Indonesia: Java and Sumatra

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Day 1: The tour begins at 6 p.m. in the lobby of our Jakarta hotel. Night in Jakarta. 

Day 2: We’ll visit areas north of Pamanukan and at various locations in Muara Gembong including Singkil, all sites that are around two hours from Jakarta and relatively easy to access. We’ll explore mangroves, fish ponds, and rice paddies in search of our first endemics and specialties, which may include the increasingly rare Milky Stork, Javan Plover, the endemic Sunda Coucal, Javan White-eye, and with luck Java Sparrow. Night in Jakarta. 

Days 3–4: We’ll travel to Gunung Gede National Park, where our main objective will be the Javan highland endemics but also the outstanding forest and the spectacular volcanoes for which Indonesia is renowned. Habitats here range from lush submontane forest to alpine meadows. We’ll spend a bit of time on the lower flanks of the mountain in the Cibodas Botanic Gardens, which is best for a few endemics such as White-flanked Sunbird, Pygmy Tit, and Sunda Forktail, but we’ll mainly concentrate on the Gunung Gede trail. Almost all the Javan endemics can be found in this important national park, and by exploring the main trail we’ll almost certainly encounter mixed feeding flocks containing a number of our hoped-for species, including White-bibbed and Crescent-chested Babblers, Dark-throated White-eye, Orange-spotted Bulbul, and perhaps even Javan Trogon. There are as well some exciting ground-dwelling birds to seek out, such as the very cute Javan Tesia, Sunda Thrush, or the secretive Chestnut-bellied Partridge. Nights in Cibodas. 

Days 5–6: We’ll leave Gunung Gede and travel the short distance to Halimun, a national park set at a slightly lower altitude and where the hill and submontane forests hold several species that aren’t found at other sites in western Java. White-breasted Babblers are fairly common, and mixed feeding flocks may hold the endemic White-bellied Fantail as well as Sunda Minivet, Grey-throated White-eye, Javan Sunbird, and Grey-cheeked and Sunda Bulbuls. Dark-backed Imperial-Pigeons can be heard calling from the forest canopy, where they often perch conspicuously on dead snags. Sumatran Green-Pigeon is found here, and Javan Hawk-Eagle can sometimes be seen soaring over the treetops. One of our main targets will be the much sought-after Spotted Crocias, an inconspicuous but rather glamorous canopy dweller that is found only in this small area of western Java. Nights in Halimun. 

Day 7: We’ll travel to the seaside town of Carita, known for its pristine white beaches, turquoise tropical waters, and views of the legendary Krakatau (Krakatoa) volcano. We’ll bird in the remnant forests near the town, where the density of birds is low but we may nevertheless see some fine, localized endemics: Grey-cheeked Tit-Babbler, White-breasted Babbler, and Black-banded Barbet. We may also encounter Banded Kingfisher, Banded Broadbill, Banded Pitta, Bay Banded Cuckoo, and a few other non-Banded things. Nightbirds such as Sunda Scops Owl, Large-tailed Nightjar, and Javan Frogmouth are also possible. Night in Carita. 

Day 8: We’ll have a full morning of birding in the forest patches around Carita. Few areas of intact lowland forest remain in Java, so extra time exploring these remnants around Carita will give us second chances at some of the increasingly scarce lowland specialists. After lunch we’ll return by vehicle on crowded roads to Jakarta in preparation for tomorrow morning’s flight to Bandar Lampung in the south of Sumatra. Night in Jakarta. 

Day 9: Depending on our flight schedule, we may have some time to bird at Muara Angke in the morning before we go to the airport for our short flight to Bandar Lampung. On arrival we’ll meet our driver and transfer to our accommodation near Way Kambas National Park. Our charming guesthouse is located just outside the park, so this afternoon we’ll get a start on our birding adventures soon after we check in. Night at Alam Way Kanan Guesthouse. 

Days 10–12: Way Kambas National Park, a 320,000-acre lowland swamp forest island in a sea of humanity, is well known for its large mammals and lowland specialist bird species. Although partly degraded by logging, it is now well protected and offers refuge to a number of endangered species, including Sumatran Tiger, Javan Rhino, White-winged Duck, and Wrinkled Hornbill. Our main quarry here will be White-winged Duck and some nightbirds, and from a list of the latter we may be lucky enough to see Bonaparte’s Nightjar, Brown Hawk-Owl, and Gould’s Frogmouth. 

We’ll bird the entrance road around Way Kanan Pos and the Look Trail, and in the evenings we’ll spotlight along the entrance road just a short way from our accommodation. The Look Trail is good for pheasants and partridges, and Banded Pitta is regularly seen here and on the main road. One morning we’ll travel by boat upstream from the park headquarters to Rawa Gajah (Elephant Swamp) and to the Alang Alang for White-winged Duck. Later we’ll continue birding along the entrance road before taking a boat trip downstream to Pertama Swamp and Kali Biru Pos. Cinnamon-headed Green Pigeon is relatively common here, and we should find the stunning Small Blue Kingfisher. Nights at Alam Way Kanan Guesthouse. 

Day 13: We’ll fly back to Jakarta from Bandar Lampung, continue by air to Padang in central Sumatra, and then drive from Padang to Kersik Tuo near Gunung Kerinci. Our drive will mostly be through the hilly terrain that typifies this part of Sumatra, traversing a mosaic of forest, farmland, and villages. We’ll make occasional stops for birding around Lake Kerinci and surrounding swamps and padis. Night in Kersik Tuo. 

Days 14–16: Kerinci-Seblat, in the southern Barisan Ranges in Sumatra’s southwest, is Indonesia’s second-largest national park. With its large area and altitudinal range from lowlands up to the alpine areas at the summit of Gunung Kerinci, the park is exceptionally important for its protection of a wide range of habitat, including lowland dipterocarp forest, lakes and wetlands, montane and hill forests, and alpine woodlands. Biodiversity within the park is extraordinarily high with many endemics  and a plethora of rare or restricted-range Sumatran birds, mammals, reptiles, invertebrates, and plants. Botanically, Kerinci-Seblat National Park is said to be more than twice as rich as the Amazon Basin. 

Most of the restricted-range birds occur in the hill forest along the Tapan Road and in the montane forest on the slopes of Gunung Kerinci and Gunung Tujuh. There are fifteen Sumatran endemics to be found within the boundaries of the park and a further six shared only with Java. A number of other important species are shared with peninsular Malaysia, Java, or Borneo, including the spectacular Fire-tufted Barbet, a monotypic genus confined to the upland forests of peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, and delightfully common on Gunung Kerinci and along the Tapan Road.  

On the slopes of Gunung Kerinci the diminutive ground-dwellers may distract us from our main task of searching for the endemics. Sunda Robin, Lesser Shortwing, and White-browed Shortwing are all common. The lower stretches of the forest appear to be wren-babbler heaven: the vocalizations of Pygmy, Eyebrowed, and Rusty-breasted Wren-Babblers provide a constant background symphony, while the fascinating Long-billed (otherwise found only in the Himalayas) is much more retiring. Blue Nuthatch is shared with Java and peninsular Malaysia, and is a major constituent of mixed flocks, whose other species include White-browed Shrike-Babbler, Grey-throated Babbler, and Golden Babbler. It seems that rainy days are good for the ground-dwelling species, while better weather brings out numerous mixed flocks and canopy-dwelling species. We’ll hope for a bit of both. Gunung Kerinci is also noted as a great site for some very scarce nightbirds—Pale-headed Frogmouth, Rajah Scops Owl, Barred Eagle Owl, and Salvadori’s Nightjar. Nights in Kersik Tuo. 

Days 17–19: We’ll transfer to Sungai Penuh and spend the next three days birding along the Tapan Road, which allows us to access the midmontane and lower elevations of Kerinci-Seblat National Park. The area between the Bukit Tapan Pass (4900 feet) and the small village of Muara Sako lies within the national park and shelters some wonderful hill and lower montane forest. This is the best site for a number of Sumatran endemics as well as many more widespread and spectacular Sundaic species. Our best strategy is to walk along the road from the pass down to Muara Sako, which will take us a full day but we’ll be followed by our bus for those needing a break. Two of the specialties here are Graceful Pitta and Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant, both of which are shy forest dwellers but with perseverance we have a chance. Nights in Sungai Penuh. 

Day 20: We’ll spend the morning birding along the road, first on a trail near Bukit Tapan Resort and then along a particularly good stretch of road, trying to catch up with anything we may have missed. Later in the morning we’ll make the long drive back to Padang. Night in Padang. 

Day 21: We’ll return to Jakarta from Padang, Sumatra’s third-largest city, for a last evening in the comfort of our beautiful hotel. If our flight schedule permits, we’ll enjoy some relaxed morning birding at forested sites on the outskirts of Padang, where we might find some widespread Southeast Asian species such as Coppersmith Barbet, Greater Green Leafbird, or Crimson Sunbird. Night in Jakarta. 

Day 22: The tour concludes this morning in Jakarta.

2026 Narrative

This year’s Java and Sumatra tour was a particularly memorable one, thanks not only to the extraordinary birds we encountered but also to a terrific group. The combination of good company, great food, excellent local support, and some seriously good birding made for a very enjoyable trip. Here’s a look back at our journey.

Muara Angke

Our Indonesian adventure began in an unlikely-looking corner of Jakarta. Muara Angke Reserve is a small area of mangrove, mudflats, and wetland habitat tucked into the sprawling metropolis, but it is an important site for one of the world’s rarest waterbirds, the Milky Stork. We were fortunate to find seven of these impressive birds, along with Lesser Whistling Duck, Sunda Teal, Pied Stilt, Bar-winged Prinia, and a selection of other wetland species.

The real prizes, however, were the Javan endemics. Javan Trogon, Javan Tesia, and Javan Grey-throated White-eye all put in appearances, while the elusive Javan Cochoa was seen not once but twice. It would be hard to ask for much more from a mountain forest!

Gunung Gede and Cibodas

Mount Gede Pangrango National Park encompasses the twin volcanoes of Gede and Pangrango and includes the famous Cibodas Botanical Gardens. The park protects an extraordinary variety of habitats and is one of the most important areas for montane biodiversity on Java.

Our objective was to explore the mountain and find as many of its special birds as our legs would permit. The climb is certainly not trivial—although, technically speaking, it really is a walk in the park!

We spent a full day working our way up the mountain, passing Cibeureum Waterfall and continuing towards Pos 2, roughly halfway to the summit. Our drivers even brought a picnic lunch up the mountain for us, which was a particularly welcome sight after the climb.

The birding more than justified the effort. We recorded over 40 species, an excellent total for Asian montane forest, including Red-billed Malkoha, Flame-fronted Barbet, Rufous-tailed Fantail, Javan and Orange-spotted Bulbuls, Javan Tesia, White-bibbed Babbler, and White-flanked Sunbird. Close views of the endemic Chestnut-bellied Partridge were outstanding. 

Two birds provided particularly memorable encounters for very different reasons. The Javan Whistling-Thrushes were remarkably confiding, allowing almost ridiculously close views. The Javan Shortwing, on the other hand, seemed determined to make us work for every glimpse. After considerable effort, it eventually gave us two or three brief but very satisfying views.

The trails around the botanical gardens provided a much easier way to continue birding, and they were equally worthwhile. An early morning search produced the normally elusive Sunda Thrush, followed by Yellow-throated Hanging-Parrots, Javan Banded Broadbill, Crescent-chested Babblers, Lesser Shortwings, and several other good birds.

As we left Gunung Gede behind, a Black Eagle provided an appropriate farewell before we set off on the long and rather bumpy journey towards Halimun National Park.

Halimun National Park

The drive to Halimun was every bit as bumpy and lengthy as promised. After reaching the park entrance, we did some roadside birding before continuing to our guesthouse. Unfortunately, activity was extremely low, perhaps a consequence of the El Niño conditions that year.

Once we were properly settled in, however, further exploration of this beautiful and relatively little-known area produced a much more impressive selection of birds. Highlights included our only Sumatran Green Pigeon of the tour, Blue Whistling-Thrush, a White-bibbed Babbler that led us on a particularly merry chase, Javan Leafbird, Crimson-winged Woodpecker, and colourful Sunda Minivets.

The surrounding tea plantations added another set of species, including the much-hoped-for Brown Prinia. Long-tailed Shrikes were plentiful, while Grey-rumped Treeswifts, Striated Grassbird, Javan Kingfisher, and a single Brown-backed Needletail rounded out the list.

Carita

Our final stop on Java was Carita, where we had only an afternoon and the following morning to explore. Despite the short visit, it proved highly productive.

A spell in a hide gave us superb, close views of the stunning Javan Banded-Pitta, as well as the newly split Javan Black-capped Babbler. Elsewhere we found Yellow-eared Barbet, Freckle-breasted Woodpecker, Temminck’s Babbler, and Small Minivets. A pair of extraordinarily cute Javan Frogmouths spotted in the daytime were a big hit.

The nightbirding right in the ground of our hotel was particularly memorable, with Spotted Wood-Owl as well as Large-tailed and Savanna Nightjars. three excellent nocturnal species to round off our Java birding.

Gunung Kerinci

Following the long journey from Padang to Kersik Tua, the gateway to Mount Kerinci, there was sadly no opportunity for birding that day. Fortunately, the next few days more than compensated for the lost time.

After meeting our drivers and stopping for a memorable Nasi Padang lunch, we continued towards the mountain and its forests. Mount Kerinci rises to 3,085 metres and is Indonesia’s highest peak. Its forested slopes support an impressive array of montane species, and local birders and rangers have established an excellent feeding station that gives us a chance at some particularly difficult birds.

Large Niltavas and Shiny Whistling-Thrushes were regular visitors, but the real excitement came when some of the more sought-after species appeared. Bronze-tailed Peacock-Pheasant, Salvadori’s Pheasant, Schneider’s Pitta, and Rusty-breasted Wren-Babbler, all made appearances. At one point, we were even treated to a Sumatran Trogon.

Danau Kaco

A few years ago I was delighted to learn about a new site for one of the world’s most notoriously elusive birds, the Sumatran Ground-Cuckoo. Naturally, we had to make the journey to Lake Kaco to try our luck.

The effort, and Dwi’s hard work in particular, paid off spectacularly. As we approached the area where the birds had been heard, the anticipation increased considerably. We settled down quietly in the forest, and before long a pair of Sumatran Ground-Cuckoos emerged and proceeded to give us an astonishing performance. For such a difficult bird, this was about as good as it gets.

Tapan Road

From Sungai Penuh we explored another section of Kerinci-Seblat National Park, this time at somewhat lower elevation in the foothills. The change in altitude brought with it a different mix of birds, including several endemics as well as more widespread Southeast Asian species.

Once again, a strategically positioned feeding station proved invaluable, producing excellent views of two species that can otherwise be exceptionally difficult to locate: Graceful Pitta and Marbled Wren-Babbler.

Roadside birding added plenty more to the list, including Rhinoceros Hornbill, Green-billed Malkoha, Fire-tufted, Gold-whiskered and Black-browed Barbets, Black-and-crimson Oriole, and Cream-striped Bulbul.

Way Kambas

Our final destination was Way Kambas National Park in southern Sumatra. Getting there involved a somewhat convoluted journey from Padang through Jakarta and Bandar Lampung, but once we reached the lowlands it was well worth the effort.

Way Kambas may not have the same concentration of endemic species as some of the mountain sites, but the birding was among the best of the entire tour, with Hari’s expertise making a significant contribution.

Among the highlights were Sumatran Babbler, Red-crowned Barbet, Rufous-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher, and Black-bellied Malkoha, along with many other species.

At Way Kambas National Park, our nightbirding produced an impressive selection of nocturnal species, making for some particularly memorable evenings, as well as daytime visits, in the forest. We encountered both Malaysian Eared-Nightjar and Bonaparte’s Nightjar, along with two superb frogmouths, Gould’s Frogmouth and Sunda Frogmouth. The owls were equally well represented, with Javan Scops-Owl, Sunda Scops-Owl, Buffy Fish-Owl, and Brown Boobook all putting in appearances. With the sounds of the forest changing after dark and birds emerging that are rarely encountered during daylight hours, Way Kambas proved to be an especially productive place to explore Sumatra’s nocturnal birdlife.

And that’s a wrap!

And so we came to the end of another Java and Sumatra adventure. The combination of fantastic birds, wonderful food, good friends, and the often chaotic but always entertaining logistics of travelling through Indonesia made this a trip to remember.

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