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| Blyth's hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus). This vector artwork was created by Charles Roring |
Duration: 5 days/ 4 nights
Availability: All year round
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I have just returned from a camping tour in the lowland rainforest of Tambrauw mountains. I guided a tourist from Luxemburg who wanted to stay in the jungle for several nights. We built three tents at the bank of Syuan river and did some walks in the forest to see birds, butterfly and various vegetation of the tropical jungle. At night, the sounds of insects, and other nocturnal animals became our natural music that we enjoyed, together with the flow of the water in Suan river.
Preparations
There were things that I and my friends had to bring to the forest to serve our guest such as tents, air mattresses, rechargeable lamps, eating and cooking utensils, binoculars. We also contacted local people from the nearby village in Syuan river to work as guides and cooks. Several days before the trip, we contacted a driver to charter his 4WD car for this trip.
The Rainforest trip
I met our guest at the airport of Sorong city. First, we went to my friend's house to put his bags which he did not need for the forest trip. After that we went to local market called Pasar Remu to buy fresh vegetables and other food materials that we would need in the jungle. I bought smoked fish, eggs, rice, fruits, and tempe.
When everything was ready, we headed directly to Tambrauw regency. It was a long ride approximately 4 hours. We needed have lunch in Sausapor town and then went to inform the local police about our tour. When all the paper works were ready, we continued our trip to Jokte village to pick up our local guides. Then we left for Syuan river. The 4WD car stopped at the riverside near the road. The scenery of the surrounding forest, and mountains and the river was really beautiful and peaceful. We took all of our things from the car and guided by the villagers, we walked along the banks of the river deeper into the jungle.
Sharing Food with Local People
We built our first camp at around 16.00 local time and then prepared our evening tea and coffee. At night we had dinner. We shared them with the indigenous Papuan villagers who guided us in the jungle. They were really nice and were happy to share their foods with us too. During the whole jungle trip, they caught fish, shrimps in the river. The women who worked as cooks picked some vegetables and cassava in the garden for us.
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| Our Tents at the bank of Cuan River in Tambrauw Mountains of West Papua |
The rainforest on both sides of Syuan river was the natural habitat of such tropical birds as Blyth's hornbill, sulphur crested cockatoo, egrets, Goliath cockatoo, black capped lory and paradise birds. Near our second camp was a deeper water. We liked to spend time there to swim and enjoyed the surrounding view of the forest. In the afternoon when all birds began to return to their nests, we saw two sulphur crested cockatoo at the tree close to our "swimming pool." They were so beautiful. Birding in Syuan river was very easy. We just need to walk along the sides of the river and observe the sky and the trees. To take picture, we used bridge camera with super telephoto lens such as Sony Cybershot H400 and Fujifilm Finepix H50EXR.
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| Sulphur Crested Cockatoo in the tree near Cuan river of Tambrauw regency |
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| White terrestrial orchid flowers that were very fragrant |
There are a lot of things which tourists can see or experience while exploring the rich bio-diversity of rainforest. The trip to this region is suitable for nature lovers.
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| Eupholus schoenherri beetle in the forest of Tambrauw regency |