Indonesia: West Papua

Wilson's Bird-of-Paradise © Wang LiQiang/Shutterstock

Exceptional tropical forest birding with large numbers of endemics in one of the world’s least known and exotic birding destinations. We explore areas of lowland, hill, and montane forest teeming with birdlife. We expect to see a large variety of birds-of-paradise, fabulous kingfishers, pigeons, parrots, bowerbirds, and many handsome forest skulkers.

West Papua is the jewel in the crown of Indonesia’s eastern archipelago. Here, large tracts of lowland rainforest still remain, and the isolated highlands of the Arfak Mountains are home to a bounty of wonderful birds-of-paradise. Close to the mainland, the well-serviced islands of Waigeo and Biak are teeming with tantalizing endemics set against a backdrop of coastal forests and tropical seas home to some of the world’s best coral reefs.

This tour complements our already popular offering to Papua New Guinea by focusing on the specialties of the Vogelkop “Bird’s Head” Peninsula, where we’ll access a number of fantastic birding locales in a concise time frame, with minimal travel days. Our exploration will begin on the small but endemic-rich island of Biak before we cross to the mainland and venture up to a homestay in the famous Arfak Mountains for several nights. Here there are multiple established hides and stakeouts for an array of mind-blowing species. We have the chance to watch male Western Parotia, Vogelkop Lophorina, and even Black Sicklebill perform displays that epitomize the extremes of sexual selection in birds. Here also, the Vogelkop Bowerbird constructs his bower, or “hut,” and displays his assorted collections of items taken from the forest; it is truly a bucket list experience. After our time in the highlands, we will return to the birdy lowlands near Sorong before a ferry trip out to wonderful Waigeo, where the mesmerizing display of Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise will be front of mind.

In addition to the fantastic birds-of-paradise on offer, West Papua is home to a huge variety of specialties and families unique to the Papuan landmass. Owlet-nightjars, imperial pigeons, tiger-parrots, melampitta, jewel-babblers, paradise-kingfishers, monarchs, peltops, boatbills, and many more exotic species are all possible.

Lodgings are mostly comfortable, well-appointed, air-conditioned hotels, with several nights at one basic mountain homestay that is a key destination for this trip.

Accommodations vary greatly from very comfortable resorts and hotels to a very basic homestay with hot showers for three nights; food generally good but somewhat limited at the homestay; generally easy to moderate walking, mostly forest tracks with uneven and sometimes steep sections, roadside, and very occasionally an optional harder grade hike for certain special birds; at least one boat trip and a ferry crossing; hot and humid in the lowlands, cool and pleasant in the hills and mountains.

Black Sicklebill © Kamal Hari Menon/Shutterstock