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Sulawesi Birding Info needed (1 Viewer)

albatross02

Well-known member
Hello together,

I think about Sulawesi birding and snorkeling for min. 3 weeks.
Ideal would combination of both.
Is there any pace for birding in the morning and than snorkelling from beach ?

How is birding on Bunaken island ?
Is there any accomodation in or near Bogani Wani Wartabobe nationalpark ?
( hotel, B&B or possibility to set up tent )
How is about traffic in Sulawesi, is it recommended to rent a car ?

Is there any guides recommend for day or different day tours ?

Thank Yo very much.


Best regards
Dieter
 
I wrote to Nurlin Djuni, an excellent bird guide we used in Sulawesi in 2015. (I recommend him highly, and Arjan Dwarshuis hired him as part of his record World Big Year.)

He wrote that a 3 week birding & snorkeling holiday in Sulawesi would be fine, and that Bunaken island is OK for birding .

"There is a place to set up a tent near Dumoga Bone National park called Toraut forest. Can do hiking and fresh up body at the waterfall. However, the accommodation Tante Min Guest House is recommended place to stay near the park.

Recommended to hire car if you do vacation in Sulawesi, but traffic is a problem in Manado and Makassar.

There are local guides available for day tours at several places for a low cost..."

You can write to Nurlin at [email protected], or send me a "private message" in Birdforum if you have questions. His Website is www.malia-tours.com

Good luck,
Steve
 
Hello Steve,

thank You very much for the advices.
Sulawesi seems less touristy.
There are no international car rental companies.
But is not difficult reachable, because direckt flights from Singapore.


Best regards
Dieter
 
You are right that Sulawesi is not very "touristy", and Halamhera even less. In many towns there are no real hotels, just "guest houses" and "home-stays". Nurlin's company arranged all those for us. In some places I think it would be difficult to get those rooms if you don't speak bahasa indonesia or a local language. But people were very friendly...
 
I think birding on Sulawesi will be impossible for a long time.

It maybe depends where as it's a big place, although central Sulawesi/ Lore Lindu will certanly be much harder for a while. Not sure how bad the volcanic erruption in the north will be, but it could have some effects up there too.

Does anyone know if any birding tour groups have been affected by the earthquake? It's around peak season for birding trips, so I suppose some were present on the island.
 
It may not be possible to visit Sulawesi for a while, but the epicenter of the earthquake was just north of Palu, so Bunaken (and the city of Manado and the prime birding spots in extreme NE Sulawesi -- Tangkoko, Dumoga Bone, etc.) are about 400 Km away and not separated by open ocean, so they may have avoided damage.

I have heard indirectly that Nurlin and his young son Wallace are alive "on a hill", and that Allin Sawuwu who works with him is also safe. They all live in Palu, which got the worst of the tsunami, and they have not answered any of my emails and messages.
 
It may not be possible to visit Sulawesi for a while, but the epicenter of the earthquake was just north of Palu, so Bunaken (and the city of Manado and the prime birding spots in extreme NE Sulawesi -- Tangkoko, Dumoga Bone, etc.) are about 400 Km away and not separated by open ocean, so they may have avoided damage.

I have heard indirectly that Nurlin and his young son Wallace are alive "on a hill", and that Allin Sawuwu who works with him is also safe. They all live in Palu, which got the worst of the tsunami, and they have not answered any of my emails and messages.

It's good to hear they're okay. I've been a bit worried about them. Thanks for the update.
 
I'm supposed to be starting a Sulawesi tour in fours weeks. First night is Palu then several at Lore Lindu then another night in Palu. Not sure what to think at the moment. Heard from the tour organiser Royke Mananta on Monday morning (he lives in Palu). All good apparently!
 
Hi All! My wife and I are planning to visit Lore Lindu for a couple of days in mid-May 2019. We need a local guide, and any advice on how to get to Lore Lindu and where to stay would be appreciated! Any information you could share? Thanks so much!
 
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