The Highlights of Hagen
We recently travelled to Mt. Hagen to further explore all that the region has to offer. It was a quick 3-day trip, however we managed to visit plenty of sites and meet with wonderful operators.
After touching down at Kagamuga Airport, we headed straight up to Magic Mountain Nature Lodge which is owned and operated by the awesome team at Paiya Tours. With 20 bungalows on site, the area boasts lush rainforests and streams; the perfect place to escape and be surrounded by nature. Magic Mountain Nature Lodge is well known for its bird watching excursions and is home to several Bird of Paradise species.
From here, it was a short 20min drive into Enga to visit the guest house, Kumul Lodge.
Wrapped by dense rainforest, the lodge offers great hiking and bird watching opportunities, with a nearby waterfall also a spectacular sight.
The warm and cozy central meeting area adjacent to the restaurant is the perfect place for either a morning coffee or an evening recap of your day.
It was then up to Rondon Ridge for the evening, with the stunning restaurant providing excellent cuisine. As the sun set, the rain fell and the air cooled, it was time to sleep before an early morning of hikes and bird watching awaited us the following day.
After a freshly brewed Highlands coffee, the sun began to rise and it was only a gentle 5min walk from the lobby of Rondon Ridge to reach our first bird watching site. We were very fortunate to spot the male and female Superb Bird of Paradise, as well as the male Blue Bird of Paradise, which is one of the rarer species and most sought after to sight. Having planted over 40,000 fruit trees over the years, Rondon Ridge has certainly been able to create a pristine and healthy environment for a wide variety of bird species.
Later that afternoon was a stroll through the beautiful wild orchid gardens, home to a number of rare orchids and wild flora. There are a number of hikes on offer, ranging from easy to intermediate and all of which offer breathtaking views.
The accommodation at Rondon Ridge is some of the best on offer in Papua New Guinea, and the view from your room in the morning as the low-lying clouds rise over the valley towards Mt. Hagen town offer a spectacular way to start the day.
A huge thank you to Pym and the team at Paiya Tours, as well as Bob and the team at Rondon Ridge for giving us the opportunity to re-discover the beauty and majesty of Mt. Hagen.
