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Trekking in the Bird's Head Region of West Papua
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In recent days, I have been receiving
emails from people who are interested in trekking in Arfak mountains. They want
to see the tropical rainforest of the New Guinea island and the wealth of
wildlife in it. In my reply to the emails, I propose two places that I highly
recommend to hikers or trekkers. The first is Senopi village in Tambrauw
mountains and the second is Kwau village in Arfak mountains of Manokwari
regency. The focal point or the main travel destination in District Senopi is
Aiwatar hill whereas the Arfak mountains, the slopes around Kwau village. These
two places have different terrains, plants, and animals.
The itinerary
Day 1 Arrival in Manokwari
Your first step to travel around the bird's head region of New Guinea island will be flying to Manokwari - the capital of West Papua province. First you can fly to Jakarta, Surabaya, or Denpasar. From one of these cities, you can take a domestic flight served by Batavia Air, Express Air or Merpati to Manokwari city. Another alternative will be flying to Manado city from Singapore by Silk Air and then from Manado to Manokwari by a domestic flight. Don't forget to inform me via emal or my cell phone +6281332245180 prior to your date of arrival so that I will be able to meet you at the Rendani airport. Manokwari is a small but rapidly growing town that stretches along the coast of Doreh bay. In the south, you can see the beautiful blue color of Arfak mountains that is often covered by clouds and in the north, you will be able to see the old town of Manokwari with Table Mountain at the back slope. It takes around 45 minutes car ride from the airport to a hotel in town. I will ask you to take a rest for 2 or 3 hours before guiding you around the town for a city tour. We will go by car to some hills, cape, and coastal areas around the town to show you how the whole town looks like from several different places or corners. Feel free to take as many pictures as you like.
Day 2 Hiking and Caving in the Table Mountain
Table Mountain is the closest mountain in Manokwari city. Here tourists can walk through the jungle along the road which was constructed during the Dutch time. Table Mountain is home to such birds as cockatoo, hornbills and eagles. Some local guide and porter will bring you deeper into the rainforest for an challenging tour into a natural cave decorated with stalactite and stalagmite. Caving might not be an interesting activity for tourists but when they are able to see how bats sleep inside it, they will fall in love with the beauty of Papua's nature.
Day 3 Transfer to Senopi village
Senopi village is located between Manokwari and Sorong regencies. There are two ways to reach it i.e. by a rent car and by airplane. The cheapest is by airplane because the ticket is subsidized by the government. Senopi was a village under the territory of District Kebar. Now its status has been upgraded as a new district under the new regency of Tambrau Mountains. People in Kebar earn their living from farming, hunting. In the past, Catholic Missionary introduced coffee plants. Another commodity which has been developed developed in Senopi is Cacao.
Day 4 Jungle Walk to the Hill of Paradise Birds
Paradise birds are the main tourist attraction which tourists can see in the rainforest of District Senopi. To reach a hill where birds of paradise like to dance in trees in the mornings and in the afternoons, tourists need to walk for around 3 to 4 hours depending on their physical and weather conditions.
Day 5 Trekking to Aiwatar Hill
In Senopi, a jungle tour to Aiwatar hill is highly recommended for those who love to see the wildlife of New Guinea island. During a jungle walk, trekkers may probably see cockatoo, hornbill, tree kangaroo, and various species of insects. When walking through the forest at night, be sure to wear boots to protect your feet from snake bites. Sometimes we can see deer come out of the bush to drink water near the Kamundan river.
Day 6 Hot spring in Atai or Swimming at Afrawi river
Returning from Aiwatar hill, you have
two destinations to choose from. Both are interesting. If you like to soak your
body in a hot spring, a trip to Atai village in Kebar village is recomended. You
will see warm water that contains sulphur comes out of the ground. People say
that taking a bath in the sulphuric water is good for your skin. If you prefer
to swim in cool water then a trip to Afrawi is a nice choice. You can walk to
the village or ask a car from Pastoran of Senopi village to take you
there.
Day 7 Back to Manokwari
Day 8 Transfer to Arfak mountains
Day 9 Hiking up the slope of Kwau village
Day 10 Hiking down the slope
Day 11 Back to Manokwari
Day 12 Snorkeling in Raimuti island
In addition to the above trekking trip, I also provide a nice tour to those who want to go to Arfak mountains for sightseeing in Anggi lakes or birdwatching in Kwau village of Manokwari regency. Kwau is quite isolated. To reach the tourist house, we need to walk for around 30 to 35 minutes to the tourist house that is located in the middle of the rainforest.
For more information about the cost for this trip, please, contact via my email charlesroring@gmail.com
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