- This event has passed.
Bali Starling & West Bali National Park Experience
Watch Bali Starlings’ behavior in their natural habitat and experience the sight & sound of West Bali National Park as well as the wildlife that lives in it.
This program takes place in West Bali National Park, the natural habitat of Bali Starling (Leucopsar rothschildi). It is a vast protected conservation area consisting of lowland forest, savannah, mountainous Prapat Agung peninsula, mangroves and surrounding coastal waters. Here we will be able to observe its natural behavior and how this critically endangered bird species interact in colony. In 2012, a study calculated that there were only a concerning number of 24 adult birds left in this protected area. Various measures were done by Bali government working together with various conservation organizations to increase the population of Bali Starling in their natural habitat. A more recent study conducted in 2020 counted an increased number of 355 adult birds sighted here.
Apart from the famous Bali Starling, West Bali Natural Park is also home to javan deer (Rusa timorensis), southern red muntjac / barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), leopard cat, wild bull / banteng (Bos javanicus), grey macaque (Macaca fascicularis), javan banded pitta (Hydrornis guajanus), black-naped oriole (Oriolus chinensis), numerous sea birds and many more.
West Bali Natural Park is located in the Buleleng regency. It occupies over 19,000 hectares at the north-westerly point of Bali island. The closest tourist area is Sanur which is around 4-hour drive. There are quite a number of hotels around the national park. Staying at one of these nearby hotels a night prior to the program day is highly advisable as it would allow enough time to rest prior to spending the day at the national park which will require a lot of walking. It is a long way but definitely worth exploring.