This is our main tour for 2024 & 2025. Please check out our custom tours page for more flexible schedules. Contact us here if you plan on birding the Philippines!
THE PHILIPPINES:
MAIN TOUR: Luzon – Mindanao – Palawan (21 days)
(maximum group size: 8 pax; minimum number of persons for tour to run: 4 pax)
POST-TOUR EXTENSION: Bohol – Negros (7 days)
(maximum group size: 8 pax)
Tour Starts: January 10, 2024; second departure at April 7, 2024
The Philippines is an island archipelago located in South East Asia, south of Taiwan and Hong Kong and has one of the world’s highest levels of endemism when it comes to birds. It is a popular birding destination and boasts an impressive 690+ bird list with around 270+ species of endemic birds. A wide variety of habitats supports the country’s rich bird life: montane mossy and lowland tropical forests support most of the endemics while freshwater marshes and coastal flats harbor migrants and resident waterbirds.
Some of the most sought-after birds in the Philippines include the majestic Great Philippine Eagle, the colorful Wattled Broadbill, the spectacular Azure-breasted Pitta, Blue-capped and Spotted Wood Kingfishers, the endemic family of creepers – Rhabdornises,the amusing Rufous and Tarictic Hornbills and an assortment of fruit-doves, tailorbirds, woodpeckers and shamas.
This tour will involve visiting the three major bird areas hosting the majority of the endemics: the islands of Luzon, Mindanao and Palawan. In Luzon, we will be visiting Mt. Makiling, Infanta, La Mesa Ecopark, Subic and Mt. Polis to get a chance of seeing the spectacular Indigo-banded Kingfisher as well as other Luzon specialties. In Mindanao, we will explore the high elevation mountains of Mt. Kitanglad for the “King of all Philippine Birds” — the Great Philippine Eagle and the lowland forests of PICOP for the equally majestic Rufous Hornbill. The tour will end in Palawan, with its stunning lowland forests bounded by spectacular white sand beaches boasting of superb species such as the Palawan Hornbill and Palawan Peacock Pheasant.
Extension tours to the Visayan Islands in the central Philippines can increase the number of Philippine endemics in your lifelist. An excursion to the small island of Bohol can yield Yellow-breasted Tailorbird as well as Visayan Wattled Broadbill while the trip to the island of Negros should add a few more species to your Philippine list: the stunning Flame-templed Babbler and White-winged Cuckoo-Shrike, among others.
Being an island archipelago, the logistics are quite complex, but a good network of airports, seaports and roads connects all major birding destinations. Hotel accommodations are of good standards and we at Birding Adventure Philippines prefer to use the best accommodation on each site. Transportation will be in very comfortable mini-buses, definitely a plus when travelling in between birding sites. English is widely spoken all throughout the country and we Filipinos are world-renowned for our hospitality, making us a prime destination for foreign birdwatchers.
Trip Itinerary:
Day 1: International arrivals to Manila to Mt. Makiling, Laguna
International arrivals to Manila International Airport. Upon arrival in Manila, we transfer to a comfortable 20-seater mini-bus and proceed to Mt. Makiling, Laguna. Depending on our time of arrival, we may do an initial afternoon birding around the adjacent University of the Philippines Los Baños Campus to look for Lowland White-eye, Spotted and Barred Buttonquails, Barred and Buff-banded Rails, Philippine Coucal, Indigo-banded Kingfisher and if lucky, Plain Bush Hen. Overnight at the SEARCA Residence Hotels at the foothills of Mt. Makiling.
Day 2: Mt. Makiling, Laguna
Mt. Makiling, Laguna is an excellent birding site, an hour or so south of Manila. It is a very good introduction to birding in the Philippines. It features Luzon lowland endemics such as Philippine Falconet, Stripe-headed Rhabdornis, White-eared Brown-dove, Black-chinned Fruit-dove, Scale-feathered and Rough-crested Malkohas, Spotted Wood Kingfishers, Luzon Tarictic Hornbill, White-browed Shama and Grey-backed Tailorbird, among others. It also features rare and uncommon birds such as Luzon Bleeding-heart and Ashy Ground Thrush. We will board a “jeepney,”a modified American military jeep in the early morning that will take us to the more birdy areas of the mountain. In the evenings and early mornings, we will look for endemic nocturnal birds like the Luzon Hawk-Owl and the Philippine Scops-Owl. Overnight at the SEARCA Residence Hotels.
Day 3: Mt. Makiling to Infanta to Subic
We will depart early and proceed east to Infanta, near the foothills of the southern Sierra Madre Mountains. We will spend the morning here in this new spot looking for some of Luzon's rarest birds: Whiskered Pitta, Flame-breasted Fruit Dove, Cream-bellied Fruit-Dove, Bicol Ground Warbler, Grand Rhabdornis. We will also be looking for more common birds that are difficult to see elsewhere: Olive-backed Flowerpecker, Flaming Sunbird and Philippine Fairy Bluebird. After a few hours, we proceed further north to Subic.
Subic features several endemic species that are hard to see elsewhere in the Philippines. A former US naval base, it has good expanse of lowland forest. The target species here are Rufous Coucal, Blackish Cuckoo-shrike, Green Racquet-tail and Trilling Tailorbird. Other rarities here include Yellow-breasted Fruit-dove, White-lored Oriole and White-fronted Tit. Philippine Serpent-Eagle and Philippine Hawk-Eagle are likely to be seen also in this excellent site. We will arrive in the afternoon, check-in at the hotel and go out for birding in the late afternoon. Overnight in Subic.
Day 4: Subic
We will have a full day of birding in Subic. This lowland forest site is the best in the Philippines for woodpeckers such as Northern Sooty Woodpecker, Luzon Flameback, White-bellied Woodpecker and Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker. Subic is also very good for parrots such as the vulnerable Green Racquet-tail, Blue-naped Parrot, Guaiabero and Colasisi (small green parrots). Other birds include White-eared Brown-dove, Green Imperial and Philippine Green Pigeons, as well as other Luzon specialties. Overnight in Subic.
Day 5: Subic to Banaue
We will depart in the morning and take on a 7-8 hours drive to Banaue. We will have a few stops for some species and then continue on to Banaue Hotel situated at 1300 meters above sea level, and this will be our base for Luzon montane birding.
Days 6 – 7: Mt. Polis and surroundings
Early morning drive to Mt. Polis for two full days of birding. Although the montane mossy forests of Mt. Polis are rapidly disappearing, it is still home to some rare specialties of the Luzon montane forests such as the stunning Flame‐breasted Fruit Dove, Luzon Scops‐Owl, Whiskered Pitta and Benguet Bush Warbler. Mixed flocks should also produce Chestnut‐faced Babbler , Elegant Tit, Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Blue-headed Fantail and if lucky Flame-crowned Flowerpecker. We will also be looking for Luzon Bush‐Warbler, Green‐backed Whistler, Luzon Water Redstart and the endemic Mountain Shrike. Overnight at Banaue Hotel.
Day 8: Banaue to Candaba Marsh to Manila
We will depart early and make our way back to capital city Manila. On the way back, we will pass by Candaba Marsh, one of the remaining freshwater wetland close to Manila and a known wintering for migratory waterfowl. We will be looking for the endemic Philippine Duck as well as other wetland birds such as Philippine Swamphen, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, White-browed Crake, Yellow, Cinnamon and Black Bittern among others. Overnight in Manila.
Day 9: Manila to Cagayan de Oro to Malaybalay, Bukidnon, Mindanao
Today, we take the morning flight to Cagayan de Oro to start off our Mindanao leg. We will be flying for an hour and then transfer to comfortable mini-buses and travel for 3-4 hours towards to the city of Malaybalay, a small town in Northern Mindanao and our base for our exploration for Mindanao montane birds.
Days 10-12: Mount Kitanglad Mountain Range National Park
We will have three full days exploring Mt. Kitanglad Mountain Range National Park to search for Mindanao montane endemics. We will board a 4 x 4 truck and travel for about 45 minutes and then proceed on foot or via horseback for 15 minutes to Del Monte Lodge, rustic and very basic accommodations at the foot of Mt. Kitanglad. We will do a bit of birding in the camp looking for the more common Mindanao montane birds such as Elegant Tit, Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Black and Cinnamon Fantail and Cinnamon Ibon. In the evenings, we will try to look for Bukidnon Woodcock, Philippine Frogmouth and if lucky, Giant Scops-owl. Our main target here will be the Great Philippine Eagle, one of the biggest raptors in the world. Other endemics that we will be looking for are the funky-looking Apo Mynah, Red-eared Parrotfinch, endemic flowerpeckers and sunbirds such as the Olive-capped Flowerpecker and Grey-hooded Sunbird, Mindanao Ibon (or Black-masked White-eye), McGregors's Cuckoo-shrike and Yellow-bellied Whistler among others. On at least one day, we will be climbing up to 1800 meters to look for the high-elevation endemic Apo Sunbird.
Day 13: Mt. Kitanglad to Davao
We will retrace our steps and head down Mt. Kitanglad, jump on our mini-buses and proceed to the city of Davao. We will arrive in the afternoon and do a bit of birding in our hotel grounds looking for Whiskered Flowerpecker, Cryptic Flycatcher, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Scarlet Minivet, Stripe-breasted Rhabdornis, among others. Overnight at Eden Mountain Resort.
Day 14: Davao to PICOP
We will have one more morning birding in the Davao area and then we will proceed to Bislig, Surigao in the eastern seaboard for some lowland Mindanao birding. We will check in at Paper Country Inn and depending on the time of our arrival, we may have an afternoon birding in Bislig’s non-operational air strip to look for Australasian Grass Owl, Philippine and Wandering Whistling Ducks.
Days 15-16: PICOP, Surigao
We will have two full days birding in PICOP in search of Mindanao lowland endemics. Though the forest is rapidly disappearing due to illegal logging, PICOP still holds several Mindanao lowland specialties such as Writhed, Rufous and Mindanao Hornbills, Blue-capped, Rufous-lored and Southern Silvery Kingfishers, Black-faced Coucal, Philippine and Steere’s (Azure-breasted) Pitta, Celestial and Short-crested Monarchs. We will also be looking for a variety of birds such as Mindanao Pygmy Babbler, Rusty-crowned Babbler, Rufous Paradise Flycatcher, Mindanao Blue Fantail, Philippine Leaf Warbler, Philippine Oriole, Philippine Spine-tailed Swift among others. The few remaining patches of forests also host several species of the doves and pigeons such as Black-chinned Fruit-doves, Amethyst Brown-dove and Pink-bellied Imperial Pigeon. In the early mornings and evenings, we will look out for Mindanao Hawk-Owl, Chocolate Boobook, Philippine Frogmouth, Everett's Scops Owl, Philippine and Great-eared Nightjars.
Day 17: Bislig, Surigao to Davao to Puerto Princesa, Palawan
We will have our final morning birding in PICOP to look for the species we are missing then we will transfer to comfortable mini-buses and head for Davao City airport where we will take a short flight to Puerto Princesa, Palawan. This island southwest of Luzon has 11+ island endemics and other birds that are very similar to those from mainland Asia. Upon arrival, we will visit nearby beaches for the rare Chinese Egret and other wintering shorebirds. We then drive to Sabang, stopping at some sites in search of Palawan endemics. Later in the afternoon, we search for Palawan Scops Owl and Palawan Frogmouth. Overnight in Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa.
Day 18: Puerto Princesa (St. Pauls) Underground River National Park
Today, we will ride a motorized outrigger boat and travel for 20 minutes to reach Princesa (St. Pauls) Underground River National Park. This park supports most of Palawan’s specialties such as Philippine Megapode, White-vented Shama, Stork-billed and Blue-eared Kingfishers, Palawan Blue Flycatcher, Lovely Sunbird, Palawan Hornbill and Blue-headed Racquet-tail. We return to Sabang for lunch and in the afternoon we will go out again for to look for other Palawan specialties.
Day 19: Sabang to Honda Bay to Puerto Princesa City
We will have our final morning birding in Sabang and we will have several stops along the way for other Palawan birds like Palawan Tit, Fiery Minivet, Striped Flowerpecker, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Palawan Bulbul, Sulphur-bellied and Ashy-fronted Bulbuls , Dark-throated Oriole, etc. Weather and tide permitting, we will then transfer to a motorized outrigger boat and travel to one of the islands in Honda Bay, to look for Mantanani Scops Owl. Overnight in Puerto Princesa City.
Day 20: Balsahan Trail to Puerto Princesa to Manila
We will depart early for Balsahan Trail, another lowland excellent site very near the city. This site features two Palawan endemics that are very difficult to find elsewhere: Melodious Babbler and Palawan Flycatcher. We will also be looking for other birds such as Yellow-throated Leafbird, Blue Paradise Flycatcher, Palawan Blue Flycatcher and Falcated Ground-Babbler. We return to the city then catch an afternoon flight back to Manila. Overnight in Manila.
Day 21: Manila to International Flights or to POST-TOUR EXTENSION
We will bring you to the airport where you will catch your international flights back to your home country. End of Tour.
For birders doing the POST-TOUR Extension, we fly to Dumaguete, Negros.
POST-TOUR EXTENSION: Negros, Bohol and Cebu
Day 1: Manila to Dumaguete, Negros Oriental
We will depart in the mid morning for Dumaguete City, the main city on the island of Negros. We will then proceed to the nearby excellent Twin Lakes National Park. If time permits we can do some birding and hopefully catch up with such gems as the endemic Magnificent Sunbird and Black-belted Flowerpecker in the flowering gardens. Overnight in Dumaguete City.
Day 2: Balinsasayao Twin Lakes National Park
A morning boat trip being paddled around the beautiful volcanic lakes should give us the chance to see several special birds of this island including the beautiful but scarce Yellow-faced Flameback and the Visayan Hornbill. Other specific endemics at this site include Maroon-naped Sunbird, Visayan Drongo (a white-bellied population of the Balicassiao), White-winged Cuckoo-shrike, Visayan Bulbul and Visayan Fantail. More widespread species include Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Elegant Tit, Lemon-throated Leaf-Warbler, White-vented Whistler and Mangrove Blue Flycatcher. It is also possible to locate with some luck the Yellow-breasted Fruit-Dove, Spotted Wood-Kingfisher and the now rare Pink-bellied Imperial-Pigeon. At night if people wish we will try and track down the very attractive Negros Scops Owl. The national park with its lakes and forest is particularly photogenic.
Day 3: Dumaguete to Bohol
We take a fast craft ferry to the island of Bohol and arrive at Tagbilaran City. Bohol is one of the small islands in the south central Philippines and contains several species similar to that of lowland Mindanao as well as species that can be only be seen on this small island. Bohol is famous for its Chocolate Hills, geologic formations that are shaped like Hershey’s Kisses that turn to chocolate brown during the summer months.We do our initial birding in the afternoon at Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape. Overnight in Bohol.
Days 4-5: Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape.
We will be spending two full days in this superb lowland park situated in the center of the island of Bohol. We will be looking for the Yellow-breasted Tailorbird, a very localized bird that is only found in Bohol and nearby islands. We will be going inside forest trails and we will be looking for Rufous-tailed Jungle Flycatcher, Visayan Blue Fantail, Philippine Trogon, Philippine Fairy Bluebird and the skulker Black-faced Coucal. We will also take time and effort to locate Steere’s Pitta, one of the several colourful birds of the forest floor. If lucky, we might also see Visayan Wattled Broadbill and Mindanao Bleeding-heart, two of the hardest special birds of the Park . In the early mornings, we will target Rufous-lored Kingfisher while the nearby forest streams might also produce Northern Silvery Kingfisher. Overnight in Bohol.
Day 6: Bohol to Cebu
We leave early morning to catch a fast craft ferry to nearby Cebu Island. We will do afternoon birding looking for Cebu specialties and in the early evening, we look for Cebu Hawk Owl. Overnight in Cebu City.
Day 7: Cebu City to Manila to international flights
We spend our last morning birding in the forests of Cebu looking for island endemics such as Black Shama and the ultra-rare Cebu Flowerpecker. Other birds possibnle here include Streak-breasted Bulbul, Elegant Tit, among others. Then we will make our way to the airport and return to Manila. We will then drop you off at the international departure terminal to catch your flight to your respective home countries. End of Tour.
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TOUR INCLUSIONS: Tour price includes all ground, air and water transportation during the tour, lodging as stated in the itinerary based on a twin-sharing basis, all meals (bottled water provided throughout), guide services provided by the tour leaders, fees, gratuities to hotel staff, waiters, driver and all local government taxes.Rates are based upon group tariffs; if the tour does not have sufficient participants, a small party supplement may have to be charged.
You will be charged a single supplement fee if you desire single accommodation, or if you prefer to share but have no roommate and we cannot provide one for you. Please note that singles are not available at Mount Kitanglad. This has been taken into consideration in the single supplement.
The cost DOES NOT include airfare from your home to Manila and return, excess baggage fees, international airport departure taxes, alcoholic beverages, telephone calls, laundry or items of a personal nature.
Minimum Group Size for the tour to run: 4 pax
Maximum Group Size: 8 pax
For Visayan Extension, maximum group size is 5 pax.
