Last minute special offer on a one week dive liveaboard in indonesia’s famed Komodo National Marine Park. World class diving plus a chance to encounter the giant Komodo Dragon, the world’s largest lizard, found nowhere else.

Location: Komodo National marine Park, indonesia
Dates: 25 Feb to 03 Mar, 2012 (7 nights)
Boat: MV Tarata
Offer: one day free, equivalent to a saving of $240 per person, twin share

Book now with Symbiosis Custom Travel

This exceptional island-hopping adventure from one palm-fringed tropical island to another, starts in the chilled out beach resort of Puerto Galera, and culminates in Coron to snorkel or dive on a fleet of Japanese WWII shipwrecks, and to kayak around spectacular, towering limestone islands. This is an ideal trip for divers of all levels and non-divers too.

Bookings close for the March run of this trip at the end of this month, January, due to high demand for rooms at the lovely Sangat Island Reserve. The March departure is guaranteed to go. If you have a group of 4 or more, we can tailor a similar trip to your own dates and objectives.

Full description on the Symbiosis Custom Travel website here.

The Philippines Island Hopping, Diving & Kayaking Safari is an exceptional adventure, hopping from one palm-fringed tropical island to another by traditional, outrigger boat (banca), culminating in Coron to snorkel or dive on a fleet of Japanese shipwrecks, and to kayak around spectacular, towering limestone islands. This is an ideal trip for divers and non-divers together.

Scheduled, join in trips in March and April 2012

… to all our blog watchers who are not interested in scuba diving! The reason for the rush of deals4divers blogs is that the UK’s DIVE 2011 Show takes place this weekend and our diving partners across South East Asia have generously given us a ream of great deals to offer to our followers.

We will get back to a more balanced offering of South East Asia tidbits once the mayhem is over.

If you do have diving friends, however, please do “like” some of these offerings in case they might be interested to take one up. : )

This from the man who walked to the South Pole in the footsteps of Shakleton… but whose new wife was up for something a bit more sedate!… following completion of their honeymoon in Java & Bali, Indonesia, organised by Symbiosis Custom travel.

“We had an absolutely awesome time: you pitched the level perfectly for the both of us – we loved every minute of it. The Aman hotels are something else –wow! And what a way to finish!
Java was a fantastic place and we loved the contrast to Bali.
 
Look forward to giving you a full debrief in due course, but just wanted to drop you a quick line to say thanks for everything….it was perfect!”

Will Gow

Read about Will’s 2009 expedition to celebrate the centenary of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1909 Nimrod Expedition and about the Shackleton Foundation, a new charitable trust.

To mark the London International Dive Show, Thalassa Dive Centre, located in the Seaside Resort Santika, Manado, is offering one free dive for every 5 dives pre-booked and paid for through Symbiosis Custom Travel.

Validty:

Must be booked before 30 April 2011
Trips can be taken between now and 31 March 2012.

Contact Symbiosis for more info and to make a booking.

Last minute 10% discount off our Philippines Island Hopping, Diving & Kayaking Safari commencing in Manila, Philippines, on 24 May. This is an exceptional trip for anyone who enjoys getting away from the tourist haunts and into the wild, likes a dash of real adventure, plus some of the best diving in the Philippines… including the amazing Coron Wrecks – the world’s second largest sunken fleet of WWII shipwrecks.

Perfect for divers of all standards, and for divers with non-diving partners as there is plenty to enjoy beyond the diving. If you don’t dive but would like to learn, or do dive and would like to advance your skills training, the first few days provide the perfect opportunity to do a PADI dive course.

Discount of 10% off the basic safari cost, excluding diving. Was $1,505 + diving, now $1,355 + diving. Save $150.

Contact Symbiosis NOW to book a space.

Last chance to book one of these heavily discounted liveaboard dive sfaris with the Siren Fleet. These March special offers are for trips booked between 1st and 31st March only.

Mandarin Siren
18-29 JUL 2011: North Sulawesi – was €2,500, less 15% => 2,125 Euro

Philippine Siren
23 JUL-02 AUG: Southern Visayas – was €2,400, less 30% => 1,680 Euro

Maldives Siren
25 OCT- 04 NOV 2011: Northern B – was €2,400, less 15% => 2,040 Euro

Oriental Siren
12-22 DEC 2011: Best of Thailand – was €2,300, less 20% => 1,840 Euro

Contact Symbiosis Custom Travel now to book.

Perched on the top of a 525m high escarpment on the northern border with Thailand, Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple has become a source of tension between the 2 neighbours in recent months – a dispute that has been simmering since 1962 when the International Court of Justice awarded ownership of the The Angkor-era temple to Cambodia.

Until very recently, Preah Vihear Temple had been extremely difficult to reach from the Cambodian side, with a treacherous winding climb up a steep, rocky road, assailable only on foot, or by the hardiest of 4WD vehicle or trail bike. Last year the narrow track was improved with some stretches receiving a concrete coating. Now, however, the Cambodian military are in the process of gouging a huge cutting out of the mountainside, and I am sure that soon we will see tourist buses making the ascent all the way to the top.

Preah Vihear temple comprises 5 levels climbing from the north to the pinnacle of the cliff top that faces south over the jungle pains of northern Cambodia. Building started on the temple in the 9th Century, though most of what remains now were built during the peak of the Angkorian Kingdom’s powers from the 11th to 12th centuries.

Having driven with some difficulty up the final stretch of “road” over rough, barren rock, we found ourselves on the level of the second lowest temple where Cambodian soldiers had set up a shelter housing long range binoculars on a tripod through which to observe activities on another peak 800m away in Thailand. They giggled as they allowed me to peer through them, but I couldn’t see any tanks… or even Thai uniformed soldiers… threatening imminent invasion.

First descending to the lowest level we went to inspect the coils of barbed wire, designed to prevent incursions by Thais or Khmers into each other’s territories – an act guaranteed to inflame the situation. Indeed, only one day earlier 7 Thais, including one parliamentarian from the ruling Democrat Party, were arrested by Cambodian forces for illegally crossing the border into Cambodian territory and are presently being held in Prey Say Prison. The extensive tourist market there lies largely abandoned while the border remains firmly closed to Thai tourists.

Climbing through the many levels you pass several libraries, a royal bathing pool and numerous bunkers built by the Vietnamese during the period of occupation in the 1980′s, some of them running into or under the ancient monuments. Once you reach the you the views are impressive – though somewhat changed from my first visit 21 years ago. Then you would gaze out over a blanket of deep green, pristine rainforest, punctuated only by the muffled sound of Khmer Rouge mortars going off in the far distance. Now there are twisting red scars, marking new roads under construction, and and numerous plumes of smoke as more and more forest is cleared to make way for farms and military instalments.

The drive north to Preah Vihear Temple from T’beng Meancheay is now an almost completed, sealed, tarmac road, that promises to be one of the best in Cambodia. After visiting the temples we continued west to Anlong Veng along smooth laterite, from where the roads south to Siem Reap now are all black top. Soon there will be 40-seater buses from Angkor ferrying tourists to Preah Vihear temple in a single day return journey!

The time to visit is now!

I have just returned to Phnom Penh after a great New Year road trip into the wilderness of northern Cambodia.

Our trip took us first to Stung Treng – with a stop in Kratie Province to spot the illusive and endangered Irrawaddy dolphins of Campie – where the Sesan and Srepok Rivers converge to form the Sekong River just before flowing into the Mekong.

From there we braved the rough forest trails across the expanse of wilderness west of the Mekong to T’beng Meancheay and up to the magnificent Preah Vihear Temple, perched on the top of an escarpment on the Thai border.

Travelling south we then visited the holy mountain of Phnom Kulen and the Angkorian period jungle temple of Boeung Mealea (Beng Mealea?).

Have a look at my photos on the Symbiosis Travel Facebook page

We have undergone a minor rebranding this month to freshen up our logo (in service already for 17 years!) while also better reflecting what do… most of the time. Hope you like it! Would love to get your feedback…

NEW

Old

DEMA and Birmingham dive show special offers on SMY Ondina. Some of the great discounts are:

1. EUR 200 off for all bookings, confirmed & paid, before the end of October.
2. 50% discount in Nitrox.
3. Additional 5% discount and FREE Nitrox for all returners.
4. 1 person FREE of charge for every 5 paying guests.

Check out the schedule and contact Symbiosis for your booking.

Tasik Ria Resort is offering the following deals for bookings made between 16 Nov – 16 Dec 2010:

1/. Special 7 nights All-inclusive dive package - Pay for 6 days dive package and the 7th day is free at USD $899 (reg. value at $1,150)

2/. Special 10 nights All-inclusive dive package  - Pay for 9 day package and the 10th day is ABSOLUTELY FREE at USD $1,350 (reg. value at $1,600)

The above offers can be combined with the following offers:

• Buy 1 get 1 free Mahawu Mountain Trekking (worth USD $75)
• Buy 1 day nitrox and get the next day nitrox free
• Free Nitrox with Nitrox course taken at the resort during the stay
• Free Fish Market tour to explore the sight and sound of the local “supermarket”
• Buy 2 get 1 free Night dive or Mandarin dive

Rates includes: all meals except for lunch on arrival and departure days, free Wifi at the lobby, return airport transfer, taxes and service charges, welcome beer at jetty, Unlimited shore diving from 0715-1700 (buddy system, no guide), Free “Longhaul overhaul massage” for 30mins

FURTHER DISCOUNTS – Group extra bonus:

• 7 divers stay and dive, 8th diver stay and dive for free
• Farewell dinner for group

***Note: all rates are based on double sharing. Single surcharge applies to single package.

Contact Symbiosis now for more information

Phinisi Ambasi is offering a special discount on her 7 days/6 nights liveaboard cruise in Komodo for only EUR 750/per person based on a minimum of 4 pax joining. The regular price is EUR 1,250/per person. Cruises depart every Wednesday.

Book now to get yourself a spot.