Sunday, May 15, 2022

Wildlife Watching Tour in Tambrauw Regency of Indonesia

Tambrauw is one of the regencies in West Papua province of the Republic of Indonesia. It is a very important destination for visitors who are interested in wildlife. Certain coastal areas of Tambrauw have been famous as the nesting grounds for such turtles as Leatherback, Olive-ridley, Green and Hawksbill. Visitors can watch during egg laying season from April to September. Its forest is also that habitat of deer, wild boar, bats, wallaby, frogs, turtles, monitor lizard, possum, and etc.

wildlife watchingnin Tambrauw regency of West Papua
Wildlifewatching Tour in Tambrauw regency
At the beach, there is coral reef that is teeming with various species of fish including anemonefish, butterflyfish, lionfish, grouper, parrotfish, wrasse, blenny, boxfish, filefish, jacks, and etc. Visitors who are interested in snorkeling at this beach need to bring their own snorkeling device such as mask, fins and snorkel.
Reef fish, sea star and corals at Sausapor beach
Marine Life in Tambrauw regency

Birdwatching

Birds of West Papua
Birding in the forest of Tambrauw
The rainforest along the shore of Tambrauw is the natural habitat of a lot of birds, insects, mammals, and reptiles. There are birds of paradise such as:

  • Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor)
  • Magnificent Riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus)
  • King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius)
  • Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus)
  • Glossy-mantled Manucode (Manucodia ater)
  • Crinkle-collared Manucode
  • Trumpet Manucode. 
For visitors who are interested in birding, the lowland and hill forest of Tambrauw are the combined habitat of sea birds and forest birds. They include:
  • Northern Cassowary
  • Dwarf Cassowary
  • Bltyth's Hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus)
  • Lesser Frigatebird 
  • White-bellied Sea Eagle
  • Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)
  • Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophyris)
  • Pacific Swallow
  • Northern Fantail
  • Black-thicket Fantail
  • Moustached Treeswift
  • Frilled Monarch
  • Sacred Kingfisher
  • Rufuous-bellied Kookaburra
  • Common Paradise Kingfisher
  • Red-breasted Paradise Kingfisher
  • Hook-billed Kingfisher
  • Yellow-billed Kingfisher
  • Azure Kingfisher
  • Shovel-billed Kookaburra
  • Grey Crow
  • Torresian Crow
  • Blue Jewel Babbler
  • Papuan Babbler
  • Hooded Pitta
  • Red-bellied Pitta
  • Barred Rail
  • Brown Cuckoo Dove
  • Great Cuckoo-Dove
  • Black-billed Cuckoo-Dove
  • Pinon Imperial Pigeon
  • Western-crowned Pigeon
  • Pheasant Pigeon
  • Pink-spotted Fruit Dove
  • Papuan-spangled Drongo
  • Golden Monarch
  • Boyer's Cuckooshrike
  • Golden Cuckooshrike
  • White-bellied Cuckooshrike
  • Papuan Cicadabird
  • Stout-billed Cuckooshrike
  • Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
  • Palm Cockatoo
  • Moluccan King Parrot
  • Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot
  • Eclectus Parrot
  • Red-cheeked Parrot
  • Large Fig Parrot
  • Double-eyed Fig Parrot
  • Black-capped Lory
  • Black Lory
  • Fairy Lorikeet
  • Red-flanked Lorikeet
  • Coconut Lorikeet
  • Olive-crowned Flowerpecker
  • Olive-backed Sunbird
  • Black Sunbird
  • Yellow-bellied Longbill
  • Tawny Straightbill
  • Mimic Meliphaga
  • Puff-backed Meliphaga
  • Red Myzomela
  • Papuan Black Myzomela
  • Ruby-throated Myzomela
  • Papuan Nightjar
  • Large-tailed Nightjar
  • Rufous Owl
  • White-eared Catbird
  • Olive Flycatcher
  • Black-chinned Robin
  • Black-sided Robin
  • Yellow-breasted Boatbill
  • Black-winged Monarch
  • Black Berrypecker
  • Hooded Butcherbird
  • Black Butcherbird
  • Rusty Pitohui
  • and a lot more.

Visitors need binoculars, spotting scope and birding cameras such as Canon SX70HS, Nikon P1000 to watch and take pictures of the birds. 

insect watching in Indonesia
Insects in West Papua

Beetles, butterflies, dragonflies and various kinds of insects can be seen in Weyos beach of Tambrauw regency too. Some butterflies which tour participants can see include:

  • Common Green Butterfly (Ornithoptera priamus)
  • Cruiser butterfly (Vindula arsinoe)
  • Blue Mountain Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio ulysses)
  • Silky Owl Butterfly (Taenaris catops), and etc.

How to get there?

  • First, you need to travel from your country by plane. Jakarta, Surabaya and Denpasar can be your destination. 
  • From these cities, there are flights to Sorong city. I can meet you at the airport and organize your trip to the beach of Tambrauw

I suggest that visitors go in small group of 2 to 4 or even 6 participants to share the cost. Because this forest is located in remote are, the supporting facility is very basic. There is no luxurious hotels. Your accommodation will be a simple shelter. Bringing dome tents and rolling mattrass will allow you to reach more remote areas of Tambrauw. The best time to travel to this beach is between April and October. The tour to this beach is only suitable for anyone who likes adventure in remote beaches and islands where there are not many tourists around. So, this tour is for nature lovers. 

wildlife watching in West Papua
The beach and forest in Tambrauw regency

The duration of the tour is usually between 5 to 7 days.

Where is Tambrauw?
Location of Tambrauw regency
Booking

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


Merchandise

Please, support this blog by buying art drawings and illustrations of wild animals and plants in the form of prints on various products as follows:

Watercolour Sketch of Bird

Watercolour Sketch of Bird
Fruit Dove from Tropical Rainforest

Vector Art Drawing in Inkscape

Vector Art Drawing in Inkscape
Swimming with Whaleshark

Vector art illustration in Inkscape

Vector art illustration in Inkscape
Baby leatherback turtle was reaching for the sea

Drawing of Paradise Bird

Drawing of Paradise Bird
Lesser Birds of Paradise art print on classic T-shirt

Digital Drawing in Autodesk Sketchbook

Digital Drawing in Autodesk Sketchbook
A Couple of Red Bird of Paradise