Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine October 2015 | Page 152

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Travel | Birding in Paradise

© Christopher Hamilton; © Bram Demeulemeester; © Filip Verbelen

Wilson’s bird-of-paradise,
endemic to Papua.
Orange-cheeked honeyeater,
endemic to Papua.
Crimson finch.

Birding
Papua
Garuda Indonesia operates 9 routes
with 53 weekly flights to and from Papua

Treat yourself to a visit to
Papua; it may well be the
pinnacle of birding in Indonesia.
Yes, it is hot and humid in the
lowlands, and the mountains are
steep and tough to trek, but
there is nothing like it.
This is the Alaska of the tropics, a place
where you can still fly for hours across the

land and see nothing down there but forest
and mountains and winding rivers.
In the extreme south of Papua province is
Wasur National Park, close to the border
with Papua New Guinea. It is a dry area with
savannah forest different from the rest of
Indonesia and good for Australasian
specialities like brolga (a type of crane) and
Australasian bustards. On the other end of
the island, in West Papua province, the Arfak
Mountains near the city of Manokwari are
popular with birders looking for montane
endemics and birds-of-paradise and
bowerbirds. Nearby, off the coast from
Sorong, the islands of Batanta and Waigeo
in the stunning marine park of Raja Ampat
have beautiful birds including two endemic
birds-of-paradise: the red and Wilson’s.
However, if you really want to go birding in
Papua, go to the airport in Sentani. Fr