Ecotourism in the hills of Gunung Halimun National Park

By Amanda Talbot

BOGOR (JP): Thinking of a relaxing break away from the traffic jams and bustle of urban Java? Wanting a break away from the hectic tourist trails?

Ecotourism in the hills of Gunung Halimun National Park, West Java, gives tourists a chance to experience a rain forest wilderness and experience the local culture while benefiting the local communities.

Gunung Halimun National Park, founded in 1992, is the largest tract of primary lowland forest in Java. It is home to small Sundanese and Kasepuhan communities who depend on the park's natural resources. The communities grow rice, raise animals and make palm sugar, all for their own consumption. They are now opening up their communities to small-scale tourism. These remote mountain communities have long practiced conservation and the incentive of ecotourism has increased their spirit to preserve their natural resource.

Ecotourism is tourism that is both ecological and economical, according to Didik Purwanto, business manager for the ecotourism program in Gunung Halimun.

"It does not damage the environment, and economically it brings benefits to the local people, improves their standards of living and encourages them to continue to preserve the rain forest," he said.

The ecotourism program is part of the Biodiversity Conservation Network (BCN), which currently has 20 projects throughout Southeast Asia. The BCN, funded by USAID, aims to preserve the biodiversity of an area through a variety of rural projects from ecotourism to small-scale sustainable forest businesses. The BCN injected US$448,430 into Gunung Halimun in 1995 to set up the Community Based Tourism Program. The money went toward training and building accommodation in three locations within the park. The program is planned to run for three years.

The Biological Science Club of Indonesia, along with McDonald's Indonesia and Wildlife Preservation Trust International, will help with the marketing and ensure the principles of ecotourism, said Didik. The University of Indonesia will help with research.

There are three different sites to visit in Gunung Halimun, each offering unique opportunities for trekking into the rain forest, experiencing local culture, buying local handicrafts and seeing the wildlife. There are more than 200 species of rare and common birds including three types of eagle and several species of primates including the endangered Javan gibbon. The park's rich variety of flora includes hardwoods, lianas, medicinal plants still to be identified.

Visitors stay in the Ecolodges, which are all located near the edge of the forest. The Eastern Site offers visitors the best chance of seeing primates and also has the attraction of a tea estate and factory. In the south visitors stay with the Kasepuhan people, who manage their natural resources based on their ancestors' wisdom. The Kasepuhan hold festivals where they perform traditional dances, puppet shows, and play drums and angklung, a local bamboo instrument, to thank God and their ancestors for the harvest. The Kasepuhan predict harvest time by reading the stars. Harvest moves forward every year, this year it was in August, in 1998 it will be in July. The Kasepuhan also put on shows for visitors. In the north visitors can enjoy the remoteness of their location as the village can only be reached by foot.

Each site has five comfortable, traditional huts with shared facilities. Singles cost between Rp 30,000 and Rp 40,000 per night and doubles Rp 50,000 to Rp 60,000, including breakfast. Extra beds can be provided and the sites cater for groups of up to 25 people. The villagers also offer homestays in the northern site. Visitors can experience locally produced Sundanese food from traditional recipes for Rp 10,000 a meal.

In the northern site 19 people from three villages are directly involved in working in the Ecolodges as attendants, cooks and guides. More people might be involved indirectly in back-up services such as producing food.

"Most of the money goes to the villages involved to provide for social and educational needs as there is a lack of cash in the village," said Didik.

Friendly, hospitable villagers are happy to help with guests' requests. They are also learning English to cater for international guests.

Walking through the villages is like taking a step back in time. Elderly women manually grind rice into flour in large, stone troughs and other villagers sit around making palm sugar and let visitors sample this sweet liquid.

Guides are available to take guests on a variety of treks in the forest.

Glenn Mulcahy, the program administrator, said they were trying to develop color coded trails to cater for guests' different fitness levels. Forest treks take visitors beside clear, fast flowing mountain streams, to tranquil waterfalls, through terraced rice paddy and deep into the surrounding forest to hear the animal calls.

Visitors wanting to stay in the park can make bookings by contacting the Consortium of Ecotourism Development, Gunung Halimun National Park on 0251 336886. Visitors can just turn up but it's advisable to make bookings in case sites are fully booked.

The ecotourism sites in the park can be reached from Jakarta and Bogor by public and private transport in just a few hours depending on traffic. Visitors must report to the National Park office on the way in with a copy of their ID card or passport.

The final part of the journey is usually on a rough unsurfaced road and those traveling by public transport should be prepared to negotiate this on the back of a motorbike or in the back of a small van.

Visitors should pack strong walking shoes, slacks, a warm top for the evening and a first aid kit. Be careful not to dress which may offend local Moslem communities.

Those going to experience the rain forest can all do their part to help preserve it by taking nothing but photographs and leaving only footprints.