eco tourism in bali

[drbruce]

I thought I would check with you all here about this as I'm having a hard time finding what I want on the web.

I want to bring a group of my middle school students to bali in September for an ecotour, but don't want to use the tour guides out of jakarta that we use for our adventure camp trips in Sumbawa, partly because they are getting too expensive and partly because I would like to use a more locally based group.

Anyone know of any groups in Bali that do this especially for an educational trip with some physical group activities thrown in as well?

Thanks

 

[UluwatuWaves]

Bruce,
I am not sure what company you used from Jakarta or your budget per person. Some of the eco tours with a reputable company can be as much as $40 USD per day/person. Try these:

balispririt.com and click on the eco tours button in the left hand of the pg.

journeys-intl.com/destinations/pacific/indonesia/

baliparadisetours.com/


Good Luck
8)

 

[drbruce]

Thanks for the information Uluwatu. I'll check them out.

 

[Mbok_Mary]

Hi Bruce,

I actually (finally) motivated myself to become a member of this forum when I read your post - after reading the forum for 2 years! Well, I guess that shows I really wanted you to know about this local Balinese organization which can accommodate eco-tours for students.

Check out:
Yayasan Pecinta/Penyantun Taman Nasional
(Friends of the National Parks Foundation)
Jalan Bisma no. 3
Ubud, Gianyar
Bali
phone/fax:+62 361 977978
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.fnpf.org

Contact person: Drh I Gede Nyoman Bayu Wirayudha
(Pak Bayu), Director

FNPF is (I think) a fantastic Balinese-operated NGO that works with local communities on conservation education, reforestation, sustainable agriculture, animal sanctuary and wildlife reintroduction. They have projects in Kalimantan (in Tanjung Puting National Park) and Nusa Penida island off the coast of Bali. Their administrative office is in Ubud.

I had the good fortune of living at FNPF's Nusa Penida Bird Sanctuary in Ped, Nusa Penida for 4 months during Feb-May 2006 while I was volunteer teaching at the local high school on the island. We had several student groups visit the sanctuary in my time there, and the staff also conducted wonderful field trips to explore different parts of the island. New facilities were completed at the start of this year to accommodate large visitor groups with dormitory sleeping quarters, kithen, bathrooms, etc. The staff is extremely friendly and knowledgable - and majority of staff at the Bird Sanctuary are from Nusa Penida originally, which makes for expert local knowledge on some great "hideaway" nature spots!! Also, Nusa Penida is still a pretty isolated location, meaning they do not have a tourist economy like mainland Bali and the villages still sustain themselves mostly through farming and fishing. This means little development and lots of beautiful nature abounds. For those living on Bali, you may have seen reports this week on the local news about FNPF's historical recent Bali Starling (Jalak Bali) bird release on Penida. They are striving to save the coveted Bali Starling bird from extinction.

If any of this sounds interesting to you for your student group, or you want to know more from this public school teacher's perspective, feel free to pm me. Or, if you want to contact FNPF directly I'm sure Drh Wirayudha (Pak Bayu) would be happy to talk with you.

Have fun!
-Mary