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Birding2asia guided birdwatching trips offer you a most flexible solution for your holiday in Asia. We love to help you find and enjoy the birds of the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Java, Bali, Laos or Vietnam with more options to come from Indonesia and Malaysia later on. We welcome both experienced birders looking for specific target species as well as people just getting started in birding and all levels in between. You may just want a birding guide to accompany you on your trip or leave it to us to take care of the planning, accommodation, transport…  A combination of birding and sightseeing can be arranged for those that don’t want a total birding trip…in short; we cater to your needs. You may find some sample itineraries detailed below or inquire about other, more specific, customised trips you wish to undertake that suit your individual requirements. Prices for trips do largely depend on the number of people to participate and would typically include a daily guiding fee and all costs made on the trip.  While this may not exactly work out cheap for a single person wishing to undertake a private trip, it’s very reasonable for a couple and economical for those that have their friends join in or we might be able to –if wished for, let you join with others and share costs.  Check trips ;   Southern Thailand     NW-Thailand   You may contact stijndewin@birding2asia.com directly for any trips outside of Thailand or inquire with Tom for Thailand birding trips by e-mail to info@birding2asia.com

Indonesia – Bali The ultimate day trip as described in our article/report from August 2010. It’s your chance to connect with one of the rarest birds on earth, the Bali Starling, with quite a few other goodies targeted as well. All day will be spend inside the Bali Barat National Park where habitats include a savanna, mangroves, both montane forest and low elevation monsoon forest, coral islands, beaches and mudflats. Besides the 160 or so bird species, the park also is rich in mammals and these include Red Muntjac, Sambar, Javan Rusa, Javan Lutung, Long-tailed Macaque, Ebony Langur, Large Flying Fox, Javanese Stink Badger, Leopard Cat and wild Banteng. Looking for ; Bali Starling as well as other rarities including the endangered Black-winged Starling, Beach Thick-knee, Great-billed Heron, Green Peafowl, Javan Plover, Lesser Adjudant, Java Sparrow and Yellow-throated Hanging-Parrot. A number of other nice birds feature on this trip and those include waders, terns and woodland species while a visit to the Monsoon forest adds yet another set of birds to the list. -Bali Myna at Bali Barat NP-

Trip starts from ; Denpasar or any spot on West Bali incl. the tourist areas of Kuta beach. Preferable duration ; A day trip. Possible extension ; An extra day for some extra/leisure birding possible. Best time to visit ; Year round.

Philippines – Bohol & Cebu Best of the Visayas! On Bohol we’ll be birding the excellent Rajah Sikatuna National Park that has all the Island’s specialities on offer as well as a number of quality species otherwise only shared with Mindanao. (Steere’s Pitta…) Our visit to Cebu (short fast-ferry hop) will bring us to the last remnant of tall forest left on the Island. The endangered Black Shama with it’s beautiful song will be the main target and should be easy to find. Quite a few other birds not found on Bohol may enrich our birdlist and we’ll certainly give the critically endangered and hard to find Cebu Flowerpecker a try. Looking for ; Steere’s –and Red-bellied Pitta, Rufous-lored –and Silvery Kingfisher, Philippine Trogon, Streaked Ground-Babbler, Philippine Scops-Owl, Black-faced Coucal, Yellow-breasted Tailorbird, Samar Hornbill, Visayan Broadbill, Black Shama, White-vented Whistler, Cebu Flowerpecker… -Steere's Pitta at Rajah Sikatuna NP on Bohol-

Trip starts from ; Manilla (1.15 hour flight to Bohol or Cebu), Tagbilaran (Bohol) or Cebu city. Preferable duration ; 4 days Possible extension ; Mt. Kitanglad for Philippine Eagle and Mindanao endemics (+4 or 5 days, add 30 min. flight Cebu – Cagayan De Oro, return to Manilla from Cagayan) Best time to visit ; January – May

Philippines – Luzon Our Luzon trip takes us to some of the best forests and birding the Philippines has on offer.  Emphasis will be on visiting Subic, the perfect introduction to birding in Philippines but at the same time ‘the’ hotspot for a few specialities not regularly found anywhere else. A single morning or afternoon spent at Candaba marsh will greatly enhance our bird list and make for a nice little change from birding the forests. Finally, on our short visit to Mt.Makiling, one might experience the “slow birding” regularly encountered in Philippines but I’m sure it will add some real nice target species to our list. Looking for ; Endemics and other specialities as Green Racket-tail, Blue-naped Parrot, Scale-feathered Malkoha, Philippine Trogon, Philippine Nightjar, White-browed Shama, White-fronted -and Elegant Tit, Spotted Wood Kingfisher, Sooty -and White-bellied Woodpecker, Philippine Duck, Luzon Hornbill, Spotted Buttonqual, Stripe-sided Rhabdornis, Purple Needletail…                                                                    -Blue-naped Parrot in Subic-

Trip starts from ; Manilla or Clark airbase Preferable duration ; 5 days Possible extension ; Mt.Polis - Banaue (+3 or 4 days) Best time to visit ; September – May (top January – April)

Thailand – Laem Pak Bia area & Kaeng Krachan NP This popular trip will take you to see Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Nordmann’s Greenshank, being the main targets in the Laem Pak Bia and Pak Thale area.  There’re many other goodies (see below) at this site and later we’ll visit the excellent Kaeng Krachan NP, which possibly has the richest birding of any place in Thailand. This combination is to deliver a huge bird list, guaranteed! All areas we’ll visit from the same centrally located hotel, being our comfortable base for 2 or 3 nights. Looking for ; Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann’s Greenshank, Chinese Egret, ‘White-faced’ Plover, Asian Dowitcher, Great Knot, Painted Stork, Ruddy-breasted Crake, Watercock…  For Kaeng Krachan ; Great-Oriental Pied-Wreathed and Rusty-cheeked Hornbills, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Broadbills, Woodpeckers, Kingfishers, Babbler, Laughingthrushes…in short –a huge list of forest bird species. -Spoon-billed Sandpiper at Pak Thale-

Trip starts from ; Bangkok or Hua Hin Preferable duration ; 3 or 4 days Possible extension ; Khao Yai NP (3 days) Best time to visit ; November – March

Thailand – Khao Yai National Park The country’s first National Park probably needs little introduction to birders and no wonder; superb forests harbour a wide range of sought-after bird species and opportunities to see some of those elusive mammals as Dhole or Leopard Cat. Add its proximity to Bangkok, excellent facilities and access and it becomes apparent this park is popular not only with birders. This is why you’re recommended to visit outside of a weekend or holiday period when going with Birding2asia as we definitely want you to enjoy the nature of this fantastic place, not the crowds… Looking for ; Blue –and Eared Pitta, Hornbills, Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo, Banded Kingfisher, Woodpeckers, Babblers, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Orange-headed Thrush, Great-eared Nightjar, Brown Needletail, White-crowned Forktail, Siberian Blue Robin, Golden-crested Myna, Long-tailed and Silver-breasted Broadbill…                                                                        -Silver-breasted Broadbill-

Trip starts from ; Bangkok or Pattaya Preferable duration ; 3 days Possible extension ; Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve and/or Limestone Wren Babblers (both ½ day extra) Best time to visit ; November – May

Thailand – the South Birding southern Thailand offers many possible combinations with equally numerous good birding spots to visit.  Khao Sok NP, Sri Phang-gna NP, Laem Pakarang, Thai Muang, Phang-gna bay mangroves, Tone Pariwat Wildlife Sanctuary, Manora forest park, Wat Bang Riang, Wat Tham Suea, Trang Peninsular Botanical Garden or Krabi mangroves…are some of those excellent sites to visit apart from the famous Khao Nor Chuchi. Looking for ; River and Grey-headed Lapwing, Gurney’s – Mangrove – Banded Pitta, Red-bearded Bee-eater, mangrove specialities as Brown-winged Kingfisher and Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Rufous-collared Kingfisher, Sundaic Babblers and Bulbuls, Javan and Gould’s Frogmouth, Great-eared Nightjar, Sunda Scops Owl, Streaked and Large Wren Babbler, Black-and-Yellow – Banded – Black-and-Red Broadbills… -Red-bearded Bee-eater photographed at Khao Sok NP-

Trip starts from ; Phuket or Krabi Preferable duration ; anything from 3 days up to 1 week Possible extension ; With a start in Bangkok, Laem Pak Bia offers a convenient 2 day extension, going south by car (night in Surat Thani, a 5 to 6 hour drive from Laem Pak Bia) and with a return flight from Krabi to Bangkok. Best time to visit ; late November – early July

Thailand – Mountains of the North Birding2asia guides have extensive knowledge for birding all the main mountains near Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.  Hence we can offer all kinds of combinations for visiting Doi Inthanon, Doi Chiang Dao, Doi Pha Hom Phok, Doi Ang Khan, Doi Lang as well as to take in some lowland birding en-route. Count on a full week (approx. 275 species) to do the full set. Looking for ; Thrushes, Cochoa, Flycatchers, lively flocks with Warblers, Yuhinas, Fulvettas, Shrike-Babblers, Tits etc., Parrotbills, colourful Sunbirds and Flowerpeckers, Laughingthrushes and Scimitar-Babblers, Slaty-bellied Tesia, White-browed Shortwing, Pygmy Wren Babbler, Giant Nuthatch, Hume’s Pheasant, Fire-capped Tit, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Black-headed Woodpecker, Cutia, Collared Falconet…                                                                                                     -Cutia-

Trip starts from ; Chiang Mai Preferable duration ; 3 days up to 1 week Possible extension ; Chiang Saen for waterbirds and lowland species (1 day) Best time to visit ; November – May

Thailand - Birds and Monuments An excellent opportunity for those that prefer to combine birding with some culture and sightseeing.  A full day taking in the magnificent temples and other sights of Bangkok is followed on by 2 days birding KhaoYai National Park.  Ayutthaya Historical Park is another sight not to be missed before we head to Laem Pak Bia and/or Kaeng Krachan National Park for some more birding. Looking for ; Marvelling at those superb temples and historic buildings and places in Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Petchaburi will alternate with looking for birds mentioned as under ‘Khao Yai’ and ‘Laem Pak Bia’ above.  -'Golden Bird' at Wat Arun, Bangkok-

Trip starts from ; Bangkok Preferable duration ; 5 – 7 days Possible extension ; extra days on top of the minimum 5 to visit Kaeng Krachan NP Best time to visit ; Temples + Khao Yai is good year round, for Laem Pak Bia and Kaeng Krachan is November – March best.

Thailand – more options Design your own tour, combine or alter any of the above trips and extensions with possibilities to visit any of the following National Parks or birding sites additionally. (Please note; nothing listed that we do not have knowledge for ourselves.)  You're welcome to inquire about trips in the wet season too. Bung Boraphet (waterbirds), Mae Wong National Park (mountain species and specialities as Burmese Yuhina), Mae Ping National Park (Woodpeckers incl. White-bellied), Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary (Brown Hornbill, wildlife etc.), Nam Nao National Park (Blue Pitta and various specialities),  Khok Kham (waders), Bang Phra Non-hunting area (water and woodland species), Pranburi mangrove boardwalk (Mangrove Whistler near Hua Hin), Khao Sam Roi Yot NP (waterbirds).                                                                                                -Great Barbet-

Taiwan – Endemics & Black-faced Spoonbills Spend a week birding in Taiwan and you’ll know they have some special birds on the Island which you’re about to look for in a most comfortable and pleasant way! With numerous well-protected reserves, forested mountains, good roads, luxury hotels, tasty food and friendly people, Taiwan is guaranteed to present a successful trip. Looking for ; All endemics and specialities; Swinhoe’s and Mikado Pheasant, Firecrest, White-whiskered Laughingthrush, Taiwan Hwamei, Rusty and Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush, Black-faced Spoonbills, Taiwan Blue Magpie, Malayan Night Heron, Golden Parrotbill, White-backed Woodpecker, Varied Tit, Collared Finchbill, Styan’s Bulbul, Taiwan Bush Warbler, Rufous-faced Warbler, Pale Thrush, Taiwan Shortwing, Collared Bush Robin, Grey-headed Bullfinch, Vinaceous Rosefinch…  -Taiwan Blue Magpie in Huisun Forest Reserve-

Trip starts from ; Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (Taipei) or Taoyuan HSR station (short hop south on the High Speed Rail from Taipei city, -note; no start from Taipei city) Preferable duration ; 7 days Possible extension ; Combine this trip with Thailand (Low priced AirAsia flights) or Philippine trips. (Very cheap Cebu Pacific flights to Manila.) Best time to visit ; November and March - April

Laos – Na Hin Forest Our trip in Laos takes us to one of the most rewarding areas to visit in Asia. Not only the birds are special, any visitor to Na Hin Forest will be amazed to find three totally different types of habitat close to each other and all this set into a most beautiful landscape. The limestone outcrops and formations support a unique type of forest that is the habitat for specialities as Sooty Babbler, Bare-faced Bulbul and Lao Langur. Birding the evergreen hill forests gets us to see plenty other birds and if this weren’t to be enough yet, the area has superb lowland forest on offer all within 10 km from our comfortable resort. If you’re interested we might well visit the immense limestone cave of Kong Lo where a motorised canoe will take us on the Nam Hin Bun that flows for 7 km through the cave. Looking for ; Bare-faced Bulbul, Sooty Babbler, Red-collared Woodpecker, White-bellied and Yellow-vented Green Pigeon, Eared Pitta, Mountain Scops Owl, Silver-backed Needletail, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Moustached Barbet, Nepal Martin, Dusky Crag Martin, Sultan Tit, Red-headed Trogon, Oriental Hobby, Asian Stubtail, Rufous-tailed Robin, White-browed Piculet, Limestone Wren Babbler, Hill Myna, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed and Silver-breasted Broadbill, Great Iora, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, Spot-necked Babbler, wintering Warblers, Sunbirds…                                         -Sooty Babbler and Bare-faced Bulbul photographed at Na Hin Forest-

Trip starts from ; Vientiane Preferable duration ; 5 days Possible extension ; South Laos – Champasak (4-5 days) Best time to visit ; November – March

Java – Endemics on Mt.Gede Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park is the best spot on Java to catch up with almost all of the Javan endemics as well as a number of other species otherwise only shared with Sumatra, Bali or Borneo. The birding along the well-maintained summit trail that leads through superb sub-montane and montane forest is fantastic. Although there is a fair amount of uphill walking involved, rewards are high and you’re likely to enjoy a number of real beautiful species. If we manage to tear ourselves away from the many mixed species flocks in the forest, then, the nearby Botanical Garden and Golf course provide the opportunity to bird some more open habitat with quite a few different bird species to look for. At last, when time allows and back in Jakarta, we might visit the tiny reserve at Muare Angke where we’ll look for Javan Coucal, Small Blue Kingfisher…in this last remnant of marsh close to the city. Looking for ; Javan Trogon, Javan Cochoa, Javan Tesia, Blue Nuthatch, Sunda Thrush, White-bellied and Rufous-tailed Fantail, Sunda Whistling-Thrush,  Spotted Crocias, White-bibbed and Crescent-chested Babbler, Spotted Kestrel, Pygmy Tit, Sunda Minivet, Brown-throated Barbet, Javan Kingfisher, Salvadori’s Nightjar, Javan Owlet, Pink-headed Fruit-Dove, Chestnut-bellied Partridge, Small Blue Kingfisher, Javan Coucal, Sunda Woodpecker… -Small Blue Kingfisher at Muare Angke and Javan Trogon on Mt. Gede-

Trip starts from ; Jakarta Preferable duration ; 5 days Possible extension ; lowland forest birds at Carita (2 days) Best time to visit ; May – October (January – March, -in the wet season-, can be very good for birding though -if you’re lucky with the weather. Sunda Thrush is easier and there are a few nice wintering species as Siberian Thrush present.)

Vietnam – Around Hanoi This trip visits 4 sites all located conveniently close to Hanoi. Cuc Phuong National Park harbours the very last lowland forest left in the region and quite understandably, the birding is superb in the place. Nearby we visit the Van Long Reserve where we have excellent chances to see the critically endangered Delacour’s Langur (250 left).  After this, we head up the mountains for a completely different set of bird species. Tam Dao is ‘the’ spot to seek out a number of specialities and on our visit to Ba Vi Mountain we’ll bird the excellent summit road. Near the summit we have good chances to find Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush for which this mountain is the only (accessible) site in Vietnam to go see it. Looking for ; Blue-rumped and Bar-bellied Pittas, Fork-tailed Sunbird, White-winged Magpie, Red-vented Barbet, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, Limestone Wren Babbler, Pied Falconet, White-tailed Flycatcher, wintering Thrushes, Grey and Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush, Short-tailed Parrotbill, Blue-naped Pitta, Chestnut Bulbul, Black-chinned Yuhina…                                                                -Red-billed Scimitar Babbler-

Trip starts from ; Hanoi Preferable duration ; 7 days Possible extension ; Combine this trip with birding in Thailand (Cheap AirAsia flights to Bangkok) Best time to visit ; March – May

China – Poyang Hu The immense Poyang Hu lake forms the main wintering ground for the last Siberian Cranes on earth while another 3 Crane species will certainly add to the rare spectacle featured on this trip. Various parts of the lake will be explored by car looking for the plenty other specialities including Swan Goose and Oriental Stork. Away from the lake, some nice rivers in the hills feature as a wintering hotspot for the endangered Scaly-sided Merganser. Nearby, the same hills and cultivation provide some good open country birding as well. Possibly best to check our trip report from March 2010 to get the idea. Looking for ; Siberian, White-naped and Hooded Cranes, Swan Goose, Oriental Stork, Scaly-sided Merganser, Falcated Duck, Bull-headed Shrike, Brown Crake, Grey-headed Lapwing, Long-billed Plover, Dusky Thrush, Collared Finchbill, Marsh Grassbird, Daurian Redstart, Masked Laughingthrush, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Yellow-bellied Tit, White-cheeked Starling, Oriental Greenfinch, Yellow-billed Grosbeak, Pallas’ Bunting… -Siberian and White-naped Cranes at Poyang Hu-

Trip starts from ; Nanchang airport Preferable duration ; 3 days Possible extension ; Wuyishan Best time to visit ; November and mid-February to mid-March

You may contact stijndewin@birding2asia.com directly for any trips outside of Thailand or inquire with Tom for Thailand birding trips by e-mail to info@birding2asia.com