Bird Tour Manado — Local services in Bitung

Ono and his team of dedicated birders and naturalists were above and beyond the best birding / nature-watching company that I hired in my month-long ecotour of Indonesia last August, 2024. 🤩

I did two full days with Ono in Northern Sulawesi. I went with him on August 13 to Tomokan, a volcanic mountainous region south of Manado, the largest nearby city. It was a rainy morning when we set out, but this didn’t stop his team from finding a Scaly-Breasted Kingfisher (aka/ Regal Kingfisher) a rare endemic and a keystone species. He had Elgar, a member of his team, looking for it while I sipped coffee at the entrance to Tomokan Regional Park. After it was spotted, we made our way up a muddy hillside in pouring rain to just to the right spot. I don't know how Elgar found it, but it was breath-taking, one of my top 10 life birds🐦‍🔥‼️

Other highlights from Tomokan included Sulawesi Myzomela during a lovely lunch at Gardenia Restaurant & Garden and then Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker on the grounds of a nearby private garden. We also had Sulawesi Hanging Parrot near a volcanic lake named Linow. And we didn't stop with just that, because at sunset before returning to Manado, Ono's team successfully called in a Speculated Boobook🦉 a representative from a family of tropical owls found only in Australasia. What's more, even Ono had a life bird; he spotted a Peregrine Falcon way up high on an antenna while driving through the town of Tomokan.

Besides this amazing visit to the Tomokan region, on August 15, Oni took me into the spectacular Tangkoko National Park--a truly incredible habitat for endemic flora and fauna in North Sulawesi. Tangkoko is approximately 70km away from Manado. This was the second of the two full-days that I did with Ono. For this bird tour to be organized, my family and I stayed at the top-rated Tangkoko Sanctuary Villa & Spa where host, Ana, took great care of us.

Tangkoko is a natural treasure to behold--full of endemic species, several of them first described by the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. While birdlife was our main focus, we also appreciated rare mammals including the Celebes crested macaque and Sulawesi bear cuscus. Avian highlights included the Green-backed Kingfisher, Sulawesi Lilac Kingfisher, and Knobbed Hornbill (seen at a distance early in the morning). At dusk, I almost stepped on a Brown Cat Snake (Brown Tree Snake) while hiking before having good looks at a Gursky's spectral tarsier, a nocturnal primate and the star attraction of any evening hike in the park. {Some say tarsiers are the inspiration for Yoda?}

Furthermore, Ono comes from a family of naturalists / conservationists; his uncle, Ober, encouraged Ono to become a professional birder and also served as a guide to the park. In fact, the day before bird-watching with Ono in Tangkoko, Ober took my family and I to a black sand beach at sunset--the ocean water is heated by volcanic hot springs and this made for an amazing introduction to Tangkoko before joining Ono.

I realize that this review is long overdue...still, the memory of Tomokan and Tangkoko remains fresh with me as if they were yesterday. I can only hope that someday, I can join Ono and his team again. Thank you Ono, Ober, Elgar, Dalton, and Maggie for the experience of a...

I had an awesome time exploring northern Sulawesi with Ono of Bird Tour Manado! He planned and executed a five-day spur-of-the-moment wildlife adventure tailored just to me, which turned out to be one of my most thrilling and adventurous eco-trips to-date. Initially, my 2024 trip to Sulawesi was to consist of wildlife-watching solely in Tangkoko Nature Reserve, but a mere six hours after my hotel put me into contact with Ono, telling me he could organize a trip to see wild Babirusa, I was off on a wildlife adventure with him as my guide! Throughout my trip, Ono was a fantastic guide---funny, hardworking, knowledgable about Sulawesi's wildlife, a skilled animal spotter, and very flexible with his schedule. He also speaks good English, so communication was never an issue. I spent five full days searching for birds and mammals (especially mammals) in three nature reserves across northern Sulawesi with Ono. My first stop was Tangkoko Nature Reserve in North Sulawesi for two days, followed by Hungayono and Nantu Forest Reserves in Gorontalo for the remainder of the trip. Ono knows Tangkoko Nature Reserve extremely well, and found me all the iconic species of the reserve (tarsiers, hornbills, crested macaques, bear cuscus), plus many more, in just a couple hours. My favorite memory from Tangkoko was following a troop of critically endangered Celebes Crested Macaques through the rainforest for over an hour! I saw 12 mammal species in total throughout my trip, including 3 endemic macaque species, Gursky's Spectral Tarsier, and Sulawesi Bear Cuscus. I also saw nearly 40 bird species, including Knobbed & Sulawesi Hornbills and even the critically endangered Maleo! I would've seen far more birds with Ono had I prioritized birding, but my focus was on mammals. The Babirusa was one animal I didn't see on my trip that I'd wanted to. Sadly, illegal gold mining has completely displaced their population in Nantu Forest Reserve (formerly the only place on Earth to spot one). Ono did warn me about this before I booked my trip with him and I still had a great time. Overall, a fantastic eco-adventure with an excellent local guide. I highly recommend hiring Ono through Bird Tour Manado if you are planning a visit to Tangkoko...

Our recent birdwatching tour (7D/6N to Tangkoko & Tomohon) was an absolute delight, and a huge part of that credit goes to our exceptional guide, Ono. His knowledge of the native birds is outstanding - he can practically tell you what bird species it is by listening to the call in the background, and advise you whether it is worth attempting to view or photograph it. As someone who lives right next to Tangkoko, Ono has all the latest sightings and tip-offs from his extensive range of contacts, both in Tangkoko and in Tomohon. And he is genuinely enthusiastic and keen to share more about his knowledge of the native birds with everyone who cared to listen.

He is very attentive to the needs and safety of the group (a family of three) and offers to adjust the itinerary to suit our needs. The meals were excellent too, often coming in the form of sumptuous local fares. The gastronomic delights wonderfully complement the great birding experience, especially after a tiring day out in Tangkoko.

Ono worked tirelessly (early dawn to late at night, every day) to ensure that our tour is a memorable one. He deftly worked with his team to overcome constraints that inevitably occur on such trips (like the unpredictable weather that postponed our mangrove tour to the next day) and provided immediate solutions. On top of that, not only was he our bird guide, he actually drove us all around town in search of the next bird!

Do consider engaging him and his team for a thoroughly wonderful birding experience. Two thumbs up! Great job, Ono and team! Can't wait to try again for that...