Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Guide fees
The following charges are a guide only; fees are negotiable. Expect to pay:
Rp300,000/2hr trek for up to two people (Rp450,000/three to five people); around
Rp500,000/two people for more specialized treks, such as birdwatching. If you don't have
your own transport you'll have to pay for any bemo or boat charters.
ACTIVITIES
BIRDWATCHING
If your main interest is birdspotting, your guide will steer you towards the Prapat Agung
Peninsula, where the monsoon forest harbours a large bird population, including flocks of
the common yellow-vented bulbul and the loud-chirping black-naped oriole. Other possible
sightings include parakeets and fantails; the green jungle fowl; the pinky-brown spotted dove,
which has a distinctive call; the black drongo, completely black save for its red eyes; and the
tiny, yellow-breasted sunbird. With a huge slice of luck, you might see the park's last few
Bali starlings. A 2-4hr trek will cost around Rp550,000 for two people and will usually start
at dawn. It is also possible to explore the peninsula by boat and walking or by safari tour, tak-
ing a vehicle along the beach for 15km each way (3-6hr; Rp800,000/two people). All options
can be arranged at the park headquarters.
TREKKING
The toughest hike in the park is the trail between Gunung Klatakan and Gunung Bakingan
(7hr; Rp825,000/two people). From the Sumber Klampok ranger post, it ascends the slopes
of Gunung Klatakan and Gunung Bakingan, before returning to the main road a few kilo-
metres east of Sumber Klampok. For the most part, you're in tropical rainforest thick with
ferns, vines, spiky-stemmed rattan and pandanus palms, plus epiphytic orchids. You're un-
likely to spot much wildlife, but you'll probably hear the black monkeys in the canopy, and
may stumble across a wild boar. The most dramatic of the birdlife here are the hornbills. Oth-
er birds include multicoloured banded pitta, dollarbirds, mynah and the red-and-green jungle
fowl. Best in dry season, treks generally start at 5/6am or 4pm. Guides can also provide short-
er treks in the area (3hr; Rp400,000/two people). For a shorter hike, the 2hr walk around
Teluk Terima bay west of the Labuan Lalang jetty and park office passes through monsoon
forest and coastal flats. Come early and you might see sea eagles, dollar birds and even the
rufous-backed kingfisher, plus monkeys, deer and metre-long iguanas.
BOAT TRIPS
The most relaxing way to experience the park is on a boat trip around the mangroves of Gili-
manuk Bay. Small boats for two people cost around Rp550,000-600,000 for 2hr and should
be arranged through the national park guides; as ever, you have to pay the park entry fee on
top. Trips around the mangroves are best at low tide, when the roots are exposed. Boatmen
should be able to get you close enough to spot resident fiddler crabs - they say their claws are
so strong they can open a can of beans - and possibly amphibious mudskipper fish adapted to
breathing out of the water and with pectoral fin “legs”. Crab-eating or long-tailed macaques
