Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival at theTan Son Nhat international airport, our guide will accompany you to your hotel in HCMC.
Have lunch at a local restaurant, then enjoy city tour visiting the former Presidential Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Saigon Post Office. Drive back to the hotel for relaxation before dinner.
Enjoy dinner cruise on the Saigon River
Overnight in HCMC

Day 2

After breakfast, check out the hotel, then a one and half hour drive will take you to Cu Chi where human knowledge has been enriched by experiencing a web-like tunnels system of more than 200km in length which used to be the shelters of Vietnamese guerrillas during the war against American troops. Return to Ho Chi Minh City for lunch.
Afternoon drive to the Cat Tien National Park, the biggest tropical rain forest in Vietnam
Cross the La Nga river by ferry boat to the park Head Quarter
Check in the guest house at the park
Enjoy a lovely country dinner at the guest house restaurant
Overnight at the park

Day 3

After early breakfast, take a jeep ride to the Ethnic People’s cleared area and cross the bamboo forest to the next cleared area as you may have many opportunities to admire many species of birds such as peafowls, sunbirds, hornbills, etc. at these two areas. Have picnic lunch at Dak Lua station or come back to the Park Head Quarter to have lunch.
After lunch, take a nice boat ride on the La Nga River to C3 field, which may bring you many opportunities to admire many species of king fishers, stocks, hawks, etc. Take the boat back to the Head Quarter and you can enjoy some fresh swimming at the Ben Cu waterfall on the La Nga river.
Enjoy a lovely country dinner at the guest house restaurant
Overnight at the park

Day 4

A full day of birding along the road and forest trails of Nam Cat Tien. A jeep can be hired at the park headquarters to visit areas further afield such as Bird Lake to look for visiting waders or Crocodile Lake where Green Peafowl, Lesser Adjutant and Purple Heron may be seen. During the walk through the forest to Crocodile Lake look out for Bar-bellied and Blue-rumped Pitta, Red and Black and Banded Broadbill and Orange-breasted Trogon amongst others. Overnight at Nam Cat Tien.

Day 5

Another full day to enjoy the rich bird life of Nam Cat Tien. Species to look out for include Woolly-necked Stork, Siamese Fireback, Scaly-breasted Partridge, Bar-bellied Pitta, Blue-rumped Pitta, Grey-faced Tit-Babbler, Great Slaty Woodpecker, White-bellied Woodpecker and Heart-spotted Woodpecker. Overnight at Nam Cat Tien.

Day 6

After breakfast, transfer to Dam Bri Park. Stop to visit plantations of tea, coffee, and mulberries on the way. Enjoy the beautiful scenery of the waterfall, river, forests and more birding at the park. Have lunch in Dam Bri
Later in the afternoon, transfer to Bao Loc, check in a hotel and relax till dinner at a local restaurant
Overnight in Bao Loc

Day 7

After breakfast, transfer on to Ta Nung Valley, which is one of less than a handful of sites from where the recently rediscovered Grey-crowned Crocias is known.
Have picnic lunch in Ta Nung or continue to Dalat and have lunch there
Arrival in Dalat, check in a hotel and relax till dinner at a local restaurant
Overnight in Da Lat

Day 8

A full day of birding at Mount Lang Bian where the evergreen forests are home to many interesting species including some endemics. Key species to be found at Mount Lang Bian include Silver Pheasant, Indochinese Cuckooshrike, Eurasian Jay, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Mugimaki Flycatcher, Cutia and Red Crossbill. This is also the place to see two of Vietnam 's sought after endemics, the Collared Laughingthrush and the Vietnamese Greenfinch. Mount Lang Bian is best avoided at weekends and holidays when it is a very popular destination for local tourists. Overnight in Da Lat.

Day 9

Tuyen Lam Lake , only 3 km from the centre of town, is Da Lat's other hotspot for birders. Take a boat to far side of the lake where a track leads through the pines to areas of remnant tropical evergreen forest. The rare and endemic Grey-crowned Crocias was re-discovered here a few years ago after not being seen for nearly 60 years. Other interesting species possible here include Slender- billed Oriole, Maroon Oriole, Rufous-backed Sibia, Black-hooded and White-cheeked Laughingthrush. Overnight in Da Lat.

Day 10

After breakfast, A full day of birding begins with an early start along the river road from the headquarters by jeep and foot. Also visit Bird Lake to look for visiting waders and perhaps a glimpse of Green Peafowl. Interesting species to look out for include Germain's Peacock-Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Scaly-breasted Partridge, Bar-bellied Pitta, Grey-faced Tit-Babbler, Green Imperial Pigeon and Mountain Hawk-Eagle. Lunch then transfer to the airport for flight to Hanoi. O/N in Hanoi.

Day 11

The sightseeing tour begins with a visit to Ho Chi Minh Complex, containing the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh, the Presidential Palace , Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts and the One Pillar Pagoda, whose origins date back to the foundation of city. The One-Pillar Pagoda is associated with a dream of King Ly Thai Tong. The annals wrote: "One night, King Ly Thai Tong (1028-1054) had a dream in which he saw Avalokitesvara Bodhisatva sitting on a lotus tower while he himself, was sitting alongside the Goddess" Ngoc Son Temple. Lunch at the local restaurant. Pick up , Depart to Ninh Binh. 3 hrs road trip with stop-over in Ninh Binh ,Visit the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre Seeing Animals and Birds..
Overnight in guest house in Cuc Phuong.

Day 12

The birding is good at Cuc Phuong with over 300 species recorded in the park. Endangered mammals such as Indochinese Tiger, Clouded Leopard and the rare Delacour Langur also inhabit the forests of Cuc Phuong though they are seldom seen. Other possible bird species include Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, Ruddy Kingfisher, Silver-breasted Broadbill and White-tailed Flycatcher. . The first national park to be established in Vietnam , Cuc Phuong is an area of limestone hills covered with large tracts of primeval rainforest. Key bird species here include Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Bar-bellied, Blue-rumped and Eared Pitta, White-winged Magpie, Limestone Wren-Babbler, Fujian Niltava and Pied Falconet
Nights in Cuc Phuong NP.

Day 13

The first national park to be established in Vietnam , Cuc Phuong is an area of limestone hills covered with large tracts of primeval rainforest. Key bird species here include Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Bar-bellied, Blue-rumped and Eared Pitta, White-winged Magpie, Limestone Wren-Babbler, Fujian Niltava and Pied Falconet. Overnight at Bong Sub-Station Cuc Phuong.

Day 14

The birding is good at Cuc Phuong with over 300 species recorded in the park. Endangered mammals such as Indochinese Tiger, Clouded Leopard and the rare Delacour Langur also inhabit the forests of Cuc Phuong though they are seldom seen. Other possible bird species include Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, Ruddy Kingfisher, Silver-breasted Broadbill and White-tailed Flycatcher.

Day 15

The first national park to be established in Vietnam , Cuc Phuong is an area of limestone hills covered with large tracts of primeval rainforest. Key bird species here include Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Bar-bellied, Blue-rumped and Eared Pitta, White-winged Magpie, Limestone Wren-Babbler, Fujian Niltava and Pied Falconet After having lunch, we will departure to Ha Noi. Dinner .Overnight at hotel Hanoi.

Day 16

Rising to the tranquil beauty of the bay. we continue to move around the bay to find more secluded areas. For those that wish to do some more birds watching you have the option of spending most of the beautyful cave ( Bo Nau cave ,to birds watching inside the Cave ) Sea eagle .and rendezvous with the junk for sea food lunch.. The junk will act as a back up vessel following us at all times. In the afternoon we once again move around the bay at a leisurely pace stopping to view some more caves. Cruising to Cat Ba Island.
O/ N in Cat Ba.

Day 17

To day we Visit Cat Ba National Park and view its tropical flora
The park is home to 620 species of plants, more than 32 species of mammals, 69 species of birds, and 20 species of reptiles and amphibians
Take the chance to view the white headed Vooc, an endangered bird species is found on the cliffs separating the island from the sea; The yellow monkey, the son duong (chamois) and many beautiful birds such as the cao cat, boi ca (kingfisher), hut mat and dau riu also live on the island
Lunch in local restaurant and take speed boat to Hai Phong at 13:40, then 2 hours to Hanoi .short shopping and Dinner.

General Information

Duration:

17 Days

Location Start:

Saigon

Location Finish:

Hanoi

Payment Types:

Credit/Debit Cards, Paypal, Cheque, Travellers Cheque, Payment Transfer

We Speak:

English

Extra Information

Inclusions -

• Accommodation based on twin sharing occupancy with daily breakfast. • Meals itemized in the itinerary (B=Breakfast , L=Lunch , D = Dinner) • Private A.C comfortable transportation, jeep at Cat Tien • Flight ticket Da Lat to Hanoi • Private English speaking guide • All entrance fees as indicated in the program • Cruise in Halong bay, boats at Cat Tien and Tuyen Lam Lake • Service charges, room taxes and handling fees. • Mineral water throughout the program

Exclusions -

• Visa stamping fee • Travel assurance • Tips and gratuities • Personal expenses and other services, which are not mentioned in the program. • International air tickets and airport departure taxes ( in Hanoi 14 usd/pax ) • Meals and drinks not mentioned in the program

Extras -

Hotel information
3 star hotels in HCMC: OSCAR BONG SEN 4 star hotels in HCMC: DUXTON REX 3 star hotels in Dalat: CAM DO Empress Hotel 4 star hotels in Dalat: Hoang Anh Dalat Novotel Guest house at the Cat Tien Park (best rooms) 3 Star hotel in Hanoi : HOABINH 4 Star hotel in Hanoi : Sunway : Ha long : Bai Tho Cruise . Cat Tien : Guest House Cuc Phuong : Guest House Cat Ba : Holiday View hotel 3 Stars