Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
Our village ecotourism network is managed and owned by the communities of four Balinese villages, with the administrative help of one of Bali’s oldest environmental NGOs. It is a strong statement from four communities who want to decide for themselves the future of their people, their culture and their environment.
Inviting visitors to their villages is a way to not only help the local economy and contribute to raising funds for cultural and conservation activities, but also to raise community esteem for these assets. Once funds allow, water supply and waste management projects will be prioritised.
All islands are fragile. Limited land means limited fresh water (among other resources), as well as tricky problems with waste disposal. An average 500-room hotel uses ten times as much water per room as an average family home in Bali. Our trips are designed to have minimal impact on the local environment.
Balinese culture can often loses its meaning to tourism; the sacredness of many rituals and dances are abused for the consumption of tourists and religious festivals are made more ostentatious to impress outsiders. We aim to strengthen transparent and democratic decision-making and cooperation in and between the villages, and aim to foster cross-cultural understanding by facilitating discussions between Balinese locals and outside visitors. The very presence of tourists is an affirmation for local people that their environments and their culture are of value, and worth preserving.
This holiday is part of the responsibletravel.com and Conservation International Community Based Tourism Programme to support and promote community based tourism ventures that offer significant conservation and development benefits to local communities. To see other community based tourism holidays and find out more about the programme click here.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
