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| Tropical Rainforest in north-east Waigeo island of Raja Ampat |
As a tour guide, I offer hiking tours to the forest of Raja Ampat particularly in Waigeo island.
Tropical Rainforest of Waigeo Island
During the tour, visitors will be able to watch birds, see tropical trees and shrubs as well as taking pictures of butterflies and wild flowers.
There are 2 rainforest areas in eastern region of Raja Ampat islands that I am now promoting as tourist destinations. The first is Wararaf forest (located in the northeast tip of Waigeo island) and the second is near The Fish Lagoon. Terminalia tree, rattan, strangler fig tree, iron-wood tree, and palm tree are some of the species of tropical plants which visitors can see while exploring the forest of Waigeo island. Coastal forest of north-east Raja Ampat is mostly covered by mangrove trees, cattapa trees, palm and coconut trees. I also saw some orchid flowers while climbing a cape in the Fish Lagoon.
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| Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra) |
During my previous trips to the forest and coastal areas, I watched Red Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra), Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita), Brahminy kite (Haliastur indus), Western Black-capped Lory, Radjah Shelduck, Tern, Pacific Swallow, Plover, Willie Wagtail, Eclectus Parrot, Frigatebird, Kingfisher and a lot more.
To take pictures of birds and sceneries, I used a bridge camera Nikon P500 but later I changed it with Fujifilm Finepix HS50EXR.
I also brought a pair of 10x 42 Visionking binoculars.
Exploring the Forest of Fish Lagoon
While in Fish Lagoon, I was able to explore deeper area of the forest by walking through a new road that was being constructed by local government. Local villagers do not have cars or motorcycles. When they want to travel to the coastal villages, they use their motorized boats. Thats why the road was empty. There were some bulldozer, trucks and pick-up cars that belonged to the construction company at that time but they did not work.
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| Queen Orchid (Grammatophyllum speciosum) |
The average duration of rainforest tour in Waigeo is 3 to 4 days, depending on how long visitors want to explore the forest. We could stay in the villager's house and do day hiking every day or we bring tents and camp inside the forest during the whole trip.
Things to Bring:
Visitors who are interested in taking rainforest tour with me in the jungle of Waigeo should bring the following things:
- Anti mosquito/ insect lotion
- Clothing that is suitable for tropical climate.
- Snorkeling mask and bathing suit if they want to enjoy snorkeling at the beach.
- A waterproof camera for taking pictures underwater
- A digital camera with telephoto lens if they want to take pictures of wildlife in the jungle
- A good pair of binoculars or spotting scope
Snorkeling and Jungle Tour in Raja Ampat Islands
Birding in Raja Ampat of West Papua
Raja Ampat Coral Reef Art
