Day 1: HOME – HCMC (D)

Arrival at Tan Son Nhat airport, hotel check-in. Orientation walk in the city center, stop at the city highlights: the Notre Dame Cathedral (built in 1880), the Central Post Office (in 1886) and the must-see Ben Thanh market.

Overnight in HCMC

Day 2: HCMC – CU CHI TUNNELS (B-L-D)

Excursion to Cu Chi, experience a web-like tunnels system of more than 200km built by Vietnamese guerrillas against American troops. Learn how the Vietnamese people make rice paper cakes and rice whisky.

Back to HCMC for City tour: visit the War Museum, watch for some birds at the Botanical Garden. Dinner cruise on the Saigon River.

Overnight in HCMC

Day 3: HCMC – XEO QUYT – THAP MUOI STORK GROUND – CAO LANH (B-L-D)

Transfer to Xeo Quit, a former communist military base, and enjoy wonderful boat trips around scenic swamps and forests of eucalyptuses and ivies. There is chance to admire many species of king fishers, sun birds, etc. in these forests.Continue by boat to the Thap Muoi Stork Ground where live various species of egrets, ibises, herons, etc. It is fascinating to see flock after flock of storks flying back home in the late afternoon.

Overnight in Cao Lanh

Day 4: TAM NONG NATURE RESERVE (B-L-D)

Take a boat ride to Tam Nong Nature reserve which is the breeding ground of red-headed, bare-necked cranes, a rare, endangered species of land birds. They often live in Tam Nong from December to August.

Overnight in Cao Lanh

Day 5: CAO LANH – CAT TIEN NATIONAL PARK (B-L-D)

Transfer to the Cat Tien National Park, the biggest tropical rain forest in Vietnam.

Overnight at Cat Tien park

Day 6: CAT TIEN NATIONAL PARK (B-L-D)

A full day watching birds along the La Nga River and the Lagerstroemia Trail,  chance to observe Black and Buff Woodpecker, Germain’s Peacock Pheasant, Banded Broadbill, Blue-bearded Bee-eater; Lesser Adjutant, Great-eared Nightjar; Ruby-cheeked and Purple-throated Sunbird etc.

Watch birds along the Head Quarter trail and road: blue-rumped pitta, black and red, dusky and banded broadbills; heart-spotted, black and buff and great slaty woodpeckers, white-browed piculet, blue-eared barbet, scaly-breasted partridge, Siamese fireback, great hornbill, orange-breasted trogon, Abbot’s babbler and great eared nightjar, etc.

Overnight at the park

Day 7: CAT TIEN NATIONAL PARK (B-L-D)

A full day of birding along the road and forest trails of Nam Cat Tien. Take a jeep from the park headquarter to the Crocodile Lake trailhead and start walking and birding to the lake, then canoeing around the lake. There is chance to observe Siamese Fireback, Black Baza, Germain’s Peacock Pheasant Red Junglefowl ,Bar-bellied Pitta, Blue-winged Pitta , Orange-breasted Trogon, Pompadour Green Pigeon, Cinnamon Bittern, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Vineous-breasted Starling, Black-browed Reed and Thick-billed Warbler, etc.

Overnight at the park

Day 8: CAT TIEN NATIONAL PARK (B-L-D)

A full day of birding along the roads and forest trails of Nam Cat Tien. Take a jeep from the park headquarter to the Bird Lake trailhead, then start walking and birding to the lake. Possibility to see Scaly-breasted Partridge, Siamese Fireback, Woolly-necked Stork, Dusky and Black &Red Broadbill, Golden-headed Mynah, Laced Woodpecker, etc.

Overnight at the park

Day 9: CAT TIEN – DI LINH (B-L-D)

Morning go birding around the HQ and on Lagerstroemia Trail. There is possibility to see Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, Siberian Blue Robin, Red-breasted Parakeet, Germain’s Peacock Pheasant , Red-vented Barbet, Black-hooded Oriole, White-browed Shrike Babbler, etc. Transfer onto Di Linh, birding along the road to Phan Thiet where there is chance to see more birds such as Magpie, Babbler, Woodpeckers, Tit Babbler, etc

Overnight in Di Linh

Day 10: DI LINH – DALAT (B-L-D)

Full day enjoy more birding in Di Linh. There is chance to see Black-hooded and Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, Mountain Hawk Eagle, etc. Transfer to Dalat

 Overnight in Da Lat.

Day 11: DALAT – TA NUNG (B-L-D)

Take morning birding in Ta Nung, 15km from Dalat where there is chance to see Red-vented Barbet, Grey-crowned Crocias ,Black-headed Sibia, Grey-headed Parrotbill, etc. City tour, visit King Bao Dai Summer Palace, Linh Phuoc glassy pagoda, the Valley of Love, Datanla waterfall. There is still chance to see more birds at these places.

Overnight in Dalat

Day 12: DALAT – LANG BIAN MOUNTAIN (B-L-D)

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. More city tour, visit the city flower garden, XQ embroidery workshop, Dalat market.

Overnight in Da Lat.

Day 13: DALAT – TUYEN LAM LAKE – HANOI – TAM DAO (B-L-D)

Morning for birding at Tuyen Lam Lake , boating around the lake and birding around the pine forests. There is big chance to find Slender- billed Oriole, Maroon Oriole, Rufous-backed Sibia, Black-hooded, White-cheeked Laughingthrush, Grey-bellied Tesia, Chestnut-fronted Shrike Babbler, Burmese Shrike, etc.

Flight to Hanoi, transfer to Tam Dao 

Overnight in Tam Dao

Day 14: TAM DAO (B-L-D)

Full day birding in the park with chance to see short-tailed parrotbill, chestnut bulbul, coral-billed and streak-breasted scimitar babblers, grey and lesser necklaced laughingthrushes, ratchet-tailed treepie along the water tank trail, streaked wren babbler etc.

Overnight in Tam Dao

Day 15: TAM DAO – HALONG BAY (B-L-D) 

Transfer to Halong Bay, a World Natural Heritage site. Check in aboard a deluxe junk and start cruising. Enjoy fabulous seafood, stunning sceneries, and water activities: swimming, kayaking, and fishing.

Overnight aboard

Day 16: HALONG BAY – GIAO THUY (B-L-D)

Morning continue the cruise along simply gorgeous sceneries including a very delicious lunch on board. Transfer to  Xuan Thuy national park. Check in a guesthouse  and overnight in Xuan Thuy

Day 17: GIAO THUY – XUAN THUY NATURE RESERVE (B-L-D)

Start birding by walking and boating around the centre with chance to see Black-faced Spoonbill, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann’s Greenshank, White’s thrush, blue robin, rubythroat, two-barred and dusky warblers, chestnut and black-faced buntings, etc.

Overnight at the centre

Day 18: XUAN THUY NATURE RESERVE – CUC PHUONG NATIONAL PARK (B-L-D)

If birding is promising in Xuan Thuy, spend another morning at Ramsar center. Or transfer to Cuc Phuong national park. Check in at the park center. Birding in the park center with chance to see Blue-rumped and Bar-bellied Pitta, White-winged Magpie, Limestone Wren Babbler, Pied Falconet, Japanese and Black-breasted Thrush (winter), silver pheasant, red-headed trogon,  eye-browed wren babbler, Malay night heron,  Asian stubtail and olive-backed sunbird, etc.

Overnight at the park center

Day 19: CUC PHUONG NATIONAL PARK (B-L-D)

Full day enjoy birding in the park center to see other species left on the list or new ones. Overnight at the park center

Day 20: CUC PHUONG NATIONAL PARK – HANOI (B-L-D)

More birding around the park center, along the road from park center to the park head quarter and around the park head quarter. Transfer to Hanoi.

DAY 21: HANOI (B-L-D)

Hanoi City tour: Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & Residence, One Pillar Pagoda, Ethnic meusum, Temple of Literature (The 1st University of Vietnam), trishaw ride, the Old Quarter, water puppet show. Overnight in Hanoi

DAY 22: HANOI – HUE – BACH MA NATIONAL PARK (B-L-D)

Flight to Hue, transfer to Bach Ma National park. Check in a guesthouse at the park. Birding on some nice trails with chance to see : Streaked Wren Babbler, White-gorgetted Flycatcher, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Golden-throated Barbet, Crested Argus and Annam Partridge, Black Eagle, Rufous-tailed Robin, etc.

Overnight at the park

DAY 23: BACH MA NATIONAL PARK (B-L-D)

Full day enjoy birding in the park center to see other species left on the list or new ones. Overnight at the park

Day 24: BACH MA NATIONAL PARK – DANANG (B-L-D)

Enjoy another morning birding around the park center. Transfer to Danang city. Check in a beach resort. Relax on the beach

Overnight in Danang

Day 25: FREE DAY AT BEACH IN DANANG (B)

Full day free time for relaxation at the beach resort in Danang

Overnight in Danang

Day 26: FREE DAY AT BEACH IN DANANG (B)

Full day free time for relaxation at the beach resort in Danang

Overnight in Danang

Day 27: DANANG – DEPARTURE (B)

Transfer to the airport  for departure flight back home

Inclusions:

-         Hotel accommodation with breakfast (based on twin sharing)

-         All meals indicated in the program, snacks, extra F&B at primitive places

-         All ground transport on tour with A/C vehicles, boats, rickshaw, domestic flights

-         All entrance fees for the parks, bird places, sightseeing

-         Local Vietnamese experts on birds in Vietnam

-         Local English speaking guides

-         Daily cold bottles of water and towels

Exclusions:

-         International flight tickets to and from Vietnam

-         Visa for Vietnam

-         Personal Insurance

-         Personal expenses such as other meals, drinks, laundry, tips, etc.

-         All other accounts not mentioned in the above inclusions.