The Philippines - Tour Destination

Click here for Trip Reports of previous tours

Composed of 7,107 islands strewn across a great stretch of tropical sea, the Philippines occupies the unenviable position of harboring the most birds facing imminent extinction. This is due to a combination of unregulated logging, large-scale slash-and-burn agriculture and the fastest population growth rate on the planet. Our Endangered Endemics tour covers the best of the remaining habitats and attempts to find some of the world’s most spectacular and threatened birds.

On Luzon, we visit sites for Stripe-headed Creeper (Rhabdornis), one of three species of a bird family endemic to the Philippines, Scale-feathered Malkoha, the outrageous Spotted Wood-Kingfisher, Luzon Water-Redstart, the sensational Yellow-breasted Fruit-Dove and secretive Whiskered Pitta amongst many others.
Continuing to the island of Palawan we will be greeted by a host of exciting new birds and landscapes. Paradise white-sand beaches, extensive coral reefs and an underground river inside a navigable cavern are only a taste of what this fascinating island promises. A few of the specials we are likely to find whilst here include the mound-building Philippine Megapode, Red-bellied and Hooded Pitta, the incredibly beautiful Blue Paradise-Flycatcher, Falcated Wren-Babbler, endangered Red-vented Cockatoo and the astounding Palawan Peacock-Pheasant.

Mindanao hosts the largest tracts of lowland forest remaining in the Philippines. Here we search for the secretive Wattled Broadbill, Azure-breasted Pitta and Philippine Trogon besides hordes of other endemic and threatened birds. Our final destination will be the forested slopes of Mt. Kitanglad, one of the most reliable sites in the world for the Philippine or Monkey-eating Eagle. This giant raptor is often classed as the number one most desirable world bird! We will spend several days birding this area and searching for other specials including Red-eared Parrot-Finch, Philippine Frogmouth, the recently discovered Bukidnon Woodcock, Apo Myna and the impressive Giant Scops-Owl.

Our Visayan Islands Extension takes in the smaller islands of Cebu, Bohol and Negros where we target some highly sought-after birds including Cebu Flowerpecker, sadly poised on the brink of extinction, Flame-templed Tree-Babbler, Visayan Hornbill, the lovely White-winged Cuckooshrike, Visayan Broadbill and the smart Yellow-breasted Tailorbird. Here we also stand our best chance for the strange Philippine Colugo as well as Philippine Tarsier, and the scenery at the Chocolate Hills is second to none.

The Philippines hosts an abundance of critically endangered yet spectacular wildlife, surviving only in increasingly shrinking remnants of habitat. We can expect to encounter close to 150 endemic bird species and many other spectacular migrant and resident birds during this tour.

Please contact us for the detailed itinerary for this tour.

tour name & dates 2012	Philippines - Endangered Endemics: 3 - 20 April (18 days) Visayan Islands Extension: 20 - 26 April (7 days)
tour costs for 2012	TBA
max group size	10 & 2 Rockjumper leaders
tour leaders	Erik Forsyth & Tim Fisher
habitat covered	lowland and montane rainforest, woodlands, rivers and wetlands, mudflats
climate	hot and humid, rain expected
tour pace & walking	moderate to brisk pace, some long walks on forest trails
accomodation	basic but comfortable hotels, some camping
ease of birding	challenging
no. of species expected	310 - 330
top mammals	Philippine Colugo, Philippine Tarsier, Slow Loris, Asian Palm Civet
other attractions	Chocolate Hills, coral reefs, St Paul’s underground river, fast disappearing forests
photographic opportunities	good

Return to Tour Destinations