Indonesia Highlights: Sulawesi, Java & Komodo - August 2025
Dates: August 1 - 17, 2025
Leaders: Dion Hobcroft & Local Leader
E-bird
Total Species: 403 birds
Click Here to view list.
Overall Summary
We had an incredibly successful tour with so many highlights! We spent our first four days on the Minahasa Peninsula on the northern tip of Sulawesi. At Mahawu, a dormant volcano clad in thick jungle, we quickly picked up our two most wanted species, Sulawesi Pitta and Scaly-breasted Kingfisher. A spotlighting session was particularly successful, producing walk-away views of Sulawesi Scops-Owl, Speckled Boobook, and Sulawesi Masked Owl in thirty minutes.
Moving to Tangkoko, it was an express train of great birds: White-bellied Imperial Pigeon, Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher, Great-billed Kingfisher, Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher, Green-backed Kingfisher, Spot-tailed Goshawk, Golden-mantled Racquet-tail, White-necked Myna, and Rusty-backed Thrush among the highlights. Further diversity was added with Bear Cuscus, Gursky’s Tarsier, and Sulawesi Black Macaque. It was, literally, “wow.”
After a big travel day, we arrived in Way Kambas in southeast Sumatra. During two full days, we immersed ourselves in the rich Sundaic jungles expertly guided by Hari Yono and his team. Each session, morning and afternoon, was quite unbelievable, and I rated this as the best birding I have done all year. Crested Partridge, Malayan Crested Fireback, five species of malkohas, the rare Bonaparte’s Nightjar, both Sunda and Large Frogmouths, Storm’s Stork, Bat Hawk, Lesser Fish Eagle, three species of trogons, Red-bearded Bee-eater, Banded and Rufous-collared kingfishers, nine species of woodpeckers including the rare Olive-backed, five species of broadbills, two species of pittas, Rufous-winged Philentoma, twelve species of babblers, and three species of leafbirds—you get the idea.
With an early flight into Jakarta, I hastily organized an optional boat trip into Jakarta Bay. It worked well and gave us Milky Stork and superb studies of the rare Christmas Island Frigatebird. Our two nights at the very comfortable Carita Forest Reserve delivered a bunch of new birds, including superb studies of Javan Frogmouth, Spotted Wood-Owl, Yellow-eared Barbet, Javan Banded Pitta, Javan Black-capped Babbler, Temminck’s Babbler, and Streaked Weaver, to mention a few. Thanks to Wawan for keeping the bird hide operational and assisting us with many of these stakeouts.
We moved on to Flores, and although I have visited many times, I believe this was our most successful visit. It started strongly with Mee’s Nightjar and Moluccan Scops-Owl. As we headed into the mountainous interior, a key stop produced the amazing Ornate Pitta (our fifth pitta of the tour) and the difficult Flores Crow. In the mountains, we had tremendous success with perched Flores Hawk-Eagle, Flores Green Pigeon, Flores and Wallace’s Scops-Owls, Wallace’s Hanging Parrot, White-rumped Kingfisher, and Chestnut-backed Thrush. We could do no wrong. Followed by an audience with the extraordinary Bare-throated Whistler, we returned to the coast via a Chestnut-capped Thrush for our day trip to Komodo.
This operation went well, and we arrived early to pick up many of the special birds here, including the critically endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoo. We observed two fine Komodo Dragons—one an absolute beast. This ended our time on the main tour, with a couple of late highlights including a Great-billed Parrot and Stork-billed Kingfisher. We all continued on to Bali.
Day-by-Day Summary
August 1 - Arrival and transfer to the Minahasa Peninsula. Evening acclimatization and first introduction to northern Sulawesi habitats.
August 2 - Exploration of Mahawu’s montane forest. Early success with Sulawesi Pitta and Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, plus nocturnal spotlighting for Sulawesi Scops-Owl, Speckled Boobook, and Sulawesi Masked Owl.
August 3 - Full day in Tangkoko with outstanding birding, including multiple hornbills, kingfishers, racquet-tail, and endemic passerines, plus mammals such as Gursky’s Tarsier and Sulawesi Black Macaque.
August 4 - Further birding in lowland rainforest and edge habitats, adding additional forest species and consolidating views of Sulawesi endemics.
August 5 - Long travel day via connecting flights to southeast Sumatra. Transfer to Way Kambas area and overnight arrival.
August 6 - First full day in Sundaic rainforest. Exceptional birding with hornbills, pittas, frogmouths, storks, and a wide diversity of forest specialists.
August 7 - Second full day in the reserve with continued outstanding birding, including mixed forest flocks and additional views of key specialties.
August 8 - Final morning and afternoon sessions in Way Kambas, consolidating sightings of rare and highly sought-after lowland forest species.
August 9 - Morning flight to Jakarta. Optional boat trip in Jakarta Bay producing Milky Stork and Christmas Island Frigatebird.
August 10 - Transfer to Carita Forest Reserve. Afternoon birding around forest edge and first stakeouts at local bird hides.
August 11 - Full day at Carita with excellent views of Javan Frogmouth, Spotted Wood-Owl, and key Sundaic forest species at established feeding sites.
August 12 - Final day in Carita with continued birding success, including babblers, pittas, and woodland specialists. Final stakeouts with local guide support.
August 13 - Flight to Flores and transfer into upland forest zones. Evening birding yields night species including owls and nightjars.
August 14 - Full day in montane habitats with Ornate Pitta, Flores Crow, Flores Hawk-Eagle, parrots, kingfishers, and thrushes.
August 15 - Morning mountain birding followed by return toward the coast and day excursion to Komodo Island area.
August 16 - Early arrival and birding focused on island endemics, including Yellow-crested Cockatoo, plus sightings of Komodo Dragons.
August 17 - Final birding highlights including Great-billed Parrot and Stork-billed Kingfisher before departure and continuation to Bali.
Wildlife Seen:
MAMMALS:
Bear Cuscus: Tangkoko
Sugar Glider: Tangkoko
Plantain Squirrel: Sumatra, Java and Bali
Black-banded Squirrel: Sumatra
Black Giant Squirrel: Bali
Prevost’s Squirrel: Sumatra
Sulawesi Dwarf Squirrel: Tangkoko
Hoffman’s Rat: Mahawu
Javan Rusa Deer: Komodo
Southern Red Muntjac: Bali
Wild Boar: Komodo
Gursky’s Tarsier: Tangkoko
Sulawesi Black Macaque: Tangkoko
Long-tailed Macaque: Sumatra, Java and Bali
West Javan Lutung: Carita
Javan Langur: Bali
Lesser Short-nosed Fruit-bat: Tangkoko
Lesser False Vampire: Sumatra
Sulawesi Water Monitor: Tangkoko
Javan Water Monitor: Jakarta
Komodo Dragon: Komodo
Garden Calotes: Bali
Draco spilonotus: Tangkoko
Draco volans: Carita
Eutropis rudis: Tangkoko
Eutropis multifasciata: Sumatra
Cryptoblepharus renschi: Komodo