SICKLEBILL SAFARIS - PNG Greatest Hits

SICKLEBILL SAFARIS: P.O. Box 387 Kuranda Queensland Australia 4881! 1

Contact Info: +61 (0)7 4093 7318email: info@s2travel.com.au

Website: www.sicklebillsafaris.com

PNG Greatest HitsThis two week tour takes in the majority of the top birding sites on mainland PNG. Visiting Varirata National Park on the Sogeri Plateau above Port Moresby, Kumul Lodge in the Highlands and the lowland and hill forest destinations of Kiunga and Tabubil in Western Province. An extension to the world famous Ambua Lodge is also a possibility. While we will be concentrating on getting as many species of Birds of Paradise as possible, we will also be looking for other New Guinea specialities particularly the brighter and more colourful parrots, pigeons and kingfishers. There are excellent photographic opportunities at various locations during the tour.

Tour Inclusions: This tour start and ends in Australia.

Land costs include accommodation, meals, airport transfers, transport, site fees, local guides, guide services of tour leader (if required), bird list. Drinks, snacks, visas, laundry and items of a personal nature are not included.

Flight costs will be calculated separately and will vary depending on your start point. They are not guaranteed until paid for and ticketed.

Key Species• Pink-spotted Fruit Dove

• Papuan Lorikeet• lesser Malampitta

• Black-capped Lory• Brown-headed Paradise Kingfisher• Yellow-billed Kingfisher

• Crested Satinbird• King of Saxony

• Superb Bird of Paradise• Brown Sicklebill• Raggiana Bird of Paradise

• Ribbon-tailed Astrapia• Princess Stephanie’s Astrapia

• Tit Berrypecker• Crested Berrypecker• Southern-crowned Pigeon

• Lesser Bird of Paradise• King Bird of Paradise

Brown Sicklebill ⓒ Jun Matsui

Crested Berrypecker ⓒ Phil Gregory

Raggiana Bird of Paradise ⓒ Jun Matsui

SICKLEBILL SAFARIS - PNG Greatest Hits

SICKLEBILL SAFARIS: P.O. Box 387 Kuranda Queensland Australia 4881! 2

Difficulty

Participants need to be in good health and of a reasonable fitness level. Papua New Guinea is a country of steep, rainforest clad mountainsides and, while we try to keep them at a minimum, there can be steep muddy trails to be negotiated somewhere during the trip.

Expect rain at various locations and while the area around Kumul at 2800m will be quite cool and even cold at night,. around Port Moresby and Kiunga it may be hot and humid.

Accommodation

In Port Moresby Kiunga and Tabubil accommodation is in comfortable western style hotels. Kumul Lodge is a well appointed westernised landowner lodge made of bush materials. Kwatu Lodge up river in the Kiunga lowlands is a very basic landowner lodge also made of bush materials, with pit toilets and cold water showers. However its location, situated slap in the middle of some wonderful pristine lowland forest, more than makes up for its lack of facilities.

Suggested Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Port Moresby. A short tour of the Port Moresby area can be arranged for those who arrive in time to take advantage of it.

Day 2: Full day guided birding at Varirata National Park. Located on the Sogeri Plateau above Port Moresby this is a great birding spot. The Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise have a lek tree here, there are 6+ species of kingfisher including Brown-headed Paradise-Kingfisher and Yellow-billed Kingfisher, plus at least 7 species of dove not to mention Red-cheeked Parrots, Barred Owlet-nightjar and perhaps a Chestnut-backed Jewel-babbler or Painted Quail-Thrush.

Day 3: A second morning up at Varirata should prove very rewarding with an afternoon visit to the PAU ponds, where Wandering and Spotted Whistling Ducks, Papuan Frogmouth and Fawn-breasted Bowerbird are amongst the species which can be seen.

Day 4: We take the early plane over to Kiunga on the Fly River in Western Province. Located in the midst of a huge area of lowland rainforest this is a great birding destination. Palm Cockatoo, Greater Bird of Paradise, Trumpet Manucode and Obscure Honeyeater are all possibilities here.

Day 5: Taking a boat up the Fly and Elevala Rivers to Kwatu landowner lodge we enter an area of pristine rainforest. We will be looking for 12-wired and King Bird of Paradise, Channel -billed Cuckoo, Common and Little Paradise Kingfishers, Hooded and Red-bellied Pittas, Blue Jewel-Babbler and the huge Southern Crowned Pigeon. Nightbirds can include the almost unknown Wallace’s and Starry Owlet-nightjars, as well as Marbled Frogmouth.

Day 6: Full day birding the Kwatu area.

Papuan Lorikeet ⓒ Phil Gregory Southern-crowned Pigeon ⓒ Jun MatsuiBrown-headed Paradise Kingfisher ⓒ Jun Matsui

SICKLEBILL SAFARIS - PNG Greatest Hits

SICKLEBILL SAFARIS: P.O. Box 387 Kuranda Queensland Australia 4881! 3

Day 7: Morning around Kwatu and then return to Kiunga by boat.

Day 8: With an early morning stop at the Flame Bowerbird lek, travel up the narrow winding road we will head towards the mining town of Tabubil in the foothills of the Star Mountains. Pesquet’s (Vulturine) Parrots can often be seen flying over the road.

Day 9: Full day guided birding in the Tabubil area. Salvadori’s Teal, Greater Melampitta, Magnificent Riflebird, Carola’s Parotia and Obscure Berrypecker are amongst our target birds as is the crepuscular Shovel-billed Kingfisher.

Day 10: Taking the early flight over to Mt Hagen we will spend the next 3 nights at Kumul Lodge, a photographer’s dream where birds of paradise are amongst the visitors to the feeder. Brown Sicklebill, Ribbon-tailed Astrapia, Archbold’s Bowerbird, Brehm’s Tiger Parrot, Crested Berrypecker, Fan-tailed Berrypecker and Smoky Honeyeater can all be seen in the vicinity of the Lodge.

Day 11: Full day birding the Kumul area. Superb and perhaps Lesser Bird-of-Paradise likely.

Day 12: Morning birding the Kumul area, checking a site for the rare Blue Bird of Paradise and another trail for the spectacular King-of-Saxony Bird of Paradise with the afternoon option of a cultural tour to the local village, with birding on the way.

Day 13: Leaving Kumul we take fly back to Port Moresby where we have lunch and then spend some time in the Port Moresby environs before taking our evening flight back to Cairns.

Please note that there may be no evening flight to your chosen destination and an extra overnight in Port Moresby may be required.

PLEASE ENQUIRE IF YOU WOULD LIKE ANY EXTENSIONS ADDED TO THIS TOUR.

Possible Extensions to this tour:

• Rondon Ridge

• Ambua Lodge

• Keki Landowner Lodge

• New Britain

• Manus

• New Ireland

•The Fly River lowlands

• The Sepik area

Blyth’s Hornbill ⓒ Jun Matsui Village Houseⓒ Jun MatsuiNG Highlands ⓒ Jun Matsui

SICKLEBILL SAFARIS offers small group bird, wildlife & cultural tours to numerous destinations either led by one of our experienced guides or using local guides only.

PNG HOLIDAYS Is a boutique wholesaler promoting ecotourism throughout the Melanesian region including Papua New Guinea.