Our Eco Tourism Policy

Eco tourism provides a big potential to take responsibility for the preservation of wildlife and plants as well as a sustainable livelihood for local communities around protected areas. Having said that, the impact of tourism must always be controlled in order to remain within sensible limits.

• Our EcoTravel Team is a specialist for sustainable travel in Gunung Leuser National Park, North Sumatra.
• Our EcoTravel Team has committed itself, environmentally and socially, to ecological and responsible outdoor adventures.
• Our EcoTravel Team manages the number of visitors in order to preserve the well-being of the habitat in Gunung Leuser National Park and the specific way of life in the villages around. As opposed to other local operators, EcoTravel tours are limited in size and number due to environmental issues. We are working with a regular team on a steady basis. We do not hire additional, external guides even if they could maximise our profit.
• Our EcoTravel team’s  main focus is on protecting the orangutans in Gunung Leuser National Park not only by offering jungle treks to our red-haired cousins, but also showing the guests the natural beauty and the cultural diversity of the region.
• Our EcoTravel Team developed its first village fund in Mai 2011 in order to benefit the whole community and also to help with future community investments.
• Our EcoTravel Team has been a member of “The International Ecotourism Society” (TIES) since January 2012.
• Our EcoTravel Team started its first waste collection in the Gunung Leuser National Park in July 2012. Up to now we have invested a lot into a clean jungle and into the safety of our guests. For each booking of a jungle trek we donate 1 Euro to our “Keep The Jungle Clean” project (founded by Kembar in 2013).
• Our EcoTravel Team follows ecological guidelines by managing different types of waste and avoiding plastic at its accommodation EcoTravel Cottages.  Most of the offered food is sourced locally. Drinking water is available for free to all guests during their stay.
• Our EcoTravel Team has made it its goal to protect the area at the Ranto Panjang Landak River and balance the conflicts between farmers and wildlife by re-planting the bufferzone with native trees in cooperation with our local partner “Nature For Change”.
• Our EcoTravel Team supports Rumah Baca Pintar Bersama (RBPB), an extraordinary project for local primary school children in the education centre of Timbang Lawang village in Northern Sumatra. The concept for this school was set up by committed locals with the aim of giving children from less well-to-do families a good start into their future.
• Our EcoTravel Team cooperates in a spirit of partnership with local companies, offices and villagers in the region around the Gunung Leuser National Park in North Sumatra. We also create an income for local people in return for food, guiding, accommodation, transport and activities.
• Our EcoTravel Team is supporting the Ecolodge Bukit Lawang by offering accommodation for its guests. As a non-profit organisation all revenues realised by the Ecolodge are put straight back into community development, social programmes and nature conservation.
• Our EcoTravel Team is supporting the self-sustained Eco tourism destination Tangkahan and CRU by offering tours to the elephant place at the village. We do not offer elephant riding!
• Our EcoTravel Team gives guides a regular job even if they get older and lack the fitness for regular guiding – having introduced a rota of guiding and supervising. All staff are from nearby villages and work on a steady basis with reliable working times and regular days off.
• Our EcoTravel Team adhere to the official rules of the national park and pays the required entrance fee for each guest to obtain a proper permit. All travelers should make sure that they hold their permit in their hands before entering the national park – only then their trek will be registered.