Lesser Sunda Birding

Overview

Lesser Sunda

Itinerary

Indonesia: Lesser Sunda Birding Trip
Destinations to Sumba, Rote, Timor, Flores, and Komodo 18 Days / 17 Nights
USD 6000 / Pax (Minimum 2 Pax)
Schedules 1 – 18 October 2025
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Ngurah Rai Denpasar Airport - Check-in at Hotel. Upon your arrival at the vibrant Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, you’ll be greeted by the warm Balinese hospitality. After navigating through the charming airport, we’ll transfer you to a nearby hotel where you can unwind and relax. Enjoy a delightful dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Day 2 : Morning Flight to Sumba and Bila Forest Exploration
On Day 2, we will start with a morning flight to Sumba, followed by a scenic four-hour drive to Bila Forest, located within the Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park. Our journey will be conducted in a robust four-wheel-drive jeep suitable for the terrain. In the late afternoon, we will engage in birdwatching, where we can observe some remarkable avian species. Among the highlights are the stunning and endemic Red-naped Fruit Dove, the Sumba Green Pigeon, and the Pale-shouldered Cicadabird. As dusk approaches, we may hear the calls of the localized and endemic Mees’s Nightjar, an exciting species we will actively seek to spot alongside the Sumba Boobook and Little Sumba Boobook. Our overnight accommodation will be at the Billa Post Guard Ranger Station, providing an immersive experience in this rich natural setting.

Day 3 and day 4: 2 Full days Birding at Bila Forest
Our targets are Sumba Hornbill, Yellow-crested Cockatoo (the Sumba subspecies shows an orange crest and cheeks and is sometimes split as Citron-crested Cockatoo), We have further chances for the magnificent Eclectus and Great-billed Parrots, while Marigold Lorikeet (recently split from Rainbow Lorikeet) and Red-cheeked Parrot, Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher, Other highly desirable forest specialties on the menu include Sumba Green Pigeon, Red-naped and Black-naped Fruit Doves, Wallacean Cuckooshrike, , Wallacean Drongo (this form sometimes split as Lesser Wallacean Drongo), Sumba Elegant Pitta, Arafura Fantail (split from Rufous Fantail), Sumba Myzomela, Apricot-breasted Sunbird, Yellow-ringed and Ashy-bellied Whiteeyes, as well as three endemic flycatchers: Sumba, Russet-backed Jungle and Sumba Brown Flycatcher. Other more widespread but no less desirable species that we will also be on the lookout for today include Brown Goshawk, attractive and lively Spectacled Monarch, Oriental Dollarbird, Cinereous Tit (split from Great Tit), Helmeted Friarbird, beautiful Tenggara Whistler, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Grey-headed Canary flycatcher, delightful Sumba Flowerpecker.

Day 5: Night Birding Adventure
Our day begins with morning birding in Billa Forest, where we’ll have the opportunity to observe a variety of bird species unique to the area. After a satisfying lunch, we will return to Waingapu to refresh before embarking on a night birding excursion in Lewa. This outing will provide another chance to spot the elusive owl if we haven’t seen it earlier. We will conclude the day with an overnight stay at a hotel in Waingapu.
 
Day 6: Morning birding at Yumbu grassland–Airport -Kupang-Rote Island
Top of the target list here will be the endemic and little-known Sumba Buttonquail (Sumba’s only non-forest endemic). We will traverse the surrounding grasslands and have a good chance of finding this ground-dwelling bird. Other grassland species that we may very well find include Horsfield’s Bush Lark, Brown Quail, Zebra Finch, and Pied Bush Chat. Drop to the airport and take a flight to Timor and take a flight to rote isand. Stay overnight at Rote

Day 7 : Full-day birding in rote
Situated off the southwest coast of Timor. Despite its proximity to Timor, it holds several endemic subspecies and four endemics – Rote Boobook, Rote Fantail, Rote Leaf Warbler, and Rote Myzomela. Jonquil Parrot, Pink-headed Imperial Pigeon, Timor Stubtail, Timor Oriole, Timor Warbling-flycatcher, Black Cuckoo Dove, and Orange-banded Thrush, as dusk approaches we hope to find the soon-to-be-split Rote Boobook. Night on Rote

Day 8: Morning flight from Rote to Timor –Bipolo Forest
After landing on Timor, we will drive to Bipolo forest and do full-day birding in the Bipolo nature reserve. Though small, this forest patch still holds a remarkable number of birds. We will search for several species of pigeon, including the Pink-headed Imperial Pigeon, and Black-backed and Rose-crowned Fruit Doves. The forest is also home to Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher, Orange-banded Thrush, Timor Figbird, and Timor Friarbird. Buff banded ticketbird, timor stubtail, fawn breasted whistler, timor meliphaga, timor Myzomela, the nearby shrimp ponds can hold Royal Spoonbill, Red-capped Plover and Sunda Teal, Australian prantincole, Little Curlew, while the fields leading up to the ponds hold large numbers of munias, including small numbers of Five-coloured and Pale-headed along with the rare Timor Sparrow, migrant Black-faced Cuckooshrike and Black-faced Woodswallow. In the evening, we shall listen for the Timor Boobook, a split from the Southern Boobook complex. Night on Kupang.

Day 9: Morning Birding at Camplong- Oelnasi – Soe
From Kupang, we drive early to Camplong looking for Spot-breasted Heleia (Darkeye), White-bellied Bush Chat, Black-banded Flycatcher, Timor Leaf Warbler, and the ultra-skulking Buff-banded Thicketbird. Other more widespread species we are likely to encounter today include the Little Bronze Cuckoo (sometimes split as Gould’s Bronze Cuckoo), delightful Spectacled Monarch, Little Pied Flycatcher, and Sunda Bush Warbler, and late afternoon we will birding at Oelnasi for Timor Cuckoo dove and Timor nightjar. Night on Soe

Day 10 and 11 : 2 Full Day Birding at Mount Mutis
This morning we embark early on the drive up into the mountains, in the Fatumnasi and Mount Mutis area. Top target here are the rare Timor Imperial Pigeon,  although we would be very fortunate to encounter this mega rarity! We should, however, encounter Metallic Pigeon in the forests, while a host of other fabulous species that may entertain us during the day include Island Thrush, Yellow breasted and Timor Leaf Warblers, Mountain White-eye and the shy and skulking Pygmy Wren-babbler. The forest interior is the place to search for the skulking and elusive Chestnut-backed Thrush (decreasing rapidly in numbers due to trapping for the cage bird trade), while Little Cuckoo-Dove and Snowy-browed Flycatcher should prove easier to find. We will also keep a lookout for flocks of Olive-headed Lorikeet overhead and rare Janquil parrot, and very rare Iris Lorikeet if we are extremely lucky, as well as the gaudy Tricolored Parrotfinch and Mount Mutis Parrotfinch. Night on Soe

Day 12 : Morning Birding Oelnasi-Airport-Labuan Bajo Flores
We leave hotel early and birding at Oelnasi looking for what we miss yesterday,  then drive 3 hour to airport, then take flight to labuan bajo and birding at labuan bajo, This afternoon we will birding in small patch of forest just nearby our hotel for flores crow, Elegant Pitta, Yellow Spectacled white eye, flores drongo, spotted kestrel,  Helmeted Friarbird, Flame Breasted Sunbird, and night birding for mollucan scops owl and wallacean scops owl, Night on Labuan Bajo

Day 13: Morning Birding at Puarlolo – Ruteng Nature Reserve
Morning birding for Flores Monarch, flores hawk eagle, Chestnut-capped Thrush, Rufous-chested Flycatcher, Crested Heleia, Little minivet, Red Cheeked parrot, Leaf Lorikeet, and drive to moutain area Ruteng nature reseve for 3 hours, if time permit we can do night birding for flores scops owl and wallacena scops owl. Night on Ruteng

Day 14 and 15 : 2  Full Day Ruteng, Ranamese Lake and Golo lusang Forest
We will have full day birding in mountain area for Crested Ibon (a species of white-eye), Black-fronted and Golden rumped Flowerpeckers and Russet-capped Tesia bouncing around on the forest floor, Thick billed Heleia (Dark-eye), Variable Goshawk, Black-naped Fruit Dove, Little (Flores) Minivet and Black-naped Monarchs, Flores Green Pigeon, Tenggara Swiftlet,  Russetbacked Jungle-flycatcher, the strange Bare throated Whistler, the near-endemic Browncapped Fantail, Cream-browed (Yellowbrowed) White-eye, Scaly crowned Honeyeater and Flores Leaf Warbler. Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker, White-browed Shortwing (occurring here as a highly distinctive subspecies, sometimes split as Flores Shortwing) and Nomadic endemic Flores Hanging Parrot, Barred Cuckoo-Dove in the forest canopy. Dark-backed Imperial Pigeon and Chestnut-backed Thrush, as well as Ruddy Cuckoo-Dove Rusty-breasted and Sunda Cuckoos (the latter split from Oriental Cuckoo) and mouse-like Pygmy Wren-babbler in the dense, dark gullies. At dusk we will then try and track down one of the island’s least known and toughest endemics, the near-mythical Flores Scops Owl and Wallacean scops owl. Night on Ruteng

Day 16: Morning Birding at Pagal
Looking for what we still miss specially for Glitering kingfisher and Flores Hanging Parrot, after lunch then drive back to lowland area, potowangka forest for flores hanging parrot again, the elusive Flores Crow, black naped fruit dove, elegant pitta, Asian pardise flycatcher, mees nightjar and wallacean scops owl, Night on Labuan Bajo

Day 17: Full-Day Birding at Komodo Island 
On the morning of Day 17, we will embark on an exciting birding expedition to Komodo Island aboard a traditional wooden boat. This full-day adventure will provide opportunities to observe a variety of remarkable bird species, including the yellow-crested cockatoo, orange-footed scrubfowl, black-naped monarch, beach thick-knee, great-billed heron, Sunda pygmy woodpecker, and the pied imperial pigeon. With a bit of luck, we may also catch a glimpse of the Flores hawk-eagle and the Nicobar pigeon. Additionally, we will have the chance to spot the famous Komodo dragon in its natural habitat. We will conclude the day and return to Labuan Bajo for the night.

Day 18: Labuan Bajo to Denpasar, Bali – Conclusion of Services 
On this day, after enjoying breakfast, you will take a morning flight from Labuan Bajo Airport to Ngurah Rai Denpasar Airport in Bali. This marks the end of our services. 
Included: All transportation, hotel based on shared room, 3 Meals per Day + Mineral Water, Bird guide fee, park permits, conservation fees,  boat to Komodo Island, internal flight mentioned on itinerary
Excluded: Domestic flight tickets, Porter, Extra beverages in hotel, alcoholic drinks, laundry, phone calls, extra personal expenses, tips & etc. Any kind of expenditures not mentioned on items included 
Accommodation: Comfortable twin-bedded and single rooms with private facilities, except on sumba where facilities are shared