Award-winning bird photographer Muhamad Norsaifudin Sulaiman, better known as Apiq Sulaiman, never planned to become a birding guide.
Better known within the local birding circle as Apiq Sulaiman, the Temerloh Pahang native spent over 10 years working as a professional architectural and commercial photographer before dedicating himself fully to birding photography in 2021.
During that formative decade, the adventurous streak in him resulted in numerous solo camping trips across New Zealand and Australia which helped deepen his understanding of birds, from their behaviour and habitats to the myriad of species found in nature. Extended travel, hiking and immersive trips eventually cemented the foundation of his momentous birding journey today.
Today, having photographed more than 1,000 species, Apiq believes birding is about far more
than capturing the perfect image.
“The experience should not be all about pursuing the perfect shot but also immersing in nature,” he says.
Active on social media like Instagram (@margasatour ) and Facebook (@apiqsulaiman ) as well as founder of ROHSTUDIO, Apiq's dedication to wildlife goes beyond just capturing stunning images of rare species. A firm believer in incorporating motion, sound and environmental context insightful and compelling videos to bring viewers deeper into the world of birding by allowing them to feel the environment rather than simply observe it, Apiq actively creates short footages to fully document his experiences.
Tours are deliberately intimate to accommodate compact bird hides while minimising disturbance to wildlife.
Apiq's bird guiding career finally took flight on 2023 when friends, impressed with his stunning rare avian species photographs and interesting video narrations, started asking to be taken along on local excursions as well as trips abroad.
Apiq's tours cover the best birding spots throughout Malaysia as well as to countries like India, Europe, USA, Japan, Indonesia and Hong Kong where participants can fully appreciate the diversity that has captured Apiq's undivided interest all these years.
Over time, his tour programmes began taking a more structured approach, ranging from exclusive single participant private tours to a maximum of six individuals in a group.
Group sizes are primarily constrained by the compact nature of the bird hides – camouflaged shelters that allow natural bird behaviour observation at close quarters without alerting them to human presence either through movement or scent – as well as attempts to minimise human impact on the natural environment.
Elusive birds do not appear on cue, says Apiq, which is why a lot depends on “patience and sheer luck”.
Advocating an optimal booking lead time of between three to five months to allow sufficient time to survey potential visit sites that suit client requirements and ascertain recently recorded species within the vicinity, Apiq requests for the clients to be fit in order to fully appreciate the experience which involves considerable walking.
“I definitely make every effort to ensure all target species are observed, but these are shy and
elusive birds that do not appear on cue,” Apiq says. “A lot depends on patience and sheer luck.”
"The experience should not be all about pursuing the perfect shot but also immersing in nature.”
Apiq Sulaiman
One experience in Vietnam perfectly captures that philosophy. After spending seven fruitless
days searching for the elusive Indochinese Magpie the previous year, Apiq returned with a tour group determined to try again. Four days
passed with nothing.
Then, just as hope was fading, a piercing call broke the silence.
“My heart stopped,” he recalls. Remaining perfectly still, he finally photographed the bird he had spent more than a year chasing.
“Sometimes, you don’t even have to plan. Just show up...and nature will do the rest.”
This article was first published in Travel Weekly Asia’s July-September 2026 issue. Click here to read more from this issue.