Best of Papua New Guinea Birding Tour

Birds of Paradise Tour: An Overview

Explore the unexplored in Papua New Guinea, one of the least-trodden nooks of the planet where the rules of evolution have gone wild. Papua New Guinea, popularly known as PNG, ranks as the most exotic, rewarding and extraordinary birding destination globally. PNG, being home to sundry varieties of celestial Birds of Paradise, “poisonous” Pitohuis, amazing Fruit Doves, unbelievable Kingfishers, Satin bird, Flame bowerbirds, different species of parrots and many more, makes it a birder’s paradise. The specially curated ten nights, eleven days, nonstop birding expedition will lead us through the montane forests of Mt Hagen and Enge and the lowland habitats of the Varirate National Park and Kiunga. We are expected to cross paths with the displaying Raggiana Bird of Paradise and the Growling Riffle Bird in the Varirata National Park and the Lesser, Blue and Superb King of Saxony, Sicklebills, Ribbon-tailed Astrapia and other BoPs in the Mt Hagen area. Tabubil and Kiunga are home to the greater bird of paradises, 12 wirered bird paradises, King bird of paradises, flame bower birds and crown pigeons.
Our 11 days PNG birding and photography tour pushes you to the next level of birding. For the first three nights, we will be staying at the famous Kumul Lodge,
located in the mountainous Enga province – probably the only place on Earth where you can photograph a Bird of Paradise twittering on a patio table while sipping your coffee. Since New Guinea’s forest bird communities vary with elevations, our tour will encompass lowland and hill/montane forest areas.

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Basic Information

  • Destinations : Enge, Kiunga, Mt Hagen, Papua New Guniea, Tabubil, Varirata
  • Activities : Birding
  • Group SIze : Up to 8
  • Comfort : Medium on 5
  • Price : US $ 5,250 (*Price based on minimum of 6 Adults)
  • Schedule Date : TBA
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Detailed Itinerary

Arrive at the Jackson International Airport in Port Moseby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, well in advance to board your first domestic flight to Mt Hagen. Our local operator will receive you at the Mt Hangen Airport and ferry you to Kumul Lodge in time for lunch. We shall busy ourselves the whole afternoon enjoyably photographing the Tiger parrot, Brown Sicklebill, Ribbon-tailed Astrapia, Friendly Fantail, Common Smokey Honeyeater, Crested Berrypecker, Blue-capped Irfrit, Red-collared Myzomel, and every other feathered visitor from our vantage point of the lodge’s veranda.
On day 2, we will loiter around in the Kama / Lai / Mambis area, looking for the Lesser Bird of Paradise and other montane species, such as Papuan Mountain Pigeon and Forest Rail, Ornate Fruit-Dove and the Mountain Fruit-Dove. In the afternoon, we will tread down the road to a stream to spot the Torrent Flycatcher and later head back to the lodge’s garden to greet species like the Crested Satin bird, Wattled Plough-bill and the Regent Whistler. Night Stay: Kumul Lodge
On this day, we will take a half-day birding expedition to the Enge Mountain Rangesway before dawn cracks in search of the mystical Blue Bird of Paradise, probably the most sought-after BoP in the world. Post lunch, we will continue birding at the Murmur area for species such as the King of Saxony, Bird of Paradise, Lesser Melampitta, Parrot Finch and Ashy Robbin.

After our scrumptious early morning breakfast, we will bid farewell to our friendly host at the Kumul lodge and drive down to the Mt. Hagen Airport to take the first flight to Kiunga. On arrival at Kiunga, we will drive our minibus to Tabubil (in the Star Mountain Area), with a few birding stops if required.
We will reach Tabubil on time to explore the nearby forests and photograph many exotic species. On the second day in Tabubil, we visit a few birding locations that are seldom explored and search for rare endemics and near endemics such as the Shovel-Bill Kingfisher, Hooked-Bill Kingfisher and many species of Birds of Paradise.
On the third day, after an early breakfast, we will explore birding sites scattered between Tabubil and Kiunga. We will explore neighbourhood forests and spend time in hides to photograph a few rarities. We will head back to Kiunga in the evening.

The following days, we will pack our meals and board a boat to start our river expedition searching for many species of Birds of Paradise, Parrots, Lories, Lorikeets, Parakeets, Kingfishers and most importantly, the flame of the Papuan forest –the “Flame Bower Bird.” Night Stay

On the last day of birding in Kiunga, we will drive to KM17 early in the morning to witness the Great and Hydride Birds of Paradise display. After a few hours of birding in KM17, we will return to the guest house to collect our baggage and proceed to the airport to take the noon flight to Port Moseby.

After checking in at our accommodation in POM, we will visit the PAU site for resident frogmouths and various Australasian aquatic birds.

We will lavishly spend the next one and half days birding in the only national park of Papua New Guinea – the Varirata National Park, home of the Raggiana Bird of Paradise, the abundantly celebrated national bird of PNG. The target species include the displaying Raggiana Bird of Paradise, Manucode, Brown Oriole, a collection of the Birds of Preys, Great Cuckoo Dove, Fruit Doves, Parrots, Parakeets, Lorikeets and other regional species, such as Blyth’s Hornbill, Marbled Frogmouth, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Owlet Nightjars, Brown-Headed paradise Kingfisher, Kookaburras, Jewel Babblers, Pitohuis, Riffle Bird, and many more.

On the morning of the 11th day, we will go back to Varirata National Park at 5 am to search for a few nocturnal birds and do a last round of birding to spot any missed species. We will return to the hotel by 9.30 am to have breakfast, check out and drive to the POM International Airport.

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Tour Details


Guides: Seasoned local guides
Accommodation: Safe & hygienic; Basic to Modern Difficulty Level: Moderate
Team Size: 6-8 + Team Leader/Guide

* All our tours are photographer-friendly tours

Tour Commencement: 01-July-2023 at POM Airport, PNG

Tour Completion: 11-July-2023 at POM Airport, PNG

Accommodation charges, meals, guide fees, security staff fees, ground transportation and entry fees.
International and domestic air tickets, insurance, extra food and beverages, afternoon birding at a private orchard near Kumul Lodge [USD 15-20 per head- Optional], tips and other incidental expenses. Domestic Flights (Not included in the price) 01-July-2023: Port Moresby (POM) to Mt Hagen (HGC) 04July-2023: Mt Hagen (HGU) to Kiunga (UNG) 09-July-2023: Kiunga (UNG) to Port Moresby (POM)

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