Danny
Age: 57
Department: Founder of Tari Travel; Director
I am originally from Kalimantan, born in Banjarmasin (father from the South and mother from the East). As the oldest of a family of 10 brothers and sisters I needed to be able to support the family and had to choose a suitable education for a descent job. As my parents thought that that would be working at a bank I went to the university in Malang (Java) to study economics. However I soon found out that my heart was not at economics at all but at travelling! Returning to Kalimantan after 4 years I started as a tour guide, guiding foreign tourist throughout of Kalimantan, from the orang utans of Tanjung Puting in the Central part to the indigenous Dayak tribes of Eastern Kalimantan. The trips to the ‘heart of darkness’ in East-Kalimantan I preferred best as I could visit my Dayak family (still with long earlobes and tattoos!!).
After years of guiding in Kalimantan as well as in the rest of Indonesia I moved to Sulawesi to settle down. To be able to share my knowledge of Indonesia with other travellers I founded Tari Travel in 2002. The abbreviation of Tari is actually Tapak Rimba, which means ‘Footprints in the Wilderness’, or loosely translated as ‘Trips off the Beaten Track’.
My favourite place in Indonesia is still Kalimantan but I also very much like Java. I speak fluently Javanese and am very intrigued by the mystic culture and beliefs of the Javanese, especially those of Central Java.
Kamarul Zaman (Faat)
Age: 54
Department: operation; vice director
Just as Danny I am also originally from Kalimantan where I worked for years as a tour guide throughout Kalimantan. In 2002 I moved to Makassar to join Tari Travel, so I am working here from the very beginning and it is a pleasure to have seen Tari Travel growing every year! My greatest passion has always been rock climbing until my health did not allow this very intensive sport any more. Now I am happy to spend my energy at the office of Tari making sure that all tours are running smoothly.
My favorite destinations are the islands of Kalimantan, Sumatra and Sulawesi. Kalimantan because of its forest and unique animal species and Sulawesi because of its variety: you can easily find beaches, forests, tribes, history and megalithic remains all relatively accessible. I think therefore Sulawesi is one of the best tourist destinations in Indonesia.
Jacqueline
Age: 50
Department: Management; Research & Development, Sales
Countries far beyond the borders of my native Holland have always attracted me enormously. When I was offered the chance as a student to do a research on monkey behaviour in the forests of Aceh (northern Sumatra) I didn’t have to think twice! More than one year I spend in one of the world’s most fascinating environments.
Living in Indonesia felt as a second home and a few years later I moved to Sulawesi. Since then I have been guiding many tours throughout Indonesia and have written an extensive travel guide covering the islands from Sabang to Merauke! After the birth of my daughter I needed to settle down and could no more travel for months in a row.
Working at Tari Travel however allows me to stay fully involved with travelling in Indonesia. Best part is to design unique tours that emphasize on local contacts and gaining a deeper insight in daily life. It is a thrill to receive comments of our guests how much they have learned during their tour and how special the local contacts have been.
I have many favourite places in Indonesia, too many actual to be able to mention one or two specifically. But okay then, a few soft spots are the forests of Sumatra and Kalimantan, the ancient culture of the tribes in the Baliem valley (Papua), the perfect combination of tribal life, architecture and stunning natural surroundings in Flores, Timor and Sumba, the Javanese mystic of Central Java and the amazing (and well accessible!) diversity of Sulawesi (sorry more than a few soft spots!).
Jenny
Age: 30
Department: Self booking sales, Research & Development, Marketing
Travelling and getting to know other cultures has always been my passion. I guess it started when I made my first trip to Indonesia when I was 5 years old and seeing my grandfather going back after more than 30 years! I have travelled to many places of the world and lived in New York as well as Japan, but it seems to be in my blood as Indonesia has always remained my favourite destination.
In April 2014 I moved from Holland for my next big adventure: working for Tari Travel based in Makassar, Sulawesi. Sulawesi is a beautiful, quite unexplored island, yet the various cultures are absolute highlights of Indonesia and the Togean Islands are definitely one of my favourite destinations.
The Insight Tours are a must for those who want to get to know Indonesia at another level. We explore old and new destinations personally to set up our own trips. The local families where we eat lunches and dinners or even stay overnight are unbelievably friendly and welcoming.
Sharing my experiences with upcoming guests is the best part of the job. I mostly handle the individual requests to make sure everyone will have the most amazing holiday they can possibly have and fall in love with Indonesia as I did.
Weny
Age: 33
Department: Reservations
I am born and raised in Makassar, but my parents are from Java. My absolute favourite thing in the world is cooking! I have worked as a chef in a famous hotel in London, but I started to miss the traditional Indonesian food and my family, so I returned back home.
The culinary tour across Java and Bali is one of my favourite Tari Travel trips. Our guests can find out what makes Indonesian cuisine so special by learning it from the locals. In Makassar we also organize a culinary tour. We visit markets and have a cooking class in a local home. Sometimes I guide our guests on this tour.
I really like Bandung as it is an important city in Indonesian history, it has a cool climate and interesting buildings. And it is famous for its culinary variety. From street vendors to haute cuisine, Bandung has it all. You must try the Sundanese cuisine, or you will miss the best cuisine of Asia!
Rhia
Age: 28
Department: Tour Operation
I work in the tour operation department of Tari Travel, so my job is to make sure the trip of our guests runs smoothly. What I love about Tari Travel is that we truly care about our guests. We give everyone a package on arrival, including complete information on the destinations, some gifts and if there is any special moment which is celebrated on the trip we give a nice surprise.
My favourite destination is Java and then especially the cultural highlights, such as the Borobudur, Prambanan and Mount Bromo. Crossing the sand sea surrounding the Bromo in an open jeep is an amazing adventure!
I really love to sing, so for any Tari Travel guests who are interested: let’s go karaoke in Makassar!
Neny
Age: 49
Department: Accounting
Since 2006 I work for Tari Travel in the accounting department. I make financial statements, taxes reports and check payments. I’m from Makassar, but my ethnic group is Bugis Bone, unfortunately I can’t speak Buginese. I don’t like to cook, but I love sea travel and rafting!
When we go on our company trip, we always include a rafting trip where possible. It’s an adventure and so much fun with my colleagues. Last year we went to Manado, rafting on the Minanga River for almost 3 hours! We have also been rafting in Toraja, a very different scenery than in Manado with iguanas on the shores, but equally amazing.
I think Sulawesi is the most beautiful island of Indonesia, with so much diversity of cultures and landscapes. You can visit Toraja and witness their rituals, climb mountains in Manado and take your pick of beautiful islands. My favourite archipelago is Wakatobi: untouched, local and stunning.
Evy
Age: 26
Department: Reservations & sales
There are many things I love to do, to see and to experience. I like to read, travel, write, think, dream and listen. I enjoy good books and romantic movies.
I have been working for Tari Travel since October 2013 and it is the best place I’ve ever worked at. I really enjoy working here because of a few reasons. One of them is because I love travelling and twice a year we go on a trip with the whole office. My job teaches me about the fun places to go to for vacation, so I’m never bored. The office is a caring and loving environment and I’m excited to help guests enjoy their trips as much as possible. I also get to know more about the world by working here. It helps me understand that people from different cultures place different importance on things.
Indonesia is a country with long coastlines and countless beautiful beaches. One of these beaches is Ora Beach, located at the north coast of Seram Island. It takes an effort to get there, but it is an exotic destination for those who want to get away from the world for a while and just enjoy the beauty around them.
Linda O.
Age: 26
Department: Accounting
Together with Nitha I work in the accounting department of Tari Travel and I recently started working on our contracts.
I love reading and travelling and one day I want to travel the world. But let’s start with my own Indonesia first! I have not yet been to Kalimantan, but because of the diversity it has to offer I want to go soon. I want to see the orang utans of course. It’s so fascinating how similar their characters are with humans, you can see their moods swing and unfortunately they are easily influenced by sickness as well. What many people don’t know is that Kalimantan has a beautiful archipelago, named Derawan. Great beaches and views, simple bungalows on the beach and an amazing underwater life of giant turtles, stingless jellyfish and dolphins.
Uci
Age: 31
Department: Ticketing & Reservation
My name is Faisyiah Nazar, but you can call me Uci. I work for Tari since January 2015 in the reservation and ticketing department.
Lombok is my favourite destination as it has nice beaches and great snorkelling. The three Gili Islands may have become a major tourist destination, but that is because they have beautiful views with clean powdery white beaches, a crystal clear sea and are easy accessible. There are still many other tropical paradises like these, which I still need to visit. I hope soon!
My hobbies are watching movies and reading comics and novels.
Linda S.
Age: 26
Department: Reservations & Tour Operations
For Tari I work in the reservation department and I help Rhia with operational. We are quite different than other travel companies, we have very good insight programs and I love how we always give our guests small things, like a pouch made of waste plastic, key hanger of Kalaweit organisation (support of apes) and we buy trees in name of our guests. We even help collecting plastic ourselves at the office and can see our own refills of fabric softener turn into beautiful useful pouches! We are therefore quite different than other travel companies.
Jogja is my favourite place because of the culture, views, traditions and friendly people. The sunset at the Borobudur is a great experience and the nasi kuning of Jogja is the best I’ve ever eaten! When you go to Jogja, I recommend the hotel Dusun Jogja Village Inn. The ole-ole (souvenirs) from Jogja are cheap and there is much variety, so I always bring a big bag home for friends and family.
Eka
Age: 35
Department: Reservations & Ticketing
My name is Eka Saktiawaty Tayeb, but please call me Eka. I am born and raised in Makassar and have one older brother. I graduated from the Muslim University of Indonesia in Civil Engineering. My hobbies include reading, listening to music and of course, traveling!
Since December 2015 I am working for Tari Travel at the reservation and ticketing departments, making sure that the accommodation, transport, guides and excursions for our guests are all booked and their stay will run smoothly in Indonesia. I also keep an eye out on new flight routes or flight schedule changes.
I love my beautiful country as it has so many nice places with great views. The one place that I really love is the island of Sumba. There is so much culture and I have yet to attend the famous Pasola festival, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the untouched nature and many beautiful beaches!