Sorong is a city in West Papua province of Indonesia. It is also a regency that has got beautiful tropical forest. Tourists who go to Raja Ampat for snorkeling or scuba diving will need to fly to Sorong.
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There are forest areas, villages and town in the east of Sorong city that I and my clients like to visit for birdwatching and wildlife watching. Some of them include Mangrove forest of Sorong city, Ridge forest of Sorong, Sausapor town, Klabili village and Malagufuk village. They can be reached by cars.
In Mangrove forest of Sorong city, we could see interesting birds such as White-bellied Cuckooshrike, Orange-fronted Fruit Dove, Olive-backed Sunbird (now also called Sahul Sunbird) and Orange-fronted Fig Parrot (Cyclopsitta gulielmitertii).
There is something interesting about the Orange-fronted Fig Parrot. The word Cyclop in Greek Mythology is a race of giants from Sicily having but one eye in the middle of their foreheads. The word psittakos in Greek means parrot. Second part of the name is Gulielmitertii. In Latin Gulielmus means William and Tertius mens The Third. According to wikipedia Gulielmus Tertius or William III (Dutch: Willem Alexander Paul Frederick Lodewijk) was King of the Netherlands and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1849 until his death in 1890.
There, visitors can walk along the sides of the road, go hiking up the slopes or explore the forest of Klasouw calley to watch such birds as Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher Western-crowned Pigeon, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Orange-bellied Fruit Dove, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot, Black Lory, Coconut Lorikeet, Blyth's Hornbill, Blue and Black Kingfisher, Shining Flycatcher, Boyer's Cuckooshrike, Lowland Peltop, Red-bellied Pitta (now also called Papuan Pitta), Hooded Pitta, Hooded Butcherbird, Black Butcherbird, Northern Cassowary, and a lot more.
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| Blyth's Hornbill |
There are also King Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, and a few other species of birds of paradise which visitors can see if they explore the forest of Klatomok village thoroughly.
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| Location of Klatomok village in Sorong regency of West Papua |
Actually, Klatomok village is not only attractive for bird watchers but also nature lovers. They can see various kinds of plants, and animals. There are insects, mammals, reptiles in the forest. Visitors can join local villagers who go to the forest to cut a sago tree for extracting its flour or do night walk to find wallaby, bats, possum and deer.
Mothers can show how to make sleeping matrass and bags using pandanus leaves or other natural fiber.
There are flights that connect Sorong and big cities in Indonesia including Manado, Ambon Makassar, Denpasar and Jakarta. They are served by Garuda, Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air, and Batik Air.
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| A homestay in Klatomok village of Sorong regency |
Accommodation
Visitors can stay in homestays that are owned by villagers. It is a basic accommodation, so the price is affordable. Buying foods and drinks in Sorong city prior to the trip is highly recommended. But villagers can also enjoy local food such as sweet potatoes, bananas, and vegetables prepared by the villagers.
After spending time in Klatomok village, visitors can go back to Sorong city to continue their trip to Raja Ampat to enjoy snorkeling or another birdwatching trip, or taking a trip to Sausapor or Fef town located in Tambrauw mountains for another rainforest tour in West Papua.
Activities in Sorong City
Returning to Sorong, visitors can stay in one of the many hotels and explore other attractions such as visiting traditional markets, going to Doom island, having lunch and dinner in various eating houses in town, and etc.
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