{"id":12878,"date":"2018-05-29T17:29:57","date_gmt":"2018-05-29T16:29:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/?p=12878"},"modified":"2020-10-30T17:36:58","modified_gmt":"2020-10-30T17:36:58","slug":"tangkoko-national-park-asias-best-kept-secret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/tangkoko-national-park-asias-best-kept-secret\/","title":{"rendered":"Tangkoko National Park: Asia’s best kept secret?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1527610205125{padding-top: 80% !important;background-image: url(https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/DJI_0005A-e1527609156947.jpg?id=12872) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/3″ offset=”vc_col-lg-offset-9 vc_col-lg-3 vc_hidden-md vc_col-sm-offset-4 vc_hidden-sm vc_col-xs-offset-3 vc_col-xs-6 vc_hidden-xs”][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeIn” css=”.vc_custom_1527609228340{padding-top: 24px !important;padding-right: 24px !important;padding-bottom: 24px !important;padding-left: 24px !important;background-color: rgba(0,48,83,0.7) !important;*background-color: rgb(0,48,83) !important;}”]<\/p>\n

Tangkoko National Park<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sulawesi, Indonesia<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” parallax=”content-moving” css=”.vc_custom_1515677389520{background-color: #003053 !important;background-position: center;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-size:contain !important;}”][vc_column width=”5\/6″ offset=”vc_col-lg-offset-3 vc_col-lg-6 vc_col-md-offset-1 vc_col-md-10 vc_col-sm-offset-1 vc_col-xs-12″ css=”.vc_custom_1515677437883{padding-top: 10% !important;padding-bottom: 10% !important;}”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Tangkoko National Park is Asia\u2019s best-kept secret. I\u2019m not afraid to let this particular macaque out of the bag as the tricky logistics involved in arranging a<\/span> Sulawesi holiday<\/a> should keep it that way for a while yet. Our lucky ETG<\/a> clients will have the chance for a very special wildlife experience either as a wider Sulawesi exploration or as an addition to Java or Bali holiday.
\n<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” full_height=”yes” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” parallax=”content-moving”][vc_column offset=”vc_col-lg-8 vc_col-xs-12″][vc_single_image image=”12873″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column css_animation=”none” css=”.vc_custom_1579603279693{padding-top: 5% !important;padding-right: 5% !important;padding-bottom: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;}” offset=”vc_col-lg-offset-0 vc_col-lg-4 vc_col-xs-12″][vc_column_text]It\u2019s not for want of attractions that Tangkoko has remained relatively undiscovered. It\u2019s got four \u2018big-hitters\u2019 in the park: 4 separate troops of black crested macaques, the cute little Yoda-type figure of the tarsius, hornbills with their distinctive loud flapping wings and the bear that isn\u2019t a bear, but a marsupial, the cuscus bear. There are over 300 bird species present too, including 47 endemics, and the rainforest, beach and gently sloping hillside, all overlooked by several volcanos, gives it a dramatic and exotic feel.<\/span><\/p>\n

For me, and most visitors, the black crested macaques are the stars of this particular show. They are habituated to human visitors, especially the main troop, Rambo 2, which counts the entrance to the park as part of its territory. In any case, the black crested macaque is a friendly and curious species. They gained world-wide fame as the species behind the \u2018monkey selfie\u2019, the notorious case in which PETA challenged a photographer\u2019s right to ownership of a selfie taken on his camera by one of the macaques. They actually won (though it was later overturned on appeal), I guess proving that judges can be made a monkey of\u2026 Certainly, our guide was keen to stress the amount of time and effort that this particular photographer put into filming and waiting for the right moment.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1515676545726{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][vc_column parallax=”content-moving” css=”.vc_custom_1515676642847{margin-top: -35px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”12879″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1527609453657{margin-bottom: -35px !important;}”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1515593851408{background-color: #faeee7 !important;}”][vc_column offset=”vc_col-lg-offset-3 vc_col-lg-6 vc_col-xs-12″ css=”.vc_custom_1515683270935{margin-top: 10% !important;margin-bottom: 10% !important;}”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

On our visit, we channelled our inner David Attenborough. The macaques came down to the beach whilst we were there and played all around us, doing just about everything you could imagine without much of a care for us. They did jump on my colleague’s head at one point and massaged it, very gently he said. They then stole his cap, though he didn\u2019t hold it against them. The sun was rising and the light was soft. It was magical.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Visit<\/a><\/span>