Birdwatching in Sulawesi Peninsula Ujung Pandang

Ujung Pandang

Ujung Pandang is the capital and administrative centre of the province of south Sulawesi. It is the main point of entry for the south of the island and the base for a trip to Lake Tempe and the very popular Tana Toraja area. Ujung Pandang’s hasanuddin (international) airport, the gateway to eastern Indonesia, is well connected to the rest of the archipelago.

Sultan Hasanudin International Airport

Getting there

By air the airport is 25 km north of town on the road to Maros, 30 min’s drive. The half hour taxi ride into town costs $6 or $8 AC, or you can walk 500 m to the main road and catch a bemo for $1 including luggage.

By sea five pelni ships call at Ujung pandang on fixed schedules of 14 days.

By bus there is a daily bus service to and from all the major towns in South Sulawesi, however getting out of Ujung Pandang can be a hassle. Coaches and minibuses to other towns leave from terminal Pasar Daya at km 15. allow at least a half hor for the journey. First take a bemo (IDR 1,000) or becak (IDR 2,000-IDR 4,000) to Sentral (the central bemo terminus) and from there a second bemo to Panaikan. From here, buses leave regularly throughout the day up to 7 pm.

Accommodation/Dining

Ujung Pandang is expensive by Indonesian standars. At the lower end of the scale there are many cheap penginapan around the part area, but these are not recommended. Most of the larger hotels add 21% service and tax; smaller ones may add 10%.

The main attraction of eating out in Ujung Pandang is the seafood: huge shrimps and lobsters, dark-skinned fish with delicate white flesh, and giant, jucy crabs. There is an enormous range of restaurants as wel as several hundred metres of warung along the seafront.

source Birding Indonesia. Periplus Publishing. Singapore

Surrounding Bali: landscape, Religion

The southern slopes of Bali’s central volcanoes are heavely cultivated and rice terraces extend high up the mountain sides. This area is the cradle of Bali’s rich and ancient civilization. It is virtually the only region of Indonesia that remains Hindu today, left to go its own way during the wave of Islamization that swept through the archipelago in the 15th century, they were so fascinated by what they found that they made a concerted effort to conserve and foster Bali’s traditional culture.

As traditional Balinese art commonly features birds, a painting would features birds, a painting would seem to make the ideal souvenir. It is quite a challenge, however to find a piece depicting only native species American Cardinals. Australian Rossellas and south American toucans regularly pop up among the lotus pools and nymphs-just one example of the ease with which Balinese culture accepts new and foreign elements. Perhaps the growing popularity of bird-watching will help the Balinese to appreciate the beuty and variety of their own native birds.

Nowhere matches Bali for such a fusion of birds, landscapes and cultures-for birders with eclectic interests it is an island not to be missed.