22 Days bird watching tour
Day 1
Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), transfer to Majestic Hotel. If time permits a
visit to the Cu Chi Tunnel, a renowned historic site some 50km from Ho Chi Minh
City centre. Here is but part of the huge and complex underground tunnel system used
by the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War.
Other option for who arrive one day earlier is visit Can Gio mangroves and mudflat
for some interest targets such as “White-faced” Plover, Nordman Greenshank, other
common shorebirds and a chance for Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
Evening welcome dinner and briefing
Overnight Majestic Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City
Day 2
After an early start we will drive northwards towards the renowned Cat Tien National
Park. We will stop en route to search for the rare endemic Orange-necked Partridge.
Other endemic forms here include Indochinese Green Magpie and our first (of several)
chances for Bar-bellied and Blue-rumped Pittas. Onward to Cat Tien and our first
exploration of this superb National Park in the afternoon.
Overnight at the Cat Tien National Park (3 nights)
Day 3 & 4
The premier National Park in South Vietnam, Cat Tien is located in Cochinchina in
the Da Lat foothills and boasts an impressive mosaic of forest and seasonal wetlands
which largely escaped the defoliants used in the Vietnam War. We will bird by jeep
track and forest trails to seek out the endemic Germain’s Peackock-Pheasant, other
spectacular birds such as Siamese Fireback, Green Peafowl and Scaly-breasted
Partridge, endemic Pittas, the endemic Grey-faced Tit-Babbler and a host of other
species also known from Malaysia and Thailand.
The park is host to several primate species with our main targets Buff-cheeked
Gibbon and Black-shanked Douc Langur. Other mammals such as the huge Gaur,
Sambur, Wild Boar and Pig-tailed Macaque are also possible
Overnights Cat Tien National Park
Day 5
We leave Cat Tien for the relatively short drive to Di Linh. Certain birds can be easier
to locate here at the Nui San Pass than in Da Lat including Blue and Rusty-naped
Pittas, Spotted Forktail, White-cheeked, Black-hooded and Orange-breasted
Laughing-Thrushes, Vietnamese Cutia and “Black-headed” Parrotbill, a probable split
from the more widespread Grey-headed
Overnight Nhat Minh Hotel, Di Linh
Day 6
After an early morning return to the Nui San pass (which will give us our first chance
for the elusive Green Cochoa) we will drive up to the Langbian Plateau and the
evocative hill resort of Da Lat. We will stop at any interesting patches of habitat en
route and also see several attractive waterfalls. Da Lat is situated at a delightfully cool
1475 metres asl in a temperate region dotted with lakes and waterfalls and
surrounded by forest including various native pine woodlands.
Overnight Hoang Anh Gia Lai Resort, Da Lat (3 nights)
Day 7 & 8
We will explore the Da Lat Plateau including the 2169 metre Mt Langbian, cloaked
with evergreen forest right up to its peak and accessed by a progressively steeper
footpath. Our efforts should be rewarded however as this is the home of the
spectacular endemic Collared Laughing-Thrush, as well as Yellow-billed Nuthatch
and the Vietnamese forms of Cutia, Rufous-winged (Black-crowned) Fulvetta and
Black-throated (Grey-crowned) Tit which are sure fire bets for splitting before too
long. The elusive and handsome Green Cochoa is also here and should be vocal at this
time of year and a number of other Asian and wintering birds will also be encountered.
Nearer to Da Lat itself is Ta Nung Valley, famous for the relatively recently re-
discovered Grey-crowned Crocias which is regularly encountered here. Other
endemics such as Black-hooded and Orange-breasted Laughingthrushes and
Vietnamese Greenfinch are also possible
Overnight Hoang Anh Gia Lai Resort, Da Lat
Day 9
An early morning departure for Ban Me Thuot and a stop at Lak lake for some
waterbirds and wintering warblers en route. Later on we reach Yok Don national park
for 1 night stay at Ban Don Tourism area. Our main target here is Mekong Wagtail
but other species such as Black-headed Woodpecker, Collared Falconet, Chestnut-
bellied Nuthatch are among the specialities.
Overnight Dakruco hotel
Day 10
After our morning birding at Serepok river bank for Mekong Wagtail, we will head
for the rarely visited Mang Canh Forest. This wilderness forest experience will allow
us to link with a student studying the rare Grey-shanked Douc Langur, one of our
prime mammal targets and where another fine range of Indochinese birds may be
expected.
Overnight Hoa Sim hotel (2 nights)
Day 11
Our main targets at Mang Canh are Grey-shanked Duoc Langur and Chestnut-eared
Laughing-Thrush but we will also be on the lookout for Black-hooded Laughingthrus,
Pale-capped Pigeon, the endemic Ratchet-tailed Treepie and we have another chance
for Yellow-billed Nuthatch.
Day 12
In the morning, we will finalise our bird seen nearby Mang Den then we drive on to
the Lox Xo pass which has reached recent birding fame as the site to see the endemic
Black-crowned Barwing. Here, at the forest edge, we have a great chance of finding
this recently described species and others to look for include Brown Hornbill,
Indochinese Wren-Babbler (formerly known as Short-tailed Scimitar-Babbler),
White-winged Magpie, Red-tailed Laughingthrush and a another chance for Yellow-
billed Nuthatch
Overnight Kham Duc Hotel (1 night)
Day 13
Our original destination of Bach Ma National Park has been complicated by the
reconstruction of the road leading up to the higher levels. Happily most, if not all, the
birds we could expect in the higher reaches of Bach Ma are also to be found at the Lo
Xo Pass including Ratchet-tailed Treepie and a healthy population of Crested Argus
Pheasants. We will almost certainly hear this, almost mythical, creature but seeing
one is another matter. We will spend most of the day exploring the virgin forests
around the Lo Xo Pass before driving on to Hue in the afternoon.
Overnight Lang Co beach resort
Day 14
This morning we will access the mid ranges of Bach Ma where we will search in
particular for the endemic but elusive Annam Partridge and have our best chance for
Northern White-cheeked Gibbon. A good range of additional endemic and other
species can be expected. We will then leave for a drive of about five hours north to
Phong Nha National Park. Our route follows part of the Ho Chi Minh trail but now a
modern highway and passes through some of Vietnam’s finest scenery. Phong Na
itself is a spectacle of rivers and limestone bluffs and even the almost unknown
Vietnamese Pheasant has been seen here. We can try and always hope!
Overnight Song Son hotel (2 nights)
Day 15
Two major targets will occupy our time in Phong Nha, the near endemic Sooty
Babbler (also found in similar habitat in adjacent Laos). Here we also have further
chances for a range of birds including Siamese Fireback, Red-collared Woodpecker,
Brown Hornbill as well as the isolated form of Sulphur-breasted Warbler now split as
“Limestone Warbler”
Day 16
A pre-dawn search for two endangered primates - Black and Ha Tinh Leaf Monkeys
as well as the beautiful Red-shanked Duoc langurbefore the drive north to Cuc Phong
National Park, but we will cut our long driving by stay overnight at Thanh hoa city
Overnight Thanh Hoa hotel
Day 17&18
Early leaving for Cuc Phuong and stop en route at Van Long Van Long Nature
Reserve, 30km from Cuc Phong, we will take a sampan ride to some dramatic
limestone cliffs that are one of the last haunts of the critically endangered Delacour’s
Leaf-Monkey.
Cuc Phong is Vietnam’s oldest National Park and an area of lowland forest and lakes
easily accessed by a paved road. It is rich in birdlife and we have our last chances here
for both Pittas, Red-collared Woodpecker and White-winged Magpie as well as a
supporting cast which includes Malayan Night-Heron, Pied Falconet, Eared Pitta,
Silver-breasted Broadbill, White-tailed Flycatcher, Fujian Niltava and the annamensis
form of Limestone Wren-Babbler.
Overnight at Cuc Phuong national park (2 nights)
Day 19
Our final morning birding at Cuc Phuong, we drive to Ba Vi national park after
having late-breakfast for the split (from White-necked) Rufous-cheeked Laughing-
Thrush, Collared Treepie, another chance for Green Cochoa and others.
Day 20
We will spend most of the day for searching Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrus but other
common here are Red-billed Blue Magpie, Common Green Magpie are among our
target.
Afternoon we will drive to Ha Noi to conclude the main tour.
Stay overnight in Ha Noi
Ba Be Extension
Day 21
Ba Be National Park in the north of Vietnam is where the rare and little known White-
eared Night-Heron has recently been found to breed (see BirdingAsia Number 12
December 2009). This day, we will drive further north to Bac Kan provice, Ba Be
lake national park. Late afternoon, we will look for White-eared Night-Heron when
they leave their roost site in the evening.
Overnight Ba Be
Day 22
Morning at Ba Be to track down the White-eared Night-Heron and others in this little
known area We also can see easily White-winged Magpie, Pied Falconet.
Afternoon, we will drive to Hai Noi (Noi Bai) airport for departure or stay at hotel
nearby the airport if you have flight on the following day.
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