March trip to North Sulawesi started with meeting my girlfriend Neja who was volunteering at Tasikoki Animal Rescue Centre. She could only get a few days off so we decided to visit a nearby Tangkoko nature reserve.

Since the distance was small we hired two ojek taxis (motorcycles) which turned to be a memorable drive through numerous coconut plantations and small villages. We decided to stay at Mama Roos homestay which is a friendly place located just opposite of the entrance to Tangkoko reserve.

It is not allowed to walk around the reserve by yourself. It is therefore obligatory to arrange a licenced guide which is a good idea cause they know where are the best chances to spot wildlife. Tangkoko is fairly small place and the animals are used of human presence and there close encounters are almost guaranteed.

The endangered Black Crested Macaque or Celebes Crested Macaque (Macaca nigra) and the nocturnal Spectral Tarsier Monkey (Tarsius tarsier) are the highlights of the reserve but the other wildlife is plenty and sightings of Hornbills, Kingfishers, Tarantulas and Cuscuses are often and rewarding.

A good idea is to make at least two walks. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. You should start the morning one well before sunrise in order to get to a place where the Black Macaques overnight. Soon after the sun is up they will start to make noise and come down the trees slowly one after another. Its a wonderful experience to be so close to them and watch how they interact between themselves. A knowledgeable guide can explain their behaviour and habits so talk to a guide before you make a commitment.

In the afternoon you can also track some Macaques but the main objective should be the Tarsiers. Local guides know exactly where they sleep and there is a reasonable chance to see this tiny primate when they wake up and start their night crusade. Seeing Tarsiers was awesome! They are even small than I imagined and their funny big eyes and funny fingers…

Run for your life – a Tsunami wave is coming!

Also the tiny fishing village close to the reserve was a nice experience. We went for an evening walk there and I ended up photographing local children who were competing who will entertain us better.

A female Black Crested Macaque.

Grooming time.

Tangkoko beach with distinctive volcanic black sands. A wonderful place for a swim. Too bad it is littered with plastic bottles and bags.

Inquisitive juvenile Macaque.

Bad hair day – every day

Each Macaque family is carefully studied by a scientist who research their behaviour. We spoke with this young French scientist who explained us a lot of interesting facts about the monkeys and the forest.

Hmmm, this doesn’t taste like I expected…

There was a heavy rain at night and Macaques headed to the beach to dry and to find some seafood delights.

Spectral Tarsier just after the nightfall.

Tarsiers are funny but cute creatures. Nothing on them seems to fit – their huge eyes, extra long tail, frog-like legs or Gecko-like fingertips.

On the way back to our homestay we found this giant Tarantula spider. Surprisingly shy and gentle creature!

We spent Three nights at Tangkoko Nature Reserve and it was well worth it. most of the visitors make a half day trip from Manado – usually enough to see the animals, but not enough to experience the forest and its life! So take my advice and spend at least one night there – you won’t regret it!

Update: Almost forgot to say something about photography… The forest itself is pretty much dark so you will need to use high ISO setting most of the time. The Macaques and the Tarsiers will let you get close and sometimes Macaques will approach you themselves. Do not make any sudden moves. I used 70-200 and 17-55 lenses and a macro lens for a Tarantula shot. Since there is frequent rain and the humidity is around 100% you should take a good care of your equipment. It happened to me that my 70-200 lens got foggy from the inside! I had to take it of and put to the sun to dry for half an hour.

Related posts

• Tanjung Puting National Park (8)
• Our red-haired cousins (8)
• Back from Borneo! (11)
• Yala national park safari (10)
• Volunteering at Tasikoki, North Sulawesi (1)

Safari shots continuing. This is the second post on wildlife watching in East Africa. If you’ve missed the first one – here is the link.

The photo of the Flamingos was taken at Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. This is probably the most convenient place to see these incredible birds in huge numbers. When I first saw them I was surprised. I expected elegant, gentle birds in a tranquil environment, but  came across noisy, clumsy, smelly and funny looking fellows instead. The biggest fun was to watch them chase each other around the shores of the lake. They looked like a children at play. No sign of elegance that I expected.

Another scenery from Maasai Mara NP. An idealistic image of Impalas, Zebras and a Giraffe grazing together in savanna.

Two juvenile Vervet monkeys at play. They have blue butts:) Sometimes a nuisance, but always fun to watch!

A Spotted Hyena – a rare sight at day-time. Besides Wild dogs, Hyenas are my favourite African beasts. (I prefer dogs to cats, he he…)

Common Bulbuls couple. As their name suggests they are one of the most common birds to spot around camps and lodges in East Africa.

Gnu or Wildebeest. Known as the ugliest and dumbest antelope of savanna. Don’t know about their intelligence but certainly not ugly. Funny yes, ugly no…

Classic view of the NgoroNgoro landscape. Zebras and Gnus grazing together.

A donkey in pajamas.

Elephant family marching through Tarangire National Park, Tanzania.

Baby Baboon taking the “mama” taxi.

One of my favourite wildlife shots in Africa is this one. A female Impala gazelle bitting off a young branch.

Two young elephants at play. That was an incredible sight. We were watching them for almost an hour in complete silence. Despite their size, they are incredibly gentle and caring animals.

Stripped Mongooses are always seen in big numbers. They are scouting the area for food and they rarely stop. This was one of the moments they stopped for a second when they noticed us.

Grey Crowned Crane. This one was captive at one of the lodges we stayed in Tanzania. A good opportunity for a photograph.

Saddle-billed Stork. The biggest of all storks and also one of the most beautiful ones.

And for the end an unknown animal that I’ve seen only once in East Africa. Very rare animal, probably on the verge of extinction!

More photos from East Africa are coming so get back in a week or so.

Related posts

• On the Safari in East Africa – part I? (7)
• African safari photo tips (11)
• Yala national park safari (10)
• Stripes in Etosha (6)
• Baboons, baboons, baboons! (4)

East Africa is one of my favourite places I’ve ever been. Its wildlife, landscapes, people and pure wilderness itself gets under your skin and you can never forget this unique place on Earth. I’ve been there many times guiding safari expeditions and vacations on Zanzibar island.

Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru Mount Kenya, Aberdares, Arusha, Ngoro Ngoro, Tarangire – these are just a few places I travelled and loved! It is hard to decide which place I liked the most, each one has its unique charms that make it worth to visit.

Kongoni (Hartebeest). Funny looking animal, they are many at Maasai Mara National Park. Actually I like their stupid look and crooked horns

Waterbuck is an antelope with style. A majestic animal, especially adult males with huge horns. Their flesh has unpleasant smell so that carnivores wouldn’t hunt them and their hair is “waterproof”.

Newborn zebra and its mother. A lovely, intimate moment. Lake Nakuru National Park – at the back you can notice the flamingos in the lake.

A Pelican, elegantly gliding among Flamingos at Lake Nakuru. Pelicans are not native to this alkaline lake – the arrived when humans introduced fish into the lake.

Chameleon. Funny little fellow! Once one almost fell on my head from the tree branch. I just love their rotating eyes and their Disco moves!

Sinister look. A young adult lion is having a snack – poor little Thompson’s gazelle. Not much was left for the scavengers – only a part of the scull and the horns.

A special sight – the endangered White Rhinos grazing at the shores of Lake Nakuru. There are Yellow Accacia trees at the back. Lake Nakuru is the best place to see these gentle giants, once we counted them 12 in one day!

Vultures fighting over carcass. There are at least three different species on the photo plus a Marabou Stork (the tall one to the right).

Lilac-breasted Roller. One of the most common and one of the most beautiful birds of African savannah. They are an easy subject to photograph as they are not shy and they like to rest on branches.

This was an unforgettable encounter – a huge lion pride! And although most of them were resting motionless in the bushes, these two charming cubs were playing with each.

Elegant Grant’s Gazelles. The photo was taken just after the rain – you can see they are still wet all over.

In the next few posts I am gonna present wildlife, people and places of East Africa, so stay tuned! You can follow my blog via RSS feeds or via Email subscription (FeedBurner).

Related posts

• African safari photo tips (11)
• On the Safari in East Africa – part II (11)
• Yala national park safari (10)
• Baboons, baboons, baboons! (4)
• Walvis bay – Mola Mola safari (4)

It was damn hot and humid, but we liked the place from the beginning. The first creature we met was this young Proboscis monkey male which was climbing the trees just nearby the park HQ.

There are many beautiful beaches in the park and if you go to more remote ones you will probably have one just for yourself.

Mudskippers are common coast dwellers in Bako. The ones at Tarakan island were much bigger than these here.

Close to park headquarters there is a beautiful Mangrove forest. This is how it looks at low tide. A lovely place to observe Proboscis monkeys and shore birds.

Mangroves at golden hour.

The soil in Bako park is not very rich and this is why there are so many Pitcher plants around. We especially liked the small ones.

Beautiful caterpillar. Imagine how beautiful must the butterfly be?

This mustached pig is a celebrity at Bako. Usually he is hanging around the restaurant waiting for some leftovers.

Macaque monkey. These charming creatures can be a real pest! They are used to people and they are always around, waiting for the right opportunity to steal some food. We saw them come in big number and they just scared away all the tourists at the restaurant eating everything that was left on the tables. Be sure to hide your food in the backpack and to lock your room and close windows tight!

Mangrove forest at high tide.

Pit Viper. This beautiful snake was hiding in a bush just behind the restaurant. It was at the same place at least for the last two months. Our new friends from Montenegro and Canada both told us for it when we met them at Gunung Mulu NP. When we arrived to Bako this was one of the first things to check out – and yes – it was still there! Amazing.

Bako was one of the most amazing places we visited in Borneo. Although it is a small park it is packed with wildlife and it has a great variety of habitats. It is best explored on your own and all you need is a map of the trails and plenty of water. It was very hot and humid while we were there and because of that it was extremely hard to hike around the park. But it was definitely worth the effort. A perfect conclusion of out trip to this fascinating island, Borneo.

Related posts

• Tanjung Puting National Park (8)
• Our red-haired cousins (8)
• Mount Kinabalu National Park (5)
• Gunung Mulu National Park (7)
• Back from Borneo! (11)

Kakaban island is really special. In the middle of it there is a salt water lake where live different species of Jellyfish.

On thing all the species have in common is that they lost their sting. It is totally safe to swim among them and you can also touch them (carefully, they are fragile creatures). Amazing experience! This is the first time I wished for waterproof body for my camera. Well, firstly I need to learn diving…

Mangrove forest surrounds the lake and it is quite interesting to see their roots from under the water.

Vegetation of Kakaban island is lush indeed. The forest gives a pleasant shade and there are numerous plants I’ve never seen before.

Kakaban island from the pier.

When we were leaving it was a low tide. We needed to walk to the boats.

The highlight of the trip is the waters of Sangalaki island. There is a strong current and this is the place where Manta rays feed regularly. While snorkeling we spotted more than thirty(!) Mantas. Incredible creatures! The best thing you can do is just stay at one place and wait for them to show up. They will come. When saw the first one I was shocked – it was huge and it was swimming directly towards me! But at the last moment it just circled around me elegantly and glided further. If you stay still you can notice they are quite inquisitive creatures. They were checking me up the same way I did them. One of them even let me touch it!

Besides Kakaban island and the mantas we went to the Coral reef for snorkeling and we spotted two Dolphin families. When we returned to Derawan I was dead tired and we both got sunburns. Take my advice – wear T-shirt while snorkeling – sunscreen doesn’t help against strong sun and you will stay in the water longer than you planned. And take some food with you and plenty of water!

We spent five days on Derawan island, but we could easily stay longer. But Borneo was inviting to move on – we were heading north to Tarakan island and then on to Malaysian side of the island. Stay tuned and check out previous posts on Borneo!

And here is some literature we read during our trip:

Related posts

• Tanjung Puting National Park (8)
• Our red-haired cousins (8)
• Back from Borneo! (11)
• Volunteering at Tasikoki, North Sulawesi (1)
• Samarinda to Berau (7)

But there is also a bright side – there are numerous organisations that are trying to save Orangutans from extinction. One of them is Orangutan Outreach, which is a part of bigger organisation, BOS International. Neja and I just donated a small amount to Orangutan Outreach and with their help we are trying to save a baby Orangutan that we found in a logging camp in the middle of Borneo jungle.

Huh, it is feeding time already! Let’s get some bananas!

I was late and all I found are these leftovers…

I love sugar cane!

Big Tom. Alpha male of Camp Leakey Orangutan population. He is trully majestic! Almost two times bigger than the other males.

Siswi. She is one of the smartest orangutans at Camp Leakey. She was playing around with these leaves and she made a hat out of it.

Sneaky orangutan.

Inquisitive baby Orangutan. His name is Percy, one of the most intelligent individuals at Camp Leaky.

Percy, begging for some more sugar cane.

Rules of the Camp Leakey rehabilitation centre. Some of the rules are constantly broken by visitors AND guides. Remember, these rules are here for our own and orangutan safety.

Tanjung Puting is undoubtedly a great place to see Orangutans. Sightings at feeding stations are almost guaranteed and there are reasonable chances to see them in the wild too. We were lucky and we spotted two wild orangutans while cruising the rivers of Tanjung Puting. We spent three days in the park and when I look back I wish we  would stay there longer. Anyway, I can say this was the most amazing experience of all our Borneo adventures!

Do not forget to check the other posts on Borneo!

And here is some literature we read during our trip:

Related posts

• Tanjung Puting National Park (8)
• Back from Borneo! (11)
• Yala national park safari (10)
• Tangkoko Nature Reserve – North Sulawesi (7)
• Mudskippers at Tarakan island (1)

Interior of a Klotok. Although the klotoks only have basic equipment they are quite comfortable. Especially if you have the whole boat for yourself and there is a crew of four that takes care of everything you need.

The guys on our boat prepared us lovely meals and I can easily say that was the best food in Kalimatan!

From the boat it is nice to watch Proboscis monkeys, that hang around the river in late afternoons.

Confluence of Sungai Sekonyer and Camp Leakey River. Note the almost black colour of the Camp Leakey river.

Cruising the rivers of Tanjung Puting national park offers amazing views. Especially late afternoon or early morning when the light is beautiful and there are better chances of spotting wildlife.

Rainy day. It does rain a lot, but usually only for a short time in the afternoon and it brings more tolerable temperatures.

Most of the rain forest in Tanjung Puting is the so-called Swamp-forest and most of it is flooded during the wet season. Note the colour of the water – it is like a black tea, as our guide Rudy said.

Gibbon eating bananas. It is forbidden to feed animals in the park, but some gibbons take their chance at the Orangutan feeding stations. I just love the sounds of Gibbons howling in the early morning!

Klotok detail.

As I said, the main reason to visit Tanjung Puting were orangutans. And we had an amazing experience with this incredible apes! Come back later this week to see the photos of our red-haired cousins!

And don’t forget to check other posts on Borneo!

And here is some literature we read during our trip:

Related posts

• Our red-haired cousins (8)
• Back from Borneo! (11)
• Yala national park safari (10)
• Tangkoko Nature Reserve – North Sulawesi (7)
• Mudskippers at Tarakan island (1)

Mugger Crocodile sunbathing on the shore.

Chital or Spotted Deer.

Wild buffalo cows and Cattle Egrets – two loyal companions.

Tranquil scene.

Darter drying its feathers.

The entrance to the Yala National Park.

A road between the sea and lakes.

Asian Openbill Stork.

Wild Buffalo.

Asian Elephant.

Green Bee-eater.

Here is the list of (almost) all the animals we’ve seen: Chital Deer, Leopard, Wild Buffalo, Darter, Black-naped Hare, Wild Boar, Green Bee Eaters, Painted Stork, Asian Elephant, Spot-billed Pelican, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Parakeets, Sambar deers, Grey langurs, Indian Peafowls, Leopard, Monitor Lizzards, Grey Herons, Jackals and several species of birds.

Yala National Park was a pleasant surprise and I can say it was one of the highlights of the tour. I would recommend it to everyone who visits Sri Lanka at least for a day. Three days would be hardly enough for a keen wildlife lover or birder.

Related posts

• Tanjung Puting National Park (8)
• Our red-haired cousins (8)
• On the Safari in East Africa – part II (11)
• On the Safari in East Africa – part I? (7)
• Back from Borneo! (11)

The third time I visited them they were finally close enough to make some photos. The family was numerous, there had to be at least twenty boars. No big males though – I guess they could be pretty dangerous to visitors.

Some of the boars were resting in the warm fallen-off foliage.

Nosy little piglet. What a cute animal!

What are you looking at?

Mama boar and her piglet.

It was fun to watch piglets running around. The forest was a playground for them and they were annoying other boars all the time. They were still suckling, but they tried everything they came across – even the dead leaves.

My sister photographing a boar. It was amazing experience to be with the boars. We spent almost an hour just sitting on the ground and watch the animals around us. The boars did not mind our presence at all.

Check also other posts on Bavarian forest national park.

Related posts

• Wisent – the giant of the European forests (9)
• Yala national park safari (10)
• Tanjung Puting National Park (8)
• Stripes in Etosha (6)
• Our red-haired cousins (8)

One of the most attractive animals is definitely a Wisent – European bison (Bison Bonasus), which was almost extinct, but they successfully reintroduced it to the wild. They roam freely now in the forests of Poland, Ukraine, Belarus… I’ve never seen those beautiful animals before so I was eager to finally encounter them.

The first two visits to their enclosure was a big disappointment as it is huge and the animals were hiding at the other end of it among the trees. It was impossible so see them even from the viewpoint above the enclosure. On the last day when I was already walking back to my room there they were! The day was ending and there was no people around so they moved closer to graze. I carefully approached them to the fence of the enclosure and prepared my camera.

An intimate sight of a mother and a calf.

The father was smelling the air for potential danger.

The adult bull. Magnificient animal!

Hey you funny looking animal, get away from my herd!

This bull obviously did not appreciate my presence. He approached me threatening, so I backed away and just observed these beautiful creatures from the distance.

I will post some more photos of the visit to Bavarian forest with the next posts.

Related posts

• A brief encounter with wild boar family (3)
• Yala national park safari (10)
• Tanjung Puting National Park (8)
• Stripes in Etosha (6)
• Our red-haired cousins (8)