Khiri Travel Opens Office in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Extending Khiri Travel itineraries across the Indonesian archipelago: Tanah Toraja in South Sulawesi; and Herman Hoven, the Khiri Travel Indonesia General Manager.

Khiri Travel Indonesia has opened an office in Makassar, Sulawesi and is taking bookings now for arrivals for January 2018 onwards. The new office, which opened late last year, is Khiri's fifth in Indonesia. Khiri already has operation centres open in Lombok, Bali, Labuan Bajo (Flores), and Yogyakarta (Java). [See Khiri Indonesia office locations here]

The new Sulawesi office will look after Khiri itineraries in Sulawesi, Kalimantan, The Moluccas, and Papua. Khiri Travel Indonesia General Manager, Herman Hoven, said the move would allow Khiri to create and operate its own unique itineraries and signature experiences to full Khiri standards.

"Khiri's ambition is to be a specialist DMC with our own people on the ground across the Indonesian archipelago," said Hoven.

Apart from its existing FIT clients, Khiri Travel Indonesia will be running its first ever group tours in Kalimantan in 2018 for a major UK operator.

Hoven says Sulawesi boasts a great variety of cultural and natural destinations such as Torajaland (known for its trekking, cycling, lake boat trips, easy rafting and elaborate village funerals) and Tangkoko National Park. Sulawesi also offers great marine biodiversity in destinations such as the Togian Islands and near Manado.

There is also the lesser-known destination of Wakatobi, a cluster of remote islands with a rich marine culture and home of the Bajo people, who live in stilt houses in the sea.

The Khiri Sulawesi office will also run trips to Raja Ampat with its unique Papuan culture and enticing island archipelagos that are ideal for day trips or overnight cruises. Guests visiting Raja Ampat ("four kingdoms") can hike in the footsteps naturalist Alfred Wallace – or swim in a saltwater lake with millions of harmless jellyfish.

Hoven noted that Kalimantan has some of the world's oldest rainforests and is home to the famous Orang Utan among other primates. He recommends cruising down river on a local Klotok boat through the rainforest and staying with Dayak people in a traditional long house.

"The Moluccas, or Spice Islands, have an incredible historical significance. Papua is very large unspoilt, less visited, almost mystic, corner of the archipelago, yet with great accessibility," he said.

Trips to remote Papua will also eventually be created from the Khiri Sulawesi office.

Khiri.com has further details on Khiri Travel's trips to Sulawesi and beyond in Indonesia.

The new Khiri Travel Indonesia office in Sulawesi is located at Jalan Gunung Rinjani No.7, New Jasmine, Metro Tanjung Bunga, Makassar. Tel: (+62) 811 413 1711. Email: [email protected].

• ข่าว Archipelago