New Britain is the largest island of the Bismarck Archipelago and supports many seldom seen endemics for which we will be searching. Situated between the Bismarck and Solomon Seas, this narrow mountainous island is over six hundred kilometers long, but only eighty kilometers at its widest. The rich, exploited volcanic soils of the eastern portion of the island present a striking contrast to the western portion, where Western influences began mostly in the Second World War.
We begin our exploration of the area by embarking on an afternoon boat trip into Kimbe Bay and the open ocean, stopping off at some small islands in search of species such as Spot-breasted Cuckoo-Dove, Floury Imperial Pigeon, Beach Kingfisher, Island Monarch, Golden Whistler, (Bismarck) Black and Scarlet-bibbed (Sclater’s) Myzomelas and the beautiful Nicobar Pigeon. Over the next two days, we will then bird various sites around West New Britain including Pokili Wildlife Management Area, Garu Ridge and the Kulu River. These are key areas for many of the birds that are either endemic to New Britain or the Bismarck Archipelago. A healthy proportion of these birds are sought-after species with extremely limited ranges. We will also visit a vast colony of Melanesian Megapodes that number thousands of individuals, and we should see good numbers of these awkward birds as they flush from the ground and clamber in the trees around us.
This short yet exciting extension to our Papua New Guinea birding adventures offers several rare and endemic bird species to be found nowhere else on our planet.
Blue-eyed Cockatoo, Nicobar Pigeon, Black Honey Buzzard, New Britain Sparrowhawk, Melanesian Megapode, Knob-billed Fruit Dove, Finsch's Imperial Pigeon, Song Parrot, Violaceous & White-necked Coucal, New Britain Boobook, Black-capped Paradise Kingfisher, Beach & White-mantled Kingfisher, Sclater's Myzomela, White-backed Woodswallow, Black-tailed Monarch, Long-tailed Myna, Red-banded Flowerpecker & Buff-bellied Mannikin
lowland rainforest, grasslands, islets
hot and humid with tropical showers
10 with 2 Rockjumper leaders
moderate pace
comfortable resort
moderate, can be challenging at times
+-75
coral reef snorkeling
good
Stephan is a top notch guide. Great eyes, ears & local knowledge found us all the specials. A healthy dose of patience also ensured we all got onto the birds (those that hung around!)
Birding in PNG was a little more challenging that expected, ..... the birds are as shy as anything I've experienced and the bird densities were extremely low. Of course that is not the fault of Rockjumper or the guides. The tour was excellent overall. The main guide, Stephan Lorentz, was really top class. His knowledge of the birds and calls and the fine id details was exceptional and his field skills were awesome, outdoing the local guides at times. And he is extremely personable and friendly. The local guides were also excellent and provided an exceptionally high level of field skill and support, and great enthusiasm in getting pax onto the more challenging birds. And physical support also, including even helping some of the pax on slippery slopes and cutting stairs on river landings at times!! The landed arrangements were generally slick and the accommodation of good quality. Some delays in getting collected at Kiunga airport were I think down to some communication issues with the local agent (Samuel) regarding the rerouting of our flights from Mt Hagen. And the offloading of three of our bags from the plane at Kiunga and delay in getting them back to us in Port Moresby was an Air Niugini issue. Overall it was an exceptional and really memorable tour with superb birds and birding, much or most of which would not have been possible without the Rockjumper team, slick tour planning and arrangements, Stephan and the local guides.
The birds were magnificent, and when you combine this with the awesome guide combo of Adam Walleyn and the 'Big G' (Gareth Robbins), it made for a once in a lifetime trip. Thanks again Rockjumper for delivering a first-class birding experience.
Andre and Lev were excellent guides, and ensured we had a great time, even when birding, the weather, or the inevitable logistical challenges of travel within PNG seemed to do their best to thwart us. They did an excellent job of managing expectations, but also ensuring that as many people in the group got to see the birds, while also understanding that not everyone would see ingle bird. Difficulties, whether with accommodations, weather, or even participants, were dealt with quickly, and I have no doubt far more issues were cleared before the group was even aware they existed! I look forward to returning to New Guinea (including West Papua) with Rockjumper soon, and also exploring more birding destinations with Lev and Andre or the other excellent guides you have!
This has been an incredible tour with Stephan Lorenz and Dušan Brinkhuizen as amazing guides. Experts in their knowledge of the New Guinea birds and wonderful companions who looked after the needs of all the participants. We all worked as a team under their guidance and saw many challenging as well as beautiful birds.
29 May 2024 - 02 Jun 2024 (5 days)
USD2,595 - 2 Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Erik Forsyth
29 Aug 2024 - 02 Sep 2024 (5 days)
USD2,595 - 1 Space Available
Tour Leader: André Bernon
Tour Leader: Stephan Lorenz
26 May 2025 - 30 May 2025 (5 days)
USD2,695 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Julian Parsons
Tour Leader: Paul Varney
14 Jul 2025 - 18 Jul 2025 (5 days)
USD2,695 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Amanda Guercio
Tour Leader: Lev Frid
16 Aug 2025 - 20 Aug 2025 (5 days)
USD2,695 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Erik Forsyth
Tour Leader: Robert Williams
Papua New Guinea - Birding in Paradise (Small Group) II 2023 - August 2023
Papua New Guinea - Highlights II 2023 - August 2023
Papua New Guinea - New Britain III 2023 - August 2023
Papua New Guinea - Birding in Paradise IV 2023 - August 2023
Papua New Guinea - Adelbert Range & Huon Peninsula 2023 - July 2023
Papua New Guinea - Birding in Paradise III 2022 - July 2022
Papua New Guinea - New Britain II 2022 - July 2022
Papua New Guinea - Birding in Paradise II 2022 - June 2022
Papua New Guinea - Huon Peninsula Extension I 2022 - June 2022
Papua New Guinea - Highlights I 2019 - September 2019
Papua New Guinea - New Britain III 2019 - August 2019
Papua New Guinea - Birding in Paradise V 2019 - August 2019
Papua New Guinea - Huon Peninsula Extension II 2019 - August 2019
Papua New Guinea - Birding in Paradise IV 2019 - July 2019
Papua New Guinea - Birding in Paradise III 2019 - June 2019
Papua New Guinea - Huon Peninsula Extension I 2019 - June 2019
Papua New Guinea - Highlights 2018 - September 2018
Papua New Guinea - New Britain III 2018 - August 2018
Sign up now and get the best deals straight in your inbox!
1-888-990-5552
info@rockjumper.com
