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PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Birdquest's Papua New Guinea birding tour is a classic birdwatching trip. Our Papua New Guinea tour visits Port Moresby, Kiunga, Tabubil, Kumul (Mount Hagen) and Ambua (Tari) on the mainland and the island of New Britain, producing a fantastic array of birds including over 20 species of birds-of-paradise and an unsurpassed number of other endemics in just three weeks in this fascinating land where the Stone Age coexists with the 21st Century.

Tuesday 6th August - Thursday 22nd August 2013
(17 days)

New Britain Post-Tour Extension to Monday 26th August (4 days)

Leader: Nik Borrow

Group Size Limit: 8

Tour Category: Easy to Moderate

At Kumul Lodge the birds are not hunted and species such as this Brown Sicklebill have become tame and frequent visitors to their bird table! (Nik Borrow) To see many other stunning photos from Papua New Guinea, please see the Papua New Guinea 2008 tour.

From high in an ancient, gnarled and epiphyte-bedecked tree a strange, static electric crackling reveals the presence of a displaying King of Saxony Bird of Paradise sitting on a snag and waving its extraordinary head-plumes like some strange antennae. A cacophony of yelping reaches a crescendo in the foothill forest and an arching, flaming mass of shivering yellow and orange-pink resolves itself into a Raggiana Bird of Paradise. A pinprick of blood red against an emerald canopy is a King Bird of Paradise. A glint of iridescent viridian, illuminated by a shaft of sunlight that pierces the lead-grey, rumbling heavens, is followed by a rippling wave of white tail streamers as a Ribbon-tailed Astrapia takes to the air.

There is no need to say that we are on the island of New Guinea, for these extraordinary birds are amongst the most famous in the world. Indeed, their wondrous variations in form and colouration, that defy simple description, are so ‘out-of-this-world’ that when the first skins (which lacked feet) reached Europe they were thought to be faked constructs, or even heavenly species that had somehow fallen to earth!

New Guinea is the second largest island in the world and to this day remains one of the wildest, most sparsely settled regions on earth. Over 700 species of birds are found here, the world’s richest island avifauna, and nearly half of these are found nowhere else! Whilst the extraordinary birds of paradise are the finest jewels in New Guinea’s ornithological crown, there is so much else to attract the birdwatcher – huge but secretive cassowaries, strange mound-builders, a gorgeous array of doves, pigeons, parrots and kingfishers (all of which reach their greatest diversity here), sinister-looking frogmouths, skulking jewel-babblers, exquisite fairy-wrens, brightly coloured flycatchers, confusing honeyeaters and fascinating bowerbirds to mention just some of the highlights.

This classic tour explores the eastern half of the island, Papua New Guinea (or ‘PNG’), where we shall travel from modern towns to regions almost untouched by the twentieth century (or even the last millennia) and still inhabited by stone-age tribes whose warriors dress in bark belts, loincloths and headdresses decorated with bird of paradise plumes.

While much of New Guinea is still primitive and undeveloped, conditions for visitors in Papua New Guinea often amaze first timers: standards of accommodation often being good or excellent, and vehicles modern and comfortable. The only downside is that it is a surprisingly expensive place.

We shall start our travels at Port Moresby on the southeast coast. This excellent area possesses one of the richest avifaunas in Papua New Guinea due to its unusual diversity of habitats ranging from dry, Australian-like eucalypt savanna and grassland to lowland rainforest and hill forest. Here we will look for flamboyant Raggiana Birds of Paradise and Eastern Riflebirds, as well as many other exciting birds.

Next we will travel far to the west, first to the town of Tabubil in the foothills of the Star Mountains, where the handsome Carola’s Parotia and Obscure Berrypecker will attract our attention and where, if we are fortunate, we will find the amazing Shovel-billed Kingfisher or the strange Greater Melampitta.

From here we will move on to the frontier town of Kiunga on the great Fly River of southwestern Papua New Guinea. In this remote area many large species that have been extirpated by hunting elsewhere can still be seen, as well as some exciting western specialities. Star attractions include the huge Southern Crowned Pigeon, Spangled Owlet-Nightjar, Flame Bowerbird and the gorgeous Greater, Twelve-wired and King Birds of Paradise.

From the southwestern lowlands and foothills we will fly up to Mount Hagen in the central highlands, seeming to travel back in time as we do so, in search of our first montane species, including such great birds as New Guinea Woodcock, Mountain Owlet-Nightjar, Lesser Bird of Paradise and Crested Bird of Paradise (or Crested Satin-Bird).

For our grand finale we will continue to Tari in the southern highlands. Here we will explore the magnificent cloud forests of Mount Kerewa and the fringes of the Tari Valley, home of the famous Huli tribe or ‘wigmen’, in search of the area’s remarkable selection of birds of paradise and many other montane specialities. Highlights here will include the superbly elegant Ribbon-tailed Astrapia, the strange King of Saxony Bird of Paradise and the striking Blue Bird of Paradise.

During the optional extension there will be the opportunity to visit the large island of New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago, a centre of avian endemism in its own right which will provide us with a superb selection of little-known species including such spectacular birds as Blue-eyed Cockatoo and Black-headed Paradise Kingfisher.

Birdquest has operated tours to Papua New Guinea since 1986.

(Note: The above is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed, day-by-day itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels/lodges are of normal Birdquest standard almost throughout. At the Elevala River we will spend one night in a very basic lodge with two beds in each partitioned area in the building and shared outdoor bathroom facilities. Road transport is by small coach or minibus. Roads are rather poor and few and far between, but then we do not have to travel long distances on them.

Walking: The walking effort is easy to moderate.

Climate: Generally warm or hot, dry and sunny at lower altitudes, but cool in upland areas. Overcast weather is quite regular and there is very likely to be some rain, perhaps heavy and prolonged at times. It will be rather humid in the lowlands.

Bird Photography: Opportunities are worthwhile.

Important: New Guinea has a rich, fantastic and world-renowned avifauna, but many birds here are shy and, although one does see some bird of paradise display, visitors should not expect to see the quantity and intensity of display that takes film-makers many months or even years to gather!

Tour Price: (provisional): $8960 Port Moresby/Port Moresby. Post-Tour Extension: $2250. Price includes all transportation (including all flights inside Papua New Guinea), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.

Single Room Supplement: (provisional): $972 (excluding one night at the Elevala River). Post-Tour Extension: $227.

Deposit: 10% of the tour price (excluding any single supplement).

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.

The strikingly patterned Mountain Peltops is often easy to see and always a popular addition to the list (Nik Borrow)

View Map Download Detailed Itinerary 575kb

Report From May 2009/June 2009 Report From May 2010/June 2010 102 photos View Gallery Photos From PAPUA NEW GUINEA

The Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher is an unobtrusive gem to be found in the dark forests of Varirata NP (Nik Borrow)

The Hook-billed Kingfisher is common but most active only for a short time at dawn and dusk thus making it difficult to see as it prefers not to leave thick cover (Nik Borrow)

The incredible male King of Saxony Bird of Paradise sits on exposed perches waving its bizarre ‘antennae’ and uttering strange crackling noises (Nik Borrow)

The adult male Ribbon-tailed Astrapia has proportionately the longest tail streamers of any bird in the world (Nik Borrow)

Tame and delightful White-winged Robins are a feature of the ‘garden’ at Kumul Lodge (Nik Borrow)

Local knowledge comes in useful if there is a roost hole of the Greater Sooty Owl to be found (Nik Borrow)

An obliging pair of Mountain Owlet-nightjars usually frequents the forest around the chalets at Kumul Lodge (Nik Borrow)

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