Java 12 day tour

Planet

On a broad level we believe that creating itineraries for locally lead, genuinely small groups, (maximum 12 persons) helps to limit our impact as well as enabling more meaningful interaction with local people. Including more off the beaten track - rarely visited - destinations helps to spread the ‘tourist dollar’ while our small group sizes enable us to use local restaurants, street and market stalls for drinks, meals and shopping as well as staying in smaller independently run hotels.

Tour leaders, guides and drivers are all locals and trained in low-impact and responsible tourism practices. This includes educating our guests on respecting the local cultures and religions and encouraging positive interaction with local people.

Furthermore, we try, where possible, to use hotels and resorts which adopt genuine ecologically-minded practices rather than just advertising slogans.
In terms of transport his tour avoids any domestic flights and where possible substitutes train for bus travel.

Support for local projects

In Yogyakarta we join a community, village cycling tour organized by local inhabitants allowing our clients to discover traditional farming practices and cottage industries.

On the Dieng Plateau we also have a trek which visits villages and farming communities to learn about traditional methods, lifestyles and local industries.
In Solo we do a walking tour of traditional, family-run batik workshops avoiding the large, commercial outlets and showrooms
.
In Malang we include a walking tour of the ‘Rainbow Village’ urban renewal project initiated by local students in a former slum area.

As a small company we are committed to supporting localised and targeted projects. We currently, or in the past, participate in aid schemes in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. Java is a new destination for us and we are actively looking at similar potential schemes with which to involve ourselves with in Java.


Assistance with restoration/conservation/ local economic development
Of course portions of entrance fees to archaeological and historic sites such as Borobudur, Prambanan and lesser known ones, as well as museum entrance tickets, go towards restoration and conservation. Entrance fees to above sites such as the “Rainbow Village’ also contribute towards local communities while using local guides and drivers in sites such as Dieng and Alas Purwo National Park provide employment and revenue for local residents.
Part of national park entrance fees such as Bromo and the aforementioned Alas Purwo assist conservation.
Certain hotels we use such as Greenhost in Yogyakarta, Kubuku Eco Resort in Permuteran and Margo Utomo Hillview Eco-Resort are involved in schemes to train staff in green and responsible tourism practices as well as contributing towards local development projects.

People

We are committed to support the communities we work in and endeavour to ensure our visits have a positive impact. We avoid any chain or international hotels and all accommodation used on this tour is independently owned by local residents. We try as much as possible to stay in smaller hotels which employ genuine eco and sustainable practices. All the above mentioned hotels and resorts have various schemes in place to deal with waste management, water use and organically grown produce as well as sourcing staff and products locally.

Meals are provided in either locally-run restaurants or local-style cafes, market and street stalls. All products are locally sourced and all staff are local residents. The emphasis is also very much on traditional food which we hope increases an interest and pride in the region’s cuisine.

Additional food products - for takeaway lunches, picnics etc – is deliberately purchased from local bakeries and /or fresh produce markets rather than chain supermarkets.

All transport is locally owned – whether minibuses or boats and tuk-tuks for shorter journeys.

All guides and leaders for our Java tours are local and provide 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

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.

By limiting groups to a maximum of 12 persons we aim to reduce the impact on both local communities and the environment whilst allowing for greater genuine interaction with said communities. It also results in a higher guide/customer ratio thus offering a greater facility for supervision and individual assistance and allowing us to use smaller hotels and restaurants and employ the services of more genuinely ‘local’ operators on a personal and friendly basis rather than dealing with establishments primarily equipped for larger groups.