MALA Tours
MALA Tours
4.5
Cultural ToursScuba & SnorkellingEco ToursHiking & Camping ToursNature & Wildlife Tours
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
Mala Tours offers authentic experiences in Alor island & other islands in Eastern parts of Indonesia. As a social enterprise we involve the local communities and provide services like eco-friendly excursions like Dugong watching & Mangrove tours, Culture, Textile tours, Photography & Culinary tours, Snorkelling trips, Spearfishing, Freediving & Scuba Diving trips and Educational & Family tours. We offer tours in: Alor, Komodo, Flores, Timor, Savu/Sabu, Rote, Sumba, Mollucas, Morotai, Tanimbar, Nabire & Biak (Papua), Togean islands, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Borneo (Kalimantan), Bali and Lombok
Kalabahi, Indonesia
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
31 reviews
Excellent
25
Very good
3
Average
0
Poor
3
Terrible
0
Christa R
Beringin Raya, Indonesia7 contributions
Aug 2022
We (two European women in their 60s) booked a lovely 4D/5N tour with Ms Mila Salim, a teacher from Kalabahi/Alor. Her WA contact is +62 822 3619 2859. Her offer (incl accommodation, food, car, entry fees, donations, water, fruit, snorkeling gear, snorkeling guide) was not low cost, but definitely less expensive than alternatives (as far as we could find). She requested a 50% transfer in advance.
She took good care of us (sometimes too much) and adjusted to our programme wishes. She and her driver picked us up around midnight from the port where the Pelni ship (Awu) from Kupang docked and took us to Tamala Homestay which was very new, well equipped - even hot water, quiet, had breakfast as per our choice. For the following days we had a full sightseeing programme largely in the "bird's head" part of Alor and a bit in the "bird's body", also nice snorkeling and beautiful sunsets. She adjusted to our diverse wishes. Unfortunately we could not see the dugong due to unfavourable weather conditions - and the costs were reduced accordingly. Highlights of the tour were the Kalabahi Museum, the fruit market, Takpala and Monbang villages, Mama Sariat's ikat dying and weaving and playing Gambus and flute in Hula, an elderly woman producing pottery with simple means, the ancient Holy Koran from Ternate, several beautiful sunsets. All restaurants where we ate were clean; we did not get sick. On the last day we were dropped at Mali Airport for our return flight to Kupang. We thoroughly enjoyed Ms Mila's tour and highly recommend it.
She took good care of us (sometimes too much) and adjusted to our programme wishes. She and her driver picked us up around midnight from the port where the Pelni ship (Awu) from Kupang docked and took us to Tamala Homestay which was very new, well equipped - even hot water, quiet, had breakfast as per our choice. For the following days we had a full sightseeing programme largely in the "bird's head" part of Alor and a bit in the "bird's body", also nice snorkeling and beautiful sunsets. She adjusted to our diverse wishes. Unfortunately we could not see the dugong due to unfavourable weather conditions - and the costs were reduced accordingly. Highlights of the tour were the Kalabahi Museum, the fruit market, Takpala and Monbang villages, Mama Sariat's ikat dying and weaving and playing Gambus and flute in Hula, an elderly woman producing pottery with simple means, the ancient Holy Koran from Ternate, several beautiful sunsets. All restaurants where we ate were clean; we did not get sick. On the last day we were dropped at Mali Airport for our return flight to Kupang. We thoroughly enjoyed Ms Mila's tour and highly recommend it.
Written September 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dwi L
34 contributions
Oct 2022
Mala tour has helped to organize my impromptu 2 Days tour after my diving trip efficiently and nicely. I would recommend Mala Tour for anyone who want to explore and understand the story (and history) of Alor directly from the source.
These girls from Mala tour are not doing the work solely for business but they actually do more community empowerment in their job. From the driver, the guide, the boat man and the chief of village all are carefully chosen so they can represent Alor at its best, not only accompanying the guest and tell stories but also to share their love and pride for Alor.
These girls from Mala tour are not doing the work solely for business but they actually do more community empowerment in their job. From the driver, the guide, the boat man and the chief of village all are carefully chosen so they can represent Alor at its best, not only accompanying the guest and tell stories but also to share their love and pride for Alor.
Written October 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stefano C
3 contributions
Mar 2018 • Solo
I would like to suggest anyone going to alor island to contact mala tour! They are very helpful and super nice. I had the pleasure to meet Mika, she gave me plenty of useful info about the island, places where to go and how to get there.. thanks mala tour for the great times there!!
Written April 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Stefano,
Thank you for your nice reviews about us. We are glad we can helped you and gave you useful information. Hopefully you can visit Alor again someday.
Wish you all the best.
Regards,
Mika
Written April 7, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
copernici
Warsaw, Poland170 contributions
Sep 2018
First of all this is difficult for me to write this overview. I would like to underline that our tour (4d3n) had very good points – especially staying at Lingal Beach with Richard. But overall I feel that this tour was by far overpriced (!) compared to what you get. The expenditure of the Mala tours was very small taking into consideration REAL prices in Alor and the price for us was very high. Higher than visiting Kalimatan (4d3n all inc live aboard in kotolok) and higher than visiting Komodo (4d3n all incl. large ship private tour – 6 people of the crew). I cannot recommend it. If you want to visit Alor stay in the city and organize the tours by yourself. Do not use Mala Tours as the price is tremendous.
Written October 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Gregorz & Kate,
Thank you for your reviews on our service.
However, we need to clarify to you what you called is 'overpriced' so you understand there are huge differences in prices in Eastern Indonesia like Alor and Western Indonesia like Tanjung Puting National Park in Kalimantan hat you mentioned & Komodo (Indonesia's recent international destination which happen to be in the same province as Alor).
FYI, in Tanjung Puting National park in Kalimantan, they have 25 registered tour operators & we assumed there are 50 boats per day that went for sailing through Sekonyer river, we know because we work together with Orang Utan Applause (no 1 tour operator in Tanjung Puting for 2 years already. While in Alor, there are only 3 registered tour operators that work here.
Also, in Tanjung Puting, last year, there were 24.693 visitors last year. While Alor only has approximately 1,577 tourists per year.
Not to mention there are more than 7 flights per day that connect Jakarta - Pangkalan bun which only cost IDR 800,000/pax & 14 flights per day that connect Jakarta to Labuanbajo (Komodo) with tickets as low as IDR 1,500,000? Do you really want me to compare it with flights from Jakarta/Bali or Surabaya to Alor that cost IDR 2 millions one way and only 2 flights per day? Is it a fair comparation in terms of access & remoteness?
The tour prices in Labuanbajo also is cheaper than Alor since there are more than 30 registered tour operators that operated in Labuanbajo. Besides, the hotel prices are also vary & have wide range of choices. If you compared Alor to Komdo or Bali, it's not a fair price since the prices in Bali is 2 to 3 times more cheaper than Alor.
Yes, in Komodo you can get sailing trip 4D/3N as low as IDR 2,6 millions. But in Alor, where there is no LOB boat, to charter the boat per day we spent IDR 2,500,000 exluding the food, drinks and additional fees for the crew.
Last year, there were 38.147 people visited Komodo while in Alor it's only 1,577 people, we only have 4% of the whole tourists that visit Komodo. Do you see the underlying cause why the price in Komodo so ridiculously cheap? Because they have more tourists, they have more boats and facilities, and they have more tour agencies.
In Alor, you inquired some specific itineraries like camping in Ling'al beach, visit traditional village and staying in Sebanjar beach bungalow, and to see Dugongs. We just followed your itinerary & calculated it based on your requests. Do you think we hire the boat to Ling'al and to stay overnight with the crew for free? We need to pay two full days for it, not matter how long you use the boat on the 2nd day. Not to mention the Dugong tours and other items like cultural shows is also expensive because we pay back to the communities and we involved the communities in the whole village. We don't bring tourists without involving the communities where we are working, because we are an ecotours company that practices fair & responsible tourism. We don't make people and their villages as attractions where tourists can come there and donate nothing to them but treat them like animals in a zoo where you can watch them without affecting their lives. Please keep it mind when you book the trip through us on January 2018. We had mentioned that we are an ecotours company, maybe we're not the cheapest because we pay our guide according to the Indonesia Tourist Guide association unlike other tour agencies here and we involved the community in tourists destinations.
Yes sure, you can go around Alor by yourselves, in Alor many backpackers do that here; but I guarantee you won't get the insights and beautiful experiences that our tours offer. You also can visit the traditional villages here or anywhere in Indonesia by yourselves without knowing the history, the way of life and the principles of life that the people there have that made them unique and one-of-a-kind villages that you might not see again anywhere in Indonesia.
But when you come to their villages, please treat them with respect & give donations or buy their products. Don't go there and act like snob tourists who think their villages and the villagers as mere objects who you free to take pictures with and put them in your social media as 'another posting of tribal encounters in Indonesia' without learning something from them that may enrich your life.
Just make sure finding a driver with good English-skills or an ojek that can speak English in Alor. You might have better luck in Bali or in Komodo to find them, not in Alor. As we only have 10 tour guides with excellent English-skills here, much lesser than 700 tour guides you can find in Komodo and Flores.
FYI, I can sent you the original prices that we paid to the communities, bungalow, boatmen, guide, etc. So you can understand why we give you the price. I will email it to you.
Have a great day!
Warm regards from all of us.
Melissa, Mika and Richard
Written October 3, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
nari
Jakarta, Indonesia17 contributions
Sep 2017 • Friends
Mala tours provides everything very well, including the home stay and restaurant. Also, when our flight got delayed for more than 4 hours, they pick us up again in the airport and went to a cafe while waiting (even though I believe the tour should have been finish in the morning :D). Highly recommended!!
Written September 27, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting Alor with us, your group is a cheerful & fun group and we cherished the time spent with you all.
I hope your flight delay won't hinder you from visiting Alor in the future, and also, we hope you like the sambal (chillies) and the coffee that you bought from the communities.
We are glad you have the best moments and lots of fun (and good pictures) in Alor.
Cheers,
Melissa
Written September 28, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ChristinaSusilo
Surabaya, Indonesia7 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
What a great hospitality that we experienced during our 3 days tour with MALA.
Especially from Melly, our tour leader. From the day we contact her to book our tour until our last day in Alor Island, she never ceases to make us feel welcome & comfortable.
From what we heard, Alor has few world class diving spot.
And judging from few snorkeling trips that we went, we gladly approved that Alor's underwater world deserved to be better known than it is right now.
But Dugong is our main reason to visit Alor. This endangered species that live in nearby water between Alor & Sika.
And what an amazing experience to be able to see this 2-meter long wild fish in it's own habitat.
Visit local organic tenun maker & witness the making of traditional palm wine Sopi. And ask Melly to bring you to Bukit Alor Kecil to enjoy sunset from a little above. And don't forget to visit local seafood restaurant Resto MAMA, we dined there everyday!!
Alor has many to offer but Melly hospitality is one of the thing that make us want to go back one more time.
Especially from Melly, our tour leader. From the day we contact her to book our tour until our last day in Alor Island, she never ceases to make us feel welcome & comfortable.
From what we heard, Alor has few world class diving spot.
And judging from few snorkeling trips that we went, we gladly approved that Alor's underwater world deserved to be better known than it is right now.
But Dugong is our main reason to visit Alor. This endangered species that live in nearby water between Alor & Sika.
And what an amazing experience to be able to see this 2-meter long wild fish in it's own habitat.
Visit local organic tenun maker & witness the making of traditional palm wine Sopi. And ask Melly to bring you to Bukit Alor Kecil to enjoy sunset from a little above. And don't forget to visit local seafood restaurant Resto MAMA, we dined there everyday!!
Alor has many to offer but Melly hospitality is one of the thing that make us want to go back one more time.
Written April 18, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Ms. Christina,
Thank you for your high appreciation about our Tours service. We are pleased to have you both as our guests in Alor and accompanied you to explore the beauty of Alor isle. We're glad to be able to facilitate you to see the endangered species of Dugong in Sika island's strait. Hopefully if you'll visit Alor someday later, you'll be able to see the three Dugongs (Mawar, Cantik and Siska) that now live peacefully in Alor's waters.
We are glad that you enjoy the ecotours that we provide in collaboration with the local communities, we appreciated that you had shopped directly from the local people in their villages and thus support their livelihood and local tourism.
If you happen to be back in Alor again, we'll be glad to assist you and your friends to make your holidays memorable.
Regards,
Melissa
MALA Tours Tour Manager
Written April 21, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Atourin
Jakarta, Indonesia3 contributions
Mar 2023
We contacted Mala Tours to arrange our business trip for 4D3N in Alor, we were accompanied by Mika and overall we are very satisfied with the recommendations of our shooting locations. Mika is a reliable and well-connected tour guide in Alor.
Written April 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ammar fadhil
Jakarta, Indonesia5 contributions
Dec 2021 • Friends
Took a halfday trip with mala tours, we choose lingal beach, kepa island, and pura island as our destination, mika as our guide is a very kind and informative woman, she tell us about the place we visited
Overall its an amazing trip, Lingal with a great seashore view, pura island with their iconic snorkeling spot, and caught a sunset in kepa island before we ended up the trip and going back to alor kecil. Also, we got a free handcrafted bag from pura island and free snorkeling lesson from Mika
Overall its an amazing trip, Lingal with a great seashore view, pura island with their iconic snorkeling spot, and caught a sunset in kepa island before we ended up the trip and going back to alor kecil. Also, we got a free handcrafted bag from pura island and free snorkeling lesson from Mika
Written December 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stevescubasia
Nijmegen, The Netherlands37 contributions
Nov 2019
I've been doing some diving in Alor and wanted to also get a feel of the Alor culture before returning home. So I decided to have a one day cultural tour with Mala Tours. Visited the lovely museum which for a small place like Kalabahi is quite well organized and containing very good displays of the Nusa Tengara Timur history and culture. Next stop was the Kabola village while enjoying the beautiful scenery. Nicely setup of traditional houses and enjoyed the local coffee and other spices. Enjoyed a very nice lunch at Maimol beach and then it was time for the encounter with the Dugong. For a diver this is like the icing on a cake. What a fantastic animal! On the way to Takpala village I got another treat by spotting a whale in the bay. A perfect day just became more perfect. Takpala village was quite interesting and very enjoyable by chatting with the locals.
This one day cultural trip was perfectly organized and my tour guide Mika was very knowledgable on the local culture and sharing a lot of nice stories.
Mala tours is not just another tour agency, but they are really involved in developing local communities and eco friendly way of traveling. I do hope I can come back one day and would to like to see more of this lovely island and the other small islands around Alor... surely again with Mala tours ofcourse!
This one day cultural trip was perfectly organized and my tour guide Mika was very knowledgable on the local culture and sharing a lot of nice stories.
Mala tours is not just another tour agency, but they are really involved in developing local communities and eco friendly way of traveling. I do hope I can come back one day and would to like to see more of this lovely island and the other small islands around Alor... surely again with Mala tours ofcourse!
Written July 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Steve,
We are delighted to hear that you have so many amazing experiences during your tour with MALA Tours. We're happy the Dugong tours & a whale sighting compliment your diving trip in Alor, hope your interactions with these rare endangered species bring you a lifetime memorable experience that you won't forget and hopefully, will bring you back to our lovely island, Alor, in the future.
We appreciate your genuine appreciation to our company efforts to develop local communities, especially in ecotourism sector. We are looking forward to welcome you back in Alor once the international borders are open again. Stay healthy and wish you all the best in your travels and life.
Warm regards,
Mika and MALA Ecotours crew
Written July 24, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
choongtheone
Bangkok, Thailand6 contributions
Oct 2018 • Friends
I had an amazing tour with Melissa watching the beautiful mammal. She did a great job in explaining and feeding us with substantial information of sustainable tourism and the background of Alor Island. I would highly recommend the tour for those who happened to venture this beautiful untouched island and support the local communities.
Written October 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Choong,
Thank you for your review for our service, we will give your appreciation to Melissa. We hope the next time you visit Alor or other parts of East Nusa Tenggara, please join our other tours and support the local communities.
We really glad to have the 2nd group of Malaysians here in Alor :)
Have a nice day!
Warm regards,
Mika
Written October 10, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hello I am staying on Alor from the 22 to the 26th at Alor beach front front bungalows and wanted a day trip with private guide to see as much as possible of the island on motor bike is this possible ?
Thank you
Jason
Written October 21, 2018
Yes it is
Ive recently done 1.5 days on the back of a bike 😁😁
Saw lots and great service from Mala tours
Written October 22, 2018
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