Summary: Discover Malagufuk Village, West Papua (Indonesia)—an untouched rainforest, home to birds-of-paradise—whose local community is striving to protect its pristine wilderness through ecotourism. Western crowned pigeon When birding abroad, we often stick to familiar reserves and trails, but the most memorable experiences often lie off the beaten path, beyond guidebooks and maps. One such hidden treasure is Malagufuk Village, deep in West Papua’s Klasow Valley. My guide, A

Proboscis monkey (Photo credit: Latha Prabhakaran) The first time I saw a proboscis monkey in the wild, perched on a riverside tree in Kinabatangan, Borneo, I couldn’t help but smile—with its rotund belly swaying gently and its long, drooping nose hanging like a pendulum, it appeared clownish. Locals call it monyet belanda (‘Dutch monkey’) in Malay and bekantan in Indonesian—inspired by its ‘resemblance’ to Dutch colonial settlers with large noses and potbellies. Proboscis

In my 15 years of birding across different regions of the world, I have explored various birding hotspots, led by several guides. Some of...