Adventure Birding 'n Outdoors in New Guinea's Wild West
Numfor Paradise Kingfisher Tanysiptera carolinae occurs only on Numfor Island in Indonesian New Guinea's fabled Geelvink or Cendrawasih Bay and hence is a West Papua endemic. Copyright © Aniket Sardana focusnature.co.uk
Birding break (7 days/6 nights)
No less than 22 endemic bird species, including a megapode, two gorgeous paradise kingfishers and three parrots, plus a host of morphologically highly distinctive endemic subspecies await us on this birding adventure covering the islands of Biak and Numfor in West Papua's famed Geelvink or Cendrawasih Bay. So join us as we sound out speciation in these insular taxa, and later still be in the fortunate opportunity to continually add 'new species' to your life list from the comfort of your easy chair.
When?
Rewarding year-round.
Scheduled departures
Please enquire for details on our upcoming departures.
Physical effort
Relaxed birding in flat to only slightly undulating terrain.
Tour summary
Day 1 > Kota Biak and Biak Island.
Day 2 > Kota Biak and Numfor Island.
Day 3 > Numfor Island.
Day 4 > Numfor Island and Kota Biak.
Day 5-7 > Kota Biak and Biak Island.
Tour description
Day 1 > Kota Biak and Biak Island Morning arrival at Kota Biak's Frans Kaisiepo Airport on overnight domestic flight from Jakarta or alternative gateway. We will be there to welcome you at the airport, and we shall soon set out together on the 15 minutes' drive by chartered vehicle to an accessible area of secondary forest on the outskirts of town. Here we could be rewarded with sightings of Variable and Grey-headed Goshawk, Sultan's and Great Cuckoo-Dove, Geelvink and Claret-breasted Fruit Dove, Geelvink Imperial Pigeon, Little Bronze Cuckoo, Brush Cuckoo, Moustached Treeswift, Eclectus and Red-cheeked Parrot, Red-fronted and Biak Lorikeet, Black-winged Lory, Emperor Fairywren, Biak Myzomela, Hooded Butcherbird, Common Cicadabird, Biak Triller, Biak Black and Shining Flycatcher, Biak White-eye, Metallic and Long-tailed Starling, and Red-capped Flowerpecker, as well as Gray's Grasshopper Warbler in season. We shall enjoy lunch in town and then set out again on the half an hour's drive to eastern Biak. Here we shall spend the entire afternoon along a network of tranquil rural roads and old logging tracks running through a variety of secondary forests, making incursions into the forest as necessary. Delightful Biak Paradise Kingfishers and Biak Hooded Pittas call everywhere in these dense forests, but to see the wary Biak Megapode, secretive Biak Coucal, diminutive Geelvink Pygmy Parrot, and scarce Biak Gerygone, Biak Whistler, Biak Fantail, Biak Monarch, and Biak Leaf Warbler, we shall need to persevere. Other noteworthy forest-dwellers, invariably represented by highly distinctive endemic subspecies, that we may come across here include Common Emerald Dove and Golden Monarch, while Pacific Baza, Long-tailed Honey Buzzard and Gurney's Eagle may soar overhead. The final hour of light or so shall see us gathered at an open vantage point in anticipation of evening flights of pigeons and parrots, the latter perhaps still including a few Black-capped Lory of the distinctive endemic yet heavily persecuted cyanauchen-subspecies here. Finally, a nocturnal foray could produce Biak Scops Owl, Large-tailed Nightjar and Papuan Frogmouth. Dinner and overnight in our partnering Kota Biak hotel.
A resounding thank you for introducing us to so many wonderful birds. Not cheap — everything is expensive here at the end of the world — but worth every cent.
Day 2 > Kota Biak and Numfor Island After a hearty dawn breakfast in our Kota Biak hotel, we shall set out early morning on the four hours' chartered speedboat ride to Numfor Island. The main focus of our attention here shall of course be the delightful Numfor Paradise Kingfisher and the Numfor Leaf Warbler. Other noteworthy birds we may see here include Amboyna Cuckoo-Dove, Geelvink Pygmy Parrot, and Barred Cuckooshrike, all represented by highly distinctive endemic subspecies here. Lunch, dinner and overnight in village residence.
Day 3 > Numfor Island We have an entire day to capitalize on the most elusive Numfor Island specialties. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight in village residence.
Day 4 > Numfor Island and Kota Biak Following an early breakfast, we shall bird all morning on Numfor and transfer to Kota Biak again after lunch. Dinner and overnight in Kota Biak hotel.
Day 5 > Kota Biak and Biak Island After a pre-dawn breakfast in our Kota Biak hotel, we have a first full day to concentrate on finding those Biak Island endemics likely to elude us for a while, with a packed lunch somewhere in between. Dinner and overnight in Kota Biak hotel.
Day 6 > Kota Biak and Biak Island We have a second full day to capitalize on the most elusive Biak Island endemics. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight in Kota Biak hotel.
Day 7 > Kota Biak and Biak Island After a pre-dawn breakfast in our Kota Biak hotel, there shall be a final opportunity to spend some potentially rewarding time on Biak Island before transferring you to Biak's Frans Kaisiepo Airport to check you in for the late morning flight to Jakarta or alternative destination.
Related links
❯Read on about the birdlife of the Geelvink Islands.
❯Read on about our birding walk on Biak Island.
❯Read on about our Easy West Papua birding expedition visiting Biak Island.
❯Browse our terms and conditions.
❯Browse our checklist of the birds of West Papua
