Papua Bird Photo Trip: Waigeo, Fakfak, Arfak and Nimbokrang
Our Price US$
per person
OVERVIEW
Ending city: Jayapura
(Papua)
Tour
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival Sorong – Waigeo Island
The tours begin with your arrival in Sorong and then will be transferredviews directly to Waigeo island with a fast and comfortable ferry. On Waigeo island you will stay 3 nights in a comfortable resort with great view both from the beach to the forest. This island located in Raja Ampat archipelago, arguably boasts the most-wanted birds on the tour. The display sites of both Red Bird-of-paradise and the awe-inspiring Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise will be visited during our days on the island. To make it even better, these sites are easy to reach after short 10-minute walks.
Day 2:Waigeo Island
Just a few of many species that we might encounter include Blyth’s Hornbill, Eclectus Parrot, Emperor Fairywren, Orange-fronted Fruit Dove, and Papuan Drongo. We need to wake up 30 minutes early at 4.30 for breakfast. At 05.00 am we visit the hide of Wilson’s Bird of Paradise until lunch. From our resort it takes around 25 minutes drives to the stop point and we continue to walk around 20 minutes to the hide. Afternoon schedule will be following.
Day 3: Waigeo Island
In addition to the aforementioned ‘BoP’s, the lowlands of this island offer a huge list of birds, including the localized Raja Ampat Pitohui, Great-billed and Moluccan King- Parrots, Claret-breasted, Orange-bellied and Dwarf Fruit-Doves, Palm Cockatoo, Coconut Lorikeet, Yellow-faced Myna, Papuan Pitta, elusive White-eared Catbird, Brown-headed Crow, New Guinea Friarbird, and Golden Monarch and the Waigeo Cuscus. Our morning will start just like yesterday and after all preparation we step up to the Red Bird of Paradise hide. From resort we will drive around 25 minutes to the stop point and walk for 15 minutes to the hide. You can enjoy the bird playing until 8 or 9 am and we go back to the resort for lunch. Afternoon schedule will be following.
Day 4: Waigeo Island – Sorong - Fakfak
At 9 AM
in the morning we will sail to Sorong. Then by Wings air to Fakfak at 2 PM.
Day 5: Fakfak
Day 06: Fakfak
Day 07: Fakfak – Sorong
Day 08: Sorong – Manokwari – Arfak
Day 09, Day 10, Day 11: Arfak, Maibri Birding Ecolodge
Arfak Mountain
With so
much to see here, we will spend four full days birding the various forests,
gardens and other secondary habitats that flank the mountains, and hold many of
the tour’s standout birds. We will visit the display grounds of Magnificent
Bird-of-Paradise, Western Parotia, and the bower of the Vogelkop Bowerbird, one
of the great architects of the bird world, with an extraordinarily large and
decorative bower that far outshines the dour bird itself! While
these may arguably be the most famous targets in the mountains, the list of
other birds is both extensive and tantalizing, and includes the likes of
Vogelkop Superb BoP, If we extremely lucky we might catch up with Masked
Bowerbird, Vulturine Parrot, or the New Guinea Harpy Eagle. The nights will be
spent at a community guesthouse. Sometimes owlet-nightjars, Feline
Owlet-Nightar, Papuan Frogmouth, and Papuan Boobook can be found by daylight. (We can
help you also to arrange the optional camping trip to see: Long-tailed
Paradigalla, Arfak Astrapia, Black Sicklebill, Splendid Astrapia.)
Day 12: Arfak – Manokwari – Jayapura - Nimbokrang
After
taking a morning flight to Sentani, we head for Nimbokrang, and the lowland
forests of the north for a three-night stay. In the afternoon we may stake out
a clearing that is an excellent site for raptors, pigeons, and the bounty of
parrots that grace the Papuan lowlands
Day 13 and Day 14: Nimbokrang
This
lowland site may be hot and sweaty, but it is loaded with special birds – a
major theme on this tour! King Bird-of-paradise, Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise,
Hook-billed, Shovel-billed and Blue--black Kingfishers, Vulturine Parrot, and
Blue Jewel-Babbler, are just some of the birds on offer, though all of these
species require a combination of luck and effort.
Day 15: Transfer Out
After long days of birding tour
finally it’s time to say goodbye. You will have your flight back to your home
town. End of
the trip.
BIRDING IN NEW GUINEA
Birdwatching
in New Guinea is exciting but difficult and demanding, although the rewards can
be fantastic and some charismatic groups are simply “world-class”, parrots,
pigeons, kingfishers, and bird-of-paradise being obvious examples. Birds here
are usually shy, light conditions and weather are often challenging, the terrain
difficult, transport problematic, and not to mention
the logistic problems (including frequent unexpected airline-schedule changes).
Security problems are ever-present but generally not major, provided that you
follow the usual protocols:
·
Make
sure that you have local people to facilitate access to land, and agree with
them in advance how much you are paying and to whom. Most disputes arise
over land access, which is very different from Western norms.
·
Do
not wear valuable jewelry or carry expensive items in urban areas, and be
particularly cautious in any large towns. Security in rural areas is usually
much less of an issue, and so long as you have local people along you will be
unlucky to encounter major problems. Most people are friendly and intrigued by
birders and what they are up to, but do explain carefully what you are doing.
·
Be
patient. Losing your temper and demanding things will give the opposite results
to what is desired; the phenomenon of payback is alive and well in New Guinea and
covers minor things, as well as serious tribal disputes.
Travel
in West Papua is quite challenging but has improved immeasurably of late,
although the infrastructure may be far less developed and it is advisable to
have a good level of fitness to tackle steeps trails and wet muddy conditions
or hot humid lowlands. Security matters are generally better also.
TRIP
CONSIDERATIONS
PACE:
Moderate to Intense. This tour will require long days in the fields and early
starts on most days. On some portions of the trip, especially those spent in
the hot lowlands, we will have some time off in the middle of the day. At
higher elevations, in the Arfak, the birding can stay active all day, and we
will have a more intense pace.
PHYSICAL
DIFFICULTY:
Moderate
to occasionally difficult. A lot of the birding is on dirt roads and easy
logging tracks and trails, although there will also be a few difficult hikes,
some of which are optional.
CLIMATE:
New
Guinea lies in the equatorial zone and is surrounded by warm tropical seas,
with a humid tropical climate and the many mountain ranges causing great
variation in rainfall. This ranges from moderate to very high, some montane
regions having more than 10,000 mm of rainfall per annum. Temperatures along
the coast are hot, above 30oC, but at very high altitudes it can
drop below freezing at night, though snowfall is apparent only above 3800 m,
and mainly in West Papua, where some relict glaciers remain.
Clouds
and fog are frequent, especially in the morning and late afternoon, though
mornings typically are clear and sunny. Rain tends to come in the afternoon,
often being quite heavy but sometimes not lasting for too long, although
highland areas can experience quite long wet periods. Clouds cover the
mountains and promote the growth of epiphytes and mosses, with very high
humidity in the lowland and hill forests.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
There
is no camping on this tour. However, many of the guesthouses used are quite
simple, and some of them only have shared bathroom facilities. In the Arfak,
there is only electricity for a couple of hours each night. All other locations
have full-time electricity. WIFI only available in the town hotel.
INFO
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:
A
valid passport is required; the passport must be valid for at least six months
past your intended stay. Visas on arrival in Indonesia can be obtained for
tourists from the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and EU
countries for stays of under 30 days. There is a fee for this, payable in cash
(in US Dollars). Travel requirements are subject change; we recommend
double-checking entry requirements six weeks prior to the tour or ask our
office staff for help.
PACKAGES
INCLUDED:
Accommodation
from day 1 through in to day 15; meals from dinner on day 1 through to
breakfast on day 15, safe drinking water throughout; one arrival and one
departure airport transfer per person; ground transport for the group to all
sites in the itinerary; Express Boat (VIP Ticket) to get to Waigeo; entrance
fees to all birding sites mentioned in the itinerary.
NOT
INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGES:
Domestic flights during the tour, tips for optional luggage porters in city hotels; camera/luggage porters in the jungle, international flights; snacks; additional drinks apart from those included; alcoholic beverages; visa fees (payable on arrival in Indonesia); departure tax when leaving Indonesia; travel insurance; excursions not included in the tour itinerary; extras in hotels such as laundry service, minibar, room service, telephone calls, tips to drivers, local guides, and lodge staff; and personal items; medical fees; other items or services not specifically mentioned as being included.
