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temperament. Visitors may hand-feed,
pet and take photos with these delightful creatures.
Elephant Safari Park also serves an important educational
function through its unique elephant museum and information
centre where visitors learn about the animal’s
ancestry and intra-species diversity through historical
and cultural exhibits, informative posters, an art gallery
of works actually produced by the park’s elephants,
and the only full-size replica of a mammoth skeleton
in the Southern Hemisphere. A large gift shop displays
a wide selection of high quality gifts and mementoes
relating to elephants and nature.
With its top of the line facilities, the park has become
a favourite of innovative planners for group tours,
incentive events or even as a component of a Bali action
package. The 200-seat restaurant and full-service bar
overlooking a lake serve a la carte and buffet meals.
This distinctive venue, able to comfortably host up
to 300 people, is the perfect blend of sun and shade
for gatherings.
Accompanied by a mahout (trainer), sitting high atop
an elephant in a teak wood saddle, ambling through the
cool upland countryside of Bali, is an experience that
will remain etched in the visitor’s mind for years
to come.
Talk to the Birds
Pretend you’re Dr. Doolittle and talk with the
birds at the Bali Bird Park. Few realise that Bali boasts,
just a short drive into the countryside northeast of
Denpasar, Indonesia’s finest collections of birds.
More than 1200 specimens are exhibited in naturalistic
enclosures amid a superbly maintained horticultural
garden.
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Crown Cranes, Bali’s
own endangered starling and one of the world’s
most extensive assemblages of Birds of Paradise - a
species endemic to eastern Indonesia and New Guinea.
Under new management, the park is now developing microhabitats
for every species combining plants and birds of the
tropical bio systems of South America, Africa, as well
as regions of Asia and Indonesia. Over sixty exhibits
are displayed including two enormous walk-in aviaries
containing some of the world’s most amazing tropical
birds in an authentic rainforest environment.
Diverse and rare avifauna are not the only exotic creatures
found within the confines of the Bali Bird Park. The
famous Komodo dragon, some specimens exceeding two meters
in length, also make their home in the park.
The attraction’s two-hectare gardens are alone
worth the visit. Made up of waterfalls, lotus and water
lily ponds, towering palms and footpaths winding through
hundreds of species of tropical flora, the park is in
fact a vast botanical garden.
Equipped with a modern avian nursery, fully trained
staff, and resident ornithologist, the park is both
a caring home for birds and an unforgettable experience
for visitors of all ages. A souvenir shop displays unique
arts and crafts with the emphasis on the avian and natural
worlds.
A spacious restaurant and bar overlook lotus ponds
and a lake populated by African flamingos. Luncheons
and dinners for groups as large as 160 can be organised
with Indonesian, Chinese and European menus available.
Another popular program, “Eating Breakfast with
the Birds,” has guests arriving early at the park
for breakfast while being entertained by birdsong.
A conference room modelled on an authentic Toraja
House sits on the edge of the Flamingo Lake and makes
a great venue for a workshop or convention programs.
Never Boring
Charter a helicopter or small aircraft to view Bali
and its surrounds from the air. Put on a leather jacket
and go touring on a Harley Davidson. Climb a volcano,
go bird watching, visit a butterfly park, trek a jungle,
go parasailing or take a leisurely hike through the
rice terraces on one of many nature tours. In short,
save the pool time for your next trip to Bali!
Follow the leader and sit back and enjoy an informative
guided tour of Bali. Local DMCs have so many touring
options of the island that you may decide you’ll
need a lifetime of Bali visits to experience them all.
North, South, East or West - cultural, historic or natural
Bali has something new and different to discover no
matter what direction you head off in.
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