Indonesia Ecotourism

Kerinci Seblat National Park, headquarters at Jl. Basuki Rahmat 11, Sungai Penuh, Sumatra. Spanning four provinces and almost 15,000 sq. km, Kerinci Seblat is Sumatra’s hot spot for ecotourism. Designated a national park in 1982 and now an ASEAN heritage site, the park is dominated by 3805m Gunung Kerinci, Indonesia’s second-highest volcano. Animal lovers come to the park in search of rare Sumatran tigers, rhinos, and elephants, as well as the mysterious orang pendek (short man), with the head of a man and the body of an ape, a “species” so elusive that scientists still aren’t sure whether it really exists. The world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia, can be found here, as well as hundreds of species of birds, including the bronze-tailed peacock pheasant.

Tanjung Puting National Park, near Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan. Home to one of the world’s largest populations of orangutans. Tanjung Puting is one of the only places in Indonesia that brings tourists to the primates themselves. Many companies offer boat trips into the park’s research centers and wildlife centers. Try www.korindo-network.com/orangutan_tour.htm, www.proboscismonkey.org/borneo_tanjung_tour.htm, or www.borneoorangutantour.com.

Eco Lodges Indonesia (+62 361 747 4204; www.ecolodgesindonesia.com). Four green hotels scattered throughout Indonesia prioritize their commitment to being environmentally friendly.

Rimba Orangutan Eco Lodge, Sekonyer River, Kumai, Central Borneo (+62 532 671 0589; www.ecolodgesindonesia.com/rimba/index.html). Your green gateway to Tanjung Puting National Park. You’ll be sharing the forest—though not your well-appointed room with orangutans, proboscis monkeys, gibbons, and others. Just think of it as staying with some extremely distant cousins.

Satwa Elephant Eco Lodge, Satwa Satwa Elephant Eco Lodge, Way Kambas, Sumatra (+62 725 764 5290; www.ecolodgesindonesia.com/satwa/index.html). This lodge offers reasonable Western comfort deep within Way Kambas, a national park in Sumatra. The hotel is integrated with the nature reserve and local communities and provides guidance to the reserve and tours of the wildlife, including the eponymous pachyderm.

Bajo Komodo Eco Lodge, 3 Gorontalo-Labuan Bajo Flores, Nusa Tenggara, Timor (+62 38 541 391; www.ecolodgesindonesia.com/bajo/index.html). Think komodo dragons are cool? You have no idea. Every komodo dragon in the world lives in or around Komodo National Park, where the lodge is located. You and your new scaly friends will also benefit from South Pacific beaches and diving opportunities.

Udayana Kingfisher Eco Lodge, Denpasar Bali (+62 361 747 4204; www.ecolodgesindonesia.com/udayana/index.html). This lodge is a bit closer to civilization (it’s home to the Udayana Cricket Club… OK, maybe “civilization” is stretching it), but it is still near a bird and butterfly conservation area on the island of Bali. Free Wi-Fi, too.

Sarinbuana Eco Lodge, Mt. Batukaru, Bali (+62 361 743 5198; www.baliecolodge.com). A stone’s throw from Bali’s largest protected rainforest. The view is beautiful, and the accommodations are pretty snazzy, too. You’re assured of personalized service because there are never more than 14 guests at once—even fewer when you consider that they’re all out taking advantage of the wildlife that surrounds the lodge. Join them by taking a hike or climbing Mt. Batukaru, an extinct volcano. Singles and doubles €72-108; triples and quads €108-143. Homestays €7.