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.

Birdwatching in Bukit Barisan National Park

Bukit Barisan National Park

This 356,800-ha park covers the southern tip of the Barisan range and just out as a spur into the Sunda Strait. It could act as a funned for migratory passerines and raptors between August and October but this has never been checked out; the mosaic of scrub, forest and grassland around Bimbing looks particularly promising.

The whole park is below 700 m, making it an excellent place to see lowland forest specialities, and it boasts spectacular coastal scenery. The best birding excursion is the 4-day circular trek from Tambung across the southern tip to Belimbing, returning along a new track, which follows the coast. There is an alternative return route from Belimbing via the caves at Way Paya, which could be good.

In the northern part of the park there is a trail that leads into excellent forest and across the peninsula from the PHPA post at Sukaraja.

Key species

Beach Thick-knee, Great Argus, Pink-necked Green Pigeon, Pied and green Imperial Pigeons, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Raffles Malkoha, Blue-banded Kingfisher, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Olive-backed Woodpecker, Black-and-yellow Broadbill, Rail Babblers, Purple-naped Sunbird, Black Magpie.

Getting there

The town to head for is Kota Agung. There are daily buses from Bandar Lampung; the journey time is approximately 4 hrs and the fare IDR 7,500. if you fly to Bandar Lampung, taxis at the airport will drive you to Kota Agung for $40-45.

General Information

The national Park office is at Jl Raya Terbaya, this is 1.5 km before downtown Kota Agung on the main road from Lampung. Park entrance fee is IDR 7,500. You are obliged to take a park guide to enter the park ($10/IDR 90,000 per day)

source: Birding Indonesia. periplus Publishing. Singapore