Birdwatching in Raja Ampat

Endemic to Raja Ampat, witness the red birds of paradise display the most complex courtship of the whole family. On high intensity display, the male performs a butterfly dance, spreading and fluttering his wings like a giant butterfly.

This cruise is undertaken every Saturday just before sunset or in the afternoon, departing the resorts at 3:00 PM. We will visit a small neighboring village by boat (30 min boat trip) followed by a 45 minute hike to the birding location to see the endemic Red Bird of Paradise. The Red Bird of Paradise excursion costs €40, all of which go to the local guides. Binoculars will be provided by the resort, but do bring and wear walking shoes if you decide to do the excursion during your stay.

Niko, a local guide for the Red Bird of Paradise tours, has worked with Papua Diving Resorts since we started in the 1990’s.

Males perform their courtship display within an ‘arena’, a small clearing in the middle of dense forest but well lit. The male first carefully clears the arena of unwanted items such as leaf litter and the leaves from sapling stems.

This trip can be done any day of the week except on Saturday and must be requested at least two days in advance. Departing at 4 AM, we will visit Waigeo island by boat (40 min boat trip) followed by a 45 minute hike to the birding location to see the endemic Wilson’s Bird of Paradise.