Festival Roon 2025

The local government and the peoples of Wondama regency is going to celebrate Festival Roon and the celebration of 100 years of Papua Civilization in Aitumieri hill of Wasior town. This cultural and art event will be conducted on 22 to 25 October 2025 in Yende village of Roon island from 22 to 24 October 2025 and in Miei village of Wasior town on 25 October 2025. 

Festival Roon 22-25 October 2025 in Yende village of Roon island and Wasior town  of Wondama Regency

How to get there?

Roon island is located in Wondama regency. To reach Yende village:

• Visitors need to fly from their countries to Manokwari city.
• After that the trip can be continued by fast passenger ferry from Anggrem harbor of Manokwari city to Yende village in Roon island of Wondama regency.

Fast Ferry Route from Manokwari to Yende village and then to Wasior town on Wondama regency

Natural Attractions

Wondama regency is an important destination for visitors who love marine life. Coral reef could be seen in along its coastal areas. There are hundreds of tropical islands that form karsts in this part of the National Park of Cendrawasih Bay. It is one of the Marine Protected Areas in West Papua with the highest marine biodiversity in the World. 

A beach in Purup Karst of Cendrawasih Bay National Park

Coral reef in Wondama regency

Its tropical rainforest is the habitat of a lot of species birds, insects, reptiles, and mammals. Paradise birds that can be watched in Wondiboy mountains include Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Superb Bird of Paradise, Black Sicklebill, Magnificent Bird of Paradise, and Western Parotia.

Accommodation

There are a lot of homestays in Yende village during the Festival Roon 2025. There are hotels and lodges in Wasior town that are offered to visitors during the 22-25 October 2025.

Please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Birding in Klasow Valley

Klasow valley is a huge lowland rainforest area in the east of Sorong regency. It is a favorite destination for tourists who love birdwatching and wildlife watching. 

New Guinea Harpy Eagle

A lot of species of birds could be found in Klasow valley. Here are some of them: Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Trumpet Manucode, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Blue-black Kingfisher, Hook-billed Kingfisher, Papuan Eclectus, Palm Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Red-cheeked Parrot, Coconut Lorikeet, Black-capped Lory, Black Lory, Rainbow Bee-eater, Orange-bellied Fruit-dove, Pink-spotted Fruit-dove, Ornate Fruit-dove, Sultan's Cuckoo-dove, Great Cuckoo-dove, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Western-crowned Pigeon, Hooded Monarch, Frilled Monarch, Spot-winged Monarch, Mimic Honeyeater, Glossy Swiftlet, Uniform Swiftlet, Spine-tailed Swift, Moustached Treeswift, Papuan Boobook, Rufous Owl, Papuan Hawk Owl, Papuan Frogmouth, Marbled Frogmouth, Papuan Nightjar, New Guinea Harpy Eagle, and a lot more. 

Some birds in Klasow valley

There are some forest sites in Klasow valley that are good for birdwatching. Some of them include: Klabili village, Kasulala forest, Klatomok village and Malagufuk village. 

Klabili is famous for watching Hooded Pitta, Papuan Pitta and New Guinea Vulturine Parrot. 

Kasulala is a highly recommended site for watching and photographing birds of prey. There are Pacific Baza, Variable Goshawk, Gray-headed Goshawk, Brahminy Kite, Gurney's Eagle. 

In general, visitors spend between 3 to 5 days in Klasow valley to see most of the birds in the area. If the tour in Klasow valley is combined with another birding tour in Raja Ampat, the total number of days could reach 12 to 14 days.

Birding in Klasow valley

Visitors usually bring binoculars, camera with telephoto lens, and spotting scope to watch and photograph birds in Klasow valley. 

Other animals that could be watched in Klasow valley include wallaby, cuscus, possum, monitor lizard, bandicoot, snakes, fruit bats,  and etc. 

If you are interested in taking a birdwatching tour in Klasow valley and want me to organize your tour, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180. 

Also read:

• Bird Photography Tour in Klabili and Waigeo
• Watching and Photographing Tropical Birds in Raja Ampat
• Birds in the Suburb of Sorong City
• Sorong City Birding Tour
• Birding in Sonder
• Tangkoko National Park

Bird Photography Tour in Klabili and Waigeo

I have just completed a birding tour with an Australian photographer in Klabili village of Tambrauw regency and Waigeo island of Raja Ampat. We spent nearly a week to do the tour. Birds of paradise were our main target but we also saw a lot of species of birds including Hooded Pitta, Papuan Pitta, Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Blue Black Kingfisher, Beach Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Moluccan King Parrot, Papuan Eclectus, Mimic Honeyeater, Raja Ampat Pitohui, Pale-billed Scrubwren, Spice Imperial Pigeon, Great Cuckoo-dove, Claret-breasted Fruit-dove, Black Butcherbird, and etc.

Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher

The tour participant also enjoyed snorkeling at the house reef of the beach resort where we stayed. In the resort area, we watched and photographed a lot of birds too. There were Palm Cockatoo, Coconut Lorikeet, Papuan Frogmouth, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Red Bird of Paradise, Brown Oriole, Helmeted Friarbird, Beach Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Striated Heron, Willie Wagtail, White-breasted Woodswallow, Pacific Swallow, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Brahminy Kite, Osprey, and etc. 

Raja Ampat in July, actually, is in wave season. However, I see that the wave is not so big. Tourists could still enjoy swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. Perhaps, in August, the wind will be stronger. I hope that the weather in Waigeo will be just fine so that more visitors could still enjoy their holiday there.  

Also read:

• Birding in Sausapor, Klabili and Sorong City
• Birding Tour in Sorong and Tambrauw
• Birds in the Suburb of Sorong City

Klabili Village for Birdwatching

I offer a tour for birdwatching in Klabili village. During the tour, participants will explore the rainforest of Klasow valley in Sorong regency to watch various species of paradise birds, and a lot of other tropical birds of West Papua, do night walk to see nocturnal animals such as cuscus and bandcoot as well as see unique tropical plants of rainforest. 

Lesser  Bird of Paradise

Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher

The itinerary can be described as follows:

• Day 1

Local guide will meet you at the airport or hotel of Sorong city and organize your trip by 4dw car to Klabili village in Sorong city. It takes around 1 hour 45 minutes to reach it. Arriving at the village, we will check into the guesthouse. After a short rest, we could start birding by walking to the back of the village.

There are birds such as Papuan Eclectus, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Shining Flycatcher, Papuan Eclectus, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Coconut Lorikeet, Yellow-faced Myna, Hooded Butcherbird, and etc. Butterflies such as the Ulysses butterfly, New Guinea Clipper and Cruiser butterfly could be seen along the way. 

If we are lucky we will be able to see monitor lizard or snake along the way to the village. Arriving in the village, participants could take a rest. 

Wildlife watching activity could be continued again at around 15:00 to see such birds as Sahul Sunbird, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker, and etc.

Basic Accommodation is provided in a homestay in the village. 

• Day 2

Wake up early at around 05:00. You will walk to the site of Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise

You could also go to the site of King Bird of Paradise, other birds such as Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Blue Black Kingfisher, and etc. 

After lunch you could continue our trip to watch Lesser Birds of Paradise.

Night walk can be organized after dinner to look for such birds as Papuan Frogmouth, Marbled Frogmouth, and birds that sleep on lower branches of tree. Cuscus, wallaby could also be seen in at night. They usually come out to find food and to find mating partner. 

• Day 3

There is still time to watch birds of paradise as well as a lot of tropical birds such as Golden Myna, Frilled Monarch, Palm Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Large Fig Parrot, and etc.  After lunch, we will return to Sorong city.

Visitors who are interested in taking this tour need to bring binoculars, flashlight, camera, raincoat or rain-poncho, hiking boots and insect repellent lotion. 

If you are interested in joining, please, contact us by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com

Related Posts

• Birds in Malagufuk Forest of Klasow valley and Raja Ampat
• Bird Photo Trip in Malagufuk village
• Sorong city Sightseeing and Birding Attractions for Tourists
• Birdwatching in Sonder Farmland of Minahasa Highland
• Tropical Birds in Sonder of Minahasa Highland

Watching and Photographing Paradise Birds in Raja Ampat and Malagufuk of Sorong Regency

I have organized several trips this month for some birdwatchers and photographers who want to see tropical birds in Raja Ampat and Sorong regency. During each of the trip, we explored the southern region of Waigeo to look for Glossy-mantled Manucode, Wilson's Bird of Paradise and Red Bird of Paradise. On the second part of the trip, we did rainforest tour in Malagufuk village of Klasow valley to find Lesser Birds of Paradise, Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird and King Bird of Paradise. The duration of this tour is 8 days/ 7 nights. 

Wilson's Bird of Paradise

We experienced heavy rain during most of this tour. The month of June is quite a challenging experience for me. The walking path in the forest became very muddy after the heavy rain. Fortunately, we could see and photographs most of the paradise birds that I mentioned above.

We saw and photographed other birds as well such as Wompoo Fruit-dove, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Red-cheeked Parrot, Papuan Eclectus, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Black-capped Lory, Coconut Lorikeet, Palm Cockatoo, Blyth's Hornbill, Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Black-sided Robin, Golden Myna, Yellow-faced Myna, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker,  and etc.

Magnificent Riflebird

Although most of our activities are about birdwatching and photography tour, we also spent time on swimming and snorkeling especially in the house reef areas of the resort. Reef fish such as striped-surgeonfish, diagonal sweetlips, parrotfish, butterflyfish, anemonefish could be seen and photographed at depths of 1.5 to 2 meters or more. 

To photograph birds in distant trees, tour participants bring D-SLR or mirrorless with (large CMOS censor) camera that is equipped with 150-600 mm lens. Some bring bridge camera such as Nikon P1000. 

Birdwatching in Sorong regency and Raja Ampat

Birdwatchers usually Swarovski, Leica, or Nikon 10×42 mm. As a birding guide, I usually carry a spottinh scope that is mounted on a tripod. 

Coral reef in Raja Ampat

If you are interested in taking a holiday in Indonesia by enjoying birdwatching and photography tour in Raja Ampat, Klasow valley of Sorong regency and other parts of Indonesia such as Minahasa highland and Tangkoko Nature Reserve, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by whatsapp to: +6281332245180 or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com. 

Also read:

• Birding and Snorkeling in Waigeo Raja Ampat
• Sorong City Birding Tour
• Sorong Birding and Raja Ampat Snorkeling
• Nature Tour Around Sorong City and Raja Ampat
• Birding in Raja Ampat and Sorong
• Birding in Raja Ampat and Sorong Regency of Indonesia

• Birdwatching in Sonder of Minahasa Highland of Indonesia
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa
• Birding in the Paddy Fields of Subdistrict Sonder
• Birdwatching in the Farmland of Sonder Town
• Walking Tour, Birdwatching and Butterflywatching in District Sonder of Minahasa Highland
• Birds in North Sulawesi
• Birdwatching Tour in the Farmland and Forest of Minahasa Highland
• Manado City Tour: Birdwatching and Sightseeing