Peninsular Malaysia - Central Route

Departure 1 March 2010, 3 May 2010, 2 July 2010, 3 September 2010, 1 November 2010

Duration 8 days and 7 nights

Target Birds 150 to 200 species

One of Malaysia’s best kept secrets is the biosphere of the Malay Peninsula. This geographical zone is one the most bio-diverse regions on earth. It is a treasure house of some of the most exotic plant life, birdlife, animal life, and coral and fish life on the planet. Its rainforest is inhabited with tigers, leopards, elephants, sambar deer, sun bears, tapir, rhino and many others. It resounds with the whooping call of the gibbons and the unfamiliar cries of the hornbills, pheasants, barbets and babblers. Within this biosphere lie the states of Selangor, Penang, Perak and Kedah and Terengganu. Collectively it offers vast expanse of untouched rainforest, golden beaches, secluded coral islands and amazing flora and fauna.

Our birding adventure will take us through several habitats that will include tidal mangrove forest, lowland rainforest and montane forest. Along the journey we will also search for the birds that frequent the rice paddies. This will offer a broad spectrum of Malaysian birds. These birding sites are well known among the worldwide birding community and our guides second to none. At all times we will ensure our clients the best Malaysia can offer in birds, accommodation and food.

The first site that we will visit is the mangrove forest of the Kuala Selangor Nature Park and the surrounding areas. Mangroves are a very unique ecosystem, which is influenced by the rise and fall of the tides. Here we target to see a unique list including Lesser Adjutants, Milky Storks (Released 2004), Eagles (Created Serpeant & White-bellied), Brahminy Kite, Black Baza, Honey Buzzards etc (Migration season), Red Junglefowl, White-breasted Waterhen, Slaty-breasted Rail, Pink-necked Pigeon, Malaysian Bronze-cuckoo, Black-bellied Malkoha, Greater Coucal, Barred Eagle-Owl, Buffy Fish-Owl, Large-tailed Nightjar, Kingfishers (Stork-billed, White-throated, Black-capped, Collared & Common), Dollarbird, Barbets (Coppersmith & Lineated), Brown-capped (or Sunda Pygmy) Woodpecker, Greater Goldenback, Mangrove Pitta, Common Iora, Bulbuls (Red-eyed & Yellow-vented), Black-naped Oriole, Warblers (Oriental Reed & Inornate), Flyeater, Ashy Tailorbird, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Mangrove Whistler, Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher, Pied Fantail, Paddy Field Pipit, White-breasted Wood-swallow, Tiger Shrike, Mynas (Common, Javan), Sunbirds (Ruby-cheeked, Olive-backed, Brown-throated), Scarlet Flowerpecker, Oriental White-eye, Munias (White-rumped, Scaly-breasted, Black headed & White-headed), Baya Weaver etc.. Kuala Selangor is also an part of Birdlife International's Important Bird Area (IBA) and is good for its waders and waterbirds. Common sightings during the migration season end Sept-March would include Plovers (Little Ringed & Mongolian), Whimbrel, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Ruddy Turnstone, Curlew Sandpiper, Terns (White-winged, Caspian, Black-naped & Little) etc.. 

Our second site is the hill resort of Fraser’s Hill (also part of an IBA) for highland & lower montane birds. Here we will spend the next 3 days in birding heaven. At Fraser’s Hill we will get to see about 50 -70 highland species and we will hope to catch good views of mostly sunda endemics i.e. Blyths Hawk-Eagle, Malaysian Hill Partridge (E), Yellow-vented Pigeon, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot, Green-billed Malkoha, Brown Wood-Owl, Treewsifts (Whiskered, Grey-rumped), Laughing-thrush (Black, Chesnut-capped & Chestnut crowned), Trogons (Red-headed & Orange-breasted), Red-bearded Bee-eater, Hornbills (Rhinoceros, Great, Wreathed), Barbets (Black-browed, Gold-whiskered, Brown), Yellownape (Greater & Lesser), Broadbills (Silver-breasted & Long-tailed), Red-rumped Swallow, Large Woodshrike, Malaysian Cuckoo-shrike, Grey-chinned Minivet, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Bulbuls (Black-headed, Black Crested, Ochraceous & Mountain), Drongos (Bronzed, Lesser & Greater), Asian Fairy Bluebird, Black and Crimson Oriole, Green Magpie, Sultan Tit, Blue Nuthatch, Babblers (Buff-breasted, Striped-Tit, Golden, Grey-throated, White-hooded & Large Scimitar), Silvered-eared Mesia, Mountain Fulvetta, Long-tailed Sibia, Slaty-backed Forktail, Malayan Whistling Thrush (E) and Blue Whistling Thrush, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Flycatchers (Verditer & Little Pied), Large Niltava, White-throated Fantail, Black-throated Sunbird, Streaked Spiderhunter, Flowerpeckers (Buff-bellied & Orange-bellied), Everett's White-eye etc..     

Our adventure concludes at one of South East Asia's finest national park - Taman Negara. It is the most favored birding destination for Peninsula Malaysia to primarily get the fantastic lowland birds. Sitting amidst towering rainforest trees and among the oldest rainforests and the Tembeling River is a gem of a resort that will be your base for the next 3 days of fantastic birding. The lowland rainforest at Taman Negara is home to over 240 species of birds and it is your guide’s regular sites.

Its primary forests and the network of jungle trails among the forest understorey houses some of the most diversified birdlist Malaysia has to offer. We will try for gems such as the Lesser Fish-Eagle, Bat Hawk, Black-thighed Falconet, Malaysian Hill-Partridge, Ferruginous Wood-Partridge, Crested Fireback, Malaysian Peacock Pheasant, Great Argus, Malaysian Peacock Pheasant, Red-wattled Lapwing, Pigeons (Thick-billed, Little Green, Large Green, Wedge-tailed, Green Imperial & Green-winged), Long-tailed Parakeet, Parrots (Blue-rumped & Blue-crowned), Cuckoo (Indian, Oriental Banded Bay, Plaintive, Drongo & Asian Emerald), Malkohas (Raffles & Red-billed), Lesser Coucal, Owls (Reddish Scops, Collared Scops, Brown Hawk & Spotted-Wood), Nightjars (Malaysian-Eared & Large), Trogons (Red-naped, Diard's & Scarlet-rumped), Kingfishers (Blue-eared, Oriental Dwarf, Rufous-collared & Stork-billed), Hornbills (Bushy-Crested, Black, Oriental, Rhinoceros, Great & Helmeted), Barbets (Gold-whiskered, Red-crowned, Red-throated, Blue-eared & Brown), Woodpeckers (Grey-headed, Crimson-winged, Grey-and-Buffed, Great Slaty, White-bellied, Buff-rumped & Buff-necked), Broadbills (Dusky, Banded, Black-and-Red, Black-and-Yellow & Green), Pitta (Garnet, Banded & Blue-winged), Black-winged Flycatcher Shrike, Scarlet Minivet, Green Iora, Leafbirds (Blue-winged, Greater & Lesser), Bulbuls (Straw-headed, Scaly-breasted, Stripe-throated, Cream-vented & Red-eyed), Greater Racquest-tailed Drongo, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Black-naped Oriole, Black Magpie, Large-billed Crow, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Babblers (Abbott's, Rufous-crowned, Grey-headed & Chestnut-winged), Malaysian Rail-Babbler, Flycatchers (Dark-sided & Asian Brown, Grey-headed & Tickell's Blue), Asian Paradise-Flycatcher, Monarchs (Black-naped & Rufous-winged), Spotted Fantail, Forest Wagtail, Hill Myna, Scarlet Sunbird, Little Spiderhunter, Flowerpeckers (Scarlet-breasted, Yellow-vented, Orange-bellied, Pin-tailed Parrotfinch and many others and if we are very lucky the elusive Great Argus.

~ End of Tour ~

Price

MYR 7,646.00 per person (Minimum 8 people)

MYR 8,311.00 per person (Minimum 6 people)

MYR 9,960.00 per person (Minimum 4 people)

MYR 11,00.00 per person (Minimum 2 people)

Single Supplement: RM 1,811 per person.

Price Included of Accommodations, all meals and transportation within Malaysia, all execurtions and bird guide