Raja Ampat's Birds of Paradise

Few birds fire the imagination like the remarkable birds of paradise, so why not head to Indonesia’s Coral Triangle to witness the most extraordinary courtship displays by the most beautiful birds anywhere on Earth.

The humid rainforests of New Guinea and a myriad of islands to the west are a living laboratory demonstrating sexual selection in action, with birds of paradise as the test subjects. Over tens of thousands of years, in isolation from mainland species, the females’ aesthetic choices have driven the evolution of this spectacular group of birds.

And our trip to the Raja Ampat and Maluku archipelagos, which pockmark the Halmahera Sea, will give us a ringside seat at this process in action. Cruising from island to island in the 35-metre sailing yacht Katharina, we watch the sophisticated courtship dances of the elaborately attired males from very close quarters.

There will be at least six bird of paradise species, out of 44 known, in our sights. Wilson’s bird of paradise, with its dazzling array of electric blue, yellow, red and green plumage, not to mention the violet tail feathers that end in delicate curls resembling fancy ironwork is perhaps the most spectacular, but they're all truly stunning.

Unlike most other members of its family, the male Wilson’s bird of paradise displays at ground level, exploiting shafts of light piercing the forest canopy to inflame his bright colours. Other forest fauna you should see includes the glossy-mantled manucode, the gorgeously iridescent bird of paradise with its purple-black, blue and green plumage.

Another key target is the lek of the king bird of paradise in Salawati Forest on the island of Pulau Gam. Perhaps not quite as striking as Wilson’s, this species has the most extraordinary of all the leks we're likely to witness, with green-tipped tufts fanning out from its shoulders and tail wires held high above its head.

Bird of paradise courtship dances are beautiful and mesmeric for humans to watch, as they must be for the females, who choose their mates on the basis of which of them has the brightest feathers and the most-alluring dance steps. It’s this process, performed and perfected over millions of years, which has driven the evolution of the male’s extraordinary plumage.

Itinerary

Day 1: UK to Dubai.

Day 2: Dubai to Jakarta.

Days 3-4: Jakarta to Sorong, West Papua for two nights at Kasuari Valley Beach Resort.

Day 5: Board the Katharina & begin exploring the Raja Ampat archipelago.

Day 6: Salawati Forest for king bird of paradise.

Day 7: Explore Misool for lesser bird of paradise.

Day 8: Explore Misool for more birdlife & snorkelling.

Days 9-10: Explore Kofiau for localised birdlife & coral reefs.

Day 11: Mioskon Island for red bird of paradise.

Day 12: Explore Pulau Waigeo in search of Wilson’s bird of paradise lek.

Day 13: Depart Sorong for Jakarta & then on to Dubai.

Day 14: Dubai to UK.

14 days, from £10,350 (incl. flights) £9,550 (excl. flights)

Departure date: 19 Nov 2024

Embark/Disembark: Sorong/ Sorong

Vessel: Katharina

Tour Leader: Terry Goble

Why book Raja Ampat’s Birds of Paradise?

For intimate encounters with perhaps the world’s most beautiful birds, and serene sailing through jewel-like islands.

ཀྵ Stunning island scenery

ཀྵ Fascinating birdlife

ཀྵ Superb motorised yacht

ཀྵ Mind-blowing snorkelling

Wildlife Highlights

ཀྵ Wilson’s bird of paradise

ཀྵ King, red & lesser birds of paradise

ཀྵ Excellent variety of other rainforest bird species

ཀྵ Waiego spotted cuscus & Papuan frogmouth

ཀྵ Dolphins & pristine reefs

Activities

Birdwatching, snorkelling, hikes, dolphin watching

Our trip has many highlights: Wilson's bird of paradise in its iridescent splendour; playful dolphins leaping around the bow; the adorable spotted cuscus, and a backdrop of verdant forests, stunning islands and beautiful night skies. These images will stay with you long after you return.

Terry Goble, Tour Leader

Mios Kon

Kofiau

Salawati Island

Waigeo Indonesia

Kapatcol