EcoExplore was founded in 2025 on the island of Lombok by two students from the Lombok Polytechnique of Tourism, Lalu Ilham and Almaida Aulia Aziza, who shared a passion for travel, nature, and community. Both had grown up surrounded by the beauty and vulnerability of Indonesia’s islands—Ilham in a fishing village on Lombok’s west coast, where coral reefs once teemed with life, and Almaida in the lush foothills near Rinjani, where deforestation was slowly creeping into once-pristine forests. Their paths crossed in a university sustainability course, where they began dreaming of a tourism model that could give back more than it took. For them, it wasn’t enough to simply show travelers beautiful places. They wanted to rebuild them.

The first idea for EcoExplore came during a student research project on coral restoration. Ilham and Almaida realized that travelers were eager to engage in meaningful activities beyond sightseeing—people wanted to help, learn, and connect. With this insight, they began organizing small experimental tours with friends and volunteers, combining outdoor adventure with hands-on restoration. Participants would snorkel alongside coral rehabilitation teams, kayak through mangrove nurseries, or plant trees in degraded hillsides before sharing meals with local families. Each trip became a journey not just into nature, but into responsibility.

By late 2025, the idea had evolved into a formal company. EcoExplore positioned itself as a regenerative tour operator offering both personal and corporate packages across Lombok, Bali, Sumbawa, and East Nusa Tenggara, inviting travelers to experience Indonesia’s natural beauty while participating in its restoration. The company also began to develop carbon offsetting programs, working with local NGOs and government partners to ensure measurable impact. Its tours were not marketed as escapes from reality, but as ways to meaningfully engage with it—to turn travel into climate action.

Looking ahead, Ilham and Almaida have ambitious plans for EcoExplore’s future. They envision a network of regenerative tourism hubs across Eastern Indonesia, each one a living classroom for sustainability where travelers, researchers, and local communities collaborate to restore ecosystems. They are developing digital tools to track carbon offset progress, expanding partnerships with schools and corporate ESG programs, and exploring ways to integrate renewable energy and zero-waste practices into their operations. Their long-term goal is to position EcoExplore as a regional leader in regenerative tourism—proof that adventure and environmental restoration can grow together.

What began as a student project has now become a movement. EcoExplore stands as a reminder that the next generation of tourism entrepreneurs is not chasing profit or prestige, but purpose. Guided by curiosity, rooted in science, and inspired by community, Ilham and Almaida are building a future where every journey leaves the Earth a little better than before.