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 / 8 with 1 Rockjumper leader
moderate pace
comfortable resort
moderate, can be challenging at times
+-75
coral reef snorkeling
good
This was my first birding tour ever, so I wasnt sure what to expect. The tour leader, Paul, was so amazing, there are not enough superlatives. All of the other participants had been on birding trips before, and Paul was very gracious to make sure I had the opportunity to see as many birds as possible and know what to expect. He was very conscientious, and prepared for almost anything. The trip was physically challenging due to the steep muddy trails, high and low temperatures, and oh yeah, the earthquakes. I wasnt sure what to expect, although the descriptions were pretty accurate, but I was ready to stop hiking by the 11th day. Thank you for the recommendation of collapsible walking sticks. Those were very useful. I am very glad I had the opportunity to take this trip. I cant say enough good things about Paul as the trip leader. I hope he gets to lead all of his first choice tours in the future!
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.
Adam Walleyn acted as a very experienced and skilful leader. He had an intimate knowledge of the birds and great skills in finding and showing them. His communication was extremely clear, to the point and flavoured with a good sense of humour. In the few difficult situations that arose due to flights, civil unrest, etc, he showed extremely good skills in handling these with a perfect balance between group decisions and executive decisions. A role model for a tour leader.
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.
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!
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
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