North Sulawesi and Raja Ampat snorkel safari

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

While it is tricky to reduce the amount of flying given the remote nature and limited transportation methods available to these destinations, we do make every effort possible to streamline our flight itineraries to reduce any unnecessary domestic flights between islands.

Both resorts we will be visiting have done a great job at reducing their carbon footprint. The first resort has a maximum capacity of about fifty guests while the second has a maximum capacity of about fourty. These small group numbers help avoid the environmental impact associated with large-scale tourism operations. To add to that, both resorts are built with a minimal physical impact on the environment as each room is placed in a location where there would not need to be any significant manipulation of the existing terrain or vegetation. Both resorts also treat their own sewage and inorganic waste so as to ensure that nothing harmful is introduced into the sea or surrounding environments.

Prior to each tour we send out a travel document in which a whole section is dedicated to how our guests can do their part to reduce their carbon emissions. We only allow reef-safe sun creams to be used on tour and encourage guests to use rechargeable batteries and reusable water bottles instead of single-use options. We also encourage guests to purchase carbon credits through Gold Standard while also providing them with the necessary online resources to help track their own carbon footprints.

At both Siladen Resort and Papua Explorers vegan and vegetarian food is available at all meals, as long as enough notice is given prior to your arrival.

Each resort makes a big effort to use ingredients primarily from the local markets, farmers, and fishermen. All of the seafood offered is from the local fishermen who fish using sustainable fishing methods. With the exception of beef, all the meat is from local markets, as are the majority of the fruits and vegetables served at each meal.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE
The resorts we'll be using do a great job of minimizing their impact on the local environment for a number of reasons. Neither of the resorts have large manicured gardens requiring the use of pesticides and excessive amounts of water. Both resorts have essentially let the plants and trees grow as they normally would, with simple pathways built around them and not through them. Where light pollution is concerned, all the exterior lights are low watts and minimal in numbers so as not to affect any wildlife at night. Neither resort sells nor distributes single-use plastic water bottles, instead, they provide every guest with their own personal water bottle.

Siladen is in the Bunaken Marine Park and the Papua Explorers lies within the Raja Ampat Marine Protected area, as such both areas require entry fees which help to protect the surrounding area and supplement the local economy.

For each booking we receive for this tour, $100 USD will be donated to Manta Trust, a UK-based charity that coordinates global research and conservation efforts for manta rays, their close relatives, and their habitat.

We donate $100 USD per person to Reef-World Foundation a UK registered charity who are operating internationally to support governments and communities in sustainable consumption and production of coastal resources and marine life.

Prior to each trip, we send out an information packet with all the necessary travel information, but also relevant information about how our guests can reduce their impact on nature. We follow a strict “No Touch” policy with marine life and wildlife in general, whether it be with your hands or snorkeling fins. Our goal is to leave the marine life just as we found it.

While our tours are led—from start to finish—by a professional snorkel guide, we will also be accompanied by local snorkeling guides who will have had to pass at least a PADI or SSI Dive Master Certification. A big part of this certification is based on how not only to control yourselves in the water so you don't damage the reef, but also how to positively interact with the marine life.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

Both Siladen and Papua Explorers are remote boutique resorts in northern Indonesa. Each of these resorts draws the majority of their sizeable staff from the surrounding local villages. Siladen's staff is largely made up from people from the small village on Siladen Island, as well as Bunaken Island, and some from Manado. Papua Explorers draws most of its employees from the local village nearby, but also from places like Manado, Bali, and Sorong.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

Aside from the owners and managers of the resort, every member of the resort's staff comes from the nearby villages or neighboring islands. The resorts employ around one hundred and sixty people, which is a large portion of each of the neighboring villages.

We are pleased to say that all of our ground operating partners pay at least a minimum wage in Indonesia.

Our workplace is small, we are a team of six operating mostly out of our home offices. Our ethos is snorkeling, traveling, and working hard, as long as you fit those requirements we don't care who you are.

Our tours are all people friendly, if you are fit enough to snorkel for a week or even a month, we don't care where you are in the alphabet.