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
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader
moderate pace
comfortable resort
moderate, can be challenging at times
+-75
coral reef snorkeling
good
We thought the birding went very well. Both Dusan and Stephan were great guides - very knowledgeable, very dedicated, quite determined to get everyone onto pretty much everything, and they combined very well. And, they both tried very hard to help all the participants who needed it, whether it was locating a bird, getting up a steep section or getting in or out of the boats. They did an admirable job.
Glen Valentine was excellent, seeing and hearing most of the target birds, despite a very chatty, enthusiastic group that must have been very challenging at times.
Both Lev Frid and Andre Bernon were excellent guides. Lev was particularly emphatic about the vagaries of travel in PNG and the propensity for things to go wrong. Despite his warnings, the trip went extremely smoothly; the accommodation was all great be it the highly rustic (Kwatu) or high end (Walindi); the Papuan guides and ground team were very good; it was nice to see that Rockjumper was clearly supporting the local organisations; and overall both the Rockjumper guides and the Papuan bird guides were very knowledgeable. Overall, a really excellent experience on the ground.
Adam Walleyn is an amazing birder, I'm quite experienced but I literally have no idea how he knows, hears and can engage with so much of the wildlife and particularly birds around, that was all great.
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. 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.
29 May 2024 - 02 Jun 2024 (5 days)
USD2,595 - 2 Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Erik Forsyth
Tour price (Per person): USD2,595 * GBP2,088 * EUR2,427 * AUD4,006
Single Supplement: USD330 * GBP265 * EUR309 * AUD509
Flight costs: USD480 * GBP386 * EUR449 * AUD741
29 Aug 2024 - 02 Sep 2024 (5 days)
USD2,595 - 1 Space Available
Tour Leader: André Bernon
Tour Leader: Stephan Lorenz
Tour price (Per person): USD2,595 * GBP2,088 * EUR2,427 * AUD4,006
Single Supplement: USD330 * GBP265 * EUR309 * AUD509
Flight costs: USD480 * GBP386 * EUR449 * AUD741
26 May 2025 - 30 May 2025 (5 days)
USD2,695 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Julian Parsons
Tour Leader: Paul Varney
Tour price (Per person): USD2,695 * GBP2,168 * EUR2,520 * AUD4,161
Single Supplement: USD330 * GBP265 * EUR309 * AUD509
Flight costs: USD330 * GBP265 * EUR309 * AUD509
14 Jul 2025 - 18 Jul 2025 (5 days)
USD2,695 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Amanda Guercio
Tour Leader: Lev Frid
Tour price (Per person): USD2,695 * GBP2,168 * EUR2,520 * AUD4,161
Single Supplement: USD330 * GBP265 * EUR309 * AUD509
Flight costs: USD330 * GBP265 * EUR309 * AUD509
16 Aug 2025 - 20 Aug 2025 (5 days)
USD2,695 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Erik Forsyth
Tour Leader: Robert Williams
Tour price (Per person): USD2,695 * GBP2,168 * EUR2,520 * AUD4,161
Single Supplement: USD330 * GBP265 * EUR309 * AUD509
Flight costs: USD330 * GBP265 * EUR309 * AUD509
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
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