Sumatra tour, culture and orangutans

Planet

Information: Providing suitable, relevant information for our customers; to help them to gain a wider understanding of our style of tourism that focuses on learning, genuine interaction with the local communities, reciprocity and cultural exchange processes. To be aware of the potential impact of tourism on the local society, culture and environment, and to behave and dress appropriately with a respect and appreciation for local customs, mores and traditions and a respect for the ecology of areas visited. Our guides and leaders thus facilitate communication of our values to both travellers and local communities, educating them in sustainable tourism practices.

Destinations: We combine the well-known tourist sites with many off-the-beaten-track, rarely visited destinations thus diverting tourist revenue and contact with responsible tourism into areas not usually benefiting as well as providing a more authentic view of the region visited.

Local Awareness: By explaining our methods and the reasons behind them local agents, guides and hotels are encouraged by us to adopt further responsible tourism practices themselves and guides and drivers are provided with additional training in this respect. We carefully select the places we visit to ensure that none are involved in exploitative practices of people or animals.

In addition, some of the specific initiatives for this tour include the following: accommodation at the Bukit Lawang eco-lodge. Some of their initiatives include donating a part of their profit to the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme and increasing “awareness towards biodiversity conservation and the implementation and management of proper ecotourism through the Bohorok Environmental Education Centre.

People

Hiking and rafting in World Heritage Gunung Leuser National Park with local staff and nature guides. This helps with the crucial monetarization of protected areas and wildlife by paying fees and providing employment for local staff.

Accommodation at Tabo Cottage Resort on Lake Toba whose initiatives include clean-ups with local schools and volunteers as part of a community social responsibility and environmental awareness project, the use of solar power, recycling projects and a ban on single-use plastic products.

We also include tours of local villages and markets which encourage villagers to have pride in and preserve aspects of traditional culture and local handicrafts as well as helping to spread ‘tourist dollars’ away from the best-known destinations into grassroots community tourism projects..

Use of local transport (bus) for the most part of the tour. The production of the tour is assisted by a small, locally based operator and uses native Sumatra guides only.