Riverwalk Birding Tours in Manokwari

Riverwalk Tour in Manokwari

Riverwalk and Birding Tour in Manokwari

There is a river that goes deeper into rainforest of  Manokwari regency. This forest is very suitable for birdwatchers who like to watch birds such as Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Dollarbird, Yellow-faced Myna, Golden Myna, King Bird of Paradise, Lesser Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Papuan Hornbill, and Azure Kingfisher and a lot of other tropical birds.
Tropical rainforest that cover both sides of the river is the natural habitat these tropical birds as well as other animals such as cuscus possum, bandicoot, snake, butterflies, beetles and wild-pigs.
I have organized numerous riverwalk tours for visitors to this lowland forest of Manokwari. They came from as far as Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Birding is the main tourist attraction in this forest but visitors can also see unique tropical plants and animals of this forest.
Bird/ Wildlife Watching Optics

Pinon Imperial Pigeon

I personally provide a Kinglux 20-60×60 spotting scope and a pair of Visionking 10×42 mm binoculars. However, I highly suggest that every visitor bring his or her own binoculars to enhance the birding or wildlife-watching experience. There are a lot of brands that are available in the market such as Leica, Swarovski, Nikon, Bushnell, Vortex and etc. I personally have tried some of them such as the Swarovski SLC 10x42 WB, and the Swarovski EL 8,5×42 7,6 degrees binoculars. There is also Eagle Optics 10×42 mm binoculars. Unfortunately, Eagle Optics as a manufacturer of high quality but more affordable birding binoculars have stopped their operation.

Field-guide Birding Book

For visitors who are serious about birdwatching in West Papua, a field-guide book: Birds of New Guinea written by Thane K. Pratt and Bruce Beehler is the the best companion for their trips. It can be ordered from Amazon online bookstore.

How to fly to Manokwari

• Take an international flight from your country to Jakarta (the capital of the Indonesia)
• After that take a domestic flight to Manokwari city. Airlines such as Garuda, Sriwijaya, Batik Air provide regular flights between Jakarta and Manokwari.

Booking
Please, contact me (Charles Roring) by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp: +6281332245180 if you are interested in taking a riverwalk birding tour in Manokwari. Or you could click the above About Me/ Contact Me link and use the available form to book your tour.

Camping and Riverwalk Birding Tours in Manokwari Forest

I offer camping and riverwalk tours for visitors who are interested in exploring the bio-diversity of lowland forest of Manokwari. Riverwalk, swimming and birdwatching are the main activities that we do during the tour. Visitors who take the tours come from the Netherlands, the United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Frsnce, China, Switzerland, Sweden, and several other countries. They enjoy the tours for 3 to 5 days. For identification purposes, I use field guide book Birds of New Guinea written by Thane K. Pratt and Bruce Beehler. During the tours, we will stay in tents at the side of a river and do riverwalk tours along its banks to find tropical birds such birds as:

• King Bird of Paradise
• Magnificent Riflebird
• Lesser Birds of Paradise
• Yellow-faced Myna
• Golden Myna
• Papuan hornbill, 
• Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, 
• Palm Cockatoo
• Black-capped Lory
• Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot
• Moluccan King Parrot
• Pesquet's Parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus)
• Rainbow Lorikeet
• Pinon Imperial Pigeon, 
• Western-crowned Pigeon
• Beautiful Fruit Dove, 
• Pink-spotted Fruit Dove
• Dollarbird
• Spangled Drongo 
• Willie Wagtail
• Azure Kingfisher
• Rufous-bellied Kookaburra
• Common Sandpiper 
• Olive-crowned Flowerpecker
• Variable Goshawk
• Black Sunbird
• Yellow-bellied Longbill
• Pygmy Longbill
• and a lot of other tropical birds. In addition to birds, visitors can also see butterflies, beetles, wild flowers and a lot of unique plants of West Papua.

A good pair of binoculars, and spotting scope will enhance birding experience of the visitors. I use a pair of 10×42 Visionking binoculars and a 20-60×60 spotting scope plus a tripod. Because the open space is wide, it is easy to spot birds that fly across the river or perch on the branches of high trees.

Birds can be seen in trees that grow on both sides of the river. The riverside is one of the best places to watch birds because we can enjoy birding without having to walk up and down steep slopes of mountains. Visitors like the environment. They can enjoy swimming, sightseeing and birding at the same time.

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

Riverwalk Tour in Manokwari Lowland Forest

There are a lot of big and small rivers in Manokwari which tourists can explore to see exotic tropical plants and animals of West Papua's rainforest. One of them is Mesirrokow river-forest located in the west of Manokwari city. As a tourist guide, I have organized a number of riverwalk birding and wildlife tours for visitors who come from France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and several other European and North American countries.
Visitors who take this riverwalk tour can stay in tents in the jungle of Mesirrokow for several days to watch birds, butterflies and other wild animals, see the beautiful landscape of the tropical rainforest,  unique and beautiful flowers, swim in the river.

Riverwalk Tour in Manokwari Lowland Forest

Birding
Birdwatchers who want to go there should bring binoculars, spotting scope, and digital camera with telephoto lens as well as field guide birdwatching book "Birds of New Guinea" written by Thane K. Pratt and Bruce Beehler. Birds that live in the lowland of Manokwari play important roles in the ecosystem of the forest. They eat fruits and disperse seeds to every corner of the forest. Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Papuan Hornbill, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Western Crowned Pigeon, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Great Cuckoo Dove, Yellow capped Pymy Parrot, Yellow-faced Myna, Golden Myna, and etc.

Papuan Blyth's Hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus)

Wild Animals
It is not only birds that live in the forest but also other animals such as soa-soa monitor lizard, wallaby, deer, wild pigs, snakes, fruit bats, and thousands of species of insects. Local people like to go hunting in the forest to catch deer and wild pigs. Butterflies such as Ornithoptera priamus, Taenaris catops, Vindula arsinoe, Papilio ullysses can easily be seen while we walk in the forest.

Flowers
Scarlet jade vine, Faradaya splendida, Monochoria vaginalis, Thunbergia grandiflora, and a lot of orchids grow in the forest. People who live in coastal villages in the area also grow flower plants in front of their houses such as hibiscus and bougainvillea.

Camping
I can provide tents, sleeping bags, cooking and eating utensils, and solar powered lamps for tourists who want to take this riverwalk tour with me in the jungle of Manokwari.

Camping in the forest of Manokwari Lowland Area

Getting there:
Fly from your country to Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia) or Bali (an important tourist hub in Indonesia).
Continue your trip to Manokwari city by taking a domestic flight. Airlines such as Sriwijaya Air, Garuda, Xpress Air, and Batik Air have got regular flight service from major cities in Indonesia to Manokwari.
When you arrive in Manokwari city, I can meet you at the airport and organize your riverwalk tour to the lowland forest.

What to bring
For staying in the forest for several days, you need to bring:
Clothing that is suitable for tropical region and for riverwalk tour such as t-shirt, shorts, water shoes. Bring bathing suit if you want to enjoy swimming in the river every day.
Binoculars and camera
Flashlight/ torch
Sunblock lotion and anti insect bites lotion

Booking
If you are interested in taking this river walk tour with me as your private guide, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send text/ whatsapp message to: +6281332245180.
Please, note that I often guide tourists in the jungle and there is no internet connection in the middle of the forest. You may get later reply.