19 Days Birding
In Indonesia Tour

Explore The Batu Karu Richfield, Tabanan to look for the Javan Kingfisher, Long-tailed Shrike, and Glossy Starling. We then drive you along the West Coast of Bali through Tabanan and Jembrana to your hotel near West Bali Barat National Park, stopping for lunch along the way. Here you will be briefed by your guide, who will immediately take you for an afternoon bird walk hoping to see the Bali Starling, Banded Pitta and other key Bali bird species.

You may also see the Ebony Leaf Monkey. Overnight here at our partner hotel with dinner at a local restaurant.

You will have the chance today to spend most of the day birding in the National Park with your guide. Enjoy hiking through several stunning areas where bird species should be seen. If you have not seen the Bali Starling on day 2, we will go to great lengths to spot this special bird on day 3.

Today you will spend another morning birding around this unique National Park and after an early lunch depart to Bedugul and the beautiful mountain lake region of Bali and check into our partner hotel (usually the Handara).  In the afternoon and evening, your guide will take you birding around Handara Gardens. You will overnight here and enjoy lunch and dinner at a local restaurant.

It’s Day 5 and you will spend most of the day birding around Bedugul Botanical Gardens with your guide. These beautiful gardens have many species of interest. Lunch will be in a restaurant in Bedugul town in the invigorating mountain air. In the afternoon you will drive back to your hotel in South Bali in preparation for an early start to Flores.

For the next stage of the tour, you fly to Ende via Labuan Bajo. You will be picked up by your guide and begin the magical run through valleys and mountains to the Kelimutu Crater Lakes Ecolodge.

If there is a time en route, you will visit a traditional village to view some of the fascinating cultural aspects of the Lio people who inhabit the area around Kelimutu.

From here you will visit a market village and the village of Moni at the base of Mount Kelimutu, only one kilometer from the lodge for a welcome and lunch. After a siesta, you can either wander birding through the stunning valley area around the lodge or take an agricultural tour through the lodge gardens and embryonic farm to view our lush local produce.

You will rise before the birds around 04:30. After a quick coffee/tea, you will be transported 17km to the Kelimutu Crater Lakes car park, followed by a twenty-minute walk in semi-darkness to arrive at dawn.

This is a breathtaking experience! Watch as sunlight wakes the spiritual volcanic lakes as you learn about local beliefs and folklore. On the way back, the birdsong is a treat!

Today you will explore this beautiful national park, an important spiritual area of the Lio people, which provides great birding.

Here you will often see the Yellow-breasted Warbler, Yellow-browed and Thick-billed Darkeye, Oriental and Mountain White Eyes, and Timor Leaf Warbler. The rich, melodious calls of the Bare-throated Whistler (up to 18 different calls) are especially pleasing. 

Further down the Arboretum’s network of tracks, we may add the Brown-capped Fantail, Wallacean Drongo, Scaly-crowned Honeyeater, Flame-breasted Sunbird, Yellow-spectacled White Eye, Russet-capped Tesia and Black-backed Fruit Dove. On our walk down from the Arboretum one may see Long-tailed Macaques, many Glossy Swiftlets and also Crested Darkeyes and Black-backed Fruit Doves. You can stay as long as wish in 

the park and a packed breakfast and lunch will be provided.

It is time to leave Kelimutu and fly the short hop to Labuan Bajo to start the West Flores part of the tour. You will arrive at our Mbeliling Mountain Ecolodge for a full day of birding in the protected forests around the lodge. 

This is a long day but very worthwhile! After a very early start with a packed breakfast, you will arrive at the harbor for your boat to Rinca Island, one of the main islands of the Komodo group. We purposely use a slow boat as it is very relaxing to move slowly through The Sea of Flores, past many islands arriving at Rinca island around 09:00. You may see Raptors on the way. From here you will walk to look for Komodo dragons and you should also see some bird species. Lunch is served once back on the boat and you have a choice to continue hiking in the park for birding or go snorkeling at Bidadari Island. In the afternoon you return to Labuan Bajo and Mbeliling for dinner at the Lodge.

Depending on your flight schedule, take a morning walk with your guide to see the birds at the lodge garden. Early lunch at the lodge and then you will proceed to the airport to catch a flight to Bali. Meet your driver at Bali airport and directly transfer to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, you will take the early flight to Pangkalan Bun (Borneo) via Surabaya, and you will arrive in the afternoon. After meeting your guide, you will be transported to Kumai to your klotok (river boat) to start the magic trip up The Sekonyer River to The Rimba Orangutan Eco Lodge. On the way (if the weather is clear) you will see many fireflies and after two hours see the welcome lights of The Rimba on your left side. You will be welcomed by our Manager for dinner.

After breakfast, you will take your river boat to the famous Camp Leakey to view Orangutans in their natural habitat; birds will be spotted (Kingfishers, Hornbills, Trogons) on the river but also primates will be seen Orangutans, Proboscis Monkeys, Gibbons, and Long Tailed Macaques, Silver backed Langurs and hopefully, you will see crocodiles and monitors. On the way home, if the evening is clear, you should have a great sunset with the Proboscis Monkeys. Hopefully, you will see some of the four species of Hornbills, Storms Stork and raptors. Birding continues along the Sekonyer River, dinner, and overnight at the Rimba Ecolodge.

An early start with breakfast and leave for the feeding station of Pondok Tanggui, one hour upstream for morning feeding time. Look for Giant Squirrels, pigs, and many butterflies on the walk-in. Here as at all the feeding, there is a large Alpha male. After viewing the Orangutans, you can walk around the area. Back on the boat. Lunch on the boat is at around 13.30 when you will leave for The Tanjung Harapan feeding Station for feeding at 1500. Here also there is a large Alpha male. After this feeding,g you may wish to drop into the local Tanjung Harapan village across the river. 

evening dinner on the river with the “fireflies”. The latter is a terrific experience. The night walk is also available on this day

Board a river boat to Kumai and on to the airport to catch your plane to Jakarta, then on to

Lampung in Sumatra. You will be met by one of our senior staff for the two-hour drive to The Satwa Sumatra Elephant Ecolodge, where you will arrive in time for dinner. This is a travel day through many different cultures and islands on the Indonesian archipelago. 

Days 15-18 will be spent with your guide, who has extensive knowledge of most of the 320+ recorded species in the Way Kambas National Park. Your days will be spent in various parts of the park and will include trekking and night walks.

Your time here will also include a riverboat on the main Way Kanan River but also past the Elephant Centre to Bambangan. During this period in the tour, you will see over 100 species of birds and many mammals.

Some birding groups see or hear over 150 species over this time period. The endemic White Winged Wood Duck is one to watch for.

After breakfast to Lampung to catch your flights to Jakarta and to Bali and onwards.