What our guests have said

Customers' Feedback

More and more people are looking for a different type of holiday - going on an adventure with us is one! You don't have to be a volcano fanatic to join one of our tours and you don't need much previous travel or photography experience.
We offer a range of different volcano-inspired tours with more or less emphasis on active volcanoes and varying physical requirements. Culture, local traditions and history, local food always play their deserved roles as well.

Group on Santorini during a boat trip

Traveling with us means experiencing a destination as much off the beaten tracks as possible and in small international groups which always include a volcanologist familiar with the local geology.
On this page we gladly share the enthusiastic feedback from our customers so you can have a browse through what previous travelers say about joining in on one of our volcano adventures...

Ermunternde Rückmeldungen einer gemischten Gruppe auf Santorin (Franz.-englisch-deutsch-sprachig)...

"Thank you Tom for a wonderful week of discovery and wonderful surprises. Judith"

Am Krater des Ijen (Ost-Java)

Hallo Tom,
ich wollte mich nach unserer Rückkehr nochmal kurz bei dir melden.
Sind am Montag früh wohlbehalten und gesund in Frankfurt gelandet...Alles hat wunderbar geklappt.
Wirklich gut organisiert! Ich glaube ich muss mich bei dir für meine anfängliche Skepsis wirklich entschuldigen. Naja, das Wetter am Semeru hätte etwas besser sein können, aber dafür seid ihr ja nicht verantwortlich. Doni hat sich ja auch bereits schon mehrfach bei uns dafür entschuldigt.
Doni war absult Klasse. Er hat uns wirklich fast jeden Wunsch von den Lippen abgelesen. Er war sozusagen das Salz in der Suppe. Bei ihm waren wir sehr gut aufgehoben, aber das hattest du uns ja bereits vor unserer Reise so angekündigt. Viele unserer anfänglichen Bedenken hatten sich recht schnell zerschlagen. Im nachhinein sind wir wirklich froh, das wir die Rundfahrt mit euch gemacht haben. Genau sowas hatten wir gesucht. Keine Pauschale Sache, wie sie jeder haben kann. Individuell, und trotzdem gut organisiert.
Wir würden es auf alle Fälle wieder machen.
Am Ende der Rundreise an der Fähre nach Bali war sogar etwas Wehmut mit dabei. Schade, dass alles so schnell vorbei war. Wir werden wohl nach sehr lange an die 5 Tage mit Doni zurück denken... Und wenn es dann mal wieder so weit ist, denken wir an Volcano Disovery. Vielleicht klappts ja mal wieder. Es gibt noch viel zu entdecken... MFG: Sven + Ina

"Having visited Etna independently on 2 previous occasions, I wanted to join a small group so that I could hike to the main craters. I found the trip with Tom in July 2004 well organised and informative. Tom and the Etna guide that was with us for our 3 day trip took us to parts of Etna that no other tourist would probably know of or could visit safely. The hiking was long and fun. The visit to the main craters was fantastic and allowed us to see Etna in all its glory.
I will definately be joining Tom again later this year to visit Java and woud recommend Volcano Discovery to anyone with an interest in hiking volcanoes." (Andrew Jackson, UK)

"Hi Tom, Thanks again for the super week on Santorini! It really was the experience I expected and I would heartily recommend your trip to anyone interested in combining a holiday on the Greek islands with geologically fascinating day walks. Well done!" (Bob Davenport, Germany)

"…I am so pleased to tell you about Tom's Santorini tours! My preference for travel is to be "as close to the ground" as possible. By that I mean I avoid tourist areas and really look for unusual or cultural/educational experiences.
Tom's tours are both intimate and professional. Tom is an expert in not only volcanic activity past and present, but he is also an expert on Greek life and culture. He knows the people, and they love him. Because Tom has lived in Greece for several months of the year for several years, he is well known and appreciated by the locals. This appreciation for Tom and the people he brings on his tours is rewarded by the community with absolute joy in service. For example, the last night of the tour we had a meal at a taverna on a beach. The restaurant gave us each a choice of anything on the menu. We were treated to amazing traditional Greek food, from small fish to hardbread, feta and olives, and amazing desserts. All of this was served in casual fashion on a makeshift outdoor patio almost in the sea! (not quite)
My favourite day was the trip to the volcano. We boarded a small boat and were transported to the volcano by the most humerous and typically Greek character, Sostas. Sostas is a friend of Tom's and can be seen on the Discovery show featuring Tom and Sostas and this tour. We landed on the volcano and Tom explained its history and answered any questions we had. We then swam in the volcanic waters at Sostas's house as Sostas prepared a traditional fish soup, hardbread, feta made from the goats that wander around the hills surrounding Sosta's property, olives, ect. An absolutely marvelous day. I must point out local tours to the volcano generally involve large boats with hoards of tourists who are dropped off and picked up with no explanation of the volcanic activity or history. Tom ensures a personal and educational cultural experience." (Shelly Logan, Canada)

"Hello Tom, I send our last Bulletin because there is one article on the excursion Santorini. I profit to thank you again very much for the way you lead this tour all the people were very happy." (Pierre Vetsch, Société Vulcanologique de Genève, SVG) - the report (in French) is found in the Bulletin Nr. 45 of the SVG.
Extract of the bulletin report mentioned above, referring to the Oct. 2004 tour: "...L'histoire de Calliste (le très beau nom donné à cette île par les anciens Grecs) est extraordinairement bien inscrite sur les flancs de sa caldeira (plutôt des restes de ses caldeiras successives). Des évidences ont été trouvées pour au moins 4 caldeiras, suite à autant d'éruptions explosives. La dernière, la Minoenne, date de 1645 BC. Elle est gravée dans la mémoire de l'humanité... tellement elle est récente ! C'est tout cela, et bien d'autres choses encore, que nous sommes allés admirer (et tenté de comprendre) au cours de ce voyage.
Le magicien dans cette affaire, c'est Tom Pfeiffer, géologue-volcanologue mandaté par notre président pour nous accompagner. Tom a parfaitement répondu à notre attente. Passionné, attentif, pédagogue, à l'humour taquin, volontiers francophone, il nous a fait découvrir les secrets de cette île en sept jours bien remplis. Je parlerai plus loin de son parcours professionnel..." (Jean-Maurice Seigne, Genève, Switzerland)

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