Rimba Ecolodge

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Muaro Duo Beach - Sungai Pisang Village, Bungus, Padang 25242 Indonesia

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5.0

Excellent

174 reviews

#1 of 2 lodges in Bungus

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Ecofriendly guesthouse and Sustainable Ecotourism in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Non-profit organization for the protection of Indonesian wildlife and its habitat and the assistance for the development of the local communities. Prices : from 150 000Rp/pers. to 250 000Rp/pers. per day. Prices including : 3 meals/day + tea, coffee and water free + snorkel gear + jungle trek + traditionnal canoe. Accomodation : traditionnal and ecological huts with terrace with view on the sea. Location : located both in front of the sea along a 300m beach and in the heart of the Sumatran rainforest. Perfect to observe wildlife and for snorkelling ! Welcome to Rimba Ecolodge ! The whole project Rimba team awaits your visit to the ecolodge between the ocean and the jungle! Come and immerse yourself in the tropical forest of Sumatra, relax on the white sandy beaches by the Indian Ocean and take part in conservation projects. Whether in your trekking shoes or your snorkel, our team will help you discover the local fauna and flora through excursions in the forests or on the heavenly islands nearby. From your lodge, you can see many species of apes and birds, monitor lizards, sea turtles coming to play on the coral, play a game of volleyball or chess with our team, treat yourself to delicious grilled fish on one of our BBQ nights on the beach, or just relax in a hammock reading one of the many books available in our library...and many other activities ! The Rimba project is a combination of responsible ecotourism and a non-profit organisation which aims to protect endangered species in Indonesia and their habitat as well as helping the local communities. The combination of these 2 programs allows us to finance the organisation by putting back into it some of the profits raised through ecotourism. By coming to the Rimba Ecolodge, you are enabling our organisation to exist !

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Property amenities

Free breakfast

Restaurant

Beach

Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )

Airport transportation

Mosquito net

Room types

Ocean view

Non-smoking rooms

Family rooms

Good to know

HOTEL STYLE

Quaint

Languages Spoken

Indonesian

Location

Muaro Duo Beach - Sungai Pisang Village, Bungus, Padang 25242 Indonesia

Getting there

Minangkabau International Airport25 miSee all flights

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174Reviews6Q+A9Room tips

Reviews
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Danlassen wrote a review Jan 2023

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates106 contributions54 helpful votes

A treasure in paradise!

I had one night at this magical place! Such a charming and cosy place to relax and just be with Nature close to the sea! The bungalows were so cute and had all the facilities I needed and with the most stunning view over the coral reef. The owner and staff were so friendly and the food very delicious. The price was fair and everything was lovely. A lovely place to relax, snorkel and read books and just be united with Nature! Daniel Denmark

Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Travelled solo

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

1 Helpful vote

Helpful

Jess_the_TravelBug wrote a review Mar 2020

127 contributions27 helpful votes

A natural paradise and wonderful place to unwind and relax

Going to Sumatra was originally not part of my Indonesia plan. As a result of googling the wrong thing, I stumbled across Rimba’s website. Immediately I jumped at the opportunity to go after making sure it wasn’t too good to be true. My decision was the correct one and resulted in a wonderful four days of relaxing paradise. The food was simple and tasty and I never lacked for things to do. As a scuba diver, I wished I could have dove the local reef. That being said, I spent roughly five hours each day snorkeling and saw many of the same fish that I had just seen in Raja Ampat. I never wanted to get out of the water and would only do so when it was time to eat or really low tide. Make sure you snorkel on the left side to see the incredible Pharaoh Cuttlefish. Above water time can be spent walking on the beach, hiking in the jungle (the trails are very steep and slippery with leaves and roots), relaxing in the hammocks (the monkey are literally right above you) in addition to some tours. I did not take any of the tours as I was content to listen to the sounds of the jungle while in my hammock. The huts are simple and clean. I was never hot when inside and having two individual drying lines for my bathing suits was ideal. There is electricity in the huts at night and when it rains. I could not have asked for a better way to spend the end of my trip. I left completely relaxed and well rested before my journey back home. Many of the other travelers I met were at Rimba doing the same thing of a final location to relax before returning back to their home countries. I would go back here in a heartbeat. Recommendations: Make sure you bring bug spray with you as the mosquitos will seek you out. The ocean is warm but bring a rashguard to snorkel in to help protect yourself from the sun. You need good shoes to hike in the jungle. It is very, very slick when coming down. The sambal at dinner is very flavorful and if you use it all, ask nicely and they will bring you more (our table “fought” over the extra as it was so tasty). Pack a poncho or rain coat in case it rains. …

Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled solo

2 Helpful votes

Helpful

JJ S wrote a review Jan 2020

1 contribution

Peaceful and Inspiring

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would highly recommend this Eco Lodge. It truly is a piece of paradise. Top job on being the forerunners on how to care for the environment - I am sure this will soon be a role model to others in Indonesia. Great value for money with the 3 meals and snorkeling gear included.

Date of stay: January 2020

Value

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phunthomas wrote a review May 2019

München18 contributions18 helpful votes

Close to paradise

A fantastic place on a pristine beach with a little coral reef and primeaval forest behind the nicely build wooden houses. Truly like paradise. Only the food could be a little better with more fruits and salad.

Date of stay: May 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple

Helpful

oli wrote a review Apr 2019

Nuremberg, Germany3 contributions1 helpful vote

Best place to stay in this entire area

First of all I have to note something general what I encountered during my trip through Indonesia and reading ratings on trip advisor. The ratings of Indonesians and western people are completely different and cannot be compared. So actually you cannot pick a place by it's overall rating, but only by the individual comments and of course the cultural background of their authors. This place deserves fully 5 points from a European point of view! Whereas locals would mostly never give it a good rating and this twisted logic is also true for the other islands and beaches in this region. I guess the cultures are just too different regarding the way of going on vacation. Here you can find everything which a European would expect of their vacation, time to relax, clean beaches and lovely hosts. Whereas in the other places around this area it's pretty much the opposite despite their good ratings. This is of course a personal opinion and might not be true for all locations but in general was what I experienced during my vacation. All in all it's still a matter of taste.…

Date of stay: April 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple

Helpful

Robin S wrote a review Mar 2019

9 contributions

Perfect place to relax

When I arrived, another guest said, "you can't do anything here but relax," and that is true. This was exactly what I needed- to be surrounded by beauty and simplicity. The huts are simple but comfortable. There are comfortable seats on every porch, plus hammocks, plus covered seating... one even up in a tree. The sea is in front, the forest in back, and all day you just soak in the beauty. I loved snorkeling every day and they have plenty of gear. There are plenty of turtles and fish to see, as well as recovering coral.The food is simple and tasty with lots of fruit and vegetables.You eat meals with the other guests and it was fun to meet people from all over the world. I hope to return as it is a wonderful place.

Date of stay: March 2019Trip type: Travelled solo

Room Tip: All rooms have views. I had a shared toilet and I'd prefer my own next time.

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Response from RimbaProject, Propriétaire at Rimba Ecolodge

Responded 23 Mar 2019

Thanks a lot Robin :) We are happy to know that you were able to relax as you wanted at rimba. Hope to see you again ! Cheers. Nad

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Brett F wrote a review Feb 2019

11 contributions9 helpful votes

Amazing, Relaxing, Beautiful - Paradise

What an amazing place. If you are thinking about going here just do it! You will n to regret it. From what we saw and heard from other travellers, Rimba is much nicer than the surrounding places to stay. We stayed here with our extended family, 13 of us in all for 6 nights mid Feb. Where to start? This really is a piece of paradise that allows you to completely unplug, relax and enjoy nature. From when we first booked Nad the owner was brilliant. replied quickly to queries and was very friendly and helpful during our stay. Our pick up from the airport and the boats to get here were all organised by Nad. Very easy. Everything you could need was here. All snorkelling gear provided. Do bring yourself a pair of reef shoes as the rocks out the front of the accomodation can get quite sharp. We all did and we glad we did so. The accomodation was perfect for the location. Simple and super comfortable after a hard days relaxing. There was a nice cool breeze at night so it was comfortable to sleep. Each of the huts had its own sitting space at the front for your own space as well as hammocks in front of each hut for relaxing and enjoying the water lapping at the shore. All meals were included in the ( super low ) price. Breakfast was a choice of pancakes with various toppings or eggs multiple ways with toast, and a glass of freshly squeezed juice of the day. Lunch was served as individual portions and ranged from Nasi goreng to Mie goreng to a ramen style soup. Each and every day was delicious. Dinner was served to be shared with plates of rice, Vegetables and some protein in the middle of the tables. Again this varied every night from BBQ fish and chicken. There is also items on the menu you can order whenever you feel like it. Try the local crisps (20k) or the fries (20K) as both were delicious and great snack food. The Arak Ti Punch (40k) was a favourite of my wife's, while I enjoyed the Ice cold Large Bintangs (50k). Coke and sprite (15k) were also available for the kids or to mix with some spirits. Sitting in the restaurant watching the sun set every afternoon with some cold beers was brilliant! The whole staff were very friendly and could not do enough to assist. Our kids also enjoyed playing with the various dogs ( which never seemed to get underfoot ) and the cats with her new kittens. We did 2 excursions or day trips. Lunch was prepared and taken along for you to enjoy on the trip. Mie goreng on a deserted island anyone! 1. The nearby islands for snorkelling and swimming. The snorkelling was very good at Mahak island, however we enjoyed the snorkelling right out front of the accomodation just as much. Beautiful to visit though. ( 150k pp ) 2. The waterfall trip. This was amazing and probably the best thing I have ever seen/done in my travels. The waterfall is absolutely beautiful. Yes its a fairly decent hike to get to it, and yes there were many leeches that the women in our group were not impressed by, but all that melted away when swimming in the cool, clear waters beneath the falls. This trip is seriously a must do! ( 150k pp ) All in all, this was a great trip. We got to relax, enjoy time together as a family, meet heaps of new people and really enjoy nature. We will definitely be back again.…

Date of stay: February 2019

Value

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Service

Trip type: Travelled with family

Room Tip: All of the huts are perfect.

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954cartmel wrote a review Sept 2018

Liverpool, United Kingdom2 contributions2 helpful votes

Beautiful sea and forest, but dogs follow you on walks :/

Gorgeous location, incredible reef, and relatively easy to get to. Its difficult to explore the forest - only one path and the dogs follow you the whole way, scaring away wildlife, and detracting from the nature/forest experience. Similarly if you try to walk along the beach, they always follow! You can still see a fair bit of wildlife on the beach - millions of hermit crabs and some beautiful monkeys in the forest, and hornbill if you are lucky. Fantastic marine diversity-coral, turtles, bumphead parrot fish, sea snake, puffer fish etc :) ask where the best place to get in is (we accidentally walked on coral trying to get in the wrong place at low tide-they should definitely be warning tourists of this, to protect the reef!) We took a trip to an island which was one of the best snorkeling places of the entire trip (Make sure you ask the guides exactly where to get in though, the place they initially vaguely gestured to was way too shallow to get over the reef) Incredible to see the resident owl so close up, but slightly question the eco credentials of feeding a wild animal. Accommodation lovely and accurately described on the website. Quite expensive compared to most of Indonesia, but worth it for the incredible location…

Date of stay: September 2018Trip type: Travelled as a couple

Helpful

Response from RimbaProject, Propriétaire at Rimba Ecolodge

Responded 25 Sept 2018

Hello, thank you for your comment. We are glad that you enjoyed the location, accomodation and snorkeling. Regarding the observation of wild animals in the forest, you should know that even without dogs you would not have seen many animals except for monkeys, birds and if you are lucky wild pigs and monitor lizards. Indeed, the majority of the wildlife present on our site (and in general in Indonesia) is nocturnal (tapirs, porcupines, pangolins, civets, colugo, slow loris, even the deers are visible only at the dawn or dusk when it is already very dark under the forest cover). It is almost impossible to observe them during the day. Normally, we advise travelers staying in the last 2 bungalows to enter the water in front of the restaurant so as not to damage the corals growing in front of these 2 bungalows. It seems that we have forgotten to tell you. We apologize for this forgetfulness. It happens sometimes that in the flow of information that we give to the arrival of the travelers, we forget 1 or 2. Again sorry for that. Regarding the owl issue, he's absolutely not wild anymore because it's an animal that was captive since very young. He is therefore no longer able to survive on his own in the wild and in particular to feed himself because he never had the opportunity to learn to fish (it's a Buffy-fish Owl). At Rimba, he is now free (captive owls are usually attached to a rope by the leg by their owners) but still close to humans. We provide him with about half of his daily food needs in order to force him to find the rest of his food alone. We have already noted clear progress since in recent months he has spent more time in the mangrove (his natural habitat) and succeed to catch some crabs, which he did not do before. If we stopped feeding him, he would not leave Rimba to go back to the forest but he would try to get closer to other dwellings, as he considers the proximity of humans to be normal because of his past as a captive animal. If this owl were to draw closer to other inhabited areas, and given the ease with which it can be approached, it would certainly be captured again to be either sold on the black market or tied and kept as a pet, which is unfortunately very common in Indonesia. We do not want to take this risk because Rimba allows him to enjoy his new freedom while guaranteeing his safety. I have worked for 5 years for the rehabilitation of captive wild animals in Indonesia, so if you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'm sorry if you felt that the price offered was too expensive. However, we offer the cheapest accommodation in the area for those reachable like ours only by boat. In general, all accomodations that do not have access to the road are more expensive than those on mainland because of the difficulty and additional cost of shipping to provide logistics by boat (food, equipment, etc.). Employees' salaries are also higher to compensate for the difficulties associated with remoteness. Nevertheless, we are convinced that the prices we offer remain quite reasonable and cheap, since the cheapest rooms are at 200,000Rp per person per night, namely 11.50 euros per person per day full board with tea, water and coffee at will. We apologize again if some inconveniences have prevented you from enjoying 100% of your stay with us. However, we hope that you will keep a very good memory of Rimba :)

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

zydac wrote a review Sept 2018

Brooklyn, New York82 contributions20 helpful votes

Relaxing paradise

Rimba Ecolodge was a great relaxing place to stay for the last few days of our Sumatra trip. The facilities are simple but very comfortable. It is nice enough to sit there with a good book and enjoy the view. Every morning and late afternoon there were sea turtles out front and one afternoon there was a humongous monitor lizard looking like a small dinosaur! The snorkeling in front of the lodge was not bad - the coral isn't in great condition but there was a good variety of fish and other creatures anyway. We also really enjoyed the day boat trip to some gorgeous beaches on some other islands. The staff at RImba were very nice. Meals were communal and it was nice talking to the other guests at dinnertime. Rimba was definitely our kind of place - we really enjoyed it and hope to be back some time!…

Date of stay: August 2018

Location

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Service

Trip type: Travelled with family

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Response from RimbaProject, Propriétaire at Rimba Ecolodge

Responded 24 Sept 2018

Hi, many thanks for this nice review. We are very happy that you enjoyed your stay with us. You are lucky to have seen the big female monitor lizard that lives on our site. It is about 2m from head to tail. We wish you the best for the future. Rimba Team.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Carol M wrote a review Jul 2018

Williamsburg, Virginia15 contributions1 helpful vote

A piece of heaven, rustic & off the grid

This is an experience everyone must do in their lifetime. No words can do this place and the experience justice. Nad, Reno and the staff are above and beyond incredible hosts. This place offers much beauty all around; the reefs of the Indian Ocean and the Sumatran jungle behind. The huts were also beautiful and unique; beds super comfortable, clean linens, and spacious western bathrooms. The central dining area was the perfect spot to discuss the lodge, the jungle, their conservation work, martial arts, really anything. Several of the staff play guitar and serenaded us in a completely relaxing, fascinating environment. Sweet little Inea called her owl friend, Bilbo, from the jungle who joined us every evening. The feeling there was magical and restful to an unusual level, it was like a life reset. Breakfast, lunch and dinner was tasty, unique, fresh, and a time to gather everyone in the dining area for great conversation and fun! The activities there are like no where else in the world....Snorkeling the reefs, hiking the jungle, boat rides to local villages. We loved that we could buy items that were made by a local village and the funds went back directly to the village; necklaces, bracelets, cinnamon sticks. We had great conversation with the staff. Some spoke exceptional English, others wanted to practice, others were very limited....in exchange we wanted to learn more of their culture and language and we certainly did. The staff that were guides for out outings were simply fantastic, knowledgeable, funny, interesting. I highly recommend Rimba Ecolodge, it's beyond a vacation...it's a life experience!…

Date of stay: March 2018

Value

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Service

Trip type: Travelled with friends

Room Tip: All the huts are wonderful, they all face the ocean with the jungle behind. There are no wrong...

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1 Helpful vote

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Response from RimbaProject, Propriétaire at Rimba Ecolodge

Responded 24 Sept 2018

Hi Carol, Thank you so much for your amazing review !!! We were so happy to spend time with great people like you :) Hope to see you again. Cheers. Rimba Team.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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