Birds of Paradise watching trip in Manokwari

Lesser Birds of Paradise in Arfak range of Manokwari

There are 39 species of birds of paradise in the world and most of them can be found in New Guinea. This tropical island is divided into 2 territories. The eastern region is the independent state of Papua New Guinea and the western one is West Papua that is under the rule of the Republic of Indonesia. There are 2 provinces in West Papua, i.e. Papua and Papua Barat. The capital of Papua is Jayapura and the capital of Papua Barat is Manokwari. 

Manokwari is a beautiful coastal city that has been considered as the best destination for birdwatchers. This town is not far from the mountain range of Arfak. Located in the south of the city, Arfak mountains are covered by dense tropical rainforest that are home to various species of birds of paradise. 

I personally have arranged tours and guided tourists to Arfak mountains, northern coast of Manokwari, Kaimana, Numfor island and Aiwatar hill in Tambraw regency of Papua Barat province. We saw various species of birds including Magnificent Birds of Paradise, Western Parotia, Lesser Birds of Paradise. We also see birdwing butterflies, beetles, tree kangaroo, cuscus possum, soa-soa, and snakes that live in the jungle of Manokwari and its surrounding regions.

Recommendes birding sites 
Some birding sites in Arfak mountains that I recommend are as follows

• Mupi Gunung is for watching Blyth's hornbill, sulphur crested cockatoo, Lesser birds of paradise, Western Parotia, Vogelkop bowerbird, Flame bowerbird, blacksickle bill, brownsickle bill, Papuan frogmouth, and etc. Mupi Gunung is the best destination for anybody who is interested in everything rainforest. As a matter of fact, its vocal point for wildlife watching is tree kangaroo.
• Warmarway village - this is the recommended site for watching Lesser birds of paradise. Lower montane forest birds such as sulphur crested cockatoo, pinon imperial pigeon and Brahminy kite can also be seen in the forest.
• Kwau village (for watching Western Parotia, Magnificent birds of paradise, and Vogelkop bowerbirds). You need to take a long car trip from Manokwari to the village.

tree kangaroo

Traveling to Manokwari

It is not difficult to visit Manokwari.

• Fly to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
•  After that, take a domestic flight that is offered by Garuda Indonesia Airways, Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air, or Express Air to Manokwari. 
• The next morning, you can continue your trip to the mountain range of Arfak to watch birds of paradise. You need to be physically fit if you want to go trekking birdwatching and wildlife watching in Manokwari.

I can arrange a birding and trekking trip for you. Your destinations can be Manokwari, Numfor island, Sorong regency, Kaimana or Raja Ampat. Please, contact me by e-mail to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by sending text message to my cell phone: +6281332245180.

Cycing and Mountain Biking in Manokwari

Manokwari has been a famous destination for people who are interested in hiking or trekking in Arfak mountains and the lowland forest of Pantura. As a matter of fact, this town is also a recommended place for cycling and mountain biking. As a tour guide, I have guided cycling enthusiasts from the United Kingdom, Finland, the United States and the Netherlands on various mountain biking and cycling tours across this tropical regency. Tourists like to take a cycling tour because they can explore the suburban areas of the capital of West Papua province at their own pace economically. 

My recommendations for elderly cyclists are the coastal villages of Manokwari such as Arowi, Abasi and Bakaro. For youngsters, more challenging routes in the jungle with more slopes will be an interesting option. We have a lot of mountain biking routes in this town and its surrounding forests that can be explored by ordinary cyclists and mountain bikers. 

I personally have completed a long route between Bintuni town (in the south of the bird's head region) and Manokwari (in the north of the bird's head region) covering a distance of approximately 300 kilometers. This is a trip that can be accomplished in 3 to 4 days. Experienced mountain bikers can try District Senopi as their destination. 

Because I am a member of MTB Manokwari, it is easy for me to find more bicycles for your cycling tours in Manokwari. Members of the club will lend you their bicycles and can accompany you to explore this beautiful town.

For a one or two day cycling tour in Manokwari, visitors can ride bicycles to Asai or even the Yonsoribo beach and meet local people there. An alternative destination that provides you with scenic view of the coastal villages are cycling routes to Ransiki. For further information, please, read more articles of this blog and contact me. by Charles Roring E-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com

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• Birding in High Elevation Forest of Minahasa
• Walking Tour, Birdwatching and Butterflywatching in District Sonder of Minahasa Highland
• Birdwatching in Minahasa Highland
• Manado City Birdwatching and Sightseeing Tour
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa
• Birdwatching in Sulawesi
• Birdwatching and butterflywatching in Sonder
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• https://wildlifeminahasa.blogspot.com

Rainforest Trekking in Manokwari

by Charles Roring

The tropical rainforest in Manokwari is rich of bio-diversity. Birds, insects, reptiles, marsupials, and mammals live in the jungle of Arfak mountains. Tourists who go trekking in Arfak can watch birds of paradise, and cuscus possum which are the most popular attractions. Several species of birdwing butterflies can be found in the jungle too. There are several trekking destinations in Manokwari. Some that I recommend are the jungle of Warmarway in Arfak mountains and Mesirrokow lowland forest in northwest region of Manokwari. Use a good pair of trekking boots, and sleeping bag for exploring the jungle of Manokwari. 

A camp for tourists has been built in Warmarway. It is not easy to reach the camp. Visitors need to walk up steep slopes of Arfak mountains for approximately one hour. Cooking and eating utensils have been prepared by local people to serve the visitors. So, they don't need to bring their own cooking gear. Early in the morning when all the people in Manokwari town are still sleeping, visitors have to wake up to start their journey into the jungle to watch the lesser birds of paradise. They usually start to dance at around 5.45. Trekking route to the dancing site is quite difficult. It is steep and slippery. Visitors need to walk through several small streams of mountainous water that flow down through the granite rocks of Arfak. 

To capture the fleeting moment of the dancing birds, visitors need to bring telephoto D-SLR camera. Today, Nikon have developed super zoom digital camera that is more affordable to travelers. The latest type is the Coolpix P510. It is a telephoto device that sports 42x optical zoom, equivalent to 1,000 mm in 35 mm lens format. Canon also has manufactured a bridge camera with specifications that are higher than the P510. Canon Powershot SX50 has got 50x optical zoom that is equivalent to 1200 mm in 35 mm lens format.
Trekking in Senopi
The toughest destination is District Senopi. The district is located between Manokwari and Sorong. Visitors need to buy enough food, and bring cooking gear if they want to go trekking in District Senopi. The best trekking route in District Senopi is the walking path to Aiwatar hill where visitors can see hundreds of species of birds. Mammals such as deers, and wild pigs and cows can be seen in the jungle. Buy a bottle of mosquito repellent lotion and waterproof tent if you want to stay for several nights in the jungle. Local villagers will be happy to accompany and guide you to Aiwatar.

If you are interested in taking a trekking trip in Manokwari, please, contact me by e-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com or whatsapp message to: +6281332245180. I will be happy to arrange your transportation and accommodation as well as the hiking trip by contacting local people in the mountains to serve you. 

Flowers in the Rainforest of West Papua

There are a lot of flowers that we can see while hiking in the jungle of Manokwari. Some have fragrant smell whereas others release stink smell. One species that attracts my attention is the Faradaya splendida. This plant grows on the bank of Dopi river. It has got abundant flowers whose color is white. Anybody who is interested in growing it outside his or her house must provide a lot of water for this plant. I think that the flowers from Faradaya splendida vine can be used as raw material for extracting its essential oil that is good for aroma therapy.

Faradaya splendida

Another species that is commonly seen along the edges of the tropical rainforest is the blue bell vine (Thunbergia grandiflora). The vines of blue bell flowers hang on the branches and twigs of trees that are exposed to sunlight. Sometimes they can be found hanging on the twigs of bamboo shrubs that grow near a river.

For coastal region, the most common species that can be seen is hibiscus. They have got white, red, yellow and pink colors. There is another one that is quite unique called Barringtonia asiatica. This hairy flower will develop itself into a seed that is poisonous. Local fishermen use the seed of Barringtonia asiatica to poison fish. Before frying the fish, they will take out its gills and intestines. Barringtonia asiatica flowers come from a big tree that can be found near at the beach along the coastal region of Manokwari.

In the high elevation region such as the Arfak mountains, passion fruit flower vines climb the shrubs and trees that are not far from the local villages. This passion flower whose photograph is shown below is not a native plant from this mountain. Its fruit has got sweet taste. I heard that it was introduced by missionary and local people who went to Wamena (in the Central Mountains of West Papua) and returned to Arfak mountains with the plant.

Below is the picture of Medinilla flowers. I saw these flowers while hiking in the jungle of Arfak mountains particularly on 1400 meters above sea level. The flower species found around this elevation are totally different from the species that usually grow in lowland or coastal region of West Papua.

In addition to Medinilla, some other flowers that attract the attention of visitors are the Rhododendrons.  A few months ago, a student from the United Kingdom visited Arfak mountains to see several species of Rhododendrons. The one that is shown below has got very fragrant smell. Its physical appearance is similar to the above Faradaya splendida. This rhododendron can be found at the top of Mount Syoti (which is part of Arfak mountains and located in Kwau village).

In addition to the above flowers, visitors can also see various kinds of orchid that grow on the branches of big trees of the tropical rainforest of Manokwari. Some of them have got medicinal merit and are used by the indigenous people to cure their diseases or wounds. by Charles Roring

Also read:

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• Manado City Birdwatching and Sightseeing Tour
• Reizen in Noord Sulawesi
• Birding in North Sulawesi
• Birding in Sonder of Minahasa
• Birdwatching in Sulawesi
• Birdwatching and butterflywatching in Sonder

River Tour in the Wetland Forest of West Papua

by Charles Roring
The southern region of West Papua is dominated by wetland. Early this year, I made an exploratory trip to Kais village in South Sorong regency. I went there by boat from Teminabuan town. It took more than 6 hours to reach the village. Most of the trees that grow on both sides of the rivers are nypa palm, mangroves and other plants that can live in the swampy areas. It was nice to be there. I could feel that I was very closed to nature. 

No tourists have reached Kais village and I plan to put it into my list of rainforest tour destinations that I regularly promote on the internet. Anybody who is interested in traveling to Kais has to be able to adapt to the living condition that he or she will experience in the village. In other words, he or she has to be an adventurous person. There is no toilet. Tourist need to go into the bush for that purpose. 

Abundant wildlife

Birds such as pigeons, cockatoo, hornbills, eagles, kingfisher can easily be seen in the morning whereas deers and boars live in the dry land in the jungle. Visitors will beautiful birds during your river tour from Teminabuan to Kais. A good pair of binoculars is recommended if you want to watch them. Although you can swim in the waters near the village, you MUST NOT swim in the rivers that are far from the village because of there are crocodiles. 

Things to Bring

Here are essential things that every tourist needs to bring before traveling to Kais village: food, medicines, bottled water, anti insect repellent lotion, GPS, torch or flash, sleeping bag, photographic/ digiscoping equipment with some extra batteries. You also need ziplock to cover your electronic devices while you walk in the jungle or have a river tour. Don't forget to buy extra gasoline for the boat when you are still in Sorong town. The availability of gasoline is very important for your trip to Kais. If you buy it in Teminabuan the price will be double. 

Recommended Bridge Camera
For those who want to take pictures of nature and the wildlife using a light but powerful camera, I suggest that they buy Nikon Coolpix P510 or Canon SX 50HS. They are powerful bridge camera that are affordable to most travelers. Serious photographers will choose more expensive D-SLR photographic device.
How to get there?

• First, fly from your country to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia
• Second, take a domestic flight served by one of these Indonesian airlines (Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air, Express Air, and Batavia Air) to Sorong city.
• Bring Go to the 4WD pick up truck terminal in the town whose trucks regularly go to Teminabuan
• Then you can go to Kais village by boat. The local government of South Sorong regency is planning to construct road from Teminabuan to Kais. Hopefully, in the next few years, visitors can go there by car.

Local guide

Sometimes, organizing trips can be difficult for you I can arrange your trip from Sorong to Kais and contact local people to provide such services as driving the boat, and preparing villager's house for accommodation. I can also guide you to the village if you are willing to pay for my service. Here is my e-mail: peace4wp@gmail.com

Related article: 

• Rainforest tour in Kais village
• Mangrove forest in South Sorong regency