It’s not all beaches!  Bali is home to an exotic and fascinating variety of wildlife.

Bali lies on what’s called the Wallace Line, named after the naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, who theorised that Bali was once connected to Java, Sumatra and Asia and shared many animal and plant species. When the deep water of the Lombok Strait rose, Bali was isolated and left to follow its own unique evolutionary path.

At least 282 bird species have been recorded in the island, including the beautiful national bird of Bali, the Bali Starling (also called Rothschild’s Mynah).   The Bali Starling is one of the world’s most endangered bird species. Though it breeds readily in captivity, and is sold in cages, when it comes to its natural habitat it borders on extinction with perhaps only 14 remaining in the wild.

The Bali Barat National Park (sometimes also known as West Bali National Park) is home to many birds and mammals, including muntjak, pangolin, cuscus, slow loris and macaques.  The park covers most of the western tip of the island as well as areas of coral reef and coastal waters that support five species of marine turtle as well as dolphin and dugong.