slipped twice. It was absolutely terrible to watch, especially knowing I was participating in it. When we get to the end of the trail, we dismount and head down a significant amount of stairs to the waterfall. Since we were never told what type of footwear to bring (nor that we would be trailing up and down steps), the trek was extremely slippery in our casual sneakers. We saw many people wearing flip flops and even some who could not make the trek down to the waterfall. Get to the waterfall (which was beautiful), which is full of tons tourists taking their seductive influencer photos. We take a refreshing dip, and back up the trail. Along the trail, my handler asks several times for payment, finally explicitly asking “lady are you going to pay me?” Same goes with my boyfriend’s handler. Get back and off the horses and tip the handlers (and hope some will go to the health of the horse). Then, get brought over to a wash bin where the locals will scrub the manure off your feet and explicitly ask for payment, of course. Back on the safari truck, for and hour, on to our gourmet lunch, buffet that is edible, but not tasty, nor warm. Back onto the catamaran, quick stop at a beach for 45 minutes, which was stunning. Back to the catamaran for the 45 minute trip back. Get back to the buses and onto our bus. Our bus driver goes missing for 40 minutes and leaves us in a packed bus with no air conditioning. Several people got off the bus just to get relief until the bus driver comes back. Then, hour drive to the same spot on the side of the expressway to put people on separate buses. The drivers and guide spoke very little English, so it was difficult for them to communicate which bus each passenger needed to transfer to. Get on the next bus, hour drive to hotel. Get dropped off at hotel at 10:30 at night. So, in short, AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
Haalde me 30 minuten te laat op, 15 uur reistijd voor 30 minuten bij de waterval en 90 minuten op het strand. We moesten de boot halverwege aan het einde van de reis omdraaien om familie op te halen die niet naar de aanwijzingen luisterde om elkaar om 16.30 uur te ontmoeten om te vertrekken. Dit voegde weer een uur toe aan onze totale reistijd.
dianabE3600VK
27 Dec 2022
Dit was een lange dag reizen per bus, boot, jeep, te paard en te voet.
Het was erg leuk om eropuit te gaan en het prachtige eiland te zien.
Pluspunten: prachtige waterval, heerlijke lunch
Nadelen: het buffet staat opgesteld naast waar de paarden binnenkomen en voor sommigen kan de stank van paardenpoep je eetlust bederven.
De paarden zijn klein en liepen als een fabriek. Als ruiter ben je opgezet met een "gids" die het paard door een voet van slordige puinhoop trekt die is omzoomd met enorme rotsen. Er zijn heuvels en de arme paarden doen hun best om er doorheen te navigeren, maar het is een ramp die nog moet gebeuren. Het zadel is klein en er is niet veel om aan vast te houden, dus als je paard naar beneden gaat, ben jij dat ook.
De "wandeling" naar de waterval is glad en verraderlijk. Draag goede schoenen en neem de tijd. Eenmaal bij de waterval moet je er zeker in springen en afkoelen. Het is verbluffend en zal je opfrissen voordat je de nog verraderlijkere reis terug de heuvel op moet en trappen.
Blij dat ik het een keer heb gedaan, maar het is niet voor mensen met een zwak hart of mensen die niet zo goed kunnen lopen of grote gezondheidsproblemen hebben.