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Papua New Guinea - Tour Destination
Click here for Trip Reports of previous tours
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tour name & date for 2010 |
Birds in Paradise III:13 - 30 Aug (18 days) 2 SPACES REMAINING |
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tour cost 2010 |
Birds in Paradise III: US$ 8,075 pp, US$ 875 ss
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top birds |
Papuan Eagle, 25 Bird-of-paradise species, Vulturine Parrot, Southern Crowned Pigeon, Flame Bowerbird, Shovel-billed Kookaburra |
Papua New Guinea – Birds in Paradise: Of all the birding destinations in world, Papua New Guinea would have to rank as the most fascinating and exotic. This, the second largest island in the world, New Guinea was the last inhabited island on Earth to be explored by Europeans, and even today many areas have little or no exposure to Western influence. The virtually untouched forests come alive in avian sights and sounds in a place where ornately patterned fruit-doves and brilliantly colored fig-parrots dash overhead; bright fairy-wrens and whistlers flit through the undergrowth; paradise-kingfishers with unbelievably long trailing tails perch ready to strike; the air is pierced with songs of elusive jewel-babblers and pittas; honeyeaters and berrypeckers join energetic mixed flocks of sunbirds and gerygones; bowerbirds build elaborate frameworks of twigs and assorted items to attract mates; and over twenty species of dazzling birds-of-paradise present elaborate iridescent colors and wild tail plumes in one of the most astonishing exhibits of the natural world.
Traveling by air, road and boat, we will explore the diverse habitats of the country from winding lowland rivers and sprawling grasslands, to rich highland ecosystems and forested valleys where native tribesmen dance still dressed to mimic the fabulous birds-of-paradise and adorned with elaborate head plumes of parrots and birds-of-paradise.
Our most recent PNG tour attained over 400 bird species, with 25 species of birds-of-paradise seen, including adult males for nearly all species, many of them performing their remarkable courtship displays. Our 20 species of kingfishers would be impossible to equal anywhere else and this included the rarely seen Shovel-billed Kookaburra and four paradise-kingfishers.
Our eighteen-day tour covers the highlights of this enchanting and under-traveled country in depth. We can expect a phenomenal variety of remarkable birds and vast regions of immaculate forests that have been experienced by few people on earth.
Our New Britain Extension takes us to the Bismarck Archipelago, where numerous endemics can be found. Here we bird forests and small islets for such exciting species as Melanesian Megapode, Nicobar Pigeon and a plethora of endemic doves, kingfishers and parrots.
Please contact us for the detailed itinerary for this tour
| tour name & dates for 2011 |
Birds in Paradise I: 2 - 19 Jul (18 days)
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| tour cots for 2011 | TBA |
| max group size | 12 & 2 Rockjumper leader |
| tour leaders | Glen Valentine & Erik Forsyth |
| habitats covered | lowland and montane rainforest, Eucalyptus savanna, mangroves, grasslands, wetlands, islets |
| climate | hot and humid with tropical showers, cooler in the highlands |
| tour pace & walking | moderate pace with some longer hikes |
| accommodation | comfortable to luxurious hotels and lodges with one basic lodge |
| ease of birding | moderate, can be challenging at times |
| no. of species expected | PNG: 330 - 360; New Britain Ext: 40 |
| other attractions | Huli Wigmen, Tari Valley, traditional carvings, spectacular forest vistas and mountain scenery, coral reef snorkeling |
| photographic opportunities | very good |
