Raja Ampat & the Bird’s Head Peninsula

The island of New Guinea is the ultimate dream destination for naturalists. It is as ecologically rich as it is mysterious, and, as such, there exists a treasure trove of opportunities for travellers to learn and be amazed. It is also where some of nature’s most extreme expressions of visual exuberance are to be found – most notably amongst the over 3 dozen species of the legendary birds-of-Paradise. On this special voyage of discovery, we’ll visit a part of the island notable for its bird life and we’ll have the privilege of discovering some of the amazing biodiversity for ourselves.

We will be spending our time on Waigeo Island in the fabled Raja Ampat archipelago and the nearby Vogelkop (Bird’s Head) Peninsula in the Indonesian province of West Papua. We’ve timed our visit to coincide with the mating season of several birds-of-Paradise, and we hope to witness a number of elaborate courtship dances. Endemic birds of all sorts are ubiquitous, including some from families found only on New Guinea: berrypeckers, berryhunters, and melampittas, among others. Striking bowerbirds, lorikeets, pigeons, whistlers, fairywrens, jewel-babblers and kingfishers also abound.

Our route takes us to lowland and highland locations and has been carefully selected to provide the best chances of seeing a variety of spectacular birds as possible. We will stay at established sites and accommodations, and our small number of lodges mean that we have little packing and unpacking to do. While some lodges are more rustic than others, the region is still in the developing stage of travel infrastructure and the lack of line-ups and crowded tourist sites makes this appealing to those who love wild places.

Join Josh and a very small group of other travellers to experience the delights of New Guinea in person.