Manokwari regency in West Papua province is a very important destination for bird watching tourism. Its lowland, lower montane and higher montane forests are the natural habitat of a lot of species of tropical birds.
In lowland and lower montane forest
Some of the birds that we can see in this region include:
- Lesser Birds of Paradise
- Magnificent Riflebird
- King Bird of Paradise
- Common Paradise Kingfisher
- Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)
- Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus)
- Black-capped Lory (Lorius lory)
- Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus)
- Moluccan King-Parrot (Alisterus amboinensis)
- Yellow-capped Pygmy-Parrot (Micropsitta keiensis)
- Coconut Lorikeet (a species that is split from Rainbow Lorikeet)
- Fairy Lorikeet
- Red-cheeked Parrot
- Papuan Blyth's Hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus)
- Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
- Variable Goshawk (Accipiter hiogaster)
- Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
- Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
- Great Cuckoo-Dove (Reinwardtoena reinwardtii)
- Beautiful Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus pulchellus)
- Pinon Imperial Pigeon (Ducula pinon)
- Western-crowned Pigeon (Goura cristata)
- Yellow-faced Myna (Mino dumontii)
- Yellow-billed Kingfishers (Halcyon torotoro)
- Azure Kingfisher (Alcedo azurea)
- Yellow-billed Kingfisher
- Rufous-bellied Kookaburra (Dacelo gaudichaud)
- Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis)
- Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus)
- Large-tailed Nightjar
- Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys)
- and etc.
There are several sites to watch them, i.e. Mesirrokow forest, Susnguakti forest, Dopi river.
Mesirrokow and Dopi rivers are located in northwest area of Manokwari regency. They are lowland forests. Trees such as Ironwood, Matoa, Prau grow in area. There are a lot of flower plants including the Glory Vine (Faradaya splendida), Terrestrial orchids (Spathoglothis plicata), Papuan Tulip (Spathodea) and a lot of Dendrobium orchids can be seen in the forest. Rattan and Nibon palm trees can be seen in the jungle too.
To reach it, we need to go by car from the city for approximately 1 hour and then continue our trip on foot through a river for 2 hours. There are no guesthouses in the jungle. Visitors who go there will stay in tents. As a tourist guide I have organized trips to the river-forest area for birdwatchers and naturists who want to spend their holidays for a few days camping, hiking, and wildlife/ bird watching in the jungle. On the average, birdwatchers and nature lovers enjoy 3 to 5 days exploring the bio-diversity of the tropical rainforest.
Susnguakti forest is located in the south of Manokwari city. It is a lower montane forest of Arfak range. This is a nice place for watching several species of paradise birds. The birding ground is located above a hill at the elevation of 400 to 600 meters. Visitors need to go hiking along steep slopes to reach it. A visitor used to experience muscle stress, I arranged a gentle massage on the legs and back with warm oil. After that she drink sports drink that contains electrolytes. Salty noodle soup can also be served to quickly resupply water, electrolytes, and energy that has been used during long walks in the forest.
Birdwatching, hiking, swimming, fishing, and camping are the most common activities which visitors do in the jungle. But there are also visitors who prefer to make drawings, or watercolor sketches of grasshopper, butterflies, and landscape painting of the riverine environment.
Higher Montane Forest
The higher elevation forest of Arfak range is a very important birding destination. A lot of birders go there to watch such birds as: Western Parotia, Vogelkop Bowerbird, Magnificent Bird of Paradise, Vogelkop Superb Bird of Paradise, Black Sicklebill, Vogelkop Melidectes, Ornate Melidectes, Wattled Brush Turkey, Western Smoky Honeyeater, Black-breasted Boatbill, Plum-faced Lorikeet, and a lot more.
Birding Optics
To enhance birding and wildlife watching experience, visitors need a good pair of binoculars such as the Visionking 10×42 mm, Nikon Monarch S M511 10×42 5.5°, bridge camera with telephoto lens such as Nikon Coolpix P900 and Canon SX60HS. To enjoy birding, we will do riverwalk in the forest.
How to go there?
It is easy to go to Manokwari.
- Fly from your country to Jakarta - the capital of Indonesia
- Take a domestic flight to Manokwari city. There are daily flights provided by such airlines as Batik, Sriwijaya, that connect Manokwari city with other major cities in Indonesia.
- I will meet you at the airport or at a hotel in Manokwari and organize your birding trip to the lowland forest of Manokwari
Booking
If you are interested in taking this birdwatching tour, and riverwalk in lowland forest of Manokwari, and need me as your private guide, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send text message by whatsapp to: +6281332245180