Orangutan photography tour in Borneo
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
The lodge we use is constructed of local materials with all staff being employed from the surrounding region where employment opportunities are limited. The lodge uses home cooked food, also sourced locally wherever possible. For every one of our group departures we provide clients with an in depth information pack on how to travel responsibly offering advice on travelling in country. This ranges from cultural sensitivities, to environmental awareness with an emphasis on showing respect to your hosts ensuring that each traveller sets a precedent and adheres to a strict code of conduct.
When spending time with wildlife – Please keep your voices low. You will then also be able to observe the great bird life and other wildlife in the forest. Keep a safe distance from wildlife. Your guide will be on hand to advise – listen to your guides advice at all times. Do not eat or drink whilst you are near wildlife. Eating or drinking inevitably will increase the risk of food/drink morsels/droplets falling, which could increase the risk of transmission of diseases. Please remember that although much of the wildlife is semi-habituated, they are still wild animals.
You should always strictly adhere to the guidelines explained to you by the ranger before you embark on the trek. Providing you do so, you will be minimising any potential threats. It goes without saying, but DO NOT touch any wildlife of any sort. The guides and rangers will give you a full briefing on the rules of conduct before you embark on the trek and it’s very important you adhere to them. It is us who are being given a privileged insight into the natural world and we should treat all wildlife with respect!
To mitigate the carbon dioxide released into the high atmosphere through your air travel, for EVERY international flight we book from the UK, we are giving £10 per client to Rainforest Concern. Rainforests have a central role to play in the slowing of climate change and yet we are removing forests from the planet at a faster rate than they can grow back. It is thus axiomatic to try and preserve the forests that we have rather than replanting. Rainforest Concern was established in 1993 to protect threatened natural habitats, the biodiversity they contain and the indigenous people who still depend on them for their survival.
This trip includes a donation to the Save Indonesia's Endangered Species (S.I.E.S). This is an organisation committed to protecting Indonesia’s unique wildlife and flora. With support from donors and funding agencies, SIES develops and implements local projects that address the threats to wildlife and its habitats. SIES works with local communities and engages local coordinators to help formulate projects and deliver on-ground works. These projects often lead to long-term business and employment opportunities for local villages. Some of their projects include –
Elephant Food Farms, Lampung Province, Sumatra: This project produces sustainable food to feed 66 elephants located at the Elephant Conservation Centre, Way Kambas National Park. By providing a secure food source, the impacts of uncontrolled foraging by these elephants within the national park will be significantly reduced, while the health and welfare of the elephants is improved.
Education: SIES has run naturalist/guide training courses in 2007 and 2009. Education develops and enhances the skills of National Park rangers and eco-tourism guides in viewing and tracking wildlife, in particular tigers and other large cats, to support the growing eco-tourism industry. Guiding has a dual purpose as it also acts as a patrol. By increasing patrols and tourism activities within the National Parks, poaching and park encroachment is diminished.
Clouded Leopard Research, Tanjung Puting National Park, Borneo: SIES is supporting research into the habitat and behaviour of this little known and highly unique leopard species.
Sumatran Rhinoceros Breeding Facilities, Way Kambas National Park, Sumatra: SIES is contributing to the construction of a viewing platform and breeding enclosure at the Sumatran Rhinoceros Sanctuary.
Tiger Corridor Conservation, Kerinci-Seblat National Park, Sumatra: Protection and reforestation of a highly utilised wildlife corridor between the Seblat Elephant Conservation Centre and the National Park.
SIES strongly believes that by providing jobs and economic benefits to local people through conservation projects, not only raises awareness of the value of national parks and protected areas but is instrumental in the long-term protection of Indonesia’s natural heritage.
Community
The aim of the Orangutan Foundation (UK) is to support conservation work in Indonesia and Malaysia and to raise funds and awareness in the UK and overseas. In Indonesia, the Foundation actively protects Tanjung Puting National Park whilst also caring for and repatriating ex-captive orangutans back into the wild. This tour includes a donation per person to the Orangutan Foundation of £35.00.
The guides we use on this tour are from the surrounding region and money raised from this tour helps support the training and education of the guides themselves. By visiting the parks themselves, you will also be paying the park entry fees, which go directly to the upkeep of the park itself, but also the training and education of the guides with whom we work closely along with support for the wildlife researchers and the vital work they are undertaking.
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