Rainforest Tour in Manokwari Arfak range

Destination: Susnguakti forest in Arfak mountains
Durations: 3 days/ 2 nights
For booking: Please, send email to: peace4wp@gmail.com

I offer a 3-day rainforest hiking and camping tour in Susnguakti forest of Arfak range to visitors/ nature lovers who are interested in watching birds, fireflies, cuscus possum and various kinds of insects such as birdwing butterfly, spider, cruiser butterfly, moth and etc.. The tour is organized in the following itinerary:

Day 1

We will leave Manokwari city for the coastal area of Arfak mountains by a public transport vehicle. It takes approximately one hour for the car to reach our destination. We will walk up steep slopes of Susnguakti forest to reach our basecamp that is built by a small river. Butterflies, New Guinea orb web spider, birds can be seen in the surrounding areas of the basecamp. At night, we could do jungle walk to find nocturnal animal such as cuscus possum. Food will be prepared in the campsite. Oveenight stay in the jungle.

Day 2

Wildlife Tour in Susnguakti forest

We will wake up early in the morning at 05.00. After drinking some coffee or tea and have biscuits, we will start walking to the birding ground of Lesser Birds of Paradise. Male lesser birds of paradise dance and show their beautiful feather to attract their female counterparts for mating. We will watch them until 09.00. We will walk back to our basecamp and have lunch there. We will move to higher elevation area where we will spend the night in the second basecamp. We could do another night walk to find nocturnal birds such as Marbled Frogmouth and Papuan Frogmouth. We could also see fire-flies, various kinds of moth, and glowing mushroom. 

Cuscus in Susnguakti forest

Day 3

The next morning, we could walk to around to find Common Paradise Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher or even Magnificent Riflebird. Sometimes, Papuan Blyth's hornbill, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo or even Dwarf Cassowary bird walking around the jungle.

How to get there?

Fly from your country to Jakarta city

Continue your trip by taking an airline such as Garuda, Xpress Air, Sriwijaya, or Batik to fly to Manokwari city. I will meet you at the airport and organize your tour to Mount Mabowi of  Arfak mountains.

3 Hiking and Camping Trip Destinations in West Papua

As a tour guide, I have accompanied a lot of tourists on various hiking and camping trips in West Papua. From all of the outdoor adventure trips destinations that I have done, there are three places that I like the most.

1. Aiwatar hill - It is still placed on the top list of the hiking and camping trip destinations that I recommend it for you. It is located in District Senopi. To reach the hill, you need to fly to Manokwari city and continue your trip by airplane to District Kebar. After that, you can walk or hitchhike a truck to District Senopi. The next morning, if you are fit enough to walk, you can leave the village for the hill. It takes around five hours walking through the jungle and crossing rivers to get to Aiwatar. The scenery of the tropical rainforest with some big and small rivers will make you feel that you are in the middle of nowhere. During your hiking trip in the rainforest of Senopi, you may be able to see deers, birds of paradise, ornate lory, goliath cockatoo, kangaroo,  and various other animals live in the region. 
2. Asai  - This hiking and camping trip destination is located in the north coast of Manokwari regency. The tropical rainforest of Asai is rich of bio diversity. It is the natural habitat of cuscus, sulphur crested cockatoo and snakes. As you walk deeper into the jungle, you will see more birds, and unique plants. You will be surrounded by green vegetation. Don't forget to bring sleeping bag and waterproof camping tent if you want to stay for several nights at the bank of Asai river.  In addition to hiking, cycling from Manokwari town to Asai village is also possible to be carried out by travelers. I personally have done it twice. On the average, a cyclist needs four hours to reach Asai. Before leaving the town, the cyclist needs to check all the gear mechanism and tires of his or her bike are in good working order.
3. Camp Dopi of Inggramui forest - This is a hiking tour destination that is not far from Manokwari city. So, it is the cheapest place to go compared to the above destinations. I have guided European and American tourists to Dopi river. Blyth's hornbills usually fly above our heads when we walk through the stream of the river. If you spend at least one night camping at the bank of Dopi river, you will have the opportunity to go to the dancing site of the lesser birds of paradise. Monitor lizards, kangaroo and deers live in the jungle of this river too. You may see them while hiking through the rainforest of Dopi river. If you want to watch birds of paradise, don't forget to bring a pair of binoculars or telephoto camera with extra batteries.

For all of your hiking and camping trips in this tropical rainforest of West Papua, bring tent. If you take a tour from me, the tent will be provided by me. If you decide to bring your own tent, it has to be water resistant. The material should be light. 

Tropical Rainforest of Arfak Mountains

Tropical rainforest in the Arfak mountains always attracts tourists from around the world. They visit the region to see the endemic New Guinea animals and plants. Located in the south of Manokwari city-the capital of West Papua province, Arfak mountains can be reached by motorcycle or car. Flora and fauna in the low elevation areas are different from the ones that live in high elevation areas. For example, the magnificent birds of paradise and bower birds are commonly found on the slopes of the mountains near the summits. For tourists who want to see tree kangaroos, hornbills and sulphur crested cockatoos, the recommended destinations would be the coastal villages such as Warkapi, Hangow or district of Ransiki. Also read: Tropical Rainforest Preservation in the District of Senopi.

Russian visitors

Coastal villages
Last week, I had a one day tour along the coastal villages from Lake Kabori, Maruni, Mupi, Warkapi, Hangow, Oransbari and Ransiki. I traveled by DAMRI bus, a state owned land transportation company. The rainforest condition in Mupi, Warkapi and Hango is still good. From my personal observation, some areas of the rainforest near the villages had been cleared by the indigenous people for cassava and caladium gardens, the main staple food in Papua or New Guinea island. Last January 2010, three Russian tourists went to Warkapi. They did some bird watching tour a long a fast stream river near Warkapi. From their photographs and stories, birds could easily be seen flying around the trees if watched from the open space created by the river. Bird watching activities in the tropical rainforest are usually difficult if they are done from inside the forest especially when we walk through the jungle under the canopy of the forest. Sunlight cannot easily penetrate the canopy that is covered with dense green vegetation of the trees. For taking photographs of birds, we need long lens camera. Don't forget to bring extra batteries because electricity is not always available. I always bring plastic bags in the pockets of my backpack to cover my electronic equipment in case if it rains. Night walk, guided by local Papuan villagers, can also be done in Warmarway if tourists want to see nocturnal animals such as cuscus possum and Papuan Frogmouth (a kind of owl).

Hiking tour in Indonesia

Tree Kangaroo

Arfak range is formed by steep mountains and deep ravines. One of the places that I recommend for tourists in Mupi Gunung. It is a new location for visitors who want to see pristine rainforest and wild animals such as birds of paradise and tree kangaroo. As a tourist guide, I highly recommend Mupi Gunung as your destination for wildlife watching in West Papua. But you need to be physically fit to go trekking to Mupi Gunung area of Arfak mountains. Please, read my trip report: Trekking and Watching Tree Kangaroo in Arfak range for more info about it.

Local villagers with Russian and Ukrainian visitors

After reading this article, you can see that the tropical rainforest of Arfak mountains is not only useful in absorbing CO2 gases that we emit to the atmosphere everyday but also in providing food, recreational areas and herbs for health treatment. If you interested in visiting Arfak mountains, and need more information about the region, you can contact me, Charles Roring, via email peace4wp@gmail.com.
Also read:
Watching beetles in the tropical rainforest of Manokwari
Arfak mountains

Arfak range

Also read:

• Birdwatching in Sulawesi
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa
• Birdwatching in Minahasa
• Manado City: Birdwatching and Sightseeing Tour