Exploratory Tour:
Western Papua, Indonesia
Bowerbirds, Paradise-Kingfishers
& Birds-of-Paradise
Dec 28, 2022-Jan 8, 2023
Register by clicking the ‘book now’ button above, or by contacting the Ventures office. We accept credit cards for an additional fee (2.9% for MC, Visa, Discover; 3.9% for AmEx), but you may also pay by bank transfer, cash, check, or money order. This Venture is limited to 8 participants.
Guides/Leader: Mark Welford
with Simon Thompson & Khaleb Yordan
Cost of Western Papua trip: $5,100 from Biak, Indonesia, based on double occupancy, $750.00 single supplement. Price includes: flights from Biak to Jayapura to Manokwari to Sorong, transportation by 4WD between Manokwari and Arfak mountains, food, basic accommodation in the jungle hut, fee to local guides, workers, cooks, contribution to land owners, travel permits. Not included: Flights to Biak, Indonesia and return from Sorong, Indonesia to the US, alcoholic beverages, laundry, gratuities and items of a personal nature.
You may wish to arrive on Biak Island the day before in order to explore the island or rest before the tour starts. Just let us know your flight plans and also whether you will need a hotel room.
This exploratory trip offers a wonderful opportunity to see some of ten endemics on Biak Island, fifteen elusive Arfak endemics found only in the Arfak Mountains of Western Papua, and a host of birds-of-paradise near Jayapura in the village of Nimbokrang. And a post-trip to Waigeo to see both Wilson’s and Red Birds-of-Paradise with a local guide.
On Biak, we hope to see the Biak Paradise-Kingfisher, Biak Monarch, Geelvink Pygmy-parrot, Biak Coucal, Biak Gerygone, Biak Flycatcher and Biak White-eye among others. We also hope to see some of its 19 endemic sub-species including but not limited to: Biak Megapode, Biak Scops-Owl and Biak Golden Monarch all probably destined to be re-classified as full species.
Some of the birds we hope to see in the Lowland Rainforest of Nimbokrang village include six species of BOP - Magnificent Riflebird, King, Twelve-wire and Lesser Birds-of-Paradise, and Trumpet and Glossy-mantled Manucodes (which are BOPs), Long-tailed Buzzard, Variable Goshawk, Brahminy Kite, Willie Wagtail, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Western-crowned Pigeon, Rainbow Lorikeet, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, Moluccan King Parrot, White-eared Bronze Cuckoo, Large-tailed Nightjar, Papuan Hawk Owl, both Marbled and Papuan Frogmouths, Azure Kingfisher, Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Pygmy Longbill, Olive crowned (Papuan) Flowerpecker, Hooded Butcherbird, both Yellow-faced and Golden Mynas, and Blyth's Hornbill.