Sulawesi Nepenthes Expedition

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi is home to many of the world’s most spectacular Nepenthes (carnivorous pitcher plants), among these, N. diabolica, N. hamata, N. glabrata, N. maxima and the enigmatic N. maryae. Many of these remain little known and have only ever been photographed only on a few past occasions. This expedition offers you the opportunity to observe Sulawesi’s beautiful Nepenthes firsthand.

We will trek through pristine rainforest, mossy cloud forest, and up to the summits of misty mountains to observe Nepenthes in their natural habitats. Along the way, we will have the chance to encounter a vast diversity of birdlife, Paphiopedilum and countless other orchids. We’ll visit the villages of the Toraja tribe of the highlands, famed for their striking Tongkonan bulls-horn houses and ornate cliff-side burials. We’ll also savour Sulawesi’s fine culinary traditions which sees food combined into a staggering array of mouth watering creations.

Key Facts

COST:£3,150 (British Pounds). Personal porters can be hired at extra costs (contact us for details).

START POINT: Makassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

END POINT: Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

DATES: Sunday, March 8th to Saturday, March 21st, 2026 (planned so that only 10 week days needed!)

OPTIONAL ADD ON TRIP: Saturday March 21st to Friday March 27th, 2026.

Email sales@redfernnaturalhistory.com for more information and to make bookings.

OPTIONAL PRE- OR POST-EXPEDITION EXTENSIONS: We end in the north of Sulawesi, in the city of Manado, which is home to some of the world’s best reef diving – and a perfect base to organise a resort-based, post-expedition dive/snorkel trip for a few days. There are many PADI certified resorts to choose from.

Alternatively, add an extra day or two at the end of the trip to independently visit the Tangkoko Batuangus nature reserve near Manado, home to endemic black macaques, striking knobbed-hornbills and bear cuscus up in the trees. Your may also spot the impossibly cute spectral tarsier, and a variety of unusual birds and reptiles not easily seen anywhere else!

GETTING THERE: Catch an international flight to Jakarta (capital of Indonesia) for domestic flights to/from Makassar and Manado. These cities are served by Garuda Indonesia, Silk Air (via Singapore) and AirAsia (via Kuala Lumpur). Flights can be easily booked through all major airline websites.

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home to many of the

world’s most spectacular Nepenthes

In 2005, Dr. Charles Clarke and Stewart McPherson undertook an expedition to the vicinity of Bukit Batu Lesung and succeeded in rediscovering Nepenthes pilosa. They also found an enormous form of N. tentaculata (with pitchers exceeding 32 cm, but in all other regards seemingly identical to the typical form of that species) as well as strange plants that resemble N. appendiculata (but with much smaller appendages). These three lost Nepenthes of Kalimantan have not been seen or photographed since.

Twenty years on, Redfern Adventures is organising an intrepid return expedition to observe these three lost Nepenthes of Kalimantan (plus an amazing range of other Nepenthes species). This is a chance to get completely off the beaten track into one of the world’s last wilderness areas. We cannot offer any guarantee of succeeding in observing these plants, but given that we are following the route of the 2005 expedition, success is likely.

This trip involves adventurous canoe journeys, trekking through remote forests and ascending very little explored mountains. As we are travelling to such a remote area, our party will include an expedition medic.

Note: this photographic expedition will fully comply with Indonesian law. We will not collect scientific herbarium specimens and will invite Indonesian Nepenthes expert friends to accompany us.

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Itinerary

Note: there are no Nepenthes sites close to Makassar, so our first two days involve driving north, visiting amazing Torajan villages along the way before we start the Nepenthes mountains.

Day 1:

Early pick up (8.00 am) and departure from Makassar sees us bound north for Tanah Toraja, the Land of the Heavenly Kings. This long journey takes us from the hot and humid lowlands to the cool mountain plateau region of northern South Sulawesi, passing by Bantimurung National Park, home to the second largest karst (limestone) landscape in the world. We stop en route at Pare Pare for lunch overlooking the lowlands and the distant coastline and arrive in Rantepao, capital of the Toraja region, usually just after sundown. The most popular dinner option is the local speciality ‘ayam penyet’, a fragrant fried chicken served with cooked vegetables, though an excellent fish alternative is available. We overnight in local accommodation and have dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 2:

After breakfast, we visit Kete’Kesu a village known for its traditional wood carvings, but also for its unusual hanging graves. We also visit Marante, which abuts a rocky outcrop and burial site. This village produces rice, and this vital commodity is stored in traditional raised granaries, alongside soaring Tongkonan bulls-horn houses. After lunch, we visit one of the best preserved Tongkonan sites at the village of Pallawa, whose thatched gables are covered in epiphytic plants, sometimes including orchids! We then drive to the base of Mount Sesean, ready to climb out first mountain tomorrow. We overnight in local accommodation and have dinner in a local restaurant.

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Day 3

We drive up the slopes of Mount Sesean in 4×4 vehicles and trek (4 hours) to the upper slopes of the mountain to find spectacular, wavy-leaved Nepenthes maxima plants. The edge of the leaves of these plants are completely frilled! We descent before sunset. We overnight in local accommodation and have dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 4:

After an early breakfast, we drive to Lake Poso to see diminutive N. maxima plants with tuberous roots (previously named N. minima), as well as the sundew Drosera burmannii and (non-wavy-leaved) N. maxima plants. We overnight in local accommodation and have dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 5:

Today we explore Lore Lindu National Park and have a chance to see Nepenthes glabrata, N. nigra, N. tentaculata and N. tomoriana populations. We can also revisit the type locality of N. pitopangii and search for this little-known species (previously thought to be extirpated at the type locality site, but you never know). We overnight in our local accommodation and have dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 6:

We then drive to get into position for tomorrows mountain (name withheld here to avoid illegal poaching). We stop at roadside Nepenthes sites along the way. We overnight in local accommodation and have dinner in a local restaurant.

Days 7, 8 & 9:

We ascend and camp on a mountain to observe N. eymae, N. hamata, and possibly N. maxima and N. nigra. Hiking to over 2000 m, we explore cloudforest rich with orchids, ferns and birdlife. We descend on Day 9 and overnight in local accommodation and have dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 10:

Travelling onwards to the northern arm of Sulawesi, we arrive at the base of our next mountain by evening, with a view to ascend tomorrow.

Days 11, 12 & 13:

We climb a peak for a chance to see the iconic Nepenthes diabolica, so called for its “diabolical” blade-like teeth that surround the pitcher openings of the traps of this beautiful species.

Days 14:

We drive to Manado. We reach Manado in the evening for drop off in the city (departing flights recommended for the following day).

Recommended: travel independently from Manado to Tangkoko Batuangus reserve near Manado, we are guided to see black crested macaques (Macaca nigra), little spectral tarsiers (Tarsius tarsier) and (with luck) a flying dragon (Draco volans), a lizard with beautiful yellow or orange wing flaps. Knobbed hornbills and kingfishers are amongst the many birds also regularly sighted.

A second full day at Tangkoko is always appreciated, offering the chance to locate any animals we may have missed, including the amazing local vipers, but also the chance to go snorkelling in the warm waters off the coast.

Note:

Those doing the Add On trip transfer on Day 14 to our next mountain (see following pages).

ADD ON TRIP

We have organised an add on trip at the end of the Sulawesi Nepenthes Expedition to climb a little-explored peak in North Sulawesi home to the “lost species” Nepenthes maryae and possibly N. pitopangii. The former has never been photographed with certainty in the wild. It is believed to resemble N. hamata with prominent peristome blades (see type specimen below).

The dates for this add on trip are: Saturday March 21st to Friday March 27th, 2026. Cost depends upon the number of people coming – approx £900-£1,200 per person for the week, all inclusive. Note: it may take up to five days to ascend the mountain to look for N. maryae, hence this Add On trip being 1 week in duration. If the mountain involves less time than expected, we could potentially visit other Nepenthes sites, or Tangkoko Batuangus nature reserve near Manado to see the black macaques and other wildlife.