Birdwatching Tour in Lowland and Lower Montane Forest of Manokwari

Manokwari has been famous as an important destination for birdwatching. Most people go to higher elevation forest of Arfak. As a matter of fact, the lowland and lower montane forests of Manokwari are also interesting. Visitors can watch various species of parrots, fruit doves, kingfishers, and water birds in lowland. For lower montane region, they can watch Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise and Magnificent Riflebird which are the main target for avid birders.

Moluccan King Parrot in Manokwari Forest

Lowland Forest

Because the birding activity is conducted in the middle of the lowland forest, the best way to enjoy birding in this area is by camping and hiking for several days. There are Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Black Butcherbird, Moluccan King Parrot, Azure Kingfisher, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, Coconut Lorikeet, Black-capped Lory, Blyth's Hornbill, Brahminy Kite, Glossy Manucode, Yellow-faced Myna, Golden Myna, Eclectus Parrot, Palm Cockatoo, and Little-ringed Plover, Large-tailed Nightjar, Western-crowned Pigeon and a lot more.

Beautiful Fruit Dove

Lower Montane Forest

As I already mentioned above, the lower montane forest of Manokwari, especially the Susnguakti forest, is the natural habitat of various species of paradise birds. Some of them include Lesser BOP, King BOP, Magnificent Riflebird, and Common Paradise Kingfisher. Visitors who go to this place can also see Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Hooded Butcherbird, Fairy Lorikeet, Spangled Drongo, Great Cuckoo Dove, etc. 

Visitors can also do night walk to see cuscus possum, ground brown skink, and glowing mushroom. Basecamp for tourists are available. 

Duration of the tour

In general, the number of days tourists spend in lowland forest of Manokwari is 3 days. For lower montane forest, they take between 3 to 4 days. My recommendation will be: 3 days lowland, 1 day rest in Manokwari city, 3-4 days lower montane forest.

Lesser Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea minor)

Birding Equipment

Most birdwatchers know what to bring. However, there are also ordinary tourists who are interested in visiting these forest to watch tropical birds, unique plants and wild flowers as well as the beautiful nature. A pair of binoculars is a standard birdwatching device that visitors need if they want to watch birds and other wild animals. I recommend a 10×42 mm or 12×50 mm roof prism binoculars made by Nikon, Swarovski, Leica or Canon. Super zoom camera such as Canon SX70HS or Nikon Coolpix P1000 is the latest birding camera that birdwatchers like to bring.

I usually bring my spotting scope Kinglux 20-60×60 mm. It is not the best in the market but it can enhance the birdwatching experience of tour participants.

Booking

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

Watching Cuscus Possum in Manokwari

Cuscus possum is a marsupial animal that lives in the forest of New Guinea island. The animal lives in trees and eats leaves to survives. There are several species that live in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari. I like to guide tourists to this forest for watching birds during the day and watching cuscus possum at nights.

Cuscus

We usually our night walk at around 21.00. Cuscus comes out of their hiding places to find food and mate. To see the animal, we have to turn off pur lights. Local guides will immitate the sounds of female cuscus to attract the attention of the male one. When the male comes down to meet the "female cuscus," we will turn on the lights and take pictures of the nocturnal animal. In addition to watching cuscus, during the night walk, we may encounter other animals such as dragon lizard, brown grown skink, or bandicoot. There are also mushrooms that glow at night.
If you plan to visit Manokwari city and are interested in hiking to watch cuscus possum, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

Manokwari is now in good season for Snorkeling

The sea around Manokwari waters is calm now. It is a good season for snorkeling. With snorkeling mask, fins and underwater camera, I go to the beach to enjoy swimming over coral reef. I often guide tourists who also want to see the underwater world of Manokwari. We go to the north coast of Manokwari where the sea is more connected with the Pacific Ocean that is rich in Marine Life.

Red and Black Anemonefish

Fish such as Red and Black Anemonefish, Striped Surgeonfish, Three-spots Dascyllus, Moorish Idol and Rabbitfish are some of the marine creatures which visitors can see. To take pictures of them, I like to freedive and move closer to the fish. Holding a big rock with my left hand to stabilize my body in the water, I shoot the fish with my right hand.

Some Reef Fish in Manokwari Waters

Snorkeling in Manokwari is a fascinating thing which tourists can do when visiting Manokwari. As a tourist guide, I can organize snorkeling tours that can be combined with hiking, and camping in the forest for visitors who want to see Birds of Paradise and cuscus possum. Manokwari is beautiful both underwater and in the rainforest.
If you are plan to visit Manokwari and want me to organize your tours both to the coral reef sites and to the forest, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180.

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.

Birds of Paradise in Susnguakti Forest of Manokwari

Lesser Birds of Paradise
in Susnguakti forest of Manokwari

The lower montane forest of Manokwari that is a good site for watching paradise birds is Susnguakti. It is located in the south of Manokwari regency. To reach it, we need to go by motorized vehicle for 1 hour. Arriving at the foot of Mount Susnguakti, we still need to continue our trip by hiking up the steep slopes of the forest for another 1 hour to reach our basecamp. When I organize hiking, birding, and camping tour to the forest for tourists, I usually hire some villagers to carry our bags, food and camping gear. There is a base camp in the middle of the forest which we have built to accommodate tourists. This is a basic accommodation that we provide for tourists.

Watching Birds of Paradise

King Bird of Paradise in Susnguakti forest

The main tourist attraction in the forest of Susnguakti is Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor). Visitors who want to them can do it in the afternoons from 15.00-17.00 and in the mornings from 06.00 - 09.00. Bringing a good pair of binoculars such as Nikon, Leica, Swarovski 10×42 or 12×50 is highly recommended. There are birding huts that we have prepared for visitors to sit in in order to watch the paradise birds. There are other paradise birds that we can also watch during our stay in the forest. Some of them include King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius), Magnificent Riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus), and Common Paradise Kingfisher (Tanysiptera galatea). The sites for watching these birds are scattered around 10 to 15 minutes walk from basecamp.
Usually, after watching Lesser Birds of Paradise, I will continue our morning tour to higher elevation area to watch King Bird of Paradise. It is a small bird whose back and wings are red. His underparts are white. The female one is similar to other female birds of paradise. Her feather is brown. Because the active time of the Magnificent Riflebird is the relatively the same as the Lesser Birds of Paradise, I usually organize the watching session for this bird on the second day.

Common Paradise Kingfisher

The Common Paradise Kingfisher is a very beautiful kingfisher that has got 2 long tails or antennas. Alfred Russel Wallace, a British naturalist, who visited Manokwari in 1858 called it: Racquet-tailed Kingfisher. It is active in the morning at around 06.00. I usually organize a walking trip in the forest to watch this bird on the second or third day of the tour.

Taking Pictures or Birds

Most tourists like to take pictures of interesting animals or flowers that they see in the forest during the tour. Most birdwatchers know what to bring. For ordinary travelers who are not familiar to birdwatching, they might feel discourage when they find out that their pocket cameras are not able to shoot paradise birds in high trees. As a matter of fact there are cameras that are affordable and good enough for taking pictures of birds. Some bridge or super-zoom cameras that I recommend are Panasonic Lumix FZ80, Nikon Coolpix P900, P1000, B700; Canon Powershot SX70HS and Sony Cybershot DSC-HX400. For owners of D-SLR camera, a telephoto lens such as Sigma 150-600 mm sport or Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens is an affordable choice. 

Hooded Butcherbird

In addition to the paradise birds that I mention above, the rainforest of Susnguakti is the natural habitat of a lot of birds including the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Blyth's Hornbill, Orange-bellied Fruit Dove, Hooded Butcherbird, Black-capped Lory, Fairy Lorikeet, Mimic Meliphaga, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Marbled Frogmouth, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, and a lot more. 

When I guide tourists to this Susnguakti forest, I bring my spotting scope Kinglux 20-60×60. This birding device greatly enhances the birdwatching experience of tour participants. 

Night Walk

Glowing Mushroom

In addition to carrying day trips in the forest, I also organize night walks for visitors to watch cuscus possum, Papua dragon lizard, and glowing mushroom, fireflies, ground brown skink and bandicoot. Visitors need to apply mosquito repellent lotion, wear hiking boots and torch or flashlights in order to participate in this tour.

Booking

Please, contact me (Charles Roring) if you want to take this hiking and birdwatching tour to this Susnguakti forest of Manokwari at the folling details:

Whatsapp: +6281332245180

Email: peace4wp@gmail.com