ITINERARY:

Pre Tour Extension – Biak Island – 02nd – 06th Sept

Day 1 – Arrive in Jayapura on 01st Sept – Transfer to Biak – 02nd Sept
Please arrange your flights to Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Jakarta (code CGK), where you should arrive on the 01st Sept, and then take the late evening from Jakarta to arrive early morning on the 02nd Sept to Biak (code BIK). We will advise the exact flights to book from Jakarta to Biak when the tour is confirmed.
We will have most of the day to introduce ourselves to the birds of this unique island.
Night on Biak  (L,D)

Days 2 – 4 – Biak – 03rd – 05th Sept
Most of our time here will be spent exploring the forests, where many of the island’s endemics reside. Among the highlights are the striking and surprisingly common Biak Paradise Kingfisher and the beautiful Biak Hooded Pitta. Mixed feeding flocks can be particularly lively, often featuring key targets such as Geelvink Pygmy Parrot, Biak Gerygone, Biak Leaf Warbler, Biak Black Flycatcher, “Biak” Golden Monarch, and the scarce Biak Monarch. We will also dedicate time to searching for the notoriously elusive Biak Scrubfowl and Biak Coucal. After dark, patience may reward us with views of the endemic Biak Scops Owl, though it too can be frustratingly hard to pin down. In more open habitats, we’ll scan for species that are often easier to observe, including Long-tailed Starling, Yellow-bibbed Fruit Dove, Claret-breasted Fruit Dove, and Geelvink Imperial Pigeon, many of which are vocal and favour exposed perches. Regenerating secondary growth is the stronghold of the endemic Biak White-eye, while overhead, Black-winged Lory frequently streak by — and with luck, we may encounter the increasingly rare Biak Lorikeet. Although the extremely uncommon Red-brown Myzomela is unlikely, we’ll certainly remain alert for any sign of it. 
Overnight stays on Biak. (B,L,D)

Day 5 – Biak – Jayapura – 06th Sept
Today we will take a flight from Biak to Jayapura where our main tour begins. Depending on domestic flight times we expect to meet up with the main tour group for breakfast at a nearby hotel in Jayapura before continuing on to our accommodation in Nimbokrang. (B,L,D)

MAIN TOUR – 06th – 20th Sept

Jakarta – Jayapura – 06th Sept 
If you did not do our pre tour extension, please arrange your flights to arrive at Dortheys Hiyo Eluay International Airport, Jayapura, West Papua (code) DJJ arriving around 07.20am on the 06th Sept. Note that you will need to go via Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Jakarta (code) CGK, where you should arrive on the 05th Sept in order to take the flight from Jakarta to Jayapura which normally departs around midnight of the 5th to arrive early morning in Jayapura on the 6th.
We will advise you of the domestic flight you need to book, once the tour is confirmed.

Day 1 – Arrival Nimbokrang – 06th Sept  
On arrival today at Jayapura airport (DJJ) around 07.20am we will meet our local guide and then head for a leisurely breakfast at a nearby hotel, where we will wait for the group arriving from Biak Island. After breakfast we will head for our accommodation in the small village of Nimbokrang. Along the way we may stop at an area of grassland where we can search for Chestnut-breasted, Hooded and Grand Mannikins, Golden-headed Cisticola and White-winged Fairy-Wren. Continuing on we will arrive at Nimbokrang where we can settle into our cabins, overlooking a wonderful pond full of pink lilies. After lunch we can go on our first exploration of this area within the northern lowland forest. One of our first targets this afternoon will be the striking Lesser Bird-of-paradise, where we hope to see males displaying in the tree tops. Alongside this we have other possibilities such as Pinon’s Imperial Pigeon, Palm Cockatoo, Blyth’s Hornbill, Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot and Helmeted Friarbird, and there should be Papuan Frogmouth’s nearby, asleep on their day-time roost. Night at Nimbokrang (B,L,D)

Days 3 – 4 – Nimbokrang – 07th – 08th Sept
We will now have the next two full days to explore the lowland forest of Nimbokrang which includes an old logging road where the main focus is to see the display of the Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise. Other display sites nearby include more spectacular birds such as Lesser Bird-of-paradise and King Bird-of-paradise – Wow what a start! Other key species will include Magnificent Riflebird, the very difficult Pale-billed Sicklebill and then both Glossy-mantled and Jobi Manucodes which sometimes come to the display stick of Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise. More potential birds to see during our days here include Rufous/Papuan Babbler, Blue-black Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Salvadori’s Fig-Parrot, Rainbow Lorikeet, Brown Lory, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Palm Cockatoo, Yellow-faced Myna, Red-flanked Lorikeet, Lowland Peltops, Blue Jewel Babbler, Spotted and White-eared Catbirds, Western Black-capped Lory, Brown-headed Crow and even the skulking Papuan Pitta or a rare Shovel-billed Kookaburra. Some other potential birds to look for include Wompoo, Coroneted, Pink-spotted and Beautiful Fruit-Doves, Stephan’s Emerald-Dove, Zoe’s Imperial-Pigeons, Shining and Gould’s Bronze-Cuckoos, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Red-cheeked Parrot, Oriental Hobby, White-crowned and Dwarf Koels, Brown Oriole, Golden Myna, Variable and Rusty Pitohuis, Moustached Treeswift, Hook-billed Kingfisher, Greater Black Coucal, Papuan Spine-tailed Swift, Boyer’s, Black and Grey-headed Cuckoo-Shrikes, Golden Cuckoo-Shrike, Emperor Fairy-wren, Large-billed Gerygone, Grey Crow, Sooty and White-bellied Thicket-Fantails, Northern Fantail, Shining Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Little Shrike-Thrush, Metallic and Singing Starlings, Black Butcherbird, Long-billed, Plain and Streak-headed Honeyeaters and again if we are lucky maybe we can connect with the gorgeous Spotted Jewel-Babbler. Some night birding could result in us finding Marbled and Papuan Frogmouths as well as Papuan Nightjar.  Nights at Nimbokrang (B,L,D)

After our final day searching for any species we may have missed we will head back to Jayapura.
Night at Hotel in Jayapura. (B,L,D)

Days 6 – 9 – Arfak Mountains – 10th – 13th Sept
This morning we will take a domestic flight from Jayapura to Manokwari for a four night stay in the fabled Arfak Mountains, home to a great variety of sought after birds, and home to some of New Guinea’s least known species. There are a number of purpose built hides within the forest allowing great photography of some amazing birds-of-paradise. Several species that we will be looking for while in the Arfak Mountains include Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise, Vogelkop Bowerbird, Western Parotia, Black-billed Sicklebill and possibly the difficult Black Sicklebill or a displaying Vogelkop Lophorina. To see Western Parotia and other species displaying just a few metres away from a hide is one the world’s most memorable avian sightings. With many sites and habitats to visit we should be able to look for a whole host of other species. Much of what we target will depend on weather conditions and time permitting, but one thing for sure there are some incredible birds to look out for. Grey-headed Goshawk, Pesquet’s and Blue-collared Parrots, Moluccan King Parrot, Josephine’s, Yellow-billed, Fairy and Papuan Lorikeets, White-throated Pigeon, Bronze Ground-Dove, Rufescent Imperial Pigeon, Shining Imperial-Pigeon, White-eared Bronze-Cuckoo, Vogelkop Scrub-wren, Cinnamon-browed Melidectes, Masked Bowerbird, Perplexing Scrub-wren, Grey-green Scrub-wren, Goldenface, Garnet, Green-backed, Ashy and White-faced Robins, Arfak Catbird, Black, Variable and Hooded Pitohui, Black and Friendly Fantails, Black-chinned Robin, Brown-breasted Gerygone, Black-fronted White-eye, Rusty Mouse-Warblers, Island Leaf Warbler, Grey Thornbill, Tit Berrypecker, Rufous-naped Bellbird, Rufous-sided and Western Smoky Honeyeaters, Dwarf, Sclater’s and Vogelkop Whistlers, Mountain Meliphaga, Black-winged and Frilled Monarchs, Ornate Melidectes, Arfak and Mountain Honeyeaters, Spotted Jewel-babbler, Red Myzomela, Olive-crowned Flowerpecker and many others. If anyone wishes to, then we can try for some of the night time birds such as Papuan Boobook, Feline, Wallace’s and Mountain Owlet-Nightjar, sometimes possible during the day-time on their roosts. Nights Arfak. (B,L,D)

Today after some final birding we will take breakfast and then head back to Manokwari and straight to the airport for our flight to Sorong. After arrival we will drop our luggage at the hotel and do some local birding around the mangroves. We then head back to the hotel for dinner and an overnight. 
Night Hotel in Sorong (B,L,D)

This morning we will make the drive to Malagufuk where we can seek out some of its special birds such as Blue Jewel-babbler, Arafura Shrikethrush, Golden Monarch, Black-sided Robin, Sahul Sunbird, Long-tailed Honey Buzzard, Eastern Hooded Pitta, Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher, Wompoo, Dwarf and Pink-spotted Fruit-Doves, Sultan’s Cuckoo-Dove, Trumpet Manucode and Magnificent Riflebird among others. Returning back to the hotel for lunch we will then drive to the nearby ferry and make our way to Waigeo Island. On board the fast ferry to the island of Waigeo in the Raja Ampat archipelago, we can look at the seas which are normally fairly quiet for birds but who knows we could still see Lesser Frigatebird, Roseate Tern or Black-naped Tern. After our arrival we will drive to our comfortable Dive Resort situated in the shallow waters on a coral reef and right beside an area of mangrove. Later on we will go birding in an area of secondary forest where we will look for Palm Cockotoo, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Eclectus Parrot, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Blyth’s Hornbill, Red-cheeked Parrot, Rufous-breasted Kookaburra, Moluccan King Parrot, Hooded Butcherbird, Yellow-faced Myna, Brown Oriole, Pied and Pinon’s Imperial Pigeons, Sacred Kingfisher, Oriental Dollarbird and Rainbow Bee-eater. Night at comfortable Dive Resort, Waigeo  (B,L,D)  

Days 12 – 14 – Waigeo Island – 16th – 18th Sept 
Waigeo is the best place in the world to see the extraordinary Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise on its display grounds and after David Attenborough’s wonderful films of this bird, it is surely on every birdwatchers most wanted list. We don’t have to travel far as it’s a close and then involves a 45 minute walk to an excellent hide from where we can view this stunning Bird-of-paradise, displaying on short sticks near the ground and also cleaning up its display grounds. Watching this incredible bird from a constructed hide will Undoubtedly be one of the highlights of this fabulous tour. Another main target here is the Red Bird-of-paradise and with luck on our side we could be viewing a display tree where ten or more males compete for any females that are attracted by their crazy dancing and singing! Its easy to spend an hour or more enthralled by the antics of the incredible birds. Aside from the two main birds-of-paradise we will spend the rest of our two full days searching for a wealth of other species that include Purple-tailed Imperial Pigeon, Wompoo, Beautiful and Dwarf Fruit-doves, Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot, Gurney’s Eagle, the endemic Raja Ampat Pitohui, Black-sided Robin, the shy Western Crowned Pigeon, Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Hook-billed Kingfisher, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Papuan Pitta, Dusky Megapode, Great-billed Parrot, Tawny-breasted and Spotted Honeyeaters, Frilled Monarch, Grey Whistler, Yellow-bellied and Pygmy Longbills, Pale-billed Scrubwren, Green-backed Gerygone and Puff-backed Meliphaga. A night walk could well find us a Papuan Boobook. For those that wish it may be possible to find some time to go snorkelling on the wonderful reefs here or just relax and maybe see Eastern Reef Egret or Beach Kingfisher. 
Nights at comfortable Dive Resort, Waigeo (B,L,D)

Day 15  Waigeo – Sorong – 19th Sept 
Today we will return by ferry from Waigeo to Sorong.  If we have any time in the afternoon, we can  explore the area around Sorong for species we have not seen during our tour. We can spend time walking an area of forest close to the city. There are some surprisingly good birds here and we will concentrate on trying to find among others Black Thicket-Fantail and Blue-black Kingfisher, as well as Red-billed Brush-Turkey, Orange-fronted, Claret-breasted, and Superb Fruit-Doves, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Red-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher, Black Lory, Papuan Babbler, Little Shrike-thrush and Golden Myna. 
Nights Sorong (B,L,D) 

Day 16 – Sorong – Jakarta – End of Tour – 20^th Sept 
Today we will take a morning domestic flight from Sorong back to Jakarta arriving by 10.30am in time for any afternoon or evening international departure. Note this flight needs to be booked along with your International departure. We will advise the flight number and timing, closer to the time as they constantly change. (B)