Day 1: Port Moresby
Arrivals into Port Moresby international airport this morning for a two-night stay in the outskirts of the city. Spend the reminder of the day exploring the quiet grounds of the Pacific Adventist University, where lakes, grasslands and scattered trees host Comb-crested Jacana, Plumed Whistling-Duck, Pied Cormorant, Black-backed Butcherbird, Fawn-breasted Bowerbird, Rufous-banded Honeyeater, and Papuan Frogmouth.
Day 2: Varirata National Park
We will spend the day at Varirata National Park, a short drive from Port Moresby on a ridge of the Sogeri Plateau. The park’s dry eucalypts and evergreen hill forests are easily accessible from a network of trekking trails, and we hope to see a good selection of New Guinea endemics here among several more species shared with Australia. Key among these may be the poisonous Hooded Pitohui, White-throated and Green-backed Honeyeaters, Red-cheeked Parrot, Papuan Eclectus, Black-capped Lory, Cinnamon Ground-dove, Amboyna Cuckoo-Dove, Purple-tailed Imperial-Pigeon, Pink-spotted Fruit-Dove, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Papuan Dwarf-Kingfisher, Brown-headed Paradise-Kingfisher, and Barred Owlet-nightjar at roost. We can also hope to see our first birds-of-paradise here, including Growling Riflebird and Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise.
Day 3-4: Port Moresby to Mount Hagen and Kumul
On day 3, we will take a morning flight to Mount Hagen in the remote Western Highlands province and make our way to the village of Kumul at 2,860m for a two-night stay. Kumul will be our base for exploring several productive sites at varying elevations in the surrounding hills over these two days. Birds-of-paradise will inevitably be among our main targets here, and we will look for Lesser, Magnificent, Blue and King-of-Saxony Birds-of-Paradise, Greater Lophorina, Lawes’s Parotia and Crinkle-collared Manucode in this area, among a rich supporting cast of species that includes Loria’s and Crested Satinbirds, Mountain Honeyeater, Red-collared Myzomela, Eastern Crested Berrypecker, Goldie’s and Stella’s Lorikeets, Papuan Mountain-Pigeon, and Papuan Grassbird. The network of trails and busy feeder station in the extensive grounds of our lodge will provide good views and photo opportunities of a selection of montane species including Ribbon-tailed Astrapia, Brown Sicklebill, Blue-capped Ifrita, Belford’s Melidectes, Brehm’s Tiger-parrot, Lesser Melampitta, Mountain Firetail, and Island Thrush. At dusk, we’ll look for New Guinea Woodcock, Archbold’s Nightjar, Feline and Mountain Owlet-nightjars, and Papuan Bookook.
Day 5-7: Komonge
On day 5, we will make our way further into the hills for a two-night stay in the remote settlement of Komonge at 2,400m, where we will be looking for some highly prized highland specialities in the extensive primary forests that cloak the surrounding hills. Among these, we will be looking for Stephanie’s Astrapia, Black Sicklebill, Wattled Ploughbill, Rufous-backed and Black-throated Honeyeaters, Painted and Madarasz’s Tiger-Parrots, Garnet Robin, and Black-breasted Boatbill. Our plans on day 7 will be flexible; we will return to Kumul for the night but will have the option to spend most of the day around Komonge, depending on the species we have seen so far.
Day 8-9: Mount Hagen
We will make our way back to Mount Hagen on day 8 for a two-night stay. We will spend the afternoon and all of day 9 visiting several known sites in the area. This will include several hides or blinds at established lekking sites, and among others we have another chance of Lesser, Raggiana, Blue, Magnificent, and King-of-Saxony Birds-of-Paradise, the beautiful Lawes’s Parotia, Stephanie’s Astrapia, Short-tailed Paradigalla, Brown and Black Sicklebills, and MacGregor’s Bowerbird.
Day 10: Mount Hagen to Kiunga and Tabubil
Today, a morning flight will take us out of the Papuan Highlands to the town of Kiunga at the country’s western border with neighbouring Indonesian West Papua. We will revisit the humid lowlands in Kiunga in a few days, but today we will climb into the Star Mountains to Tabubil at 460m. Although mostly a travel day, we will have tie for some birding along the way, looking for Australasian Pipit, Australasian Pratincole and Papuan Harrier at the airstrip in Mount Hagen.
Day 11-13: Tabubil and the Star Mountains
Over these three days, we will visit sites at varying elevations in the foothill forests of the surrounding low hills, as well as the Ok Menga River, before returning to Kiunga for the night in the afternoon of day 13. Our long list of targets around Tabubil include Carola’s Parotia, Greater and Magnificent Birds-of-Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Southern Variable Pitohui, Obscure Berrypecker, Dusky Lory, Blue-collared Parrot, nuthatch-like Red-breasted and Yellow-capped Pygmy-Parrots, Dusky-cheeked Fig-Parrot, the giant Pesquet’s Parrot, Superb and Beautiful Fruit-Doves, the skulking Chestnut-backed Jewel-Babbler, Rusty Mouse-Warbler, Shovel-billed Kookaburra, Torrent Flyrobin, endemic Salvadori’s Teal in the fast-flowing river, Torrent Lark along smaller tributaries, and the impressive New Guinea Eagle.
Day 14-15: Kwatu and the Elevala River
On day 14, we will set out at dawn by boat along the Fly River, making our way into one of its tributaries, the Elevala River, as we slowly head towards our remote camp at Kwatu for the night. This area is accessible only by boat and holds one of the largest expanses of lowland tropical forest anywhere in the world. We will spend the morning looking for many of New Guinea’s most sought-after birds in the trees that line the river and from a network of trails into the superb swamp forests it meanders through. Among these, we will look for Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise, the enormous Sclater’s Crowned-Pigeon, New Guinea Flightless Rail, South Papuan and Eastern Hooded Pittas, the small yet striking King Bird-of-Paradise, and beautiful male Flame Bowerbird. If weather and river conditions allow, we may take a boat ride at night giving us the chance to search for Starry and less common Wallace’s Owlet-nightjars, and Marbled Frogmouth. We will retrace our journey by boat as we return to Kiunga for the night in the afternoon of day 15, giving us another chance to look for flocks of Blyth’s Hornbill over the river, the giant Palm Cockatoo, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Collared Imperial-Pigeon, New Guinea Bronzewing, Hook-billed Kingfisher, Little Paradise-Kingfisher, the poorly-known and localised White-bellied Pitohui, Ruby-throated Myzomela, Dwarf Koel, and Great-billed Heron.
Day 16: Kiunga
Today, we will explore various sites around Kiunga where we’ll have another chance of Flame Bowerbird and Greater Bird-of-Paradise as well as Ornate and Dwarf Fruit-Doves, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Greater Streaked Lory, Glossy-mantled Manucode, Scrub Honeyeater, Black Berrypecker, Lowland Peltops, White-crowned Cuckoo, Papuan Babbler, Blue Jewel-Babbler, Papuan Spinetail, and Variable Goshawk.
Day 17: Kiunga to Port Moresby
We will have time for some final birding in the lowland forests of Kiunga before leaving on an early afternoon flight back to Port Moresby, where we will spend the next two nights.
Day 18: Varirata National Park
We plan this extra day in Port Moresby to pre-empt any changes to flight schedules, not uncommon in Papua New Guinea. This gives us the welcome opportunity to make a repeat visit to Varirata National Park. We can still expect to pick up some new birds at the tail end of our tour, and will focus on looking for a host of secretive specialities such as Papuan Scrub-Robin, Cinnamon Ground-Dove, Painted Quail-Thrush, the skulking Spotted Jewel-Babbler, Yellow-legged Brushturkey, and the grey-naped race of Pheasant-Pigeon.
Day 19: Depart Port Moresby
Depending on final departure plans, we may have time for some final birding at the Pacific Adventist University this morning. Departures from Port Moresby international airport today.
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