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Papua New Guinea | Birder.Travel
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Papua New Guinea

New Guinea’s avifauna is one of the most exciting in the world. The island of New Guinea has more endemics than any other geographical area (447) and is home to some of the world’s most exotic and sought-after birds, the Birds of Paradise family Paradisaeidae. There are some 45 members of this family, 33 of which can be found in Papua New Guinea, the rest being in the Indonesian province of West Papua, on the island of Halmahera (3) and in Australia. PNG also has 7 endemic families: SatinbirdsBerrypeckers and LongbillsPainted BerrypeckersWattled Ploughbill, Blue capped IfritMelampittas and Mottled Berryhunter.

Unfortunately, PNG’s mammal fauna, although very diverse is not easy to see. There is heavy pressure from hunting and we consider ourselves lucky to see anything other than the odd wallaby and flying-foxes. But is not just for the birds that people visit New Guinea. It also has an amazing cultural element.

Much of New Guinea is a country of mountains with almost impenetrable valleys between steep sided ridges. People living in one valley had little or no contact with their neighbours in the next one. They even spoke distinctive languages and New Guinea is accredited as having over 800 different languages. As the country has opened up the language of government was taken as English while Tok Pisin, a mixture of German, English and local languages, is spoken by all but the most isolated tribal groups. As a result of their isolation each of the tribal groups developed strong cultural traditions. These are now showcased in cultural shows held at different times of the year around the country. The spectacular Mt HagenGoroka and Enga shows are the biggest but even these still get very few international visitors and most of the audience are locals. Smaller festivals such as the Mask Festival in Rabaul with the Baining Fire Dancers and the canoe festival in Alotau are gradually becoming better attended. Costumes are lavish – it is common to see the feathers of birds you have spent days looking for being used for adornment. A lot of care is put into costumes and props. For anyone interested in New Guinea culture attending one of these festivals can be the highlight of your tour.

Papua New Guinea Tours

Location : Papua New Guinea

A unique 14 day chance to visit some of the worlds greatest birding locations in search of Papua New Guinea’s spectacular birds and experience some of New Guinea’s fascinating culture with attendance at the world famous Mt Hagen show where representatives of cultural groups from all over New Guinea come together in a spectacle of costume, music and dancing as a highlight.

Visiting several New Guinea habitats we expect to see a number of species of spectacular Birds of Paradise plus a great supporting cast of New Guinea specialities,  many of which form the basis for the fantastic headdresses you will see at the show.

Location : Mt Hagen Area, Papua New Guinea

The New Guinea Endemic Families tour is designed to target at least one member of all 7 endemic bird families of New Guinea. These include Crested Berrypecker, Tit Berrypecker, Blue-capped Ifrit, Mottled Berryhunter, Wattled Ploughbill, Lesser Melampitta, Crested SatinbirdLoria’s Satinbird and Fan-tailed Berrypecker. This is a short tour of only 6 days. Visiting just two areas, both close to Mt Hagen this tour give you a good chance of cleaning up on the current New Guinea bird families in one surgical strike.

Location : Papua New Guinea

Visiting a number of PNG’s best birding spots. The exact amount? You decide. This is the ultimate hit list tour where the itineray is design around your target species and budget.

Location : Papua New Guinea

A short 7 day introductory birding tour to New Guinea visiting the Varirata National Park on the Sogeri Plateau above Port Moresby and Kumul Lodge near Mt Hagen. All the endemic PNG families can be seen on this tour.

While we will be concentrating on getting as many species of Birds of Paradise as possible, we will also be looking for other New Guinea specialities particularly the brighter and more colourful parrots, pigeons and kingfishers. There are excellent photographic opportunities at Kumul Lodge where Birds of Paradise come to the feeders in the Lodge grounds and at the PAU in Port Moresby where the ponds allow us a good view of waterbirds.

Location : Papua New Guinea

A short 7 day introductory birdwatching tour to Papua New Guinea (PNG) visiting the area around Port Moresby, the lowland rainforest area of Kiunga and the mid-monotone forest around Tabubil. While we will be concentrating on getting as many species of Parrots and Kingfishers as possible we will also be looking for other New Guinea specialities particularly the spectacular Birds of Paradise.

A highlight of the tour will be a full day river trip through unspoilt lowland rainforest where live at least eight possible kingfishers and ten species of parrot. The huge, specular and rare Scheepmaker’s Crowned Pigeon can also be found here.

Location : Papua New Guinea

A short 8 day birdwatching  trip to PNG staying at two of the countries most prestigious lodges, Rondon Ridge near Mt Hagen and Ambua up in Hela  Province both in the central mountain chain. With a number of Birds of Paradise and a good range of high altitude species these areas are a must for any serious birder and this tour offers birding at a level of comfort not often found in PNG.

Although primarily designed for birders both of these lodges also offer cultural experiences making this a tour that the whole family could enjoy.

Location : Papua New Guinea

A short 7 day birdwatching  trip to the island of New Britain, part of the Bismarcks of the eastern end of the PNG mainland. Staying in Rabaul in East New Britain and at the famous Walindi Dive Resort in West New Britain there is access to a large number of habitats and height bands.

Although primarily designed for birders both of these areas also offer alternative activities with Walindi being good for diving and snorkelling  and Rabaul while offering both these experiences also has a very interesting active volcano and a number of war sites. In addition the Mask Festival held in July each year makes this a making this a tour that the whole family could enjoy.

Location : Papua New Guinea

A great short 7 day birdwatching trip to the island of Manus where the target bird is the beautiful Superb Pitta. While the number of other endemic species is limited and some need good weather and a trip to Tong Island, the Pitta makes the trip a must for serious birders.

Location : Papua New Guinea

The Huon Peninsula is located in Morobe Province on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It has no roads connecting it with the rest of the country so is still only accessible by boat or plane. This 7 day tour visits a recently opened area that has for many years been inaccessible. The Huon Peninsula in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is home to endemics such as the Emperor Bird of ParadiseHuon AstrapiaWahnes’ ParotiaHuon Bowerbird, Huon Catbird. and Spangled Honeyeater

Location : Papua New Guinea

A 14 day Papua New Guinea (PNG) birding  introduction for those who, while still active birders, feel they would not enjoy the exacting pace of the usual New Guinea Tour. This tour is particularly suitable for those who want a more relaxed tour with a return to the hotel for lunch  and a rest an option for most days. While there will still be some walking, venues have been carefully chosen to avoid steep muddy trails and the more difficult sites. Accommodation is in comfortable western style hotels throughout. Visiting the lowland areas around Kiunga, the coastal birding around Walindi Dive Resort on New Britain and the savannah areas around Port Moresby, while we concentrate on the more spectacular and easily seen New Guinea Birds, there should be plenty of birds of paradise and a full supporting case of New Guinea specialities.

Location : Papua New Guinea

This 13 day tour visits a number of the top birding sites on mainland PNG including Varirata National Park on the Sogeri Plateau above Port Moresby, Kumul Lodge in the Highlands and the lowland and hill forest destinations of Kiunga and Tabubil in Western Province.

While we will be concentrating on getting as many species of Birds of Paradise as possible, we will also be looking for other New Guinea specialities particularly the brighter and more colourful parrots, pigeons and kingfishers. There are excellent photographic opportunities at various locations during the tour.