: Eastern 2025
The island of New Guinea is surely one of the world’s outstanding bird photography locations. In particular, New Guinea is home to the “otherworldly” Birds-of-Paradise and it is their distinctive and unique combination of colours, plumes, calls and courtship displays which marks out this destination as one of the avian wonders-of-the-world. Furthermore, with a supporting cast of birds that includes Owlet-Nightjars, Bowerbirds, Frogmouths, Owls, Monarchs, Fruit-Doves, Kingfishers, Honeyeaters, Pittas and Parrots, this Bird-Photo-Tour to Indonesia's West Papua has so much to offer the bird photographer.
Nightjars: Feline Owlet-Nightjar / Mountain Owlet-Nightjar / Barred Owlet-Nightjar / Australian Owlet-Nightjar / Wallace’s Owlet-Nightjar
Birds-of-Paradise: Western Parotia / Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise / Red Bird-of-Paradise / Black Sicklebill / Crescent-caped Lophorina
Kingfishers: Common Paradise Kingfisher / Rufous-bellied Kookaburra / Papuan Dwarf Kingfisher / Biak Paradise Kingfisher
Pittas / Bowerbirds: Biak Island Pitta / Eastern Hooded Pitta / Papuan Pitta / Fawn-breasted Bowerbird / Vogelkop Bowerbird
Frogmouths / Owls: Papuan Frogmouth / Marbled Frogmouth / Biak Scops Owl
Others: Ornate Melidectes / Biak Monarch / Biak Triller / Metallic Starling / Biak Black Flycatcher / Claret-breasted Fruit Dove
Guiding Fees / Ground Transportation / Accommodation / Meals / Entrance Fees / Tipping for Drivers, Boatsmen, Hotel and Restaurant Staff.
International Flights / VISA Fees / Travel Insurance / Tips for Local Guide / Alcohol / Laundry / Items of a Personal Nature
Days 0-1 Jakarta – West Papua [1N / 0D / 0S]. Arrive Jakarta, midnight domestic flight to Biak Numfor Regency, West Papua.
Days 1-4, Biak Numfor Regency [3N / 2D / 5S]. Photographic Targets: Biak Island Pitta / Biak Paradise Kingfisher.
Days 4-7, Jayapura Regency [3N / 2D / 5S]. Domestic flight from Biak Numfor Regency to Jayapura Regency. Photographic Targets: Wallace’s Owlet-Nightjar / Papuan Pitta / Eastern Hooded Pitta / Common Paradise Kingfisher / Papuan Frogmouth / Marbled Frogmouth.
Days 7-10, Meraouke Regency [3N / 2D / 5S]. Domestic flight from Jayapura Regency to Meraouke Regency. Photographic Targets: Australian Owlet-Nightjar / Barred Owlet-Nightjar / Fawn-breasted Bowerbird / Rufous-bellied Kookaburra.
Days 10-14, Pegunungan Arfak Regency [3N / 2D / 5S]. Domestic flight from Merauke Regency to Pegunungan Arfak Regency. Photographic Targets: Mountain Owlet-Nightjar / Feline Owlet-Nightjar / Western Parotia / Vogelkop Bowerbird / Black Sicklebill.
Days 14-17, Fakfak Regency [3N / 2D / 5S]. Domestic flight from Pegunungan Arkat Regency to Fakfak Regency. Photographic Targets: Magnificent Bird-of-Paradise / Lesser Bird-of-Paradise / Magnificent Riflebird / Eastern hooded Pitta / Southern Cassowary / Banded Yellow Robin / Papuan Pitta /
Day 17-20, Raja Ampat Regency [3N / 2D / 5S]. Domestic flight from Fakfak Regency to Raja Ampat Regency. Photographic Targets: Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise / Red Bird-of-Paradise.
Day 20-23 Sorong Regency [3N / 2D / 5S]. Boat from Waigeo – Sorong, domestic flight from Sorong to Jakarta.
[Key: N=Night, D=Full Day, S = Session / Half-Day]
Nick, a UK National, has been living in Asia for over 15-years and in this time has conducted over 125 bird photography trips across the whole of the Asian continent ranging from Kazakhstan in the west, through India and China to Japan in the east, and from the Kamchatka coastline in the north to as far south as Indonesia. In China alone Nick has photographed to portrait-quality standard over 1,200 of China's bird species taking him to all of China's provinces as well as most of those nations bordering China. These bird photography trips have ranged in length from a few days to many months, including a three-month bird photography expedition to China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region, becoming quite possibly the most travelled foreigner in this region over the past decade. Nick has also conducted a four-month bird photography trek across the Himalayas, ranging from the Indian States of Ladakh and Kashmir in the west, into the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, then onto the Indian States of West Bengal and Sikkim, ending in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in the eastern Himalayas. Nick has had his images published across numerous media channels including the BBC and Chinese state-owned media outlets, various bird magazines and journals including the Oriental Bird Club's BirdingASIA. He has his own website on the Birds of China at www.BirdingInChina.com and his book 'Portraits of the Birds of China' is due for publication in 2026. Furthermore, Nick has presented films on photographing birds both in Asia and Europe, has his bird images published across many social media platforms within and outside Asia, and has led a number of bird photography lectures and walks, particularly targeted at children. Consequently, Nick has accumulated significant experience of photographing birds within the Asian continent and this expertise has formed the backdrop to setting up Bird-Photo-Tours Asia, trips designed by bird photographers for bird photographers.
(i) The guesthouses are all in close proximity to the bird photography locations. At one guesthouse there may be a requirement to share a room (ii) Walking is at a light pace (iii) There is one location where there is a requirement to hike and climb. (iv) None of the locations are at altitude (v) There is no camping. Summary: at one location it may be necessary to share a room and at another site there is a requirement to hike. Therefore, for these two reasons this trip has been has been graded as 'Medium'.
