Moluccas: Halmahera Birding Tour (7D/6N)

Day 1

• Arrival at Sultan Babullah Ternate Airport, pick-up by your English-speaking tour guide and transfer to the harbour for your birding tour. 
• Crossing by speedboat to Halmahera Island and onward journey by private vehicle to the starting point of your birding trip.
  You will be ready to start birding in the afternoon and the aim is to see the following birds:  Northern Moluccan Pitta, Beach Kingfisher, Molluccan Pygmy Kingfisher, Blue and White Kingfisher, Grey Kingfisher and Beach Kingfisher, Molluccan Starling. In addition, we will also observe night birds such as Halmahera booby, Moluccan owl nightjar and Moluccan pygmy bird.
• Lunch & dinner (inculded).
• Overnight stay in simple local accommodation/ Guesthouse in Sidangoli (included).
   

Day 2

• After breakfast at your accommodation (included) in Sidangoli, it's off to the next birding stop. The following birds are targeted today: Ivory-breasted Pitta, Northern Moluccan Pitta, Blue-capped Fruit Dove, Mollukk Plover, Halmahera Goshawk, Parasol Pepper (White Cucaktoo) and others, if they happen to cross our path. 
• Lunch & Dinner (included)
• Overnight (included) in simple local accommodation/ Guesthouse in Sidangoli as before.

Day 3

• In the morning we leave early for the next birding stop in Sidangoli. Today's target birds are: Ivory-breasted Pitta, Northern Moluccan Pitta, Moluccan Golden Plover, Grey-breasted Plover, White-naped Monarch, Umbrella Cuckoo, Azure Dollarbird, Paradise Crow, Paradise Kingfisher and more.
• Breakfast is served on site at your birdwatching point (included).
• Drive back to the guesthouse for lunch (included) and check-out.
• Now it's time for the drive to Subaim, which takes about 3.5 hours. Along the road you can already observe many birds.
• Dinner (included).
• Overnight stay in accommodation/ guesthouse in Subaim (included).

Day 4

• Departure from the guesthouse in Subaim at 4am to Foli, changing to the off-road vehicle en route to drive to the Standardwing observation point to watch Wallace's Standardwing, the Halmahera Bird of Paradise.
• Afterwards there is an hearty jungle breakfast...don't worry: a simple, but quite normal one, just in the forest and under trees :-) (included).
• After breakfast we will look for more birds along the logging road. We will now set our sights on the following birds: Great-billed Parrot, Moluccan Hanging Parrot, Moluccan King Parrot and Eclectus Parrot, Red-flanked Lorikeet, Gadwall and Violet-necked Lorikeet (declining due to trapping), Grey-headed Fruit Dove, Spectacled, Cinnamon and Fritillary Doves, Goliath Cuckoo, Moustached Tree Swift, Blyth's Hornbill, Pied Wagtail, Halmahera White-eye and Flowerpecker, Island Warbler and many more.
• After an exciting morning of extensive birdwatching, you will drive back to your accommodation for lunch (included).
• Afterwards we return to the birding sites in Foli. If you wish, we can try to observe night birds.
• Dinner (included).
• Overnight in Guesthouse in Subaim (included).

Day 5

• Departure from the guesthouse at 4am to Foli, then change to the off-road vehicle to drive to the Standardwing Halmahera Bird of Paradise observation point.
• After breakfast (included) we go bird watching along the logging road. Due to the somewhat open terrain as well as the tree species present there, this place is good for bird watching here.
• Then drive back to the accommodation for lunch (included).
• After a short rest, we go back to the same observatories in Foli. If desired we try to observe night birds.
• Dinner at accommodation/ Guesthouse (included).
• Overnight in guesthouse in Subaim (included).

Day 6

• After breakfast (included) we go bird watching again. This time our territory is the area along the Uni-Uni hill. Here, too, you'll have plenty of time to get one or two feathered friends in front of your camera.
• Then it's back to the accommodation to check out and have lunch (included).
• Afterwards you start your return journey. In a private vehicle you will return to Sidangoli, where you will have a last opportunity for bird watching along the road to Sidangoli before ...
• ...crossing the water to Ternate by speedboat. 
• In the late afternoon you will reach your accommodation in Ternate, where you will also have ...
• ... your dinner (included).
• Overnight stay at your hotel in Ternate (included).

Day 7

• Breakfast at the hotel (included).
• Transfer to the Ternate airport or port (included) for your journey home or connecting programme.