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The Incredible Birds and People of Papua We are excited to announce our tour to Papua for this fall of 2009. The trip includes time in Bali, but most importantly visits to see the cockatoos, parrots and birds of paradise of West Papua! We can take no more than 8 people on this trip and must have at least six to make it a financial success. Joining one of these trips is a transformational experience and will change the way you look at parrots forever. The cost is $5250 per person (double occupancy) which covers all internal travel, accomodations and meals within Indonesia, guides, porters, etc. It is a wonderful way to give back to the local communities. Your IPP guides donate their time to lead this once-in-a-lifetime trip, and indeed it is an amazing adventure! —Bonnie Zimmermann, Eco Expedition Director Part One - Mysterious Bali and Sea Turtle Release The Udayana Kingfisher Eco Lodge is a bird sanctuary protecting around 30 ha in South Bali. Udayana follows the Green Globe 21 eco management principles and their Bali Lodge is the only small hotel in Indonesia with this high level of eco certification. The hotel offers a warm and welcoming staff, restaurant service and bar, good quality double or twin rooms (with AC, fan, attached bathroom, solar hot water, IDD phone, desk and chairs) and a fast laundry service. Udayana Kingfisher eco Lodge also has free wireless internet, a beautiful swimming pool, extensive gardens, rain water storage systems, sewage recycling, work composting and an effective recyled rubbish disposal system. October 18, 2009: - Turtle Sanctuary Release Trip After breakfast at the hotel, we will stop to exchange money, and then visit Perancak, the home of a small community-run turtle conservation program. After being driven close to local extinction by over- hunting, the first turtle in 37 years landed to nest on Perancak beach in 1997. Kurma Asih, the 'turtle lovers' group, was quickly formed in the community, and a conservation program launched in conjunction with an international NGO. The program aimed at saving new turtle nests from predators including poachers hoping to sell the eggs in the markets. When the NGO phased out of the project in 2002, Kurma Asih carried on alone. Amazing progress has been made. The 2008 nesting season brought a record of one hundred turtle nests - containing nearly 10,000 eggs - to safety in the Kurma Asih hatchery. The highlight of your day at Perancak will be the opportunity to set a baby turtle on the sand and watch him or her flap, hesitate and stumble towards the sea for the first time. The villagers involved in the project will be on hand to tell you all about your turtle's life cycle. You'll also see the amazingly decorated Madurese-style fishing boats in Perancak Bay, and get a hands-on demo of the giant bamboo instruments of the Jegog orchestra. We will also have a locally made lunch (included) on the beach. After we arrive back at the hotel we'll meet in the bar for a cold Bintang, (the favorite brand of beer) in the bar and we'll brief you on what to expect during our adventure. Afterwards we'll have dinner at the hotel and get to know each other better! Part Two - Raja Ampat Archipelago When we arrive in Gam we will be greeted by the villagers, then hike up to our jungle guest hut, Rumah Teman ("House of Friends"). This hut was built by the Indonesian Parrot Project in a garden from which you can often view birds such as Eclectus, hornbills, Red- cheeked parrots and if we're lucky Palm and Triton cockatoos. West Papua is also home to some of the worlds most spectacular lories and lorikeets. On this part of the trip we should see Black-capped lories and Green-naped (Rainbow) lorikeets, and possibly several others lories. October 20: Gam Island Today with our experienced local guides, we will make several hikes to view cockatoos, parrots and other birds including the Blythe's Hornbill. October 21: Gam Island We awake very early in the morning to view the Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra) as well as look for parrots and cockatoos. You will have to climb up to the blind and quarters are very tight, so we may have to take turns. After lunch at the hut, we will hike to a beautiful lake for a boat ride, and then return in time to look for birds before dusk. October 22: Village of Yenwapnour, Stone Island & Eco Kri Resort Just before dawn we'll go look for birds, then after breakfast hike back down to the village and visit the local village of Yenwapnour. We will then pass out gifts to the children and briefly visit their school. Late in the afternoon we will proceed to tiny Stone Island to watch in boats offshore for Great- billed parrots returning in a large flock to their nocturnal roosting site. Afterwards we will visit to the Eco Kri Resort, just minutes away. Our accommodations will be huts built directly over the ocean with stunning views of Papua. This resort is a world class diving site and there will be opportunities for snorkeling and relaxing. World class scuba diving is also available here at your own cost. We will be staying here for two nights. Eko Kri Resort October 23: Waigeo Island & Eco Kri Resort Today with our experienced local guides we will venture again into the forest, early morning and mid afternoon, to view birds, looking for the spectacular Wilson's Bird of Paradise. During the afternoon we will be snorkeling at the Eco Kri Resort. October 24: Batanta Island Rise early for another birding opportunity on Kri Island, then head by boat to the Island of Batanta. We sleep in "Rumah Teman 2", another comfortable eco-tourism hut build by the Indonesian Parrot Project. After we arrive, we will settle in and look for birds. There is a large population of Palm cockatoos and Eclectus here, and usually Triton cockatoos. Often the Palm cockatoos come down and roost right above our sleeping hut. We will also go out in boats looking for them, since they often come down to the mangroves along the shore to find the fruits of the ketapong trees there. October 25: Sorong (capital of West Papua) Today we go by boat to Sorong, (the capital of West Papua) do some birding in the afternoon, overnight at a local hotel and leave in the morning for Manokwari. Part Three - Arfak Mountain & Manokwari October 27: Expedition to Arfak Mountain Today after breakfast, we will take 4WD (3 hrs) and enjoy spectacular scenery as we reach trip our main camp site of Siyoubrig Village which is situated at 1.400m above sea-level. The bird variety here is extraordinary and amazing! October 28: Arfak Mountain Today will hike to the higher elevations to allow us to see different species including such birds as seven species of Birds of Paradise: (Long-tailed Paradigala, Superb BOP, Western Parotia, Magnificient, Black and Buff- tailed Sicklebill, Arfak Astrapia), 1 species of Bowerbird (Vogelkop Bowerbird), plus other non BOP/Bowerbird, such as: the Wattled Brush-turkey, New Guinea Harpy Eagle, Black-mantled Goshawk, White-striped Forest-Rail, Black-billed Cuckoo-Dove, White-breasted Fruit-Dove, Papuan & Yellow-billed Lorikeet, Blue-collared & Vulturine Parrot, Modest & Brehm's Tiger Parrot, Papuan Boobook, Feline & Mountain Owlet Nightjar, Black & Rufous-backed Fantail, Papuan Parrot Finch, and others. October 29: Return to Manokwari After breakfast we'll do some morning birding and return back to the village for lunch. After lunch, we will pack up our gear and drive back to Manokwari town. Check in at Mokwam Hotel and farewell dinner with our Papuan guides at a local restaurant. October 30: Manokwari to Bali Today we fly back to Bali and the Kingfisher Hotel. After a hot shower and a rest, we'll have dinner in a local restaurant. (dinner is on your own) October 31: Bali - Ubud, Monkey Temple and Farewell Dinner Today we'll visit Ubud, the most famous arts and crafts markets in Bali. Plenty of time for shopping for amazing crafts, jewlery, spices, fabrics, and souvenirs. Lunch at Ubud (on your own). After a full day of shopping and absorbing the Balinese culture we'll end our day with having a sunset dinner on the beach. November 1: Fly home with great memories, new friends and a happy heart! How to Join Us! For detailed information, information on what to bring, medical needs, etc. we will send you an expedition briefing. please contact Bonnie Zimmermann: email: bzimmerbird@gmail.com |
October 17, 2009: When you arrive in Bali you will proceed through customs and will be met at the airport. You will be transported to our hotel and rest. Dinner is on your own tonight, since after countless airline meals and a long flight; you may not feel like eating much. However, the restaurant in the hotel is great, and there are lots of nearby restaurants.
October 19: Bali to Gam Island Today we will be flying from Bali to Makassar, (some good crafts shopping in the Makassar airport) and then fly to Sorong, West Papua. From there we will travel by fast boat to the Island of Gam, a tiny and very hospitable island paradise. (FYI: airline connections to Sorong can be a little erratic, so please understand that we might have to spend the night in a Sorong hotel and leave in the morning.)
October 26: Fly to Manokwari. After breakfast we will fly to Manokwari, where from there we will continue our birding adventure on Arfak Mountain. We will be transferred to the Mokwam Hotel and secure our traveling passes (Surat Jalan). That afternoon we will bird in the south part of town and expect to a myriad of birds including the Grey-headed Goshawk, Red Cheeked & Eclectus Parrot, Palm & Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Blyth's Hornbill, Rainbow Bee-eater, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Yellow- bellied Sunbird, Yellow-faced Myna, Lesser and King Bird of Paradise, and many others.
