Insects in Susnguakti forest

Morphopsis albertisii butterfly

For insect watchers, Susnguakti is the most recommended place to visit. I organized a tour for 2 French and 1 Japanese tourists last week. We spent 4 days/ 3 nights hiking, watching birds of paradise, mammals and insects. Several villagers were hired to carry our bags and food. Staying in basecamp in the middle of the forest, we explored the flora and fauna of West Papua. We saw various species of insects. Because, I brought a camera, I could took pictures of them. There were Phasmatodean stick insect, tiger beetle, and Morphopsis albertisii butterfly. Some Cruiser, Ulysses, Silky Owl and Priamus butterflies were seen flying around our basecamp during the day.

Phasmatodean stick insect

Spiders were everwhere. There were fireflies, grasshopper, crickets, dragonflies, and a lot of species of butterflies. Because of the population of insects is abundant, their predators are also abundant. Birds and lizards are the main predators.
I do not have field guide books for identifying insects. So, after returning to Manokwari city, I used internet to find more info about them.
Visitors who are interested in watching insects in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari need to bring camera that has got macro shooting mode and if possible, a magnifying glass.
How to get to Susnguakti forest:

Tiger Butterfly

• Fly from your country to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
• Continue your trip by taking a domestic flight to Manokwari city. Airlines such as Garuda, Sriwijaya Air and Batik Air provide regular flights between Jakarta and Manokwari.
• When you arrive in Manokwari city, I could meet you at the airport and organize your trip to Susnguakti forest.

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

Birdwatching in Manokwari

Manokwari has been a popular destination for visitors who are interested in birdwatching. As a tourist guide, I have accompanied a lot of visitors on various birding trips in Arfak mountains and lowland rainforest of Manokwari.
Birding Sites
There are several birding sites in Manokwari which birdwatchers can choose. Some of them are listed below:
Lowland Forest of Manokwari

Large-tailed Nightjar in Lowland Forest of Manokwari

This is located in the west of Manokwari city. Visitors can walk along the banks of Mesirrokow river-forest area to find tropical birds such as the Lesser Birds of Paradise, Yellow Billed Kingfisher, Yellow Capped Pygmy parrots, Rainbow Lorikeet, Blyth's hornbill, Western Crowned Pigeon, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Dollarbird, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Large-tailed Nigtjar, Yellow-faced Myna, Moustached Treeswift, Variable Goshawk, and a lot more. The lowland rainforest of Manokwari is also the natural habitat of various colorful flowers, and butterflies.

Birding in Lowland Forest of Manokwari

Flowers such as Monochoria vaginalis, Faradaya splendida,  Spathodea campanulata grow near the shore of the river.
Birdwatchers can spend between 3 to 5 days birding in the lowland forest of Manokwari to see those birds. As of today, there are no guesthouses in the area. As tour guide, we provide tents for visitors. Cooking and eating utensils as well as the solar powered lamps will be provided.
Birding in lowland forest of Manokwari, particularly, along the sides of Mesirrokow river-forest area is very easy to be done. Visitors can enjoy walking along the shore of the river and watch the birds using binoculars and spotting scopes.

Susnguakti Forest of Arfak Mountains
Susnguakti forest is Lower Montane Forest of Arfak mountains. It is the natural habitat of Lesser Birds of Paradise, Papuan Frogmouth, Blyth's hornbill, Western Parotia, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and a lot more. Visitors can spend between 2 to 3 days in Arfak range to watch birds and other wild animals.
In addition to birds, it is also a nice place for watching beetles, butterflies, and other insects. Warmarway is located in the south of Manokwari. Its forest is also the natural habitat of cuscus possum which visitors can watch a night.
For Booking your Birding Trip in Manokwari, here is my contact details:
Charles Roring, Email: peace4wp@gmail.com Cell Phone: +6281332245180 (whatsapp)

Jungle Walk and Snorkeling Tour in Manokwari with Two American Tourists

For the last two days I guided Sachi and Riaz on a jungle walk and snorkeling tour in Manokwari. For the rainforest tour I chose Table Mountain which was close to the city. It was done in the first day. We started the jungle walk quite late in the day at 17.00. We visited The Japanese World War II Memorial Monument which was constructed in 1956 inside the forest.

Riaz had very good knowledge about history of the Pacific war and shared it to me. We were at the monument for around 15 minutes and then continued our walk again. We saw various kinds of trees and creeping plants. We heard the sounds of some birds but only the helmetted friarbird (Philemon buceroides) that I could identify. We arrived at the other end of the forest which was the campus of State University of Papua at around 18.45. I stopped an ojek for Sachi and then a public transport minibus for me and Riaz to go back to Swissbel hotel.

Riaz (left), I, and Sachi (right)
were having dinner

The next morning, we continued our tour to the beach. I planned to guide them on a snorkeling tour inside the bay but the weather was so bad. The wind was blowing from the South East. So, I decided to change the destination of our snorkeling trip to the north coast of Manokwari. When we arrived at the snorkeling site we still saw some waves. I went into the water first to check for the waves and the current. I could tell that it was safe for them. Minutes later, I returned to the beach and invited them to follow me to the sea. We swam to the drop off where we were able to see parrotfish, butterflyfish, moorish idol, surgeonfish and various kinds of corals. We did not spend much time in the water. After around twenty five minutes, we returned to the beach. There were only a few children from the nearby village swimming in the area.

Snorkeling picture from Manokwari

We returned to the city again by ojeks (motorcycle taxis) for having some lunch. Because the place where we had lunch was near the Ketapang boat station, after lunch, we went there on foot. We went to Mansinam island to enjoy snorkeling for around one hour. It was a nice experience for them. We saw more reef fish from damselfish, to butterflyfish, pink anemonefish, grouper, anthias, parrotfish, wrasse, goatfish, and a big crocodile needlefish (Tylosurus crocodilus). I thought it was a baracuda but after close inspection it was not. I also saw sea snake and black urchin, sea cucumber. There was also a crown of thorn which was bad for coral reef.
We planned to enjoy snorkeling again in further place on the third day but the weather was so bad. It was pouring until after mid-day. So, we did not go anywhere. 
At night we had delicious dinner at a restaurant near soccer-field. I took the opportunity to ask the waitress to make some nice pictures of us as souvenirs. The next morning, they left Manokwari by plane.
Please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com if you are interested in taking a rainforest trekking and snorkeling tour in Manokwari.