Papua New Guinea rainforest holidays

“My best memory of Papua New Guinea? Early morning, sailing into the shores of Bougainville island, with the volcanoes erupting under the rising sun.”

Aaron Russ is the co-owner and leader of our expedition cruise specialists Heritage Expeditions, which has pioneered travel to the South Pacific islands off the east coast of Papua New Guinea – remote and rugged islands covered in tropical rainforest.

Shirley and Rodney Russ, a biologist with the New Zealand Wildlife Service and Aaron’s dad, established the expedition cruises in the 1980s as a way to share the natural history of the world. Rather than wanting to hide endangered wildlife away from tourism, Rodney sought to invite and engage with people, hoping that by educating travellers they might become ambassadors for wildlife.

If you want to see evidence of evolution, then forget the Galapagos – Papua New Guinea is the place to be. There are more – and more complex – examples of evolution here than anywhere else in the world, and all found in the fantastic tropical birdlife. Each island even has its own speciation, where birds have evolved to become distinct species, so there will be new birds to spot wherever your tour takes you.

The highlight for travellers on the mainland of Papua New Guinea are the birds of paradise, but once you venture out into the outer islands you’ll find species like rails, silvereyes, honeyeaters, parrots and kingfishers, all of which have evolved to the unique habitats that each of the islands presents.

Typically, there will be educational opportunities throughout a tour, whether it’s formal lectures, evening discussions or shore excursions. Specialist small groups mean that you know you’ll be alongside equally fascinated travellers looking to learn more, and you won’t disturb the wildlife in the rainforests and on the beaches.

Bird watching

Birding doesn’t get much better than in Papua New Guinea – home to 780 bird species of which 76 are endemic. Twitchers can book specialist birdwatching tours, but the spectacular birdlife will appeal to any travellers here. In the rainforested Mandang region, colourful avian inhabitants include sulphur-crested cockatoos, rufous-bellied kookaburras and red-capped flowerpeckers. Along the Sepik River, you’ll spot typical waterbirds like terns and egrets alongside hornbills, and on the many surrounding islands you might encounter rare and endemic species like super pittas, Meek’s pygmy parrots, blue-faced parrotfinches and coconut lorikeets.