Soothing forest ambiance in Mount Halimun Salak

A number of habitats of endangered species can still be found in indonesia thanks partly to the large tropical forests the country possesses, which local and international eco-conscious travelers can enjoy.

Currently, Indonesia has 110 million hectares of protected tropical forests of the second largest area in the world after Brazil.

Of the 110 million ha, 18.7 million are conservation areas.

“These include the mount Halimun Salak National Park (TNGHS) in Bogor, West Java,” said David Makes, head of the Ecotourism Development Acceleration Team (TPPE).

David said the TNGHS, managed by the Balai Taman nasional Gunung Halimun Salak (BTNGHS) under the supervision of Environment and Forestry Ministry, is home to habitats for several endangered species, such as the Java hawk-eagle, Javan Owa and Kukang,” he said.

“Developing the TNGHS into a nature-based ecotourism destination is an important step to enrich ecotourism products on offer in Indonesia, which at the end of the day can boost domestic and foreign tourist arrivals,” he said.

The TNGHS has incredible ecotourism potential, providing a rare opportunity for visitors or travelers to savor the soothing forest ambiance, with green trees, cool and clean air, not far from the hustle bustle of Jakarta.

It’s a three-to five-hour drive to reach the Mount Halimun National Park from the capital. Compared to other national parks, the TNGHS is relatively easily accessible by four-wheeled vehicles, said Head of the BTNGHS.

According to Awen, the park, which covers an area of 87,000 ha, was not recognized until 2003 when the areas that were developed into an ecotourism destination were expanded to Mount Salak, Bogor regency, West Java.

Initially, in 1997 when the TNGHS opened its door to the public as an ecotourism destination, tourism activities were centralized in the Cikaniki area and Malasari village, he said.

With the expanded tourism areas, the TNGHS offers more tourist destination, some of which were managed directly by the park and some others by engaging local communities, according to Awen.

Things to do, which are somewhat adventurous in nature, include camping or glamping, trekking, or experiencing the authentic kampong life and culture in the area.

Gunung Bunder is an ideal site for camping or glamping.

“There are number of waterfalls, locally known as curug, spread across the area,” he said.

In Curug Nangka, visitors can be treated to the sight of clear water flowing along the river while savoring the cool, clean and fresh air.

For those curious about endangered species in the TNGHS, there is the Javan Hawk-Eagle Sanctuary Center, where you can spot javan eagles.

In cikanki, there is a canopy bridge, popularity known as a canopy trail or a hanging bridge, which is also another attraction, Awen said.

The 125-m-long and 25-m-high canopy is located about 200m from Cikanki Research Station. On the canopy, visitors can be treated to awesome sights of the forest from above.

Head of Tourism of ministry regional promotion, said that more attractions needed to be developed in TNGHS to lure visitors, One example he cited was holding Hindu-related ceremonies, given that there are many pura (Hindu’s temples) in the area around the foot of Mount Salak.

According to Awen, a national park can be defined as nature conservation area that has its original ecosystem, managed by a zoning system and can be utilized fort the interest of education, sciencee, supporting culture, culture, recreation adn ecotourism”.

Three principle are used to manage the TNGHS, namely protecting the intactness of the area, preserving the ecosystem of the flora and fauna and utilizing natural resources in a sustainable manner in parallel with the government’s policy for national parks, he said.

Efforts are now under way to drive local communities to be more actively involved in developing and operating the TNGHS areas in a sustainable manner under a partnership scheme.

Apart from the importance of the strengthened legality of the TNGHS to allow for professional management of the park, efforts should also be made to continue to promote biodiversity for research and science development, carbon absorption potential in relation with global climate change and eco and cultural tourism potentials at an international level, according to Awen.

“We’ll continue to develop ecotourism activities and use the most recent means to promote the TNGHS without ignoring the required attention to conservation aspects of the TNGHS as a national park areas,” he said.

Wawan emphasized the importance of good coordination among the relevant stakeholders, such as the central government, the local administration, academics, local communities and NGOs to develop ecotourism in TNGHS.

“Good coordination will create joint commitment, which will help to achieve the goal,” he said.

 Try and go 15 minutes without using, interacting with or even touching a gadget. Chances are your texting fingers will be itching before the dawn of the third minute. Is this a good thing? It’s debatable. But, with so many shiny new devices aiming to make our lives easier, more efficient and a hell of a lot more entertaining, even the most curmudgeonly Luddite would have trouble denying a serious case of tech lust.