Rainforest Tour to Arfak Mountains

Tropical rainforest in New Guinea is rich of biodiversity. Various species of animals and plants live in it. They attract the attention of people from around the world to come and see them. Tropical rainforest also absorbs CO2 gases that we emit every day. Unfortunately, this rainforest that is rich of big trees is now become an important target from businesses working in logging or timber industry. There are a lot of ways that we can do to protect the rainforest in New Guinea. One of them is by eco-tourism. As a tourist guide, I have provided some rainforest tour packages for tourists since 2010. The most favorite destination at the moment is the mountain range of Arfak that is located in the south of east of Manokwari city. It is the capital of West Papua province in the Republic of Indonesia. Most of my customers come from European countries such as the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Switzerland and Germany. They visit the Arfak mountains to see birds of paradise, bower bird, butterflies or just want to experience adventure in the tropical jungle.

Tourists who are interested in traveling to Manokwari, first, have to fly from their country to one of the major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Makassar, Denpasar or Manado. After that they can take a domestic flight served by Express Air, Batavia Air, Merpati Air, Lion Air or Sriwijaya Air to Manokwari city. From Manokwari, the tour to Arfak mountains can easily be organized. Trekking shoes, sleeping bag, photographic and video recording equipment with their extra batteries are important things that tourists need to bring when traveling in Arfak mountains. Food can be bought in the traditional market in Manokwari city but tourists can also buy sweet potatoes and vegetables from the villagers in Arfak mountains. It takes around two and a half hours by a 4WD car from Manokwari to Kwau village of Arfak mountains. Along the way travelers will be able to see the magnificent sceneries of the Dorey bay, Lake Kabori and slopes as well as ravines of Arfak mountains.

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To help the tourists watching the birds, local Papuan people build some bird watching huts near the tourist house is located in the middle of the jungle. The huts (also called blinds) were made of leaves and branches of trees with some small holes on their front walls which tourists can use to watch the birds or shoot them using their telephoto camera. As birder, I usually bring my new super zoom camera - the Nikon Coolpix P500. With its 36x zoom capability, the digital camera is able to shoot birds from a distance of more than 15 meters or even more with sharp results.

To reach the tourist house, we need to walk for around 35 minutes from the main road. In addition to watching paradise birds, several other tourist attractions in Arfak mountains are beetles and bird-wing butterflies, flowers and various species of medicinal plants. by Charles Roring

Also read:

Travel Guide Manokwari

The following articles are my recommendation, stories and experience when guiding foreign tourists who come to Manokwari of West Papua to enjoy the beauty of its natural scenery and the hospitality of the indigenous people. This website is aimed at promoting eco-tourism in the region to create jobs among the indigenous people and awareness among us about the importance of protecting and preserving tropical rainforest that is now facing extinction due to rapid deforestation.

Happy Traveling

Charles Roring (click to e-mail me)

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Paradise bird in Arfak Mountains

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