We use tourism to fund our conservation work.
Our Mission.
Build a sustainable tourism model that funds conservation work, protects our culture, and economically empowers our community.
Our Vision.
Lead our community to live in harmony with the jungle and out culture, showing that sustainable practices can create a sustainable economy and protect the jungle.
Environmental Tourism
Tourism activities that don’t hurt the environment or its wildlife
Economic Empowerment
Income from tourism provides sustainable income stream
Community Investment
Job opportunities and investment in education and development
Sustainable Practices
Instilling respect and knowledge about our jungle to build our community’s sustainability
100% community owned and run
Local solutions driving effective change
Conservation that balances community and environmental needs
Our Projects and Initiatives
Reforestation programs
We work alongside the Gunung Leuser National Park Service to plant native vegetation and habitat in the jungle and along the border zone. There are two major areas that we are currently working on, our restoration area on the ridge of Gunung Leuser and along one of the rivers.
Border and jungle patrols
In cooperation with the National Park Service, we patrol both the jungle areas that are known to support endangered wildlife, and also the border zones. We check for signs of any illegal activities including poaching and moving the border markers to reduce the jungle area.
Nature club
We run sessions with children in the village to teach them about the different species that exist in the jungle ecosystem, and to instil values of conservation, community support and cooperation in our kids. This can involve a range of activities from colouring to going on nature walks!
Wildlife Monitoring
Simolap is one of the last places on earth to see some incredibly endangered wildlife such as the sumatran tiger and other jungle cats. We work with the National Park Service rangers to monitor the movements of these animals to better understand their needs, and to prevent human-animal conflict.
Local farmer focus groups
As members of our community, we have grown up farming this land and we are best placed to engage with our peers to develop suitable agricultural practices that don’t damage the environment or its wildlife. Engagement is key to supporting endangered ecosystems.
Community work
We work with the community to build important infrastructure such as roads (which allow farmers to have better access to their crops) and recycling areas to encourage better waste disposal practices. These are important aspects of any community group in our culture.
Poacher retraining
Poaching in our region is often driven by complex economic factors. We retrain people known to engage in poaching as guides and use their skills in tracking animals to help our guests get the best out of their treks. This also provides an alternate income to poaching relies on wildlife remaining wild.
Permaculture Gardening
We have recently purchased a palm oil plantation close to our guesthouse and have begun work turning this land into an organic fruit and vegetable garden. We are proving to our community the importance of permaculture gardens and alternatives to palm oil by leading by example.
Partnering with Government.
We believe in making sure that our work is done in collaboration with local authorities and the community - and ensuring that we abide by regulations.
For this reason, we have:
Signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the local government outlining our activities
Registered KPL as a community group under Indonesian law
Signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser (Gunung Leuser National Park Service)
We have received formal funding from the National Park Service and have a proven track record of acting with integrity
Our commitment to
our community
We are committed to transparency and supporting our community. Our philosophy is that sustainable tourism can support our community’s economic empowerment and protect our jungle.
To keep that commitment, we can provide all guests with a breakdown of where all tourist dollars go - you can see the direct positive impact your adventure is having.
Approximately 95% of all tourist dollars spent remain in the community. The remaining 5% is used to pay for national park permits which supports Sumatra’s conservation efforts (including our own conservation organisation KPL).