Birdwatching Tour in the Farmland and Forest of Minahasa Highland

Sonder is a small town in Minahasa regency of Indonesia. It is surrounded by forest, farmland, rivers, ponds and rice fields. Sonder is a great destination for visitors who like birdwatching or wildlife watching. 

Hiking Tour Along the Farmland and Forest

Visitors who go hiking through the farmland and forest at the outskirts of Sonder town can see a lot of species of tropical birds such as Pale Blue Monarch, Black-naped Oriole, Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Sahul Sunbird, Gray-sided Flowerpecker, Chestnut Munia, Scaly-breasted Munia, Collared Kingfisher, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Sulawesi Hanging Parrot, Black-crowned White-eye, Gray-cheeked Green Pigeon, Eastern Cattle Egret, Slender-billed Crow, Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove, Barn Swallow, Glossy Swiftlet, White-nest Swiftlet and etc.

Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis)
Black-naped Oriole
Sultan's Cuckoo Dove
Sulawesi Cuckoo Dove

The ricefield of Sonder are good for birdwatching and birdphotography too. Visitors could see various species of birds including White-breasted Woodswallow, White-browed Crake, Eastern Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, White-browed Crake, Collared Kingfisher and etc.

White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus)
White-breasted Woodswallow

Mountain (Warbling) White-eye (Zosterops japonicus)
Mountain (Warbling) White-eye

More birds could be seen if we go to tropical rainforest and agricultural forest of Sonder especially in the mornings and late afternoons before sunset time. There are Crimson Sunbird, Sulawesi Drongo, Hair-crested (White Eye) Drongo, Black-faced Munia, Mountain (Warbling) White-eye, Collared Kingfisher, White-faced Cuckoo Dove, Yellow-sided Flowerpecker, and a lot more.

Pale Blue Monarch (Hypothimis puella)
Pale Blue Monarch

Sulawesi Scops Owl (Otus manadensis) in Sonder village of Minahasa highland
Sulawesi Scops Owl
Butterfly Watching and Photography Tour

Sonder is also a great destination for visitors who like to watch and photograph butterflies. There are butterflies such as: Blanchard's Wood Nymph (Ideopsis vitrea), Blanchard's Tree Nymph (Idea blanchardii), Meyer's Jay (Graphium Meyeri), Graphium anthedon and Celebes Leafwing Butterfly (Doleschallia polibete celebensis), Manado Yellow Tiger Butterfly (Parantica menadensis) and etc.

Blanchard's Wood Nymph Butterfly (Idea blanchardii)
Blanchard's Wood Nymph Butterfly
Blanchard's Wood Nymph butterfly (Ideopsis vitrea)
Blanchard's Wood Nymph Butterfly

Celebes Leafwing Butterfly (Dolleschalia polibete celebensis)
Sulawesi Leafwing Butterfly

Meyer's Jay butterfly (Graphium meyeri)
Meyer's Jay Butterfly
Manado Yellow Tiger Butterfly (Parantica menadensis)
Manado Yellow Tiger Butterfly
Bird and butterfly photography tour in and around the outskirts of Sonder can be combined with trips of other forest areas in North Sulawesi for a duration of 3 to 7 days. The places that we visit include Tambun Maleo Sanctuary, Tapak Kolintang road of Dumoga Bone National Park, Mount Ambang, Minahasa Highland, and Tangkoko Nature Reserve rainforest. 

Where is Sonder town and how to get there? 

Sonder is a small town in the highland of Minahasa. It can be reached from Manado city in approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. 

Tourists who are interested in visiting Sonder town needs to fly to Manado city first. Here is the flight routes.

flight route to Manado city
Flight route to Manado city



Booking

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

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