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REMOTE EASTERN INDONESIA

Buru, Ambon, Tanimbar, Kai & Seram

Birdquest's Remote Eastern Indonesia birding tour explores the remote islands that form the farthest limits of Wallacea and the edge of the Australasian faunal region. Our Remote Eastern Indonesia tour offers comprehensive coverage of the endemic-rich islands of Buru, Ambon, Seram, Tanimbar and Kai, places which are still completely off the birdwatching map!

Friday 9th November - Saturday 1st December 2012
(23 days)

Leader: Craig Robson

Group Size Limit: 8

Tour Category: Easy to Moderate (main tour); Moderate (extension)

The smashing Lazuli Kingfisher is a vociferous endemic of lowland forest edges on the islands of Seram and Ambon (Roger Clifft)

In 1869 Alfred Russell Wallace wrote “Owing to the great preponderance among the birds of parrots, pigeons, kingfishers and sunbirds, almost all of gay or delicate colours and many adorned with the most gorgeous plumage, and to the numbers of very large and showy butterflies which are almost everywhere to be met with, the forests of the Moluccas offer to the naturalist a very striking example of the luxuriance and beauty of animal life in the tropics”.

The Moluccas or Spice Islands form a major part of the region that is named after this famous explorer and biologist. Wallacea is something of a transition zone between the Oriental and Australasian faunal realms, and is home to a remarkable number of endemic species. This exciting trip will concentrate on the many and little-known endemics and specialities of the southern Moluccas and the easternmost Lesser Sundas, and covers areas of Wallacea not included in our Sulawesi & Halmahera or Lesser Sundas tours.

The Moluccas boast more than 80 endemic birds, of which around 60% occur on Buru, Ambon, the Kai Is and Seram (and almost all of the remainder on Halmahera), whilst the Tanimbar Is with their 14 endemics belong geographically to the Lesser Sundas. In total, about 100 Wallacean endemics or restricted-range species should be encountered during this tour. There is also scope to add to the ornithological information available for the region, as only a very small number of ornithologists and birders have ever visited these islands and many species are barely known.

This is a normal Indonesian bird tour with normal walking effort and reasonable and comfortable hotels and other accommodations. However, as flights in this remote part of the world are sometimes cancelled or delayed for various reasons, we expect participants to show patience.

We will start our journey by flying to Ambon, the political and airline hub of South Maluku (as the Indonesians call the Moluccas). From Ambon, we will take the overnight ferry service to Buru. This little visited but beautifully forested island boasts around 20 endemics, including the superb Buru Racket-tail and Black-tipped Monarch, as well as Streak-breasted Jungle-Flycatcher, Tawny-backed Fantail, and Buru White-eye. We also have our best chance of seeing the rare Lesser Masked-Owl here.

After returning to Ambon, we will have a chance to do some birding on this small, mountainous island. We will primarily be looking for its only endemic, Ambon White-eye, but should also have time to make a night-time boat trip to neighbouring Haruku, where we can visit one of the best preserved Moluccan Scrubfowl breeding areas in the world.

We will then fly to Saumlaki, at the southern end of Yamdena, the main island of the Tanimbar group. The archipelago consists of 66 islands and currently has 14 endemics, as well as many restricted range species (species shared only with the Kai and Banda Is). Tanimbar Scrubfowl, Tanimbar Corella, Tanimbar Boobook (split from Moluccan), and Fawn-breasted and Slaty-backed Thrushes are amongst the targets here.

Next we travel to the Kai Islands (Kai Kecil or Little Kai, Kai Besar or Great Kai, and Kai Dullah). Six endemics reside here: Kai Boobook (split from Southern), Kai Coucal, White-tailed Monarch, Kai Leaf-warbler (split from Island), and Great and Little Kai White-eyes, whilst the Kai Cicadabird is a virtual endemic (also occurring on the Tanimbar Is).

We will then return to Ambon and take the ferry across to the nearby, rugged island of Seram, the largest in Maluku, in search of its 15 or so endemics. Here we will be spending most of our time in the huge and impressive Manusela National Park, looking for the rare Salmon-crested Cockatoo and Purple-naped Lory, montane specialities like Seram Honeyeater and Rufescent and Grey-hooded Dark-eyes, as well as Streaky-breasted Fantail and the highly distinctive Long-crested Myna.

Birdquest has operated tours to these remote islands since 2008.

(Note: The above is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed, day-by-day itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels on Ambon, Tanimbar and Kai Kecil are of normal Birdquest standard. On Seram we will be staying in a simple but comfortable losmen (guesthouse). On Buru we plan to spend three nights in a simple but fairly comfortable guesthouse (or even a hotel if construction is completed in time) and the other three nights in a very basic guesthouse. Road transport will be by minibus, cars and 4x4s. Roads range from good to poor.

Walking: The walking effort is easy or moderate throughout.

Climate: Unpredictable and dependent on local topography, but at this season it should be mostly dry and often sunny, but there will likely be some rain. It is generally hot and humid in the lowlands and foothills. At high altitudes daytime temperatures are pleasant but it can get cold at night or when it rains.

Bird Photography: Opportunities are worthwhile.

Tour Price: $7270 Ambon/Ambon. Price includes all transportation (including Ambon-Saumlaki-Tual-Ambon flights), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.

Single Room Supplement: $606.

Deposit: 10% of the tour price (excluding any single supplement).

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.

The fabulous Wallace’s Fruit Dove was the bird of the trip on our 2008 tour (Roger Clifft)

The alluring Flame-breasted Flowerpecker is endemic to the northern Moluccas and to the island of Buru (Roger Clifft)

The dainty Little Curlew uses the grassy edges of the airstrips on Kai and Tanimbar as stage stops on their journey to northern Australia (Roger Clifft)

View Map Download Detailed Itinerary 473kb

Report From November 2010/December 2010 Report From October 2008/November 2008 44 photos View Gallery Photos From REMOTE EASTERN INDONESIA

The attractive Salmon-crested Cockatoo can still be seen in the lowlands of the Manusela National Park on Seram, but numbers have dropped significantly because of excessive trapping for the cagebird trade (Roger Clifft)

The gorgeous Moluccan Red Lory is usually seen in swift flight, but with a bit of luck we should find this beauty feeding in a flowering tree (Roger Clifft)

The smart Golden-bellied Flycatcher is an unobtrusive endemic of the Tanimbar Islands (Roger Clifft)

In the highlands of the Manusela National Park on Seram we will encounter the colourful Wakolo Myzomela (Roger Clifft)

This stylish male Wallacean Whistler was photographed on the Tanimbar Islands (Roger Clifft)

The amazing Long-crested Myna is a much appreciated endemic of the Seram lowland forests (Roger Clifft)

Blyth’s Hornbills are still spendidly common in the lowlands of Seram (Roger Clifft)

The Black-eared Oriole is a visual and vocal mimic of the Black-faced Friarbird and is restricted to the Tanimbar Islands and Buru (Roger Clifft)

One night we will visit a breeding colony of Moluccan Scrubfowl, where the local people dig up a number of the tasty eggs (Mark Van Beirs)

In the higher reaches of Buru we found this beautiful carnivorous pitcher plant (Nepenthes sp) (Roger Clifft)

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