Day 1: Hanoi City (Capital) – Arrival
Welcome to VIETNAM WILDLIFE TOURS! We’ll meet and welcome by Noi Bai airport, Ha Noi Capital. You will be transferred to the hotel, with the rest of the day at leisure. We will have a welcome dinner in the evening. Night at Ha Noi City.
Day 2: Hanoi – Cuc Phuong National Park (Via Van Long Nature Reserved)
Today we will make an early start to Cuc Phuong National Park. We will stop along the way to explore Van Long Nature Reserved, an extensive marshy area near Cuc Phuong. Here we will take a sampan to the dramatic limestone cliffs that home to the Vietnam’s endemic and Critical endangered primate “Delacour Langur”. We also can see several waders, herons, bitterns in this area. After some birding in Van Long, we will drive to Cuc Phuong to begin our exploration of this wonderful park. Night at Cuc Phuong.
Day 3, 4: Cuc Phuong National Park
We will have two full days to explore this beautiful, unique and fascinating park. Our explorations of the various trails through the national park will provide chances of some very exciting and special birds indeed such as Bar-bellied Pitta, Blue-rumped Pitta, Greyish Limestone-babbler, Red-collared Woodpecker, White-winged Magpie, Tonkin Partridge and Pied Falconet. Nights at Cuc Phuong.
Expected birds in Cuc Phuong: Tonkin Partridge (Endemic – Subspecies), Red-vented Barbet (Near Endemic), Red-collared Woodpecker (Near Endemic), Pied Falconet, Blue-rumped Pitta (Near Endemic), Bar-bellied Pitta (Near Endemic), White-winged Magpie, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, Tonkin Streaked Wren-babbler (Near Endemic – Subspecies), Greyish Limestone-babbler, White’s Thrush, Scaly Thrush, Siberian Thrush, Orange-headed Thrush, Chinese Blackbird, Japanese Thrush, Gray-backed Thrush, Black-breasted Thrush, White-tailed Flycatcher, Fujian Niltava,…and more.
Day 5: Cuc Phuong – Xuan Thuy National Park
After birding in the morning, we will drive to Xuan Thuy National Park where is only one of special wetland for birds migrating as: Black-faced & Eurasian Spoolbill, Ducks, Gooses, Sandpiperes, Ploveres.
Over night at Song Vang hotel
Day 6: Xuan Thuy – Tam Dao National Park
We will looking for some taget birds in the morning. In the afternoon, we will drive to Tam Dao National Park for 2 nights at Gia Le hotel.
Note: Tam Dao is usually foggy or misty in winter (December – March), but are still good sometimes for birding… we never know future weather, and it is very unpredictable there. These parks are also very busy on the weekends, as lots of people from Ha Noi come here for their holiday or to visit the area’s temples.
Day 7: Tam Dao National Park
Birding in Tam Dao, Our targets in Tam Dao are Blue-naped Pitta, Short-tailed Parrotbill and Grey Laughingthrus, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler but also many other sought-after species will be the best way to finalise our trip such Ashy Bulbul, Black-throated Laughingthrus, Chestnut Bulbul, Fujian Niltava, White-gorgeted Flycatcher, Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler, Spot-necked Babbler, Chestnut-collared Yuhina (split from Striated), Greater Rufous-headed and Short-tailed Parrotbills, and Collared Treepie
Day 8: Tam Dao to Noi Bai Airport – Da Lat
After some final birding at Tam Dao National Park before going to Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport for a domestic flight to Da Lat City. Night at Da Lat City.
Day 9,10,11: Da Lat Plateau
We will have three full days to explore the excellent birding sites around Da Lat such as Ta Nung Valley, Suoi Tia trail, Tuyen Lam Lake, Langbian Mountain and Bi Doup National Park. This is definitely our best chance for 8 Vietnam endemic species including Vietnamese Cutia, Gray-crowned Crocias, Collared Laughingthrush, Vietnamese Greenfinch, Dalat Shrike-Babbler, Annam Prinia, Dalat Bush Warbler, Black-crowned Fulvetta and many near-endemic species and subspecies can be found in the Dalat area. Nights at Da Lat City.
Expected birds in Dalat: Necklaced Barbet (Near Endemic), Indochinese Barbet (Near Endemic), Rusty-naped Pitta, Annam Minivet (Endemic – Subspecies), Indochinese Cuckooshrike, Dalat Shrike-Babbler (Endemic), Slender-billed Oriole, White-faced Jay, Yellow-crowned Green Magpie (Endemic – Subspecies), Langbian Tit (Endemic – Subspecies), Annam Prinia (Endemic), Dalat Bush Warbler (Endemic), Gray-bellied Tesia, Black-crowned Fulvetta (Endemic), Indochinese Wren Babbler (Near Endemic), Vietnamese Cutia (Endemic), Gray-crowned Crocias (Endemic), Collared Laughingthrush (Endemic), White-spectacled Sibia (Endemic – Subspecies), Plain Minla (Near Endemic – Subspecies), Hume’s Treecreeper, Langbian Lesser Shortwing (Near Endemic – Subspecies), Spotted Forktail, Annam Sunbird (Near Endemic – Subspecies), Vietnamese Greenfinch (Endemic), Red Crossbill,…and more
Day 12: Da Lat Plateau – Deo Nui San (Di Linh)
After some final birding at Da Lat we will drive south to Di Linh. In the afternoon we will start the exploration of the Deo Nui San area. Night at Di Linh town.
Day 13: Deo Nui San (Di Linh)
Today we will have a full day birding at Deo Nui San, a pass surrounded by impressive forested hills, this is the most reliable site to see many specialties including the endemic “Orange-breasted Laughingthrush”, the near-endemic Black-headed Parrotbill, Red-vented Barbet, Black-hooded Laughingthrush, White-cheeked Laughingthrush and the endemic-subspecies Annam Streaked Wren-babbler. Night at Di Linh town.
Expected birds in Deo Nui San: Bar-backed Partridge, Yellow-vented Green-Pigeon (Near Endemic), Hodgson’s Frogmouth, Red-headed Trogon, Red-vented Barbet (Near Endemic), Long-tailed Broadbill, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Blue Pitta, Indochinese Green-Magpie, Brown-backed Bulbul (Near Endemic – Subspecies), Grey-crowned Tit, Black-headed Parrotbill (Near Endemic), Black-chinned Yuhina, Red-billed Scimitar-Babbler, Collared Babbler, Annam Streaked Wren-babbler (Endemic – Subspecies), Orange-breasted Laughingthrush (Endemic), Black-hooded Laughingthrush (Near Endemic), White-cheeked Laughingthrush (Near Endemic), Langbian Sunbird (Endemic – Subspecies),…and more.
Day 14: Deo Nui San (Di Linh) – Cat Tien National Park
After some final birding at Deo Nui San, we will drive to Cat Tien National Park, the largest remaining lowland rainforest in Vietnam, and one of the best birding destinations in the country, and harbours an incredible diversity of wildlife, including over 350 bird species has been recorded. We will arrive in time to begin our exploration of this wonderful park. Night at Cat Tien.
Day 15,16: Cat Tien National Park
We will spend two full days birding in this wonderful park, birding along the network of tracks, forest trails in the Cat Tien National Park. We hope to see the endangered species and Indochinese endemics, such as Germain’s Peacock Pheasant, Blue-rumped Pitta, Bar-bellied Pitta, Siamese Fireback, Green Peafowl, Pale-headed Woodpecker, Black-and-buff Woodpecker, Grey-faced Tit Babbler and the most rare “Orange-necked Partridge”. We also have chance to see the most especially “Black-shanked Douc Langur”, one of the most colourful and least known primates in Asia, the rare “Annamese Langur” and “Buff-cheeked Gibbon”. Nights at Cat Tien.
Expected birds in Cat Tien: Orange-necked Partridge (Near Endemic), Siamese Fireback, Green Peafowl, Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant (Near Endemic), Indochinese Frogmouth, Great Eared-Nightjar, Woolly-necked Stork, Lesser Adjutant, Gray-headed Fish-Eagle, Orange-breasted Trogon, Great Hornbill, Banded Kingfisher, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Black-and-buff Woodpecker, Pale-headed Woodpecker, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Collared Falconet, Dusky Broadbill, Black-and-red Broadbill, Banded Broadbill, Blue-rumped Pitta (Near Endemic), Bar-bellied Pitta (Near Endemic), Gray-faced Tit-Babbler (Near Endemic), Indochinese Babbler (Near Endemic – Subspecies),…and more.
Day 17: Cat Tien National Park – Ho Chi Minh City (Departure flight)
After some final birding at Cat Tien before going to Tan Son Nhat airport, Ho Chi Minh city for departure flights.
