1

If you are fit and healthy isn't age just a state of mind? A fit 60 year old is in much better shape than the majority of Australian 15 - 50 year olds. Take a look around the supermarket next time you go shopping. What to you see? Behemoths and juggernauts waddling around, thickshake in one hand, burger in the other. If you are into swimming and snorkeling, a jaunt through the islands, a spot of trekking and a couple of overcrowded bus trips will be a piece of cake for you. As for the Perama trip, I haven't been on it, have read the reports, do consider it to be reasonably good value for money, do think that the enjoyability is closely related to the mix of passengers and believe that Perama has a reputation to protect: it has been around for a long time so must be doing some things right.

2

First off are the warnings:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2038410
http://www.adventurouskate.com/adventurous-kate-gets-shipwrecked-in-indonesia/

Perama (and the even more budget ones) are something that many backpackers do on their holidays. As the boat is rather geared towards this type of client - it may or may not fit your needs. I would guess the average age to be about 24, with a few flashpackers in the mix. However, there are not many alternatives for the Lombok-Komodo run at this time.

The sites along the way are quite nice and Komodo is amazing. I would also give a heads up about timing. The rains are already happening and it looks like the northerly winds are starting to kick up. This makes the trip uncomfortable, and in Janaury/February you should be committed for going on that trip.

3

I did it and enjoyed (at the old age of 40 ;-).

Its true that most people on the boat are younger,though not all.

We did a cabin as well...they are very small,2 bunk beds with a little space next to them,but its nice to have a place to get changed,leave your gear and its certainly quieter and easier to sleep in than the communal area.

4

I considered it excellent value for money.The places you stop are great...we did some excelllent swimming and snorkelling..... and the crew were very good.

There have been some safety problems as mentioned above...and it can be rough when the weather is bad,so I would look at exactly when you are planning on going.

For me it certainly beats flying or sitting on a bus across Sumbawa...

5

caveat emptor!

6

Thank you , everyone for your very worthwhile comments. Yes merantau ,we are fit and healthy and active a
nd as you said, for us it should be "a piece of cake' Thanks.
The warnings of one Perama accident are well taken, so caveat emptor becomes very significent,thanks for the reminder sbrung and Similan Diver.
lucapal,your post is very encouraging, particularly to my wife,We are considerably older than you,yet I can see that there is value,fun and enjoyment,much,better than a bus trip right across Sumbawa.
Are there any other "seniors" who have enjoyed this Perama trip? We would appreciate your comments.
Thanks travellers and enjoy this wonderful diverse and amazing planet.
Kind regards Sabresail.

7

I should have said that we are not travelling across to Komodo and Flores until early May (of next year . We are heading to Kupang.( flying from Ende)
Sabresail.

8

Hi sabresail
We are both 50 and did the 2 day Perama trip and liked it. We didn't feel to old , but ask for a upper cabin to sleep in, you can reach them from the outsight instead of from the insight of the boat. The only disadvantage from the 3 day trip is that you miss Rinca (more varanes).
The snorkling near Riung and an island near Labuan Bajo was better than the snorkling at our part of the peramatrip.

9

Hi mwit2
Really appreciate your response .. My wife is now quite encouraged by your comment s . The upper level cabin certainly seems the better option. Thanks for your reply.
Regards. Sabresail.

10

Agree on the upper level cabins...less engine noise and more air as well.

11

I just finished a tour with PERAMA.... i enjoyed it but only because the pluses outnumbered the minuses (which were far too many).... the islands were so beautiful, but the customer service was poor to practically non-existent...

diesel fuel spill - the 1st day someone must have spilled fuel below decks because the fumes were thick and nasty, luckily they dissipated by the second day (or I would've demanded my ticket been changed from cabin to deck - oh, and don't get a cabin unless you get one of the few available on the deck, the below deck rooms are hot and nasty)...

cold drinks - the crew/company doesn't understand that foreigners like cold drinks on hot days by the second day of each leg of the trip the drinks were room temperature (easily solvable problem "bring extra ice or use dry ice")

washed away trash - I have insomnia and couldn't sleep well (especially in the below deck cabins), at 3 AM I saw 5 bags of trash (which we foreigners meticulously collected) sitting on the back deck of the boat but by 7 AM they were gone and we hadn't stopped anywhere to drop our rubbish off (a fellow passenger even confronted the tour director). This pissed us all off and dramatically reduced the tip I was going to give each crew member from $5 a member to $1 a person.

The attitude of the crew members really stood out on the last night, I was on the top deck watching the stars and fell asleep only to wake up at 2 AM to see a crew member walk by and flick his cigarette ashes on me when he thought i was asleep. I knew they were upset with me because earlier that night they were getting drunk, playing music and singing loudly while the few of us awake were quietly star gazing. After putting up with ~90' of that racket, I made my displeasure clear and they moved to the deck below. How they don't understand that this is our vacation time and not theirs is beyond me).

If you have the money don't use this company...that said it is the cheapest tour available (and the only one available in low season when I was there) .. At no time did I feel unsafe, they've replaced the life jackets and the lifeboats appeared to be new and in good condition.. the tour director was very nice and well-informed young man from Flores (i hated not being able to tip him better). I've lived in Thailand for over eight years and know that southeast Asians generally don't 'understand' customer service, but the Indonesians make Thai service and peoples shine.

Edited by: jimtheclarkster