REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PALU -- Foreign ecotourists flock to Lake Tambing in Lore Lindu National Park (LLNP), Central Sulawesi, every year to enjoy the beauty of the lake and to spot the numerous birds in the area.

"This is the most beautiful place I have ever visited," Nicolass, a Danish tourist, remarked while visiting Lake Tambing in Poso District over the weekend.

Accompanied by two local tour guides, he explored the forest around Lake Tambing to spot the different kinds of birds and listen to their songs.

"This is the main attraction for tourists, especially foreign tourists, because it's not available in other countries," he said.

LLNP spokesman Fery noted here on Sunday that many foreign tourists have been coming to the park and the lake, in particular, to see the birds of the forest.

"Most foreign tourists come especially to study and watch the birds at the ecotourism site," Fery said on the sidelines of a dialog on the role of the press in the protection of LLNP, held by Antara at Lake Tambing on Sunday.

The LLNP was declared a biosphere preserve by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1977.

Fery said there are some 263 bird species living in the park, and 30 per cent of them are endemic to the area.

The latter includes the Noree Sulawesi (Tanygnatus sumatrana), the cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea), rangkong birds (Buceros rhinoceros and Aceros cassidix), and the pecuk ular (Anhinga rufa).

Fery said the number of foreign tourists visiting the tourist site, located 1,700 meters above sea level in Poso District, has continued to rise each year.

He noted that from January to December 2015, the number of foreign tourists was recorded at 244, up from only 100 in the same period the year before.

"Most of the foreign visitors were researchers and bird watchers," he explained.

Lake Tambing is located some 90 kilometers from Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi, and can be reached in two hours by car or motorcycle.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika