Ecotours Indonesia: Wildlife Tour in Tangkoko and Minahasa Highland

Tangkoko Nature Reserve and Minahasa Highland is a great destination for visitors who are interested in seeing the plant and animals of Sulawesi island. The rainforest of Tangkoko and Minahasa highland is the habitat of various species of mammals such as Gursky's Spectral Tarsier, Celebes-crested Macaque, Sulawesi-crested Macaque. Beautiful birds could also be observed in the forest. They include: Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, Minahasa Racquet-tail, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, and etc.

Knobbed Hornbill, Finch-billed Myna, Spot-tailed Goshawk, Black-naped Fruit-dove

The duration of this wildlife tour is 7 days/ 6 nights. Tourists who are interested in taking this tour need to fly to Manado city which is the capital of North Sulawesi Province in the Republic of Indonesia.

Day 1

We will start the tour by meeting you at the airport of Manado city and the organize your transfer by car to Tomohon town of Minahasa highland. It takes around 1 hour to reach it.
We will check into a hotel and let you take a rest for around 2 hours.
We will go to Lake Linow where you could watch birds such as Eastern Cattle Egret, White-breasted Waterhen, Little Egret, Barn Swallow, Pied Stilt, Sunda Teal, Javan Pond Heron and etc.

Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill

Day 2

We will start very early in the morning by going to Mount Mahawu at 06:00 to watch such birds as Sulawesi Pitta and Scaly-breasted Kingfisher.
After that we will return to hotel again for you to take breakfast.
We will go back to Mount Mahawu to do birdwatching and butterflywatching. Birds that could be seen along the path that leads us to the crater of the volcano include Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Warbling White-eye, Sulawesi Myzomela, Sulawesi Bush Warbler, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Red Jungle Fowl, Superb Fruit-dove, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, and etc.

Day 3

We will go to Sonder's Farm Forest to look for such birds as Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Pygmy Woodpecker, Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon, Superb Fruit-dove, Black Sunbird, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Lesser Fish Eagle, Sulawesi Goshawk, Black Kite, Sulawesi Drongo, Crimson Sunbird, Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker, Black-crowned White-eye, Warbling White-eye, and etc.
After lunch, we will continue our exploration of Sonder's farm forest to look for such birds as Pale Blue Monarch, Black-naped Oriole, Sulawesi Crow, White-breasted Woodswallow, and etc.
A short visit to Kengkang waterfall will allow us to see various kinds of butterflies including Common Birdwing (Troides helena), Gigon Swallowtail (Papilio gigon), The Clipper (Parthenos sylvia), and Lime Swallow Tail (Papilio demoleus).
There are also birds that like to sit on the branches of trees that grow on the slope of the waterfall area. They are Green Imperial Pigeon, Sulawesi-crested Myna, White-rumped Triller, and Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon.

Sahul Sunbird (also called Olive-backed Sunbird)

Day 4

In the morning, we could still do wildlife watching and photographic tour along the slope of Mount Mahawu. After that we will check out of the hotel and then continue our trip to Tankoko Nature Reserve.
There are such butterflies as Blanchards Ghost and Wood Nymph Butterfly
We will have a short stop at Temboan Hill to watch such birds as Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Pygmy Hanging Parrot, Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, Sahul Sunbird, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Green Imperial Pigeon, Minahasa Racquet-tail (also called Yellow-breasted Racquet-tail), Sulawesi-crested Myna, Black-naped Oriole, and etc.

Sulawesi Bear Cuscus

Day 5

Early in the morning, we will start our tour into Tangkoko forest. We will look for Green-backed Kingfisher, Lilac Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher, Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher, Spot-tailed Goshawk, Ashy Woodpecker, White-necked Myna, Blue-backed Parrot, Lesser Coucal, Bay Coucal, Purple Heron, Yellow-billed Malkoha, and etc.
In the afternoon, after lunch, we will return to Tangkoko forest to look for birds along the river such as Nankeen Night Heron, Striated Heron, Little Egret, Barred Rail, Isabelline Bush-hen.
We will also look for Celebes-crested Macaque, Sulawesi Bear Cuscus.
Towards 18:00, we will walk deeper into the forest to the place of Gursky's Spectral Tarsier. These small mammals usually come out of their hiding places at dusk.

Gursky's Spectral Tarsier

Day 6

If the weather is good, we will go to Naun river by a motorized boat. We will look for Great-billed Kingfisher. There are also other birds in the riverside including White-rumped Cuckooshrike, Gray-billed Heron, Pacific Reef Heron, Pacific Swallow and etc.
In the afternoon, we will visit Temboan hill again to look for such birds as Knobbed Hornbill, Sulawesi Dwarf Hornbill, Black-naped Oriole, Sulawesi Brush Cuckoo, Sulawesi Cicada Bird, Black-billed Koel abd etc.

Manado Yellow Tiger Butterfly

Day 7

We still have time to enjoy birding in Temboan hill and the man-made lake at the road side. Water birds that we could find there include Oriental Darter, Little Grebe, Little Egret, Yellow Bittern, White-breasted Woodswallow and etc.

At around 10:00, we will transfer you to Sam Ratulangi Airport of Manado city.