Peninsular Malaysia 1 - One Week at Taman Negara
Friday 1st April – Saturday 9th April 2011
The Malay Peninsula has long been a favourite destination of the adventurous birder, hosting a wide selection of typical south-east Asian specialities and truly exotic looking birds. But this tour is designed for everyone to enjoy this spectacular wealth of avian delights, whether a first time visitor to Asia or seasoned traveller. Our unique one-centre holiday will focus on the ancient and magnificent pristine rainforest of Taman Negara where we will make daily excursions on foot and by boat as there are no roads here. There is a superb network of trails bisecting this vast wilderness and we will search for a bewildering variety of distinctly tropical birds which includes many local specialities and range-restricted species. We begin our holiday with a dramatic entrance by boat into the wilderness of the largest remaining tract of virgin rainforest in the Malay Peninsula and will base ourselves at a very comfortable and conveniently situated lodge, close to all the birding sites for a 7-night stay. And what a place this is! With numerous woodpeckers, kingfishers, barbets, trogons, hornbills and much more we are sure of an exciting bird-filled holiday.
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Taman Negara National Park protects 4343 square kilometres of virgin tropical rainforest and is widely regarded as one of the finest reserves in the whole world. To walk the secluded trails deep into the forest immediately leaves one in awe at the serene tranquillity as immense trees tower over you and a lush understorey hides a bewildering variety of birds. With a whole week to fully explore the area we will make daily excursions into the forest via a network of trails. There are no roads in the National Park so all of our birding is on foot, or we may take a boat to reach areas further upriver. But our birding begins in the immediate vicinity of our lodge as fruiting trees can attract an amazing variety of species with upwards of 10 species of bulbul possible including Puff-backed, Grey-bellied, Stripe-throated, Cream-vented, Red-eyed, Spectacled, Grey-cheeked, Yellow-bellied, Hairy-backed, Straw-headed and Streaked. There could also be other frugivores like Little, Thick-billed and Large Green-pigeons, Gold-whiskered, Yellow-crowned, Red-throated, Blue-eared and Brown Barbets, Green and Black-and-Yellow Broadbills, Green, Greater Green, Lesser Green and Blue-winged Leafbirds, Yellow-eared, Spectacled and Grey-breasted Spiderhunters, Crimson-breasted and Yellow-breasted Flowerpeckers, plus Plain, Red-throated and Purple-naped Sunbirds. There is an excellent network of trails which will let us explore many different sections of the forest in search of such delights as Great Argus, Crested Partridge, Malayan Peacock-pheasant, Crested Fireback, Black-thighed Falconet, Jambu Fruit-dove, Long-tailed Parakeet, Blue-rumped Parrot, Blue-crowned Hanging-parrot, 
Violet, Asian Drongo, Banded Bay and Plaintive Cuckoos, Raffles's, Black-bellied, Red-billed and Chestnut-breasted Malkohas, Brown-backed and Silver-rumped Needletails, Grey-rumped and Whiskered Treeswifts, Red-naped, Diard's and Scarlet-rumped Trogons, Rufous Piculet, Crimson-winged, Checker-throated, Banded, Buff-rumped, Buff-necked, Great Slaty, White-bellied, Maroon and Orange-backed Woodpeckers, Banded, Rufous-collared, Rufous-backed and Blue-banded Kingfishers, Black and Rhinoceros Hornbills, Garnet and Banded Pittas, Black-and-Yellow, Black-and-Red, Dusky and Banded Broadbills, Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Rufous-tailed Shama, Dark-throated Oriole, Rufous-chested Flycatcher, Rufous-winged and Maroon-breasted Philentomas, Black-capped, Grey-headed, Chestnut-rumped, Short-tailed, White-chested, Horsfield's and Ferruginous Babblers, Fluffy-backed Tit-babbler, White-crowned and Chestnut-naped Forktails, Dark-necked and Rufous-tailed Tailorbirds, Large Wren-babbler, Brown Fulvetta, Black Magpie and Crested Jay. If we are very lucky then we could have a chance encounter with a Malaysian Rail-Babbler. Night birding can also be productive with Malaysian Eared Nightjar, Oriental Bay Owl, Reddish Scops-owl, or even a Gould's or Javan Frogmouth possible.Group size: Minimum for tour to go ahead 4 and maximum 8 with 1 leader.
Included in cost: Accommodation in twin rooms en-suite, all transport including boat rides, breakfasts and lunches, all entrance fees, and services of leader.
Not included: International flight, all dinners, insurance, departure tax, drinks, tips and items of a personal nature.
Flight information: If travelling from the U.K please note that you need to arrive in Kuala Lumpur by early afternoon of Friday 1st April. Departure should be from Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon of Saturday 9th April and would normally arrive back in the U.K the same day. Please contact our agent Shane Wheatley at Dial-a-Flight on 01732 591470 or 01732 593196 for the best up to date flights that you can book for your requirements.
Accommodation: Good. We will stay in a very comfortable lodge just across the river from the National Park.
Tour Code: This is a standard to easy birding tour, designed for the birder who wants to stay in one hotel for a whole week and really get to know the avifauna of one of the world's best rainforests. There is the opportunity to opt out of any excursion as we will return here for lunch most days. Expect a typically tropical climate with most days being warm and humid, and a chance of some showers.
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