Birdwatching in Kutai National Park

Kalimantan

Samarinda, the capital of East Kalimantan, is the main point of embarkation for boats up the Mahakam river and the starting point for trips to Kutai National Park. Samarinda is about 115 km north of Balikpapan, and 60 km from the sea upriver on the Mahakam.

Kutai National Park

One of Indonesia’s first and largest reserves, Kutai offers excellent birding opportunities for twitchers, adventurers and the leisure tourist alike. More than 236 bird species have been recorded for the park.

Key species

Rufous-bellied Eagle, Wallace’s Hawk-eagle, Crested Partridge, Crested Fireback, Great Argus, Large Green Pigeon, Large Frogmouth, seven species of Horbill (notably Wrinkled), blue-headed Pitta, Garnet Pitta, Bornean Wren-babbler, Bornean Bristlehead, Dusky Munia.

Other wildlife

Proboscis Monkeys, Barking and Sambar Deer, Mouse-deer, Banteng, Clouded Leopard, near Mentoko, you might see wild Orang-utan, gibbons and leaf monkeys.

Getting there

Teluk Kaba from Samarinda take a taxi/kijang (2-2.5 hours, $2.50) or bus (3 hrs, $2) to Bontang. Hire a boat from Bontang (Tanjung Limau Harbour) to Teluk Kaba (1.5-2 hrs, $15).

Mentoko from Samarinda; take a bus all the way to Sangatta (4 hrs, $10). From Bontang; drive or take a bus north direct to Sangatta (about 2 hrs). from Teluk Kaba; walk 2-3 km back to the main road and take a bus to Sangatta (about 1 hr if the road is good). At sangatta; a ketinting motor boat can be chartered upriver to Mentoko (2.5 hrs, $350. a rather more expensive way to travel is to take a boat all the way from Tanjung Limau to mentoko (10 hrs for $50).

General information

The driest period is April to October. Before entering the park, visitors should report to the National Park offices (Kantor Taman Nasional Kutai, Jl Mulawarman 236, Tromolpos 1, Bontang 75283, Kalimantan Timur). The most accessible sites are Teluk Kaba and Mentoko, but hiking and camping are esy as the terrain is relatively flat. There is a 30-km jungle trail from Pinang (near Sangatta village) to mentoko, and other trails lead from Teluk Kaba. Leeches are abundant at Mentoko during the rainy months; antileech socks are most effective, and better than repellents.

taken from Birding Indonesia. Periplus Publishing. Singapore

Birdwatching in The Southern Circuit (Sumatra)

The southern Circuit

A daily ferry to Kampung leaves the quay at Kota Agung between 10.00 and 12.00 am. The crossing takes 4-6 hrs, depending how loaded the boat is. Fare IDR 15,000. The transfer from the ferry to shore is by canoe through exhilarating surf. Make sure your equipment is in waterproof bags!

Buy you supplies in Kota Agung. There is a small PHPA post in Tampang, and visitors stay the night with Pak Salamat next door ($ 3,5/IDR 30,000 per peson). PHPA will arrange porters if you need them ($5/IDR 50,000 a day per person). Pak Hasim knows the trails well. From Tampang it is a 6-hr birding walk (2-hr straight trek) to a good shelter at Duku Banyak. 

The forest here is excellent and it would be worth staying two nights. From Duku Banyak it is a 4-hr trek (but make a day of it) to the coast at Belimbing, site of a WW2 field and a light-house. An ecotourism resort is being developed here by PT Nusantara (Rudy Schultz), next to the PHPA post. They are said to be welcoming to trekkers and you can stay here, in the PHPA post or camp. During bird migration months, especially, this area would be worth a couple of days.

A recommended side trip from Belimbing is the 3-hr trek north to the swiftlet caves at Way Paya. The trail follows the coast for 2 hrs before heading inland into the hills. It passes through excellent forest.

PT Nusantara has constructed a track along the south coast between Belimbing and Tampang. It passes through a mosaic of savannah and forest, and the birding is excellent. Take two days and camp at Lake Minjukut, reached after 5-6 hrs’ walking. The next day is another 4-5 hr walk to Tambang Mas on the edge of the park. From here you can hire a boat for $15/IDR 150,000 to take you round to Tambang, find an ojek or walk the last 12 km back to Tampang.

Sukaraja

This is an area of hilly forest (still below 500 m) in the centre of the park. The birding is excellent. The base is the PHPA’s Pos Sukaraja, close to the Kota Agung-Benkunat road, which bisects the park. The national park office can arrange a jeep to take you up here for $25-30. the turning to the Sukaraja post is on the right, just after you pass the national park boundary sign. It is a 20-min walk from the road through coffee plantatins. Give at least IDR 25,000 for staying at the post. The good forest starts 30 min to the west.