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1: Saturday 7 February to Monday 23 February 2009 2: Monday 23 February to Wednesday 11 March 2009 with post tour extension to Central Highlands to Wednesday 18 March 2009 with Dan Brown and Richard Craik as leaders
Cost: £2440 plus about £960 for flights with Central Highlands extension: £3790 plus about £960 for flights Single room supplement: £400 Click here for explanation of price breakdown Maximum group size: 10 with 2 leaders. 2 leaders will join regardless of group size. |
Photo by Suppalak Klabdee/Vietnam Birding |
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Stretching one thousand miles down the east coast of Southeast Asia, Vietnam consists of a staggering array of habitats. Between the mighty deltas of the Red River in the north and the Mekong in the south can be found endless beautiful beaches, fertile coastal plains, lush lowland rainforest and high plateaus with rhododendron-covered peaks rising to over 9000 feet. It is no wonder then that Vietnam is home to nearly 850 species of birds and has the highest number of endemics of any country in southeast Asia. It offers the birdwatcher an unparalleled opportunity to see a large number of Indochinese specialities that can be so difficult to see elsewhere in the region. This tour has been designed to fulfill that need and, by visiting both the north and the south, we’ll have a wonderful chance to see a great variety of Vietnam’s distinctive birdlife, which combines influences from the Himalayas, the Palearctic and Malaysia. With the ravages of the past well and truly behind it, Vietnam has emerged as one of Asia’s most thriving economies and also one of its most popular tourist destinations. It has an infrastructure to match this popularity and we are assured of a warm welcome everywhere we travel to in this fascinating country. In 2009 we are offering two departures, the second to be followed by a short extension to the Central Highlands in search of some scarce species not seen on the main tour such as Black-crowned Barwing, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler, Annam Partridge and Sooty Babbler.
Day 1: The tour begins in London with an overnight flight to Hanoi. Day 2: After arrival and clearing customs, we’ll transfer to a hotel for breakfast and then set off for our first destination - Cuc Phuong National Park. We’ll stop in the late afternoon at Van Long Nature Reserve, just before Cuc Phuong, to take a sampan to the dramatic limestone cliffs that are home to the largest population of the endangered Delacour Langur. Various waders, herons, bitterns and a breeding pair of Bonelli’s Eagle are often seen here. We’ll then continue to Cuc Phuong National Park, arriving just before dusk. Night at the Park’s headquarters guest house.
Days 3-4: The first national park to be established in Vietnam, Cuc Phuong is an area of limestone hills covered in primary rainforest. During our time here we will hope to see some of the Park’s special birds including Bar-bellied, Blue-rumped and Eared Pittas, Silver-breasted Broadbill, White-tailed Flycatcher, White-winged Magpie, Rachet-tailed Treepie, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, Limestone Wren-Babbler, Fujian Niltava and Pied Falconet. Nights at Park’s headquarters guest house. Day 5: We'll return to hanoi and then drive to Tam Dao, a hill resort situated in lush evergreen forest at 3000 feet an hour and a half by road from the city. We’ll spend the afternoon birding locally searching for Black-throated Laughingthrush, White-hooded Babbler, Red-billed Scimitar-Babbler, Black-chinned Yuhina and Fork-tailed Sunbird amongst others. Night at Tam Dao.
Days 6-7: We have two full days to explore the bird-rich bamboo and montane evergreen forest above the town. Specialities here include the elusive Blue-naped Pitta, Red-headed Trogon, Purple and Green Cochoas, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Chestnut Bulbul, Grey Laughingthrush, Coral-billed and Streak-breasted Scimitar Babblers and Greater Rufous-headed and Short-tailed Parrotbills. Tam Dao can also be an excellent place to observe Palearctic migrants and winter visitors that may turn up here between December and March include Black-breasted Thrush, Japanese Thrush and Fujian Niltava. Nights at Tam Dao. Day 8: We'll leave Tam Dao early to reach Hanoi in time for a morning flight to another hill station, Dalat, in the Central Highlands. On arrival in Dalat we transfer to our hotel before heading out birding. We'll make our first of several visits to the Ta Nung Valley, a small but very ‘birdy’ area of remnant evergreen forest six miles from Dalat that we'll visit at least once. This is the most accessible site for the rare and endemic Grey-crowned Crocias. This arboreal babbler was only known from a few specimens collected in 1938 until it was rediscovered in 1994. Night at Dalat. Days 9-11: We have several other places to visit around Da Lat. We’ll spend some time birding along a mountain pass road, where the early morning activity may reveal Blue and Rusty-naped Pitta, Indochinese Green Magpie or Green Cochoa. Located at 4600 feet, the former French colonial hill station of Da Lat is now a popular tourist destination and is also one of Vietnam’s top birding destinations. We'll spend time birding in the cool pine and montane evergreen forests of Mount Lang Bian, a twenty minute drive from Da Lat. We have a range of birds to look for here including Silver Pheasant, Golden-throated Barbet, the resident form of Scaly Thrush, wintering Mugimaki Flycatcher, Grey-crowned Tit, Silver-eared Mesia, Lesser Shortwing and Black-crowned Fulvetta. The most sought after species at Lang Bian however is the beautiful and skulking endemic Collared Laughingthrush. Tuyen Lam Lake, just two miles from the centre of town, is another of Da Lat's hotspots for birders. Travelling either by boat or by road, we’ll visit the far side of the lake where a track wanders through pines to areas of remnant tropical evergreen forest. Slender-billed Oriole, Burmese Shrike, Vietnamese Cutia, Red Crossbill and Vietnamese Greenfinch can be found in the pines while the evergreen forest is home to Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Grey-crowned Crocias and Black-headed Parrotbill amongst others. Nights at Da Lat. Day 12: We'll leave Dalat after a final morning of birding and head to a forested mountain pass near to the town of Di Linh. The evergreen forest here is home to several Dalat Plateau specialities including Black-hooded, White-cheeked Laughingthrush and Orange-breasted Laughingthrush as well as the Indochinese endemic Black-headed Parrotbill. The very distinct local sub-species of Blue-winged Minla, Rufous-backed and Black-headed Sibias and Black-throated Sunbird can also be found here, as can the shy but beautiful yellow-breasted form of Indochinese Green Magpie. Night at Di Linh.
Day 13: We return to the mountain pass at Di Linh early in the morning to look for other exciting possibilities such as Blue and Rusty-naped Pitta and Green Cochoa before continuing along Highway 20 towards Cat Tien National Park. We should arrive in time for some late afternoon birding at Cat Tien after checking into our accommodation located at the Park's headquarters. Night at Cat Tien Headquarters.
Days 14-15: We’ll awake to the magical sounds of the rainforest with many weird and wonderful noises echoing through the mighty trees. Cat Tien National Park contains the largest remaining area of lowland tropical forest in southern Vietnam and an incredible diversity of birds and mammals including over 330 bird species. Endangered birds found here include Germain’s Peacock Pheasant, Green Peafowl and the very elusive Orange-necked Partridge. Mammals that may be seen along the trails include Leopard Cat, Wild Boar, Lesser Oriental Chevrotain, Sambar, Muntjac and Gaur as well as two endangered primates, Black-shanked Douc Langur and Yellow-cheeked Gibbon. We have two full days of birding here, both from the roads and also along forest trails which will give us access to a range of lowland forest habitats including semi-evergreen and swamp forests and nearby wetlands. Birding here can require patience but the rewards are fantastic and during our stay we hope to see Lesser Adjutant, Woolly-necked Stork, Grey-headed Fishing Eagle, Siamese fireback, White-bellied and Great Slaty Woodpeckers, Black-and-red, Banded and Dusky Broadbills, Orange-breasted Trogon, Bar-bellied and Blue-rumped Pittas and Grey-faced Tit-Babbler. Nights at Cat Tien Headquarters. Day 16: After a final morning at Cuc Phong we’ll drive to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon to connect with an overnight flight back to London where the tour ends on Day 17. Those taking the extension will spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.
Central Highlands extension: Day 17: Our extension begins with an early flight to Hue in Central Vietnam. On arrival in Hue we take a three hour drive to Phong Nha National Park and should have time for some birding in the afternoon where our first birds could include Sooty Babbler, an Indochinese endemic found only on limestone outcrops in northern central Vietnam and adjoining regions of Laos. Another Night at Phong Nha.
Day 18: We have a full day to explore the rich limestone forests of Phong Nha National Park. There will be a lot of birds to look at but in particular we’ll be searching for the real special birds of this region such Chestnut-necklaced Partridge, Red-collared Woodpecker, Brown Hornbill, Limestone Warbler and Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler. Night at Phong Nha.
Day 19: We’ll leave Phong Nha after breakfast for the drive south back to Hue and from there on to Bach Ma National Park, some 40 minutes by road to the south. Bach Ma National Park, where the Annamite Mountain Range meets the sea, is home to several Vietnamese and regional endemics including Annam Partridge, Silver Pheasant, Red-vented Barbet, Blyth’s Kingfisher, White-winged Magpie and Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler. Night at Bach Ma Park Headquarters.
Day 20: A full day of birding at Bach Ma National Park. We'll spend the day exploring the trails below the summit with a break for lunch. Other spectacular birds we will be looking for at Bach Ma include Hodgson’s Frogmouth, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Indochinese Green Magpie, Black-throated and Lesser-necklaced Laughngthrushes and a very distinct subspecies of Sultan Tit with a glossy blue-black crown – a possible future split? A very beautiful and endangered primate, Red-shanked Douc Langur, is sometimes seen in the treetops below the summit trails. Overnight at Bach Ma HQ. Day 21: Leaving after breakfast we head for the Lo Xo Pass on the newly constructed Ho Chi Minh Highway, a four-hour drive south-west of Bach Ma. After a simple lunch at Kham Duc we will make our first visit to the Lo Xo Pass to look for the Black-crowned Barwing, an Indochinese endemic discovered only in 1996. Overnight at Kham Duc.
Day 22: Our second day will be spent birding around Lo Xo Pass close to the border with Laos. Other specialities of the area we'll be looking for include Brown Hornbill, White-winged Magpie, Plumbeous Water-Redstart, Yellow-billed Nuthatch and Red-tailed Laughingthrush. Overnight at Kham Duc.
Day 23: After a last chance for some early morning birding around Lo Xo, we’ll leave after breakfast and head back to Danang for a midday flight to Ho Chi Minh City where we’ll connect with a flight to London, arriving there on Day 8.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
Last updated August 2008
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