Snorkeling in Raja Ampat Reef - Birding in its Rainforest

Raja Ampat has got beautiful coral reef which we could explore while snorkeling over it. The snorkeling sites that I highly recommend are Yefkabu island, Tamako reef, Yefnabi island, Sand Bank, Mutus island, Lesser Mutus, Yef Tip, Yet Moi, Piaynemo Karst, and etc. They are located in the west of Waigeo island.

Jousuba Homestay in Raja Ampat

The snorkeling sites that are closer to Waigeo island are the southern coast of Waigeo, Saporkren beach, Friwen wall, Urai island, Yenbuba Strait, Mioskon, and etc. A lot of fish could be seen in coral reef. There are striped-surgeonfish, diagonal sweetlips, butterflyfish, anemonefish, moorish idol and etc. We could also see christmas tree worm, sea cucumber, nudibranch, turtle and etc. 

Coral reef in Raja Ampat

Stonefish in Waigeo island

Island Hopping

Islands that could be chosen as the sites for snorkeling include Kri, Mansuar, Gam, and Waigeo. The snorkeling tour to remote places could be conducted by speed boat. Traveling with 2 or 4 participants will allow every participant of the tour to share the cost.

Birding/ Wildlife Watching

The activity of watching wild animals in the rainforest of Raja Ampat is also interesting. Usually, Waigeo island is the most recommended destination. The main target of observation include Red Bird of Paradise, Wilson's Bird of Paradise, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Blyth's Hornbill, Beach Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Red-cheeked Parrot, Papuan Eclectus, Great-billes Parrot and Violet-necked Lory. 

Pinon Imperial Pigeon

There are also Waigeo-spotted Cuscus, Fruit Bats and soa-soa which we could watch in the forest.

Binoculars such as the Swarovski, Leica or Nikon Monarch 10×42 mm will greatly enhance the birding experience of tour participants who bring them. Camera for bird or wildlife photography is usually the d-slr or mirrorless one with a 150-600 mm telephoto lens.

A beach in Kri island of Raja Ampat

Equipment

There are some snorkeling device that tour participants need to bring such as snorkeling mask, fins. Some beach resorts provide them for free or for rent. To take underwater picture and videos, a digital camera will be needed. The famous one is Olympus TG-7 or Nikon W300. 

If you are interested in taking a snorkeling tour that is combined with birding/ wildlife watching tour in Raja Ampat islands, and want me to organize your trip, please, contact us by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Related Posts

• Adventure Tour in the Islands of Raja Ampat
• Raja Ampat Adventure Snorkeling and Birding

Birdwatching,  Butterfly watching and Farm Tour in Sonder Town of Minahasa Highland

Sonder is a small subdistrict town in Minahasa Highland. It is a beautiful destination for visitors who love to see nature, farmland, do birdwatching and insect watching. 

Sulawesi Scops Owl

Birds in Subdistrict Sonder

A lot of species of birds could be watched there. Here are some of them:

• Sooty-headed Bulbul
• Sahul Sunbird
• Brown-throated Sunbird
• Black Sunbird 
• Crimson Sunbird
• Sulawesi Hanging Parrot
• Sulawesi Brush Cuckoo
• Pygmy Hanging Parrot
• Gray-sided Flowerpecker
• Yellow-sided Flowerpecker
• Crimson-crowned Flowerpecker
• Sulawesi Hanging Parrot
• Sulawesi Pygmy Hanging Parrot
• Sulawesi Myzomela
• Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker
• Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove
• Sulawesi Crow
• Citrine Canary Flycatcher
• Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher
• Warbling White-eye (also called Japanese White-eye)
• Black-crowned White-eye
• Little Egret
• Cattle Egret
• Purple Heron
• White-breasted Woodswallow
• Collared Kingfisher
• Sulawesi Drongo 
• Hair-crested Drongo 
• Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove
• White-faced Cuckoo-dove
• Green Imperial Pigeon
• Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon
• Sulawesi-crested Myna
• Chestnut Munia
• Black-faced Munia
• Scaly-breasted Munia
• Sulawesi Scops Owl
• Pale Blue Monarch
• Sulawesi-crested Myna
• Yellow-billed Malkoha
• White-browed Crake
• Isabelline Bush-hen
• Buff-banded Rail
• Barred Rail
• and etc. 

Birdwatching activity is usually carried out by walking through farm forest where local villagers grow fruiting trees such as clove, coconut, avocado, rambutan, jackfruit, durian, duku. There is tropical rainforest on the top of the hill in the south of Sonder. Birding along its edge will allow visitors to see Sulawesi Bush Warbler, Yellow-billed Malkoha, and other endemic species of birds of Sulawesi.

Pale Blue Monarch

Birdwatching Equipment

Most birdwatchers bring a good pair of 10×42 mm or 10× 50 mm binoculars from such brands as Nikon Monarch, Leica, Swarovski, Olympus. As a birding guide, I usually bring my SVBONY 20-60×80 mm spotting scope. All participants could share the use of this scope when observing birds in tall or distant trees. 

Sonder town and its surrounding farmland

Accommodation

Visitors who are interested in taking a birding tour can stay in homestays of local villagers. The rooms are basic/ simple. For more comfortable accommodation, visitors could stay in the nearby Tomohon town. 

How to get there?

It is easy to reach Sonder town. Visitors can combine the marine tour in Raja Ampat with the birding tour in Minahasa highland. They can fly from Sorong city to Manado city. There are daily flight services between these cities that are served by TransNusa and Lion Air. 

For international travelers, they could fly from Singapore to Manado city by Scoot Air or from Guangzhou in China to Manado city by TransNusa or China Southern Airlines.

Flight routes to Manado city

Car route to Sonder

Booking

The duration of snorkeling tour in Raja Ampat can be as short as 4 days-3 nights to 1 week. The duration for birding in Sonder and other areas of Minahasa Peninsula can be 1 week. You could book this combined trip of snorkeling and birding in Raja Ampat and birwatching trip in Sonder of Minahasa highland by sending your message to our e-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com or whatsapp:+6281332245180. 

Also read:

• Birding in Minahasa Peninsula
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Sonder's Birdwatching and Butterflywatching Sites
• North Sulawesi Tour Package

Snorkeling and Watching Birds in Waigeo of Raja Ampat

The Waigeo island is a great place for visitors who are interested in seeing both the marine and rainforest environments. The coral reef is the habitat of anemonefish, parrotfish, butterflyfish, grouper, trevally, wobbegong and a lot more. Beautiful coral reef could be seen along the coastal area especially in the southern region where there are beach resorts and homestays. 

Raja Ampat has got beautiful marine and rainforest environments

The nearby islands such as Lesser Urai, Urai, Gam, Friwenbonda and Mioskon have got beautiful  coral reef that is rich of marine animals. Soft corals can be seen along the Friwenwall. The house reef at the homestay and beach resorts along the coast of South Waigeo and Gam Island is also in very good condition. 

Reef fish at southern coast of Waigeo island

Snorkeling Photo: Anemonefish in the waters of Waigeo island

For birdwatchers, birding activity could be seen almost everywhere. My favorite is still along the roads of Waigeo both near the beach and in the forest. There, we could watch Spice Imperial Pigeon, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Eclectus Parrot, Great-billed Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Beach Kingfisher, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Hook-billed Kingfisher, Red Bird of Paradise, Wilson's Bird of Paradise, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Torresian Crow, Helmetted Friarbird, Hooded Butcherbird, and etc. 

Extended Tour in Sorong City

After enjoying snorkeling and birdwatching in Raja Ampat, you could extend your tour in Sorong city by visiting interesting places such as Mangrove forest, Buddhist Temple, Doom island, traditional market and hill forest. This extended trip lasts for around 1 to 2 days. 

Sorong City Tour

For visitors who are interested in taking a few days trip in mainland West Papua, a trip to see wildlife in the forest of Tambrauw regency can be organized. 

Traveling to Raja Ampat

Those who want to go to Raja Ampat need to fly from their country to Sorong city. Here is the flight routes from major cities in Indonesia served by Garuda, Lion Air, and Batik Air. 

WALKING TOUR AND BIRDING IN THE HIGHLAND OF MINAHASA

Minahasa highland is a region in the Province of North Sulawesi. It is a great destination for visitors who love hiking and birdwatching. The forest, agricultural land, and paddy fields of Minahasa is the habitat of a lot of species of birds such as Warbling White-eye, Sulawesi Blue Flycatcher, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, White-faced Cuckoo Dove, Crimson Sunbird, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-faced Munia, Collared Kingfisher, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Sahul Sunbird, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Pale Blue Monarch, Eurasian Treesparrow, Slender-billed Crow, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Sahul Sunbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, White-browed Crake, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Purple Needletail, White-breasted Woodswallow, and a lot more. 

Zebra Dove, Black-naped Oriole, Black-crowned White-eye, Brown-throated Sunbird, Sahul Sunbird, Sulawesi Cuckoo-dove, White-breasted Woodswallow, Sooty-headed Bulbul

Birding tour in Minahasa highland could be done all year round. The town of Tomohon and subdistrict town of Sonder is a highly recommended destination. It is surrounded by mountains, hill, wetland (paddy fields) and water streams. Ecologically, Sonder is a highly recommended destination for birding, and butterflywatching. 

Blanchard's Ghost, Meyer's Jay, Blanchard's Wood Nymph, The Clipper, Lime Swallowtail, Gigon Swallowtail, Sacred Tabby butterflies

A visitor needs to bring a good pair of binoculars such as the ones with the size of 8×42 mm, 10× 42 mm or 10×50 mm. Usually birdwatchers buy the ones that are manufactured by Zeiss, Vortex, Swarovski, Nikon, Leica and etc. Nowadays more brands from Chinese manufacturers are available in the market with more affordable prices.

Farm Tour

While doing the walking tour through agricultural land of Minahasa to watch birds, visitors will be able to see various kinds of crops that farmers grow such as rice, corn, sweet potato, banana, taro, cassava, papaya, rambutan, durian, tomato, chilli, spring onion, aubergine, kangkung, cabbage, carrot, and etc. 

Some of the agricultural produce from Minahasa highland of North Sulawesi

Visitors can buy some of the agricultural produce directly from the farmers or local market and try cooking local cuisines at the homestay or lodge where they stay.

Paddy fields in Subdistrict Sonder of Minahasa regency

Minahasan farmers sell their agricultural produce to towns and cities in the Province of North Sulawesi, to eastern region of Indonesia such as Manado, Bitung, Ternate, Sorong, Manokwari, Jayapura, Ambon, Balikpapan. 

Visitors who are interested in taking this hiking and birding tour in Minahasa needs to fly from their country to Manado city. There are daily flights between Manado and major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Makassar, Balikpapan, and Sorong served by Garuda, Citilink, TransNusa, Lion Air, Batik Air. 

There are also direct flights between Manado city and Singapore served by Scoot Air; and between Manado and Guangzhou served by China Southern Airlines.

Flight routes to Manado city

Arriving in Manado city, the trip to Subdistrict town of Sonder could be done by car. There are homestay in Sonder. Visitors could find accommodation in Tomohon town by using booking.com or traveloka.com.

Land Route from Manado city to the town of Tomohon and Subdistrict town of Sonder

Visitors could combine the trip to the highland of Minahasa with snorkeling and scuba diving tour in Bunaken, Siladen, Mantehage, and Lembeh Strait of the same North Sulawesi region. 

Booking

If you are interested in taking hiking and birding tour in Minahasa highland of Indonesia and want me to organize your tour, please, contact me by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Also read:

• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Exploring the Natural Beauty of North Sulawesi
• Nature Tour in North Sulawesi

• Sonder town
• Lake Tondano
• Birding in Minahasa

Nature Tour in North Sulawesi

Purple-winged Roller

As a touris guide, I offer tours to North Sulawesi for visitors who are interested in seeing nature, watching birds, butterflies, and other animals in the forest. The duration of the tour can be as short as 7 to 9 days covering most of the important forest areas from Kotamobagu to Minahasa and then to Bitung.

The tour that I offer is not only for birding and wildlife watching but also for seeing beautiful natural places of Minahasa such as Pine Forest in Lahendong, Lake Tondano, Mount Mahawu, and Lake Linow, terraces of rice fields, and farmlands in the towns of Tomohon and Sonder that surround traditional villages of North Celebes.

Farmland in the highland of Minahasa

From my previous trips I and my clients saw various species of birds such as:

• Sooty-headed Bulbul
• Chestnut Munia
• Scaly-breasted Munia
• Black-faced Munia
• Sahul Sunbird
• Crimson Sunbird
• Grey-sided Flowerpecker
• Yellow-sided Flowerpecker
• Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove
• White-faced Cuckoo Dove
• Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon
• Black-naped Fruit Dove
• Sulawesi Hanging Parrot
• Pale Blue Monarch
• Black-crowned White-eye
• Mountain (Warbling) White-eye
• White-necked Myna
• Purple-winged Roller
• Citrine Cannary Flycatcher
• Turquoise Flycatcher
• Finch-billed Myna
• Sulawesi Serpent Eagle
• Knobbed Hornbill
• Sulawesi Scops Owl
• Speckled Boobok
• Green-backed Kingfisher
• Large-billed Kingfisher
• Lilac Cheeked Kingfisher
• Ruddy Kingfisher
• Sulawesi Dwarf Kingfisher
• Collared Kingfisher
• Hair-crested (White-eyed) Drongo
• Sulawesi Drongo
• Black-naped Oriole
• Sunda Teal
• Little Egret
• Cattle Egret
• Barred Rail
• Finch-billed Myna
• Barn Swallow
• Sulawesi Scops Owl
• Brush Cuckoo
• Slender-billed Crow
• White-browed Crake
• Eastern Yellow Wagtail
• White-breasted Woodswallow
• and etc.

Some birds in Minahasa highland

In addition to birds, while walking in the forest, we saw Crested-Macaque Monkeys, Gliding Lizard, snake, and Sulawesi bear Cuscus.

Sulawesi has got a lot of endemic animals. This tropical island is located in the transition zone between the continents of Asia and Australia.

Besides birding and wildlife watching, I also did trips to traditional eating houses of the region. We ate some traditional cakes, and spicy cuisine of Minahasa.

Lake Tondano, photo by Charles Roring

Visitors who plan to take this tour with me have to bring their own binoculars and if possible, camera with telephoto lens such as Nikon or Canon D-SLR with 400 or even 600 mm lenses. Sigma and Tamron manufacture 150-600 mm lenses that are suitable for bird and wildlife photography. Those who do not want to carry heavy photographic devices can bring Nikon P900 or Nikon P1000 that is very powerful in shooting birds and wild animals in distant trees.

Booking

To book your tour in Minahasa, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Also read:

• Sonder's Birdwatching and Butterflywatching Sites
• Minahasa Beach and Great-billed Kingfisher
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• https//wildlifeminahasa.blogspot.com

Sonder's Birdwatching and Butterflywatching Sites and Other Cultural Attractions

Sonder town in Minahasa highland of Indonesia

This is Sonder, a small town in Minahasa. I like to spend my time here exploring its villages, farmlands, roads and forest areas. Most of the town dwellers work as farmers. There are those who work as carpenters, construction workers, traders of agricultural produce, and government employees. 

Farmers plant rice, vegetables, and other agricultural crops. While in Sonder, I like to do exploratory trips to clove plantation areas, rice fields, fish farm and to chicken farm. 

In the past, people from Sonder were famous in North Sulawesi for their clove commodity. Clove was the raw material for making the Indonesian cigarette called Rokok Kretek. In 1970s and early 1980s, the price of clove was very high. A lot of farmers in Sonder became very rich.

Now, clove is not the only commodity that they rely on. Farmers in Minahasa have diversified their business by planting other crops. They also raise pigs and run chicken farms. When we walk along the farmland, we can see terraces of rice fields, vegetable gardens and fish ponds along the sides of rivers. 

Farmland in District Sonder of Minahasa regency

Palm Sugar

There is a village in District Sonder that produces palm sugar from the sap of aren tree. Its name is Rambunan village. Visitors who are interested in traveling to the village can see how the villagers collect the sap of the aren tree and how farmers boil the sap until it is thick enough to become palm sugar caramel which is used in various kinds of Minahasan foods.  The road between Sonder town and Rambunan village is a good site for birdwatching and butterflywatching. Visitors could see Chestnut Munia, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Black-naped Oriole, Sahul Sunbird and a lot of other birds while walking between this small town and the village. Manado Yellow Tiger and Blanchard's Tree Nymph butterflies are some of the many butterflies visitors could watch in Sonder. 

Aren Tree

Palm Sugar from Rambunan village

Hot spring

There are a few villages in District Sonder that have got hot springs. Visitors can go there for sightseeing or for enjoying the warm water from the hotspring. The stream that flows from the hot springs emits steam that causes the surrounding atmosphere to smell sulphur. 

Hot spring in Leilem village of District Sonder

Birding

The hills and farmlands in and around Sonder are the habitat of a lot of species of birds such as:

• Sulawesi Hanging Parrot
• Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker
• Sooty-headed Bulbul
• Chestnut Munia
• Scaly-breasted Munia
• Black-faced Munia
• Little Egret
• Cattle Egret
• Sahul Sunbird
• Black Sunbird
• Crimson Sunbird
• Gray-sided Flowerpecker
• Yellow-sided Flowerpecker
• Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove
• White-faced Cuckoo Dove
• Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon
• Green Imperial Pigeon
• Black-naped Fruit Dove
• Black-naped Oriole
• Hair-crested (White-eyed) Drongo
• Sulawesi Drongo
• Yellow-billed Malkoha
• Collared Kingfisher
• Scaly-breasted Kingfisher
• Brush Cuckoo
• White-breasted Woodswallow
• White-browed Crake
• Eastern Yellow Wagtail
• Mountain White-eye
• Black-crowned White-eye
• Barn Swallow
• Edible-nest (White-nest) Swiftlet
• and etc.

Some birds from Sonder's forest of Minahasa highland

In addition to Sonder, I also like to visit several other towns in Minahasa highland such as Tomohon, Kawangkoan, Tondano, and Langowan. These towns are surrounded by villages.

Blanchard's Tree Nymph Butterfly

There are various species of butterflies too including Helena Birdwing (Troides helena), Manado Yellow Tiger Butterfly (Parantica menadensis), Clipper, Tree Nymph (Idea blanchardii), Blanchard's Wood Nymph (Ideopsis vitrea), and Sylvia's Clipper  (Parthenos sylvia) butterflies. 

Where is Sonder and how to get there?
Sonder is a small district town in Minahasa regency of the Province of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The main gate to this region is Manado city. It is easy to reach Manado. You could fly from your country to Singapore and other major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Makassar, Balikpapan and Sorong. There are daily flights to Manado city that are served by domestic airlines such as Garuda, Citilink, Lion Air, Batik Air and etc.

Visitors can spend their holiday time by combining visits to Raja Ampat and Sonder. 

Flight routes to Manado city from Singapore, Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Makassar and Sorong

Landing in Manado city, you could continue your trip to Sonder town in Minahasa highland by car. It takes around 1 hour 30 minutes for the trip. 

It takes around 1 hour 30 minutes by car from the airport in Manado city to Sonder town

Sam Ratulangi International Airport of Manado city

As a guide, I offer cultural tours for tourists who want to visit the highland of Minahasa. I can organize trips to see villages, and meet farmers, or have sightseeing tours to beatiful places such as Mount Mahawu, Lake Tondano, Lake Linow or terraces of rice-fields and waterfalls in Tincep village.

If you are interested in visiting Minahasa, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180

Also read:

• Birding in Minahasa
• Birds in the Highland of Minahasa
• Birding in North Sulawesi

Minahasa Beach and Great-billed Kingfisher

Minahasa beach

I visited the coastal area of Minahasa in its northern region to find Great-billed Kingfisher. It was a nice experience because I could enjoy the view of the blue sea, fishermen's boats, mountain, and water birds.
Great-billed Kingfisher usually lived in mangrove forest. To reach it, I organized a trip by boat through a river in Likupang area. I was with 4 Taiwanese tourists. They were bird watchers.
Our boat moved slowly into the river, we saw some water birds flying over the river such as Little Egret, Great-billed Heron, but they were not our target. There were Slender-billed Crow, and pigeon too.
When we were deep in the mangrove forest, we saw a Great-billed Kingfisher flying fast through the river. We asked the boat driver to chase him. It looked that the bird had disappeared behind in the forest. We decided to look for another one. Several minutes later we saw another Great-billed Kingfisher.

Great-billed Kingfisher

This time I asked the boat driver to turn off the engine. I and my friend took turn in paddling the boat. We approached the bird slowly and silently. I asked the tourists to take pictures when the kingfisher was within shooting range. They were so happy because they could watch it for a few minutes. The kingfisher dived to catch fish and then returned to its roosting place again.
When the tourists had taken pictures, I pulled my camera and shot the bird several times. I used Canon 200D with Tamron 150-600 mm G2 lens. It was quite powerful to shoot distant animals.
After shooting the bird, we returned to the beach and enjoyed the beautiful evening of Minahasan coast. We returned to Tangkoko with happy face.
If you are interested in traveling to North Sulawesi to see its beautiful landscape, beach, people, culture, birds and wildlife, and want me to organize your tour, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: leororing@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Lake Tondano

Lake Tondano

In my last tour around Minahasa, I visited Lake Tondano. There was a road that connected Tomohon and Tondano. However, we did not go through that one. We went there through Leilem. It was a big lake in North Sulawesi. I went there by car and had a tour around the lake. The scenery of the lake was very beautiful. Villages and Tondano town surrounded the edge of the lake. There were restaurants too. I had lunch in the town near the campus of State University of Manado. The temperature in Tondano was quite cool especially at nights.
When traveling in the area, I saw a tall tower. I heard that it was the replica of Moraya fortress which was the battle ground between Dutch colonial troops and the Minahasan people in early 1800s. It was a sad story because during the war, a lot of people were killed including women and children.
During that time Tondano and other Minahasan villages were important rice and spice producers in the region. So, it was not surprising to see how Western Colonial powers of that era such as the Spaniards and the Dutch used their military and economic might to conquer the region.
Until now, farmlands around Lake Tondano still produce rice but farmers have run other businesses too such as running eating houses, and shops.
For tours in North Sulawesi, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.
Also read:
Sonder
Birding in Minahasa

Birding in North Sulawesi

Female Olive-backed Sunbird

I recently visited the highland and lowland of North Sulawesi from Kotamobagu to Minahasa and then to Tangkoko. This province has got beautiful landscape that attracts a lot of tourists every year. Early this month I was traveling in this region with several tourists from Republic of China also called Taiwan. We visited several places including Tomohon, Sonder, Amurang, and Tangkoko. Most of our activities were focused on birding and wildlife watching. We enjoyed birding in Mount Mahawu, Lake Linow, Temboan and the rainforest of Mount Dua Sudara Nature Reserve (famously called Tangkoko). Each tour participant whom I guided brought his or her own binoculars and camera with telephoto lens. So, taking pictures of birds in tall trees or far in a pond was an easy thing to do for each of them.

Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon

There were a lot of birds that we saw such as Maleo, Knobbed Hornbill, Pale Blue Monarch (Hypotimis puella), Grossbeak Starling (Scissirostrum dubium), Chestnut Munia (Lonchura atricapilla), Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata), Olive-backed Sunbird, Yellow-billed Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus calyorhynchus), Purple-winged Roller, Green-backed Kingfisher, Gross-beak Starling, Golden-mantled Racket Tail, Slender-billed Cuckoo Dove, Slender-billed Crow, Barred Rail, Lilac-cheeked Kingfisher, Great-billed Kingfisher, Scaly-breasted Kingfisher, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Black-naped Oriol,  Ashy Woodpecker, Collared Kingfisher, Sunda Teal, Black-winged Stilt, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Sulawesi Scops Owl, Ochre-bellied Boobok, and a lot more.
We also saw a lot of butterflies, and dragonflies. In addition to birds and insects, we saw squirrels, Celebes-crested Macaque monkeys, Snake and Cuscus Possum in the forest.
Cultural Tour

Farmland in Minahasa Highland

As a tourist guide, I can combine birding tour with special culture tour for visitors who are also interested in seeing Minahasan people in their daily life. We could visit farmland and see how villagers work in their garden, work in ricefield and fishpond. We could also see the traditional market and see agricultural produce and other products which local people sell and buy.  A trip to see farmers who make traditional liquor from palm sap or palm sugar can be organized too.
If you are interested in visiting North Sulawesi and want me to be your guide, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180

Also read:

• Birding in Minahasa Peninsula
• Birdwatching in Sonder of Minahasa highland

Birding in Minahasa peninsula

Minahasa regency in the province of North Sulawesi of Indonesia is a great destination for visitors who are interested in wildlife watching especially birdwatching and butterflywatching. 

Birds in District Sonder of Minahasa

My favorite destination is Sonder town. It has become my main base for watching birds. The first forest that I choose is Tounelet forest. This is a small forest that is located on a slope behind Siloam Hospital. Birds such as Edible-nest Swiftlet, Grey-sided Flowerpecker, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, Black-naped Oriole, Sahul Sunbird, Pale Blue Monarch, Sultan's Cuckoo Dove, Chestnut Munia, Little Egret, and Cattle Egret could be watched there. 

Sooty-headed Bulbul

Here is the picture of Sooty-headed Bulbul that I saw in the highland of Minahasa yesterday. There were a lot of these birds in trees when I visited the new birding site. Because I was standing on a slope across from the trees. I could take near eye level pictures of the Sooty-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus aurigaster).
The Province of North Sulawesi is a great destination for birding and wildlife watching, sightseeing. There are several famous places in the region such as Tambun, Ambang, Mount Mahawu, Temboan, and Tangkoko. From my short exploration of Minahasa regency, I found several new birding sites. I call them the Clove Garden, the Well, and the Key Point. There are still a lot of places that are potential for birding. I will visit them in the future too.
There are hundreds of species of birds that visitors could watch when they visit these new birding sites. Some of them include Sulawesi Scops Owl (Otus manadensis), Olive-backed Sunbird (Cinnyris jugularis), Yellow-billed Malkoha, (Phaenicophaeus calyorhynchus), Chestnut Munia (Lonchura atricapilla), Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata), and etc. The duration of the trip can be 7 day/ 6 nights covering both lowland, highland of Sulawesi. The birding tour can be combined with visits to villages and farmland sof local people so that visitors can see how Minahasan farmers live in their daily life.
If you are interested in birding in Minahasa and other places in North Sulawesi, and want me to organize your tour, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or whatsapp +6281332245180.

Also read:

• Bendi - a traditional transport vehicle
• Birds in the Highland of Minahasa
• Birding in North Sulawesi

Sunflower from Tomohon

The picture of sunflower (helianthus anuus) with some red canna which you see on this blog post was taken several years ago in Tomohon, a trading hub or commercial town in the mountainous Minahasan regency. It looked weird to see that these sun flower plants were growing just beside a busy street which should be allocated for pedestrian path. The street was not far from Tomohon traditional market where thousands of people gather to buy and sell goods. I haven't visited this town for four years and I wonder if these sunflower plants still exist. Now, Tomohon has become a new municipality in Minahasa. Years ago it was a famous flower town.

In Minahasan towns and villages, people usually grow flowers at the front yards of their homes. City dwellers from Manado and Bitung often come to buy flowers from them. So, beside they function as decorative plants, the flowers that are growing in front of the villagers homes are important agricultural commodity.  Sun flowers that they grow are not meant to be used for their oil as an alternative energy but to beautify the landscape. If you are interested in visiting Minahasa to see various flowers there then I should recommend a small village named Tincep. There you can see a lot of species of flowers from roses, to orchids. by Charles Roring

Allamanda Cathartica the Golden Trumpet Flower

Several years ago I visited a village in the province of North Sulawesi. Its name was Sonder, one of the districts of Minahasa regency. On one afternoon when the rain had just stopped, I took a walk around the village. The yards of the houses along the roads of the village were fully decorated with various colorful and beautiful flowers. There were roses, bougainvillea, canna, sunflower, and etc. One flower plant that really attracted my attention was golden trumpet. The flowers of this plant looked like small trumpets or bells. The leaves of the plant was dark green whereas the flowers looked freshly yellow. Flowers are not only used to express love but also to decorate house indoor and outdoor areas. Minahasan people like to grow flowers around their houses.

Years later, when I began to write more articles about decorative flowers, I remember this golden trumpet. Its funnel shaped flowers and glossy dark green leaves are perfect decoration for houses in the tropical region. From the articles that I read on websites, I know that the latin names of the flower or plant is Allamanda cathartica. Its height can reach around 4 meters if grown on fertile lands that receives sunlight all year round.

So, if you are now thinking of decorating your frontyard with flower plants, why don't you try alamanda or the golden trumpet?

If after reading this blog post, and become interested in visiting Sonder and its surrounding villages to see beautiful flowers there, then I will recommend another village named Tincep. This village has been famous in Indonesia as the center of flower market from North Sulawesi province. Here, you can see a lot of species of flowers that you can buy both for indoor and outdoor decoration. Remember to ask some advice from the flower farmer whether the flowers that you intend to buy are suitable to the climate condition in your country or city. by Charles Roring - contact email: peace4wp@gmail.com

Tropical Wooden Houses

Tropical wooden houses in Minahasa have been around for hundreds of years. Most of the Minahasan people live in houses that are constructed from wood. Cempaka, Merbau,  and Natoh (Latin: Micelia celebica) are the main types of wood used in the house construction due to their hardness and durability in resisting wet climate of the tropical weather. In addition, they are more resistant to termite attack. Most of the earthquake resistant wooden houses of Minahasa are single and two floors constructions. Besides they are more suitable to hot and high moisture climate, wooden houses are chosen for aesthetic reasons. All of the rooms in a traditional wood house of Minahasa have ventilation holes. Jalousie glass windows are the preferred choice because they allow sunlight to penetrate the rooms even when they are closed. They enable the air to flow freely in and out of the house. Most of the ventilation in bedrooms are covered with mosquito nets. 

 Minahasa is a regency in the province of North Sulawesi of the Republic of Indonesia that is surrounded by several active volcanoes such as Mount Lokon, and Mount Soputan. In addition, it is located within the ring of fire of the Pacific Ocean where tectonic earthquake frequently occurs.

If we explore wooden house thoroughly, we will see that ladders are installed one at the front of the house which enables guests to come up directly to the second floor (where the living room is located) and the other at the back of the house connecting the second floor with the kitchen (which is located at the ground floor). The ground floor is usually allocated for the storage of agricultural produce (such as clove, rice, peanuts, and coffee), parking area for cars, and kitchen. Typical Minahasan wood houses have large yard area where the owners (whose profession as farmers) dry their agricultural commodity under the sun. Minahasan people like to grow clove and coconut trees in front of their houses. They also grow various flowers at the front yard as decoration that beautify the outside appearance of the house. The second floor is usually allocated for bedrooms and living room. These ladders stiffen and strengthen the construction of the wooden house against horizontal movements caused by tectonic and volcanic earthquakes. Read: Earthquake Resistant Wood House.
In the past the roof of the wooden houses are made of palm leaves. Because of frequent fire incident, today's wood houses have roof made of metal sheets which in Indonesia are called daun seng. Ordinary thin corrugated metal roof is actually not suitable for house construction in Minahasa whose atmosphere is often filled by sulphur emitted by the volcanoes but the local people there do not have other option. Actually the manufacturers of the metal roof need to produce metal roof sheets that are more resistant to corrosion caused by high sulphur content in air. 
Today the Minahasan wooden houses are being exported in the form of knock-down package that can be ordered directly from the internet and shipped in containers. House builders will be sent to help the buyer of the house construct the package.

Also read: 

What is green home?

The Ceiling and Windows of Wooden House

Earthquake Resistant Wood House

Wooden house is now seen as the best and the most affordable earthquake resistant construction for home owners. Wood has been used as construction materials for thousands of years. The recent news about earthquake in Haiti shows how concrete building are severely damaged after being hit by 7 magnitude quakes. In the contrary most of the wooden house can still stand without suffering bad destructions. Wood is more resistant to quakes due to its properties. It is more durable against vibration due to its fiber. Although wooden house is the perfect solution in earthquake region, it has to be protected against termite and bad weather. I just wrote an article in my Englishland's website explaining several precaution steps that home owners or home builders should do to make their houses more safe not to the violent earthquake but to the surrounding environmental conditions that are not friendly to wood as construction material.

Beautiful Flowers from Tomohon

My sister ordered some bunches of flowers from Tomohon for decorating our Catholic church during the Christmas mass. The flowers arrived 12 hours late and they could not be used during the Christmas eve celebration. The distance the flowers had to travel was very far. From Tomohon in the Minahasa regency, her friend who bought the flowers had to bring them to Sam Ratulangie airport and handed them over to cabin crew of Batavia air. After that the flowers would be flown to Hasanuddin airport in Makassar city where it would then be transferred from the airplane to another one that would be flying to Rendani airport of Manokwari in the Province of West Papua. So, the flowers need around 8 hours flying not including the time they needed on land from the airport to the church before they could be used for decorating the altar.

Because of the late arrival of these flowers, my sister decided to use them for the New Year's eve celebration. To keep the freshness of the flowers, she put them in a number of baskets that have been filled with water. Also she put them near our bathroom to keep the temperature lower.

Flower farmers in Tomohon have exported their products to customers as far as Jakarta and Balikpapan. Although on the map the distance between Manokwari and Tomohon is not too far, there is no direct flight between these towns. Flowers have to be transported by car or Datsun trucks from Tomohon to Manado and be flown to Makassar before taking another flight to Manokwari.

Selling Flowers can be a good business especially during the economic downturn like what many people experience right now. Growing flowers can be done at backyards where unused lawns have been converted into flower patch. The favorite and expensive flowers that customers like to buy in this town are cut flowers such as red roses, orchid and possibly Adenium (mostly sold as live plants) Less expensive flowers such as Canna is also good for home interior.

When buying flowers, customers must know that beautiful flowers from high land areas may not grow well in lowland areas. So it is better to ask the vendors about the kind of flowers which are suitable for lowland. by Charles Roring
Also read: Barringtonia Asiatica beautiful but poisonous flower