Birding Tour Indonesia: Lombok Extension – Rinjani Scops Owl Premium Tour

Indonesia: Lombok Extension – Rinjani Scops Owl Premium Tour

June 2025 

This short and relaxed-pace tour is an ideal way to see some fantastic birds while getting over any jetlag after your arrival in Indonesia prior to joining our Indonesia: Bali and East Java – Bali Myna and Other Rare Regional Specials tour which follow this Lombok tour.

This small-group Indonesian birding tour will connect with some fantastic birds, not least Rinjani Scops Owl, an endemic of Lombok, Indonesia and a species that was only discovered as recently as 2003 and described in 2013. It is found in a range of habitats such as degraded forest, orchards, and plantations in the lowlands of the islands, where this suitable habitat exists, and we’ll be out looking for it as dusk approaches. There are several other great birds to find on Lombok, such as Ornate Pitta, Wallacean (Lombok Spangled) Drongo, and more.

Rinjani Scops Owl is found only on the island of Lombok in Indonesia and is the main target of this short and relaxed-pace tour.

We will stay in a single, very comfortable, beachside luxury resort during our time on Lombok. The resort has beautiful gardens, several swimming pools and access to the sea, it is also located close to where we will be looking for the owl, and has good food options. It’s a great place to relax for a few days and do some gentle-paced birding.

We will be looking for Ornate Pitta while birding in Lombok.

Itinerary (4 days/3 nights)

Day 1. Arrival in Lombok and transfer to Senggigi

After your late-morning arrival in Lombok (at Zainuddin Abdul Madjid Lombok International Airport) the group will meet and be transferred to our very comfortable resort on the northwest coast. We will aim to arrive for lunchtime and a group welcome lunch. The rest of the afternoon will be at your leisure where you can relax in your room, bird the hotel grounds, or take a swim in the resort pool or sea, until just before dusk when we will gather and drive to some nearby forest to look for the main target of our trip, Rinjani Scops Owl. After our owling session, which might also yield Large-tailed Nightjar, we will return to our resort for our evening meal.

Overnight: Senggigi

An inquisitive Rinjani Scops Owl peering down at the photographer!

Day 2. Birding Taman Wisata Alam Kerandangan and Senggigi

We will visit Taman Wisata Alam Kerandangan for a couple of hours before we have a late breakfast. This forested area near our resort is home to Ornate Pitta, Brown (Indonesian) Honeyeater, Scaly-crowned Honeyeater, Lemon-bellied White-eye, Blue-cheeked Flowerpecker, Olive-backed Tailorbird, Ruddy Cuckoo-Dove, Common Emerald Dove, Collared Kingfisher, and Cinnamon-banded Kingfisher (if we hike high enough up the mountain).

We will spend the rest of the day at leisure relaxing in the resort grounds. Birds you may find around and from the resort may include Black-naped Tern, Little Tern, Greater Crested Tern, Pacific Reef Heron, Sacred Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Brown (Indonesian) Honeyeater, White-breasted Woodswallow, Pacific Swallow, Striated Swallow, Olive-backed Sunbird, Brown-throated Sunbird, and White-shouldered Triller.

If we have still not had satisfactory views of Rinjani Scops Owl, we will have the chance of another go this evening.

Overnight: Senggigi

Day 3. Birding Taman Wisata Alam Gunung Tunak and Senggigi

We will make an early start this morning to reach Taman Wisata Alam Gunung Tunak for when the park opens. We are likely to hear or even see Savanna Nightjars along the way, particularly as we are driving through towns.

Our main target of the morning is finding the Lombok-endemic subspecies of Wallacean Drongo, split by some authorities as Lombok Spangled Drongo, and a bird that has probably not been seen by too many world birders. There are numerous other good birds in the park and the birding in the morning is usually great. We will also keep our eyes peeled for Ornate Pitta here, along with Barred Dove, Scaly-crowned Honeyeater, Helmeted (Tenggara) Friarbird, Mangrove Whistler, Black-naped Oriole, Arafura Fantail, Black-naped Monarch, Lemon-bellied White-eye, Common (Tenggara) Hill Myna, and Rufous-chested Flycatcher. We will also look out to sea here, which may result in views of frigatebirds (Lesser Frigatebird most likely but Great Frigatebird and Christmas Frigatebird are possibilities too) and White-tailed Tropicbird.

The Lombok-endemic subspecies of Wallacean Drongo is split by some authorities as Lombok Spangled Drongo.

After finishing our birding in the late morning, we will drive back to our resort and we will keep our eyes peeled along the way for species like Rainbow Bee-eater, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Pale-headed Munia, Javan Munia, and Tawny-breasted Parrotfinch.

The afternoon will be spent at leisure before we enjoy our final group dinner of this short tour.

Overnight: Senggigi

Day 4. Departure from Lombok where the tour concludes

A non-birding day. We will travel back to Zainuddin Abdul Madjid Lombok International Airport after breakfast, where the tour will finish in the mid-morning. You will be free to depart around late-morning or early afternoon depending on your onward travel plans. Those continuing with our Indonesia: Bali and East Java – Bali Myna and Other Rare Regional Specials tour, will fly to Denpasar where that tour will start with a group welcome meal in the evening.

Overnight: Not included (unless continuing on the Bali and East Java tour)

Please note that the itinerary cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides and other factors. In addition, we sometimes have to use a different international guide from the one advertised due to tour scheduling.