Birding in Papua

Find information about the top birdwatching sites in Papua

Birdwatching in Papua (Irian Jaya) is on many people’s dream wish list. It is also some of the best birding in Indonesia. From steamy lowland swamp forest, to snow capped mountains, to remote islands, Papua has a great variety of habitats and a great variety of birds to match. Birding in Papua is also not as hard as you might imagine. The access to many of the sites listed here is straightforward, and there are some great local guides to help you. If you’d rather not try birding independently there are also several excellent tour companies offering trips to Papua.

Browse sites from the map or the table. Each site page will show links to birding trip reports, guides and other content that is relevant. Help us keep this information up to date by posting your experiences back here as comments.

Browse sites by location:

Sitewhat's there?
Batanta, Salawati, WaigeoA pilgrimage to see Wilson's Bird-of-Paradise! The islands are also home to Red and King BoP, Northern Cassowary, Western Crowned-pigeon and more.
ArfakStunning mountain scenery and stunning birds. See displaying Western Parotia, Magnificent BoP, plus Black Sicklebill, Long-tailed Paridigala, Arfak Astrapia and much much more.
Biak & NumforEasy birding in the islands of the Geelvink Bay. Loads of endemics, some of them easy, some of them hard!
NimbokrangHot sweaty mosquito infested lowland forest and swamp. Crawling with birds and easy to access.
Wamena & Lake HabemaThe high mountains of Papua. Awesome scenery and some awesome birding to match.
WasurExtreme lowland birding in the swamp forests and savannahs of Papua's far south. Absolutely overrun with birds including trans-fly specials and many Australian migrants.

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