We visited Tangkoko Nature reserve in March 2026. We only had 3 days and 3 nights with Tangkoko Wildlife Tours at Hideaway cottage. In that short time Julian managed to show us 69 bird species, 55 new to us including 30 endemics, 2 snake species, 3 lizard species and 1 toad. We watched cuscus, black macaques and one night a family of tarsiers. That was very special. One early morning we got to observe the Sulawesi pitta from a bird hide, an absolute highlight. All 3 mornings we started birding and wildlife watching at 5:30 often until lunch. After some rest we usually headed out for evening explorations around 15:30 for another 3-5 hours. We always had the feeling that Julian was as excited as us to find any animals, especially endemics. He believes that protecting nature starts with creating awareness and appreciation of the species. He is well connected with other local nature enthusiasts. We appreciated that he often attached our phone to his binoculars on tripod to take a picture, particularly when there was not enough light for our camera. The home cooked meals at the Hideaway cottage were delicious. Water (tea/coffee) and bananas were always available for snacks. The room was very clean and comfortable. The family was so welcoming. There were colorful sunbirds, flowerpeckers, parrots, malkoha etc and butterflies visiting the beautiful garden of Hideaway cottage. We were so glad we arranged our stay with Tangkoko Wildlife Tours. We highly recommend Julian as a tour guide who is eager to share his tremendous knowledge of the local fauna, and general ecological issues such as mining or destructive tourism impacts on the area.
Here is our endemics list: 1. Spot tailed goshawk 2. Sulawesi hawk-eagle 3. Sulawesi scoops owl 4. Ochre bellied boobook 5. Sulawesi dwarf kingfisher 6. Great billed kingfisher 7. Green backed kingfisher 8. Sulawesi pitta 9. Knobbed hornbill 10. Sulawesi hornbill 11. Sulawesi babbler 12. Sulawesi myna 13. White necked myna 14. White faced cuckoo dove 15. Silver tipped imperial pigeon 16. Sulawesi crow 17. Black billed koel 18. Bay cougal 19. Yellow billed malkoha 20. Sulawesi hanging parrot 21. Azure rumped parrot 22. Ornate lorikeet 23. Purple winged roller 24. Ashy woodpecker 25. Pale blue monarch 26. Pied cuckooshrike 27. Rusty backed thrush 28. Yellow sided flowerpecker 29. Gray sided flowerpecker 30. Golden mantled racquet-tail
We visited Tangkoko Nature reserve in March 2026. We only had 3 days and 3 nights with Tangkoko Wildlife Tours at Hideaway cottage. In that short time Julian managed to show us 69 bird species, 55 new to us including 30 endemics, 2 snake species, 3 lizard species and 1 toad. We watched cuscus, black macaques and one night a family of tarsiers. That was very special. One early morning we got to observe the Sulawesi pitta from a bird hide, an absolute highlight. All 3 mornings we started birding and wildlife watching at 5:30 often until lunch. After some rest we usually headed out for evening explorations around 15:30 for another 3-5 hours. We always had the feeling that Julian was as excited as us to find any animals, especially endemics. He believes that protecting nature starts with creating awareness and appreciation of the species. He is well connected with other local nature enthusiasts. We appreciated that he often attached our phone to his binoculars on tripod to take a picture, particularly when there was not enough light for our camera.
ReplyDeleteThe home cooked meals at the Hideaway cottage were delicious. Water (tea/coffee) and bananas were always available for snacks. The room was very clean and comfortable. The family was so welcoming. There were colorful sunbirds, flowerpeckers, parrots, malkoha etc and butterflies visiting the beautiful garden of Hideaway cottage. We were so glad we arranged our stay with Tangkoko Wildlife Tours. We highly recommend Julian as a tour guide who is eager to share his tremendous knowledge of the local fauna, and general ecological issues such as mining or destructive tourism impacts on the area.
Here is our endemics list:
1. Spot tailed goshawk
2. Sulawesi hawk-eagle
3. Sulawesi scoops owl
4. Ochre bellied boobook
5. Sulawesi dwarf kingfisher
6. Great billed kingfisher
7. Green backed kingfisher
8. Sulawesi pitta
9. Knobbed hornbill
10. Sulawesi hornbill
11. Sulawesi babbler
12. Sulawesi myna
13. White necked myna
14. White faced cuckoo dove
15. Silver tipped imperial pigeon
16. Sulawesi crow
17. Black billed koel
18. Bay cougal
19. Yellow billed malkoha
20. Sulawesi hanging parrot
21. Azure rumped parrot
22. Ornate lorikeet
23. Purple winged roller
24. Ashy woodpecker
25. Pale blue monarch
26. Pied cuckooshrike
27. Rusty backed thrush
28. Yellow sided flowerpecker
29. Gray sided flowerpecker
30. Golden mantled racquet-tail