Tropical rainforest preservation in District Senopi

Tropical rainforest of District Senopi is one of the best hiking trip destinations in the bird's head region of West Papua province. I have been trying to help the indigenous Papuan people preserving their rainforest through the promotion of ecotourism schemes for Tambrauw Mountains, Arfak mountains and the Table Mountain. The objective of the promotion is to attract tourists to Manokwari regency so that they can enjoy the natural beauty of the high biodiversity of the forest and at the same time give financial support to the eco-tourism service providers that are mostly run by the indigenous people of Papua. New threat to Papua tropical rainforest occurs every day, from illegal logging to forest clearing for palm oil plantation. When this responsible tourism program can provide jobs and generate income for the Papuan people, they will not be interested in giving  up their  land and forest to the logging companies and palm oil plantation corporations that are now threatening every square inch of the forest in Papua. No Forest-No Tourists, and No tourists means No Money.

Rainforest in Tambrauw Mountains

Senopi Village of Tambrauw Mountains
Senopi is a district located around 200 kilometers from Manokwari city. Most part of the region is still covered with tropical rainforest. Its nearby Kebar district has the largest savanna in the birds head region of West Papua. Some tourists have already visited Senopi. They went there to enjoy hiking tours in the jungle where they would see male lesser birds of paradise dancing on the branches and twigs of a tree located some two hours walk from the village. Early in the morning and in the afternoon before sunset, male birds of paradise gather in a tree to perform courtship dance in front of some female birds of paradise as their spectators. This is a very beautiful scene for nature lovers. Besides watching birds of paradise, tourists can also see various kinds of tropical rainforest animals such as kuskus, tree kangaroo, boars and other beautiful birds such as hornbills and sulphur-crested cockatoo.

The best time to see the birds is early in the morning. They usually can be found in flowering or fruiting trees. It is not difficult to reach Senopi. Once you arrive in Manokwari, you can go to YAT Losmen or contact me  via my email peace4wp@gmail.com to arrange a car to the village.
Other important tourist attractions in Senopi are the population of deers (Cervus timorensis) that you will sometimes meet while hiking through the jungle of the district. More birds species can also be seen on the Aiwatar Hill which is located some 4 hours walk from Senopi. It is better for you to stay one night by the Kamundan river and very early in the morning  you can climb the hill to watch the birds drinking salty water that comes out of the ground until they get drunk.

I have been traveling a lot in recent months taking pictures of birds, butterfly, coral reef, ornamental fish and anything that represents the high biodiversity of the tropical rainforest and coral reef of West Papua. But my bird watching journey to Airwatar Hill is one of the most memorable experiences that I've ever had. Unfortunately, this birding center is still not known among the birding communities around the world.
I hope that the increasing number of tourists going to Senopi to enjoy hiking tours will help the indigenous Papuan villagers improve their living condition and at the same time protect their forest and its surrounding environment for future Papuan generations. by Charles Roring

Also read:
6 Hiking tour destinations in Arfak mountains
Rainforest of Arfak Mountains as tourist destination
Tropical rainforest a great tourist attraction in Manokwari Papua

Deers of Kamundan river

We just came out of Aiwatar hill after hiking around the area where we saw various species of birds of New Guinea.  The sun had just set on the west. We were very exhausted. Still we had to walk for more than four hours back to Senopi village, a district in Manokwari regency of West Papua. OMG, I forgot to bring my flash light. So, we would walk through the tropical jungle in the dark.  Hope that no white snake waiting for us along the footpath. Walking along one of the tributaries of Kamundan river, I could hear the sound of the sulphur-crested cockatoo breaking the quiet sky of the rainforest on both sides of the Kamundan river. All that we were hearing now was the sound of water flowing rapidly down the river. 

We were walking on the slippery stones beneath the river bed now. At the junction between a small tributary and the mother river of Kamundan, there was a "small island" covered with bush plants. After passing by this "island" we would cross the Kamundan whose current was stronger. We were all tired and didn't expect to see interesting wildlife anymore. Well we were wrong, something amazing was waiting ahead of us. When we just arrived at the tip of the island suddenly we were surprised by the view of around thirty deers drinking on the other side of the tip. They were brown deers (cervus timorensis). They were terrified when they saw us too. A loud sound like a truck horn from one of the deers broke the atmosphere. And without counting one-two-three these mammals ran hurriedly away from us. I was amazed by them so, I forgot to take my digital camera a Sony cybershot out of my pocket. Fortunately, Wim Boyden remembered to take his long lens Canon Eos camera out of his bag. He was late and could only shoot some photos of those deers. These pictures were blurry but they were good treat for our exhausted mind and body. by Charles Roring

Also read: Watching how a deer was caught by hunters' dogs in Kamundan river of District Senopi West Papua

Birding Site in Aiwatar Hill of Senopi village

Bird lovers might not know the existence of a place called Aiwatar. It is located some 4 hours walk from Senopi village in the Tambrauw Mountains of Manokwari regency. Manokwari is also the name of a city which is the capital of West Papua province. I, Wim and Vicky Boyden went to Aiwatar on 18 August 2010. We began walking in the morning at around 7 and arrived there at around 11.30 a.m. Wim and Vicky Boyden brought their EOS long lens Canon digital camera to shoot the birds that were singing in the branches of the trees along our walk to the Aiwatar - the Bird Center.

For bird watching, birders have abundant birds to shoot with their long lens camera while hiking around the tropical rainforest of Senopi village. But it is nothing compared to a place called Aiwatar. So, although we had been very tired, we were very determined to reach the area. We were informed by the villagers that there are a lot of birds with a large variety of colors and species. Walking in the tropical rainforest of District Senopi was a hard work but was also a fascinating experience.
The sounds of ornate lorikeet, cockatoo and hornbill and various other birds fill the atmosphere of that clear morning sky combined with the sound of the flow of water from the tributaries of Kamundan river. The feather of lorries that we saw in the trees near the Senopi village looked like rainbow. I liked hearing the music of the nature during that morning walk.

We had to cross the Kamundan river to reach the Aiwatar. When we were about to enter the river, from a distance around three hundred meters from us, we saw a dog barking on big deer that was trying to cross the river. According to our local Papuan field guide, the dog belonged to a hunter but he was not sure whether the hunter was with the dog or not. Wim took his long lens camera trying to take the picture of the barking dog and the nervous deer which were too far from us. The result was a blurry picture.
We still had some two hours walking before we arrived in Aiwatar - the place which the villagers  in the District of Senopi call "Pusat Burung" or the bird center. According to Maker - our local birdman, very few tourists have visited Aiwatar. Even though I was very tired at the time, when I saw birds flying around the trees, I suddenly felt relieved. Arriving at the foot of Aiwatar hill located on the other bank of Kamundan river, I soaked my whole body in the flowing water. It was very refreshing. Our lunch of that day was cassava which was cooked inside bamboos. Our drink was unboiled, but clear and fresh water taken from the river. I don't know the names of the birds that were shot by Wim Boyden through his long lens camera but there are various other birds which we did not shoot. I also brought a Sony Super SteadyShot DSC-W80 digital camera but it was not equipped with long lens. Below is a photograph of Aiwatar which I took while standing in the middle of the Kamundan river (one of the largest rivers in the Bird's head or Vogelkop region of West Papua). 

Well, what is bird center? It is a place in the remote mountainous region of Tambraw mountains inside the territory of District Senopi. Here, salty warm water comes out of the ground in several places around a hill called Aiwatar. Another amazing thing is that although Aiwatar is located very very far from the beach, most of the plants that grow in the area are the same as the plants that usually grow along the coastal region. The ground surface is covered with sharp corals that is normally seen in the coastal area. Every morning thousands of birds come to this place to drink the water until they get drunk.

I am not a birder but when I was in Aiwatar I became a bird lover. I hope that one day I could buy a long lens camera to shoot a lot of beautiful photographs of birds that live in the tropical rainforest of West Papua, both along the coastal and mountainous regions. by Charles Roring - If after reading this post and you are interested in visiting West Papua province of Indonesia and want me as your guide, please contact me via this email: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.