PNG Highlands – short report
I spent 6 nights at Kumul lodge mainly looking for birds during the day, but did a bit of mammal watching when weather cooperated. Carlos’s trip report covers the area well, as does the Hobcroft (2022) paper, so I am not adding much new here. During the day I spotted a single Calaby’s Pademelon (or Alpine Wallaby) at the lodge, which seems to be getting more comfortable near people, and another individual at night in the forest. Also seen during the day were Speckled Dasyure and Black-tailed Dasyure. At night I saw 3 Masked Ringtail Possum, many Black-tailed Giant Rat, a Moss-Forest Rat and a New Guinea Glider.
There seems to be a significant amount of confusion among the local guides about mammals, so I’d recommend bringing photos and guides to show them pictures (Wilson seems to be the most knowledgeable guide for those of you self-organizing trips). Some guides believe there are tree kangaroo around the lodge, others say they are only found high up on Mount Hagen (seems more plausible). Several of the foreign bird guides also did not know their mammals, so info about what is or is not present in the highlands is not great.
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7 Comments
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Daniel Boyland
I don’t think there are tree-kangaroos around the lodge, but you can see them on Mt Sugarloaf, which isn’t too far away (5°49’10.1″S 143°48’29.2″E). A wildlife guide named Max can arrange trips there. He’s friends with a couple of guys who know where to find the roos. Max charges 100 kina per day, while the two guys charge 50 kina each. So 200 kina total per day for the crew, plus food and transport. Max can meet you at the airport and travel with you into town to buy food, then you’ll take a PMV to the trailhead. The trek up to the grasslands takes a couple of hours. Probably the cheapest way to see wild tree-kangaroos in PNG. Max can be contacted on WhatsApp: +675 7175 3083.
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Daniel Boyland
Max wants me to mention that the price has increased since I visited. His guiding fee is now around 250 kina per day and each porter is around 100 kina per day. I think my trip was exploratory, which is why Max gave me such a cheap price. Also, after having been up there, I should say that the trek is significantly longer than a couple of hours. That’s just the time Max gave me when I first contacted him. Tree-kangaroos are easy to see. One of the guys found one after just a couple of hours in the grasslands. The locals tell me there are plenty of other interesting things up there, like eastern long-beaked echidnas. I only spent one night on the mountain, as I was there in the wet season and the weather was terrible.
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Daniel Boyland
Yep, I saw an ifola, and yes, that Tripadvisor report is mine. I’ve also posted the report here with a few more details and some pictures. Great that you’re considering contacting Max. He has no way of promoting himself, so gets very few clients. Also, when I was at Kumul Lodge, Tanya mentioned a new mammalwatching destination reasonably close by. It’s supposed to be good for quolls. She said the locals would take me there for free, as they wanted to promote the place, but the weather was terrible, so I didn’t end up going. Maybe the offer still stands for the first group that visits?
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CarlosBocos
Great stuff Brett! At the moment, I would ignore any comment about tree kangaroos nearby. They call tree kangaroo to anything, from glider to cuscus