Cendrawasih is Indonesian for Bird of Paradise -- one of the above-water specialties of Raja Ampat. Featured in the this video is the Red Bird of Paradise (if I remember right). Sorry for the quality of the video, but I was kind of at the limit of my equipment on this one.

We didn't exactly get a lot them -- just a couple males who weren't so lucky to call in a dance partner.

Aside from the birds themselves, though, is the hike itself. It's an early rise, and the mosquitoes will swarm you the whole way, but traversing the crisp, cool jungle hills in the pre-dawn, listening to the canopy awake, makes it all worthwhile. I know most come to the Raja Ampat for what lies beneath the waves, but a hike for the cendrawasih is definitely high on my list for attractions too. And the jungle orchids, bugs, ferns, and fogs are all treats along the way.

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