Birdwatching Tours in Sorong Lowland Forest

Dwarf Kingfisher

Transit Point
Sorong is a fast growing city in the west of New Guinea island. It is an important transit point for visitors who want to go diving, snorkeling and sightseeing in Raja Ampat islands. They will fly to Sorong and stay for at least one day in the city to buy food and other logistical needs before continuing their trip to the islands. After their tours in Raja Ampat, they will go back to Sorong city again and spend one night before flying back to their respective countries.

Pink-spotted Fruit Dove

Interest in Land Tour
There are visitors who still want to see more about West Papua, not only its beautiful tropical islands. They want to meet and interact with Papuan people who live in the mainland of New Guinea in their daily life and at the same time see nature. I have received emails from visitors who want to extend their stay in Sorong for a few more days and take land tour into the interior region of West Papua.

Birding in Klasow Valley
There is a birdwatching site in the lowland forest in the east of Sorong. Its name is Klasow valley. I have organized numerous birdwatching and rainforest hiking tours in the valley. On the average, visitors who take the tours stay there for 3 to 4 days to see birds such as Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor), Pinon Imperial Pigeon (Ducula pinon), Moustached Treeswift (Hemiprocne mystacea), Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus rotatus), Large Fig Parrot (Micropsitta desmarestii), Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita), Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus), Rufous-bellied Kookaburra (Dacelo gaudichaud), Magnificent Riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus), Yellow-billed Kingfisher, and etc.
Butterflies

Blue Wing Butterfly in Sorong ridge forest

In addition to birds, there are also other animals that make the forest of Klasow valley as their natural habitat. Some of them include beautiful butterflies such as The Silky Owl (Taenaris catops), Blue Mountains Swallow Tail (Papilio ulysses), The Cruiser Butterfly (Vindula arsinoe), The Meadow Argus (Junonia villida).
Visitors can see butterfly that drink the nectar from flowers that are planted by villagers in their village or also from wild flowers in the forest. As a matter of fact, butterflies are everywhere in the jungle.

Itinerary for Klasow Valley
Day 1
Arriving in Sorong city
Transfer by 4WD car to Klasow valley
Birding in the clearing area of a jungle village near Klabolo stream

Day 2
Hiking and Birding
Night walk to find wallaby

Day 3
Hiking and Birding
Transfer to Sorong city
End of the tour

The duration of the birding and hiking tour can be extended to 4 or even 6 days to explore the forest in deeper area such as to Klaglass forest.

Participants: Visitors can go there as single person, as a couple or as a group. Travelling as a group.

What to bring
Binoculars
Spotting scope
Camera with telephoto lens such as Nikon P900

Dolphins Lagoon in Raja Ampat

Rainforest and Snorkeling Tours in Raja Ampat
If you want to include Raja Ampat in your trip, you could enjoy jungle tour in Yenbekaki and snorkeling trips in Yenandau, Mamiaef island and the surrounding islands, and in the Dolphins Lagoon.
Itinerary
Day 1 Going by boat to Yenbekaki in the north east of Raja Ampat
Day 2 Rainforest and wildlife watching tour in Warebar river
Day 3 Snorkeling in Yenandau beach and Mamiaef
Day 4 Snorkeling in the sandbanks in near Mamiaef island
Day 5 Snorkeling and sightseeing in Dolphins Lagoon
Day 6 Transfer to Sorong city

Don't forget to bring your underwater camera and snorkeling gear.

White sandy beach in Yenandau region of Waigeo

If you plan to go to Sorong or want to take a rainforest tour in the mainland of West Papua after or before your snorkeling and sightseeing trip in Raja Ampat, please, contact me by using the contact form at the top right area of this blog or by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send message to my whatsapp number +6281332245180. I will be happy to organize the trip and guide you to Klasow valley.

Also read:
Birding Excursion in Sorong ridge forest
Birding in Sorong regency
Hiking and Birdwatching in Sorong of West Papua
Nature Tour to Rainforest of Sorong city
Birding tour in Sorong regency of West Papua

Snorkeling Tour in Mansinam island of Manokwari

Manokwari is a nice recommended destination for tourists who want to enjoy snorkeling in affordable price.

White sand beach in Mansinam island

As a tour guide I frequently organize snorkeling tours for visitors who want to see coral reef and marine fish in Manokwari. There are a lot of snorkeling sites that can be seen by tourists. One of them is Mansinam island. Coral reef extends from reef-flat to drop off in the southern coast of the island. The length of the coral reef is approximately 2 kilometers. It is a nice spot for snorkeling.

Doreri Guesthouse in Mansinam island

Accommodation
There is a guesthouse at the back of the island with 28 bedrooms. The guesthouse is only a stone's throw away from the beach. So, visitors will need less then 1 minute to walk to the beach.
Standard Rate:
Overnight stay 500,000 rupiahs per night for 2 people (with breakfast)
Extra-bed: 250,000 rupiahs/ person.

Marine Bio-diversity
The coral reef reef of Mansinam island is the natural habitat of a lot of species of fish including striped surgeonfish, convict surgeonfish, parrotfish, moorish idol, damselfish, boxfish, butterflyfish, pink anemonefish, pipefish, and grouper. There are also Christmas tree worm, sea-cucumber, blue seastar, sea urchin, and various kinds of sea-shells that can be found at the beach of Mansinam.
At the beach, visitors could see crabs running on the sand and birds such as kingfisher, frigatebird, and starlings flying in the sky or perching on the branch of a tree.
Coconut, baringtonia asiatica, catappa and beach hibiscus cover the island.

Coral reef and tropical fish of Mansinam

Other Ecotourism Activities
In addition to swimming, snorkeling and free diving, visitors who stay in Mansinam island can also enjoy hiking in the jungle of the island, butterfly watching, jogging, and village walk.
As a tourist guide, I can organize snorkeling trips from Mansinam island to other coral reef areas in Manokwari waters. I also offer hiking tour in the jungle for visitors who want to see the ecosystem of tropical rainforest. During the rainforest tour, visitors will be able to see birds, butterflies and swim in a river.

How to get there?
It is relatively easy to come here.
Fly from your country to Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia)
Fly from Jakarta to Manokwari city (the capital of Papua Barat province)
I will be happy to meet you at the airport and organoze your transfer to Mansinam island

Booking
Please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send text message to my cell phone +6281332245180

Traveling along the Coast of Tambrauw Regency

I have just completed a trip in Tambrauw regency where I guided 5 Dutch tourists. We traveled by a small passenger-cargo ship KM Kasuari Pasifik 3. We left Manokwari at night and arrived in Sausapor town two days later. While in Tambrauw, we enjoyed snorkeling, and had walking tour around the small town to see its natural beauty. 

We also spent one night waiting for mother turtles to lay eggs at Wawei beach but we did not see any of them. However, we saw green frog, large beach crab and snake. I already told the tourists that what we were doing was trying to watch turtles in nature and not in a zoo. So, the probability to see turtles was 0% to 100%.

Visitors can go fishing, meet Papuan people in their daily life, swim or enjoy snorkeling at the beach or walk around one of those villages and go back to the ship for their next adventure. Ticket price is 50,000 rupiahs (approximately 3 Euros) per person. It takes 3 days for the ship to sail from Manokwari to Sorong.
PELNI Ship KM Kasuari Pasifik 3 carries passengers and cargoes along the north coast of West Papua particularly in Tambrauw regency. It visits Manokwari, Saukorem, Imbuan, Waibem, Wau, Warmandi, Saubeba, Kwor, Opmare, Werur, Sausapor and Sorong. It anchors for 2 to 3 hours at every village. During that period, villagers come to the ship by their motorized boats. They bring coconuts, bananas, cassava, taro, and deer, goats, pigs and other agricultural produce which will be sold in Sorong or Manokwari city. Tourists can go to the beach by the same boats and return to the ship again before she leaves for another village. MV Kasuari Pasifik III sails between Sorong and Manokwari four times a month.
Since the ticket price is so cheap, tourists will have extra money to buy fruits, food and souvenirs at the villages that they visit. By doing this, visitors have directly supported the economic livelihood of local Papuan people. 

On the average, the ship carries approximately 100 passengers on every trip. Every passenger gets a bed to sleep. However, during school holiday season, and Christmas time, the number of passengers it carries is between 200 to 250 people. Visitors, upon advanced arrangement by a tourist guide, can rent rooms that are used by ship crews. The cost is 700,000 rupiahs (approx. 48 Euros) per room for the whole trip. The capacity of the room is 2 to 4 people depending on the number of bags which they carry. 

Don't forget to bring snorkeling set, or fishing gear, and action camera such as go pro or underwater camera if you want to have an adventure trip in Tambrauw.

If you are interested in traveling along the coast of Tambrauw regency and need me as your private guide, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Snorkeling with American Tourists in Manokwari

Mansinam island in Manokwari

Yesterday, I went snorkeling with two American tourists in North Coast and Dore bay of Manokwari. Before leaving for snorkeling sites, I went to the beach to see whether the sea was calm or not. Unfortunately, the wind was very strong. I had some discussion with a water-taxi driver who said that it would be too dangerous to go to parts of the islands in the bay that were directly exposed to the wind.
North Coast
So, I decided to change the destination of our snorkeling site to the north coast of Manokwari. After that I went to Swissbel hotel to meet Sachi and Riaz and explained the situation. They could understand my explanation and agreed to go snorkeling in the northern area of Manokwari whose waters were calm. We went there by three ojeks (motorcycle taxis) to the suburb of Manokwari were we enjoyed snorkeling for approximately one hour. After that we had lunch at the restaurant of Mansinam Beach Hotel.

Coral Reef and Fish in Manokwari

Visiting Mansinam
This time, the sea was calm and I felt that we could enjoy snorkeling inside the bay, i.e. in Mansinam island. Since the boat station was near the hotel, we went there on foot. There were some water taxis waiting for passengers at the station. It took around 10 minutes to reach Mansinam. Before going snorkeling, we visited the museum of the island which describes the situation of the indigenous people of Papua before the arrival of the missionary, during the missionary works and several decades after that. An old Papuan man who guided us in the museum was very enthusiastic in explaining every picture and articles in the museum. Most of the writings were written in Indonesian language. I must translate them into English so that Riaz and Sachi would be able to understand them. We spent around 30 minutes in the museum and after that continued our trip to the beach.

We enjoyed snorkeling for around one and a half hours. We saw moorish idol, damselfish, butterfly fish, surgeon fish, pink anemonefish, orange-finned anemonefish, black urchin, sea star, boxfish, sweepers, pipefish, sea snake, and a big needlefish. The coral reef was very good in the island but more plastic wastes were found the area. Sachi and Riaz said that Manokwari was a beautiful town. We have to be proud of it and keep our environment clean.
In addition to snorkeling, we also went hiking in the first day of the tour to Table mountain. We entered the forest at 17.00 and began walking through the forest to the Japanese World War II memorial monument. After that we continued walking through the forest again until we reached the campus of Papua university. I did not see any birds in the forest because our goal was only walk. But I could hear the sound of a helmetted friarbird shouting in distant trees. During the walk we discussed about the Pacific war where the Imperial Japanese troops were fighting against the Dutch and the American in Manokwari. We reached the main road at around 18.30 and returned to Swissbel hotel by public transportation.
The next morning we still had a plan to enjoy snorkeling in remote place of the bay outside of the city but the weather was bad. It was raining most of the day. We could not go. Sachi asked for full body massage instead of going to the sea. On the fourth day of their stay in Manokwari, they left this town for Jayapura by airplane. |It was a nice experience of hiking and snorkeling with them.

If you are interested in taking a snorkeling and rainforest birdwatching tour in Manokwari, please, contact me by email to: mpeace4wp@gmail.com

Snorkeling in Mansinam island of Manokwari city

Mansinam is a small island that is located near Manokwari city (the capital of Papua Barat province) in West Papua. It has been a famous destination among Christian pilgrims because it was the first place in New Guinea where Christianity was preached to the indigenous people. Every year on 5 February, thousands of people gather on the island to celebrate the event.
The tropical island of Mansinam is also surrounded by coral reef that hosts thousands of species of marine animals.
Early this month, I went snorkeling at the southern part of the island. I brought a Canon G1X with its housing to take pictures of the marine life. There were a lot of fish that I saw during my 2 hours snorkeling activity. Some of them were Striped Surgeon Fish, parrotfish, damselfish, convict surgeonfish, butterflyfish, Moorish Idol, Clark's anemone fish, several species of Christmas tree worms, and a lot more. There were blue sea stars and black urchins and sea cucumber too.
Here are some pictures that I made during the trip:

Cross Monument in Mansinam island

Marine Life in Mansinam Island

Underwater World of Mansinam Island

Clark's Anemonefish

Snorkeling Tour and Rainforest Tour
As a tour guide, I can organize a Snorkeling Tour and Rainforest Tour for anybody who is interested in taking a vacation in Manokwari. You can stay at the guesthouse in Mansinam island or at any hotels in Manokwari city.
I suggest that you come here in a group of at least 2 to 4 people. More is better because all of you can share the cost. I can organize such trip for a solo traveler too.

Where is Mansinam Island
Mansinam island is located in Dore bay near Manokwari city.  It is only a ten-minute ride by water taxi.

Manokwari - the capital of Papua Barat province

Mansinam island Dore bay of Manokwari regency

How to get there?

• It is easy to go to Mansinam island or Manokwari city (both are located very close to each other).
• Fly from your country to Jakarta city
• Take a domestic flight to Manokwari city. Garuda, Sriwijaya, Batik, Nam Air, and Wings Air (member of Lion Air group)
• We will meet you at the airport and organize your trip to see coral reef in Mansinam island and other parts in Dore bay and the tropical rainforest in Arfak mountains.

For further information, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or by whatsapp to: +6281332245180
Also read:
Raja Ampat guided snorkeling tour
Snorkeling Pictures from Raja Ampat
Snorkeling at the beach of Raja Ampat Paradise Resort

Free Diving with Manta in Raja Ampat

I went to Raja Ampat several months ago with some Czech tourists. We enjoyed snorkeling in several coral reef sites of the islands including Friwen, West Mansuar, Cape Kri, Fam islands, Sand Bank and Manta Point. It was a nice trip and I really enjoyed the beauty of the coral reef.
There is one place in the open sea called Manta Point. Here, Manta fish come regularly to clean their bodies. While gliding or "flying around" the point, small fish eat tiny marine organisms that attach on the wings and bodies of manta. When they have been cleaned, Manta will leave the place for the ocean again. With cleaner wings, manta can swim faster in the sea.
Manta point or cleaning station has been a famous tourist attraction particularly for scuba divers and free divers. People who enjoy snorkeling can watch the manta too.

Freediving with Manta in Raja Ampat archipelago

I have just created a vector illustration about the fish. I hope that you like it.

Snorkeling in the coral reef of Manokwari

Manokwari is the capital of West Papua province. The city is located in Dorey bay of New Guinea island. There are plenty of coral reef sites in Manokwari waters whereas in the south and along the northern coast of the city, tropical rainforest cover most of the landscape. Every year, visitors from around the world come to see the beauty of its marine environment and wildlife in tropical rainforest.

Coral Reef Environment in
Manokwari Waters

Snorkeling Tour
As a tourist guide, I can organize a snorkeling tour for you and your friend inside the Dore bay of Manokwari. We will see convict surgeonfish, striped surgeonfish, damselfish, anemonefish, parrotfish, moorish idol, butterflyfish, boxfish, urchin that live in the coral reed of Manokwari.
Don't forget to bring your snorkeling gear (mask, snorkel, and fins) if you want to see our marine environment. Your snorkeling experience will be enhanced if you also bring underwater camera which will can capture the images of those beautiful fishes and corals.

Rainforest Trekking and Camping
To further explore the beauty and bio-diversity of Papua's nature, I can bring you to the jungle where you will be able to see such birds as Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Blyth' hornbill, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, and even the Lesser Birds of Paradise.

Spanish tourists were trekking
in the jungle of
Arfak mountains - Manokwari

How to get there?
It is easy to reach Manokwari city,

• Fly from your country to Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia)
• After that, take a domestic flight (regularly served by Garuda, Sriwijaya, and Express Air) to Manokwari. I will be happy to meet you and organize your trip from this city.

Typical Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Manokwari
City Tour or Jungle Walk
Day 2
Snorkeling inside Dore bay Mansinam
A visit to Mansinam village and museum
Day 3
Snorkeling in Raimuti
Snorkeling in Anggresi
Day 4
Jungle walk in lowland forest of Dopi river or
Jungle walk in Warmarway forest of Arfak mountains
Day 5
Transfer to airport

Prices: 5 million rupiahs/ person
For customized itinerary, the cost of the tour will depend on how many days you want to spend in Manokwari and the number of participants.

Booking
Please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email: peace4wp@gmail.com if you are interested in taking this snorkeling tour and rainforest tour. I can prepare a customized itinerary and cost calculation.

Rainforest Trekking and Camping Tour in Tambrauw Regency of West Papua

Tambrauw is a regency in West Papua located between Manokwari and Sorong. Most of its territory is still covered by dense tropical rainforest. The tropical rainforest in Tambrauw regency is the natural habitat of cuscus possum, wallaby, wild pigs, and a lot of colorful birds, beetles and butterflies.

I will conduct a 4-day/ 3-night trekking and camping tour in August from 15 to 18. During the tour, visitors will be able to go trekking in the jungle along the banks of Syuan river. Dome tents will be built for visitors so that they will fully experience how it is like to stay in the jungle for a few days. 

This trip is suitable for birdwatchers, butterflywatchers or anybody who is a nature lover.

Itinerary

Schedule: 15 to 18 August 2016
Activities: multi sport
Reservation is STILL OPEN

Group Size Limit: 4 people (2 spaces available) 

Price: 7 million rupiahs/ person (approximately 481 Euros)

The price includes transportation by 4WD car between Sorong and Tambrauw, camping gear such as tents, food, local guides, cooks, and contribution to local villagers.

The price does not include airfare, travel insurance, alcoholic and soft drinks, and any personal expenses.

Exploring the rainforest along the banks of Syuan river

Itinerary
15 August 2016
We will meet you in Sorong city and transfer you to Tambrauw regency located in the vogelkop region of West Papua. Overnight stay in the jungle tents.

16 August 2016
Trekking/ jungle walk, riverwalk, night walk, wildlife and birdwatching, swimming, camping.
Birds such as sulphur crested cockatoo, blyth's hornbill, and egret can often be seen flying in the sky when we begin walking into the jungle.


17 August 2016
Trekking/ jungle walk, riverwalk, wildlife and birdwatching, swimming, camping. As we walk deeper into the jungle, we may see the beautiful scenery of rainforest. Swallowtail blue mountain butterfly often fly through the forest.


18 August 2016
We still have time to enjoy the scenery of the river and rainforest. After breakfast, we will dismantle our tents and leave the forest.
A short tour around Sausapor town and its surrounding area
Transfer to Sorong city

How to get there?

Fly from your country to Jakarta (the capital city of Indonesia)

After that, take a domestic flight operated by Garuda, or Sriwijaya Air or Express Air or Nam Air to Sorong city.

I will meet you at the airport of Sorong city to organize your trip into the jungle

Booking
To book the tour, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com

Camping Tour in tropical jungle of Tambrauw Mountains

Trekking in tropical jungle of Tambrauw regency

Bandicoot is one of the marsupial animals that live in New Guinea forest

Snorkeling in Yenbuba Strait of Raja Ampat

Yenbuba Strait (between Kri island and Mansuar island)
 of Raja Ampat archipelago

There are a lot of snorkeling sites in Raja Ampat. One of them is Yenbuba strait. It is located between Kri and Mansuar island and has been one of the most favorite sites among snorkelers and scuba divers. Visitors who go snorkeling in this strait will be able to see thousands of reef fish including Diagonal-banded Sweetlips, Damselfishes, Groupers, Black Tip Reef Shark, Boxfishes, Spadefish, Butterflyfishes, Parrotfishes, Humphead Wrasse, Fusiliers, Anthias, Jacks and a lot more. I also saw hawksbill sea turtle and a lot of colorful corals. From my experience of snorkeling in Yenbuba, I faced strong current when I jumped into the water. I had to return to the boat and asked the driver to drop us in the north of the strait so that we would be able to enjoy snorkeling just by following the current. Marine life is abundant in Yenbuba strait. It is one of the healthiest coral reef environment in the world.

Yenbuba Strait in Raja Ampat islands of West Papua

As a tourist guide, I offer a snorkeling and sightseeing tour for visitors who are interested in visiting Raja Ampat. I can arrange a tour for individual tourist who wants me to be a private guide and snorkeling buddy or a group tour for 4 visitors who want to explore the islands and coral reefs of Raja Ampat.

Rainforest Tour
You could also lengthen the duration of your trip in West Papua by adding a rainforest tour in the mainland of New Guinea. I usually guide visitors to see tropical rainforest in Klasow valley in Sorong regency or Sausapor town in Tambrauw mountains. Tropical rainforest of West Papua is the natural habitat of such birds as Blyth's hornbill, pinon imperial pigeon, sulphur crested cockatoo, large fig parrot and a lot more.

The rainforest is also the natural habitat of colorful butterflies including Blue Mountain Swallowtail, Meadow Argus, Cruiser butterfly and Taenaris Catops butterfly. Birding and wildlife watching is a famous activity which tourists like to do when taking rainforest tour.

How to get there

• Fly from your country to Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia)
• After that, fly from Jakarta to Sorong city. I will meet you at the airport and arrange your trip both to Raja Ampat and the rainforest of mainland West Papua.

For prices and customized itinerary, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send text to my whatsapp number: +6281332245180 use the contact form at the top right of this blog.

Snorkeling in Mansuar island of Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat is the best destination in the world for tourists who are interested in seeing coral reef and tropical fish. Every year thousands of marine lovers travel to Raja Ampat to enjoy scuba diving, free diving and snorkeling. The easiest way to see underwater marine environment is by snorkeling and free diving.

Raja Ampat Adventure Tour

As a tourist guide, I offer a snorkeling and sightseeing tour as well as rainforest tour for anybody who plans to visit the region. One of the islands that we will visit is Mansuar. Mansuar is located side by side with Kri island. They are separated by very shallow Yenbuba strait. Mansuar and Kri are mostly covered by rugged mountains leaving very little flat land on some parts of the island. So, the coral reef thrives along the under water steep slopes drop off and walls The adventure tour in Raja Ampat can be carried out the the east region of Waigeo island.

Mansuar island at the back of the speedboad

Snorkeling Sites

Mansuar island has got several coral reef areas that are suitable for snorkelers. As a matter of fact that island is surrounded by coral reef. But the snorkeling sites that I like are Yenbuba jetty (across from Kri island), North West Mansuar, South West Mansuar and Sawondarek. From my previous snorkeling trips in most of the fringing reef of the island, I saw abundant number of fish including sweetlips, scads, grouper, trevally, butterflyfish, moorish idol, damselfish, grouper, black-tip reef fish, manta, pipefish and several species of anemone fish.

Red Slender Anthias and Diagonal-banded Sweetlips

Duration

The duration of snorkeling tour in Raja Ampat is 5 days/ 4 nights with itinerary as described below:

ITINERARY

Here is a typical itinerary that I offer to my customers:

Day 1 

Leaving Sorong for Raja Ampat

We will stay at one of the homestays in the region

Snorkeling in Yenbuba strait

Day 2

Traveling to Kabui karst islets (snorkeling) and a visit to its passage.

Snorkeling in Batu Lima or Friwen

A visit to sand bank near Kri island

Day 3

Traveling to Pianemo to see its beautiful scenery on top of one of its karst islets

Snorkeling in Arborek

Day 4

Snorkeling in West Mansuar

Snorkeling in Sawondarek

Day 5

Leaving Raja Ampat for Sorong

Please, consider the above itinerary as a reference only. It can be changed or modified during the trip depending on weather condition (rainy or sunny days, wave and sea current).

Snorkeling Gear

Because the face form and size of every person is different, I suggest that participant of this snorkeling tour bring his or her own snorkeling gear (mask, snorkel, and fins).

Map Location of Raja Ampat

If you are interested in taking the tour with me, please contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send whatsapp message to: +6281332245180

Also read:
Snorkeling Video from Raja Ampat

Snorkeling in Arborek of Raja Ampat

by Charles Roring

Giant Clam in Raja Ampat islands of West Papua

Coral Reef in Arborek waters of Raja Ampat

Snorkeling Tour in Raja Ampat
Arborek is a small island in Raja Ampat,  in the west of Mansuar island. I enjoyed snorkeling at the jetty of the island last month. It was a nice experience because the waters of Arborek were the natural habitat of various species of fish. When I was freediving under the jetty I was surrounded by thousands of scads with tens of trevally and jackfish manuevering below them. Behind me was a large group of parrotfish biting the corals and spitting them in the water like spraying lime powder. In my previous trip to this island several years ago, I saw epaulette shark, and some giant clams (tridacna gigas).
Earlier that morning I did freediving to see manta in the Manta Point located not far from Arborek. 

After the snorkeling trip, I and some visitors from Czech republic had a little walk around the village where we met the villagers and had young coconut water at the beach. Arborek is a good transit point for visitors who have just returned from their sightseeing trip in Pianemo islets.
It was a wonderful experience because I had fulfilled my wish of returning to Arborek.

Arborek beach in Raja Ampat islands

As a tourist guide, I offer snorkeling and sightseeing tour to Raja Ampat islands for visitors who are interested in seeing the wealth of marine bio-diversity of the archipelago. Because the tour price of traveling in Raja Ampat is expensive, I suggest that visitors go in a group of at least 4 to 6 people to share the cost.
Don't forget to bring your own snorkeling gear (mask, snorkel, and fins). You could also bring a good underwater camera if you want to take pictures of coral reef and fish as well as other marine animals that you see in the water.

Jungle walk in Klasow valley of Sorong regency

Rainforest Tour
You can also extend your holiday in Raja Ampat by taking a rainforest tour in Tambrauw Mountains or Klasow valley. I have guided a lot of tourists who want to experience staying in the jungle for several nights. I and other local guides will build tents for our visitors at the side of a river. During the day we go trekking to see unique plants and animals of West Papua. The jungle trip usually is placed in the first part of the tour. It means that you will go trekking in the jungle before continuing your trip to Raja Ampat for snorkeling and sightseeing. Both the rainforest and coral reef environments are attractive to be explored.
For detailed info and prices, please, contact me (Charles Roring) by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com
Also read:
Snorkeling Video from Raja Ampat

Sightseeing and Snorkeling Tour in Raja Ampat

I have just completed a 5-day snorkeling and sightseeing tour in Raja Ampat with four Czech tourists. During the tour, we enjoyed sightseeing in a lot of islands and snorkeling in some coral reef areas of the archipelago. We visited Yenbuba strait, West Mansuar, Sawondarek, Five Rocks (Batu Lima), Kabui bay, Pianemo (Fam islands), Cape Kri, Arborek and Manta Point.

It was a wonderful trip and we were able to see various species of reef fish and other marine animals, including giant trevally, grouper, parrotfish, wrasse, sweetlips, butterfly fish, damsel, scads, humphead wrasse, black tip reef shark, manta and a lot more.

Marine Life in Yenbuba
Strait of Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat is the most recommended destination for anybody who is interested in seeing the biodiversity of marine life. Bring your own snorkeling mask and fins if you want to enjoy snorkeling in Raja Ampat with me. Because, traveling in Raja Ampat is expensive, I suggest that you come in a group of at least 4 tourists.

ITINERARY
Here is a typical itinerary that I offer to my customers:
Day 1 
Leaving Sorong for Raja Ampat
We will stay at one of the homestays in the region
Snorkeling in Yenbuba strait
Day 2
Traveling to Kabui karst islets (snorkeling) and a visit to its passage.
Snorkeling in Batu Lima or Friwen
A visit to sand bank
Day 3
Traveling to Pianemo to see its beautiful scenery on top of one of its karst islets
Snorkeling in Arborek
Day 4
Snorkeling in West Mansuar
Snorkeling in Sawondarek
Day 5
Leaving Raja Ampat for Sorong

Please, consider the above itinerary as a reference only. It can be changed or customized during the trip depending on weather condition.

If you are a single traveler
If you are alone, you can still visit the archipelago. You decide your own itinerary. You may choose one of the many homestays there and explore the coral reef at its beach front by snorkeling. After that you can move to another homestay in different island. If you still need me as your snorkeling buddy, I will be happy to accompany you during your trip in Raja Ampat. We can do snorkeling or birdwatching in Raja Ampat and try to identify the species names of the animals that we see using the field guide books that I have.

The marine tour in Raja Ampat can be combined with jungle tour in Sorong regency or Tambrauw Mountains. For the land tour, visitors will have the chance to explore the tropical rainforest of New Guinea that is the natural habitat of various species of butterflies, birds, and a lot of tropical plants.

RAINFOREST TOUR IN SORONG

In addition to offering snorkeling tour in Raja Ampat, I also provide a separate Rainforest Tour in Klasow valley of Sorong regency. Tropical rainforest that cover the lowland area of  Klasow valley is the natural habitat of various species of animals such as

Birds: Rufous-bellied Kookabura, Blyth's hornbills, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Moustached Tree-Swift, Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor), Yellow Faced Myna, Spangled Drongo, Pinon Imperial Pigeon (Ducula pinon), Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus rotatus), Golden Myna (Mino anais), Black-capped Lory (Lorius lory), Cassowary bird, and a lot more.
Butterflies: New Guinea Clipper Butterfly (Parthenos tigrina), Birdwing butterfly (Ornitopthera priamus), Meadow Argus butterfly (Junonia villida), Blue Mountain Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio ulysses), The Great Eggfly Butterfly (Hypolimnas butterfly), Blue Tiger Butterfly (Tirumala limniace), and etc.
Marsupials: Wallaby (a kind of ground kangaroo), Bandicoot, and Cuscus possum
Mammals: Deer and Wild-pigs
Reptiles: Snakes, soa-soa lizards.
The above are some of the animals that I could identify from my previous tours. Actually there are more animals which I still cannot identify because I am lack of reference books about flora and fauna of West Papua.

Duration of the Rainforest Tour: On the average visitors spend between 3 to 5 days in the jungle of Klasow valley
Activities: Usually tourists go trekking in the jungle along the footpaths which are used by the indigenous people. They watch birds, insects, see tropical trees and shrubs and crawling plants as well as wild flowers and mushrooms. Because I have got a spotting scope, and a pair of binoculars, I can bring the device to enhance the birdwatching experience of visitors while walking in the jungle of Klasow valley.

Accommodation:
For 3 day tour, visitors will stay at a simple house made of wood, and thatched roof in the jungle village of Klasow forest. For longer tour, we will walk deeper into the jungle of Klaglass and stay in tents.

Cost: The cost depends on the duration of the tour and the number of participants. On the average a single traveler may spend 7 million rupiahs (approximately 465 Euros) for 3 days. But 2 visitors can spend approximately 9 million rupiahs (approx. 597 Euros) for 3 days in the jungle. The cost includes transportation by 4WD car to the valley, guides, food, accommodation and contribution to the jungle village of Klasow valley.
Contact: Please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com for more customized tour, prices and other information



Alternative Destination
Manokwari
If you are thinking of going to another region in West Papua then my suggestion for you is going to Manokwari.
You can enjoy trekking in the rainforest and watching wild animals as well as snorkeling over many of its coral reef.
Group Size Limit: 6 people
Price per person: (please, contact us by email)

Here is the itinerary
Day 1
Arrive at Rendani airport of Manokwari
Day 2
Trekking and wildlife watching in Arfak mountains or the lowland forest of the northern coast area.
Day 3
Trekking and wildlife watching
Day 4
Trekking and wildlife watching
At the end of the day, we will return to Manokwari city
Day 5
Snorkeling
Day 6
Snorkeling
Day 7
Transfer to Rendani Airport
End of Tour

If you plan to visit West Papua and need me to arrange your tour and be your guide, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com or send whatsapp message to my number +6281332245180

Butterfly Art

When I guide tourists in the jungle, I often see beautiful butterflies. They have got white, blue, yellow, brown and black colors. I like to take pictures of them. When I return home, I will study the pictures and choose some that are suitable for my art projects. I draw them using watercolor pencils and now I create colorful vector illustrations using inkscape software. After that I export the digital art into png files and upload the them into my Butterfly Art in Zazzle store.

It is not easy to make digital drawing. It is more intuitive if I use pencil or brush. But a digital vector illustration of a butterfly can be printed on almost any products in Zazzle. I hope that those who see it will be interested in buying one.
The following is one of the many T-shirts which you can buy:

Birdwing Butterfly from the jungle of West Papua Tee Shirts by tropicalart

Sorong city the gate to Raja Ampat and the Jungle New Guinea

Pelabuhan Rakyat of Sorong City

I have been running snorkeling and rainforest tours from Sorong city since last year. Sorong has been famous around the world because it is the main gate for entering Raja Ampat islands. Flights to DEO airport can be taken from major cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, Ambon and Manado. Tens of thousands of visitors go Sorong every year to continue their trip in Raja Ampat where they will be able to enjoy scuba diving, snorkeling or climbing steep karst islets to see its beautiful scenery.
As a tour guide, I offer tour packages for snorkeling in Raja Ampat or trekking and birding in Tambrauw Mountains.
This week I will be guiding some French tourists on a jungle tour in Klasow valley. We will see tropical plants, butterflies and colorful beetles and birds. We also want to see wallaby and deer that live in the jungle.

This evening, I still have some relax moment of sitting at a street food stall eating a traditional Indonesian fried chicken cuisine called 'Ayam Lalapan'.

Watching Little Frigatebirds at Bakaro Beach

I am sitting at Bakaro beach now. It is approximately 30 minutes ride from the city. Near evening time, I saw some Lesser Frigatebirds flying over the sea in search of food. Female frigatebirds have got more white flanks on their chest and armpits. They are mostly black with fish as their main food. I can identify the birds because I bring my binoculars and have got Birds of New Guinea e-book in my tablet. Unfortunately, I don't bring my telephoto camera, so, I couldn't shoot the birds.

Marinelife

I used to see dolphins, and a lot of reef fish in the waters of Bakaro. Coral reef in Bakaro is relatively in good condition. Unfortunately, its white sandy beach is littered with a lot of plastic wastes and soft drink cans. Every Sunday, when the weather is good city dwellers of Manokwari like to come here for picnics and swim. Very few of them are brave enough to enjoy snorkeling in deeper water. 

Between November and March, the northern coast of Manokwari is exposed to bigger waves. So, it is the period that is suitable for wave surfers. For me, it is a rigt time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the beach.

Wounded Moustached Tree Swift

When I went birding in the jungle of Klasow valley early this year with two birdwatchers from birdventures.com, I had an opportunity to see a Moustached Tree Swift closely. A boy from the jungle village, picked it up on the ground after watching it falling from the air. He told us that this bird was fighting against another tree swift and got hit on his eye.

Moustached Tree Swift

Simon Thomson, one of the birdwatchers, held the bird and put it on his Swarovski Optiks HD-ATS-80 HD Spotting Scope with 20x60 Eyepiece (Angled, 80mm) for closer examination. Because of the fighting, the bird suffered severe injury on his eyes. Free fall to the ground also worsened his condition.
I asked the boy what food he had given to the bird to help him survive. He answered, "sweet tea." We were so surprised to hear that. Later, Simon explained that the bird should be given insects such as grasshopper. There were around fifteen children who were around us.
After that they boy returned to his house which was not far from our basecamp. The next two days when I returned again to the valley with a Dutch tourist, they children told me that the bird did not survive. I was sad to hear that but highly appreciated the boy's effort in helping the bird.
Klasow valley is a birding site in Sorong regency of West Papua. The jungle village near Klabolo stream where I stayed was a new human settlement in the jungle. The villagers were cutting trees, clearing the lands to open vegetable gardens and build their houses. The valley is also the natural habitat of abundant butterflies, wallaby, and tropical plants.
I introduce ecotourism in the valley to curb illegal logging and to stop the destruction of rainforest. Visitors need to walk for around one and a half hour to reach the jungle village. To travel to the valley, every visitor needs a good backpack that can carry some clothes, and photographic equipment.
Birdwatchers and nature lovers who want to see tropical rainforest or watch birds in West Papua can contact me (Charles Roring) by email to peace4wp@gmail.com.