CLASSIC SUMATRA, INDONESIA – a feast of endemics in the island’s best birding areas

PRICE INFORMATION

Birdquest Inclusions: Our tour prices include transportation, accommodations, meals and entrance fees.

We also include all tipping for local guides, drivers and accommodation/restaurant staff.

Deposit: 20% of the total tour price. Our office will let you know what deposit amount is due, in order to confirm your booking, following receipt of your online booking form.

TO BOOK THIS TOUR: Click here (you will need the tour dates)

The single supplement will not apply if you indicate on booking that you prefer to share a room and there is a room-mate of the same sex available.

Single rooms may not be available at Keresek Tua for all those requesting them, as the lodge has only a limited number of rooms. Anyone having to share unexpectedly will be given an appropriate refund.

This tour is priced in US Dollars. Amounts shown in other currencies are indicative.

CLASSIC SUMATRA, INDONESIA BIRDING TOUR: DETAILED ITINERARY

Classic Sumatra: Day 1

Our tour begins this afternoon at Bandar Lampung airport. Bandar Lampung is the capital of Lampung province in southern Sumatra.

(If you are arranging your own flights to and from the tour, but would find it more convenient if we were to supply the domestic flights in Indonesia, we will be pleased to do so on request.)

From Bandar Lampung, we shall proceed by road to Way Kambas for a four-night stay at a pleasant lodge. On the way, we will pass through many small rural settlements and paddyfields before we catch our first sight of the forest.

Classic Sumatra: Days 2-4

Way Kambas National Park and its surroundings contain some of the most accessible lowland rainforest in Sumatra. Although most of the area has been logged in the past, the forest has recovered well and continues to host many Sundaic species.

During our stay here, we will explore a variety of forested habitats as well as areas on the fringes of the park. Over the years, Way Kambas has built up quite a reputation for its great selection of nightbirds, and we will make great efforts to see as many as possible, although they can be frustratingly difficult to see, as opposed to hear, in the dense forest. With perseverance, we should find a good few, with likely species including the superb Oriental Bay Owl, Reddish and Sunda Scops Owls, the attractive Buffy Fish Owl, Brown Boobook and amazing Large, Sunda and Gould’s Frogmouths. In addition, Malaysian Eared Nightjar can be seen at dawn and dusk, and we also have a good chance of seeing the rare and little-known Sundaic-endemic Bonaparte’s Nightjar. Around the village, we may find additional species such as Eastern Barn Owl, and both Large-tailed and Savanna Nightjars.

During daylight hours, we will mostly focus on a long, drivable track, which traverses many kilometres of forest. As we walk quietly through the forest, we have a good chance of finding the beautiful Malayan Banded Pitta, in spite of the fact that this electrically-coloured gem can somehow become almost invisible in its forest environment, and we may well also encounter Western Hooded Pitta. We should also see the attractive Malayan Crested Fireback, as well as Red Junglefowl, Common Emerald Dove, and, with luck, the colourful Crested Partridge with its punk-style crest.

The understorey is also home to an amazing variety of babblers, including the endemic Sumatran Babbler as well as Black-throated, Malayan Black-capped, Mourning, Ferruginous, Chestnut-rumped and Chestnut-winged Babblers, and Fluffy-backed and Pin-striped Tit-Babblers, whilst in the mid-storey, the melodious songs of four species of Malacopteron babblers, namely Sooty-capped, Scaly-crowned, Rufous-crowned and Moustached Babblers, give away their presence. Other skulking denizens of the understorey and mid canopy include Ashy and Rufous-tailed Tailorbirds, smart Rufous-tailed and White-rumped Shamas (the latter now virtually extirpated through trapping), Rufous-winged Philentoma, Black-naped Monarch, and the elusive Grey-chested Jungle Flycatcher.

Popular colourful bird families well represented in Way Kambas include trogons, kingfishers, broadbills and woodpeckers, and we will keep a careful eye out for such gems as Diard’s, Scarlet-rumped and Red-naped Trogons, Ruddy, Banded and Rufous-collared Kingfishers, Banded, Black-and-yellow, bizarre Dusky and stunning Green Broadbills, and the huge White-bellied Woodpecker, as well as Rufous, Crimson-winged, Banded, Buff-rumped, Buff-necked, Grey-and-buff and Sunda Pygmy Woodpeckers. With luck, we will find one or two of the scarcer species, such as Olive-backed or Orange-backed Woodpeckers, Common Flameback, or the tiny Rufous Piculet.

Higher up, in the mid-canopy and canopy, there is plenty to look for. Fruiting trees may attract various frugivores with larger fruits attracting species such as the smart Little Green Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon and the localised Sooty Barbet, whilst smaller fruits attract a variety of bulbuls including Olive-winged, Asian Red-eyed, Cream-vented, Hairy-backed, Black-headed, Yellow-bellied and Buff-vented Bulbuls, as well as attractive Greater Green, Lesser Green and Blue-winged Leafbirds, and Yellow-breasted, Crimson-breasted, Orange-bellied, and, with luck, Yellow-vented Flowerpeckers.

Vine tangles attract smart Raffles’s, Red-billed, Chestnut-breasted and Black-bellied Malkohas, and we may also find the scarce Chestnut-bellied Malkoha. Higher in the canopy, we will try to track down a mixed flock, though seeing the constituents in the forest giants can be tricky! Likely species include Greater Racket-tailed and Bronzed Drongos, Scarlet and Fiery Minivets, Green Iora, Black-naped Oriole, Lesser Cuckooshrike, Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Purple-naped Spiderhunter, Ruby-cheeked and Van Hasselt’s Sunbirds, and, with luck, the scarce Red-throated Sunbird.

Other widespread species which we may encounter in (or over!) the forest include Violet, Banded Bay and Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoos, Whiskered and Grey-rumped Treeswifts, Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Blue-rumped Parrot, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Black-thighed Falconet, Malayan Black Magpie, Common Hill Myna and Little Spiderhunter.

One of the attractions to birders is the presence of lowland peat-swamp forest, which is home to a few other specialities. We will spend some time exploring these swampy areas and riversides where we should see species such as Red-crowned Barbet, Black-and-red Broadbill (with its amazing two-tone bill), Malaysian Blue Flycatcher and Malayan Swamp Babbler, as well as Lesser Adjutant, Cerulean, Blue-eared and Stork-billed Kingfishers and, with luck, Storm’s Stork (although this is much more difficult to see in Sumatra than in Borneo). This is also the realm of the endangered and now highly localised White-winged Duck, which still survives in small numbers in the area but is hard to see. It is thought that the birds are mainly nocturnal feeders, raiding the adjacent paddyfields under the cover of darkness to feed. Strangely, many of the individuals at Way Kambas are partly albino. Whilst searching, we will also hopefully encounter one or two of the other scarce possibilities, which include Oriental Darter, Lesser and Grey-headed Fish Eagles, and Cinnamon-headed Green Pigeon (a surprisingly difficult species to catch up with anywhere in its range).

During our stay, we will spend a little time on the fringes of the park and in the gardens, where a different selection of species occur, including Spotted and Zebra Doves, Asian Palm Swift, Plume-toed Swiftlet, Plaintive Cuckoo, Greater Coucal, White-breasted Waterhen, Cinnamon Bittern, Little and Eastern Cattle Egrets, Javan Pond and Purple Herons, Black-winged Kite, White-throated and Collared Kingfishers, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Oriental Dollarbird, Common Iora, Pied Triller, Golden-bellied Gerygone, White-breasted Wood Swallow, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Malaysian Pied Fantail, Yellow-vented and Sooty-headed Bulbuls, Pacific Swallow, Brown-throated and Ornate Sunbirds, Eurasian Tree Sparrow and Scaly-breasted Munia. With luck, we will also find Spectacled and Yellow-eared Spiderhunters (coming to flowering trees in gardens), Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker and Javan Munia. We will also see our first Edible Nest Swiftlets, a species that we will become fascinated with due to the sheer number of buildings that have been constructed for the lucrative swift-nest business, and the associated loudspeakers blasting out their calls!

We should also see a few of the more uncommon birds at Way Kambas during our visit. In recent years, we have found Malaysian Honeyguide a few times, and other possibilities include Jerdon’s Baza, Bat Hawk, Black and Wrinkled Hornbills (though hornbills have become increasingly rare in the park), Sunda Scimitar Babbler and Velvet-fronted Nuthatch.

Way Kambas has a large mammal list, but typically only a few species are seen during a visit. Southern Red Muntjac, Sambar, Plantain and Prevost’s Squirrels, Long-tailed Macaque and Sunda Silvery Langur are among the more regular sightings. Way Kambas still holds small populations of Asiatic Elephant and Tiger, but these are very unlikely to be seen.

Classic Sumatra: Day 5

This morning, we will drive back to Bandar Lampung airport and catch a flight to Jakarta with an onward connection to the city of Padang, situated on the coast of western Sumatra.

From Padang, we will travel by road to the village of Kayu Aro, which will be our base for the next five nights. Although not a great distance, the roads in this remote area of Sumatra are not fast. Situated right at the foot of Gunung Kerinci, only a tea plantation lies between us and the spectacular, classic cone-shaped volcano.

Classic Sumatra: Days 6-9

The moss-clad forested slopes of Gunung Kerinci, the highest peak in Sumatra and thus in all of western Indonesia, offer some of the most challenging and exciting birding in South-East Asia. The whole area is so remote and unexplored that there are even recent reports of a new species of terrestrial ape living in the forest, known to the locals as ‘orang pendek’ (Indonesian for ‘short man’). Recent surveys have also shown that there is still a population of the endangered Sumatran Rhinoceros as well as Tigers in the extensive tracts of remaining forest, though the chances of us encountering either of these species are exceedingly slim (though remarkably, we saw a tiger in 2014)!

It was here that Schneider’s Pitta was rediscovered as recently as 1988, and amongst the other enigmatic and little-known species that occur are such gems as Salvadori’s Pheasant and Sumatran Cochoa.

Initially, we will drive and then walk through the tea plantations, where we may encounter a few open country species such as Lesser Coucal and Long-tailed Shrike, before reaching the trailhead at the forest edge. Sadly, over the years, much forest has been cleared, the forest edge gradually creeping up the mountain year on year, and indeed, the first few hundred metres of trail are through a finger of forest that has been spared the chainsaw!

From the forest edge, at around 1800m, there is a narrow though well-maintained trail that leads to the summit of the volcano at 3805m! Fortunately, most of the birds that we are interested in frequent the lower slopes of the volcano, though we may need to climb to 2500m to give ourselves a chance of finding all of the birds that we are interested in.

In recent years, some entrepreneurial local bird guides have established some hides which have dramatically increased our chances of getting good views of some of the scarcer and shyer species, and we now have an excellent chance of seeing species such as the stunning Schneider’s Pitta, Salvadori’s Pheasant, Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant and the beautifully-marked endemic Red-billed Partridge. Other interesting specialities such as the endemic Rusty-breasted Wren-Babbler and Shiny Whistling Thrush also visit the hides, as well as other species such as Lesser Shortwing, Large Niltava, Spot-necked Babbler, Eye-browed Wren-Babbler and the tiny Pygmy Cupwing.

Walking quietly along the trails, with the amazing soundscape of Siamang Gibbons as a backdrop, we will be looking for a suite of other endemics. At lower elevations, we should find Sumatran Trogon, and the smart endemic Brown-winged Whistling Thrush, and we may even come across another Schneider’s Pitta or Red-billed Partridge on the trail. Moving up higher, we should find the smart Sumatran Shortwing, while Sumatran Blue Robins (another endemic) occasionally flick onto the path. With luck, we will also find the amazing Sumatran Wren-Babbler (a rather ‘top-heavy’ looking species that has been split from Long-billed) in the same area, and these higher areas also hold Sumatran Flowerpecker (though this species also occurs lower down), and present us with our best chance of finding the rare and elusive Sumatran Cochoa. A number of other Sundaic specialities are also possible, including the vocally-distinct Sunda Owlet, Sunda Minivet (which has nearly all-red females), Indigo Flycatcher, and, at the higher altitudes, Rufous-vented Niltava and the smart Orange-spotted Bulbul, as well as the more widespread Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Long-tailed Sibia, Aberrant (formerly Sunda) Bush Warbler and, with luck, the gorgeous Pink-headed Fruit Dove. Javan (or Dusky) Woodcock also occurs, but it is rare and elusive, and we have only encountered it on a handful of occasions.

We should also find a few bird parties, with regular constituents of the flocks likely to include the delightful Blue Nuthatch, Grey-chinned Minivet, White-browed Shrike-Babbler, Grey-throated and Golden Babblers, Mountain Leaf Warbler, Sunda Warbler (another Sundaic endemic), Little Pied Flycatcher, White-throated Fantail and Warbling (formerly Mountain) and Black-capped White-eyes (the latter a Sundaic endemic). A cicada-like will draw our attention to the smart Fire-tufted Barbet, and other species we are likely to see include Barred Cuckoo-Dove, Black-browed Barbet, Checker-throated Woodpecker, Cinereous Tit, Mountain Tailorbird, the cute and confiding Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Temminck’s Sunbird, and, with luck, the scarce Pygmy Flycatcher.

We will also visit the forest at night when we will have a chance to look for the little-known Rajah’s Scops Owl (confined to the Greater Sundas), Salvadori’s Nightjar (endemic to Sumatra and Java) and the amazing-looking endemic Sumatran Frogmouth, and if we are really lucky, our talented guides may even find one of these species roosting! There is also a chance of Mountain Scops Owl and even the elusive Barred Eagle-Owl.

Mammals are generally not prominent here, though our sightings have included Hog-badger and Clouded Leopard! Much more likely are Black-crested Sumatran Langur, Siamang, Black-striped, Slender and Niobe Ground Squirrels.

Classic Sumatra: Day 10

This morning, we will either return to the slopes of Gunung Kerinci or make a special excursion to another forest patch. Recently, there have even been some great sightings of the shy Sumatran Ground Cuckoo in this area, and if the sightings are still persisting, we will make a serious effort to find this holy-grail species! The same area is also an excellent place to find the endemic Sumatran Bulbul and the scarce and heavily-trapped Ruby-throated Bulbul.

Later, we shall drive the short distance to Sungai Penuh for a four-night stay. Along the way, we will pass a number of paddyfields where we may encounter Medium Egrets and introduced Javan Mynas.

Classic Sumatra: Days 11-13

The road between Sungai Penuh and Tapan via Mauro Sako passes through some excellent forest. The forest here is at a slightly lower elevation than the areas we will have explored at Gunung Kerinci, extending from the lower montane zone all the way down to the lowlands. Beginning in the higher areas, we will seek out many more specialities, including the characterful endemic Sumatran Treepie, the stunning endemic Graceful Pitta, the poorly-known Marbled Wren-Babbler, Sunda (or Lesser) Forktail and Sunda Cuckooshrike (the latter two species being endemic to the Greater Sundas).

A little lower, we should find more endemics, including Sumatran Drongo, Cream-striped, Sumatran and Spot-necked Bulbuls, and, with luck, the beautiful Blue-masked and Sumatran Leafbirds (the latter have suffered from extensive trapping, so nowadays the chances of a sighting are not great, though fortunately we have more chances later in the tour in Bandar Aceh).

By gradually descending along the road, we will encounter a huge array of species ranging from montane specialists to denizens of the steamy lowlands, and new species will be plentiful. At higher and mid-elevations new species we may see include the bizarrely-shaped Silver-rumped Spinetail, Crested Serpent Eagle, Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle, Black and Rufous-bellied Eagles, Little Cuckoo-Dove, Green-billed Malkoha, Wreathed, Rhinoceros and Bushy-crested Hornbills, the delightful Long-tailed Broadbill, Greater and Lesser Yellownapes, Maroon Woodpecker, Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, Ashy and Lesser Racket-tailed Drongos, Ochraceous and Cinereous (split from Ashy) Bulbuls, Horsfield’s Babbler, Sangkar White-eye (confusion still surrounds the taxonomy of this species), Hill Prinia, Yellow-bellied Warbler, the scarce Fulvous-chested Jungle Flycatcher, Verditer Flycatcher, Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher, the smart Black-and-crimson Oriole and Grey Wagtail.

At lower levels, we will search for species more typical of lowland rainforest, such as Gold-whiskered, Black-eared, Red-throated and Coppersmith Barbets, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Grey-bellied, Streaked, and Spectacled Bulbuls, the attractive Scaly-breasted Bulbul, the smart Grey-headed Babbler and Plain Sunbird, while the roadside scrub holds the Sundaic-endemic Bar-winged Prinia.

With luck, we will encounter a few of the scarcer species such as Giant Swiftlet, Dark Hawk-Cuckoo, Rusty-breasted Cuckoo, the shy White-crowned Hornbill, Crested Honey Buzzard, Yellow-crowned Barbet (easier to hear than see), Blue Whistling Thrush, the elusive Rufous-chested and White-tailed Flycatchers, and Crested Jayshrike (now placed in its own family!). With a great deal of luck, we will come across the spectacular but endangered Helmeted Hornbill, a species exploited for its elaborate casque, which is inexcusably used to make carvings!

While exploring the Mauro Sako area, we should also come across the stocky and charismatic all-black Siamang Gibbons. Advertising themselves by their varied song – a mixture of resonant booming notes and at times almost human-like cries, we may spot them swinging acrobatically through the foliage.

Classic Sumatra: Day 14

This morning, we will return to Mauro Sako to look for any species that we have not yet encountered. Afterwards, we will drive to Padang airport, where our tour ends this afternoon.

(There are direct flights from Padang to Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.)