Eco-tours and Sustainable Travel

EcoTravel Bukit Lawang offers conventional and practical tours into the depths of the Sumatran Jungle and Gunung Leusar National Park. They give local people the opportunity to work as tour guides in various capacities; by translating, hosting, cooking etc. EcoTravel has also set up a village fund, which is a percentage of the tour cost dedicated for local villages.

 EcoTravel Bukit Lawang


"Adventure is our activity!
Fairness is our vision!"

EcoTravel Bukit Lawang is stationed in the little village of Bukit Lawang, in North Sumatra, and is becoming a tourist hot spot; being most famous for one of the last natural habitats on Earth to see wild Orangutans. The surrounding jungle of this region is recognized as one of the most bio-diverse regions of the world and home of many other unique species such as the Sumatran tigers, rhinos, elephants, leopards, pangolins and cobras. EcoTravel Bukit Lawang promotes a rigid belief in responsible tourism, educating and instructing special guidelines and information about the rainforest is made an important point to every traveler.


EcoTravel Bukit Lawang, environmentally and socially, has committed itself to ecological and responsible outdoor activities and guides. The main focus has been to offer treks showing the guests the natural beauties and livelihood of the endangered Orangutans as well as the cultural richness the region has to offer. They work closely with the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS) and the Orangutan Information Center (OIC) in their goal to promote ecologic wellness. Although the beauty of the region is the highlight, EcoTravel warns travelers what kind of effect wrong behavior can have on wildlife and the tropical rainforest. There is a strong focus to optimize the support for the environment and the well-being of animals in the surrounding region.

Some of the activities they offer include:

  • Batcave & Landak River Walk

  • White Water Rafting Adventure

  • Cultural Village Exploration by becak

  • Rafflesia Trek

  • Fishing Expedition

This travel service will not disappoint in the least bit, everyone who participates feels welcomed and safe in their unique experience. If you would like a destination that not only has an exotic appeal, but an educational appeal as well then this is the place to go to learn more about the larger home that we all share.

2.22.13


 
Fair Trade Demonstrated by EcoTravel Bukit Lawang



Fair working conditions and Environmental Justice are two strong points of this organization. For example, the guides are most often Sumatran natives, and have excellent knowledge of plants and animals living in the rainforest. EcoTravel strives to integrate the local economy and maintain fair trade partnerships in the region, by setting up means of income directly for the local people in return for amenities such as food, guiding, accommodation, and transportation offered by the villagers. A large majority of the local people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of preserving the fragile ecosystem they live in. Especially due to the income that hosting responsible and ecological tourism will help to found in the future.

Management of the number of visitors is carefully considered in order to preserve the well-being of the habitat in the National Park along with preserving the integrity of the people and culture. Eco-Travel Bukit Lawang is certainly living up to its commitment to promote fair trade and sustainable tourism.


Sustainable Resource Use and Environmental Justice: Eco-Travel carefully manages the number of visitors that it allows into the jungle and national park so that over-use and damage does not occur. Some hotels and other venues are used to host visitors, but it is not uncommon to be provided a host family to help eliminate the need to build on the beautiful land.

Fair Trade Partnerships Between All Actors in Tourism: From the beginning, the trip is an all-inclusive event. Many means of transportation, lodging and even the guides are all provided via the booking company. All-inclusive accommodations can be helpful to  local companies to have strong partnerships and maintain steady business. Visitors are often offered leisure time to allow exploration of local markets and other services available from the community.

Integration Into the Local Economy and Regional Development: Eco-Travel has designated a portion of its tour costs to go back into the local villages as a way to support development in the region. It also employs local guides that are familiar to the area to take visitors into the Jungle.

Fair Prices: Depending on the amount of money the traveler would like to spend, there's different destinations for different budgets. The traveler should remember that this is traveling across the world.

Fair Working Conditions: Each person is provided with two guides for their jungle experience. Additional guides are provided if children are brought along, this is important so the guides do not become overwhelmed with the work of carrying food and equipment while on the trail. The guides are local so they can return to their families frequently, and will sometimes be allowed to work out of their homes with compensation for any services they provide. Eco-Travel wants people to integrate into the society and really become a part of it, which helps the workers feel like they are at home and familiar with their work.

3.1.13

 

Here is a little video on what they have to offer. Enjoy!
For more information, or to consider planning your next destination check out their website at:

http://sumatra-ecotravel.com/

 

More creative ideas on Eco-tourism....

 Pictured here is one of the largest wetlands in the world, located in Brazil. This is becoming a threatened ecosystem, endangering plants and thousands of animals that are native to the area. The goal to lessen the impact while allowing tourists to enjoy the scenery is taking new ground. If we can do this in Brazil, why can't we do this everywhere else?

2.22.13


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