12 Days: Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve – Forth Location where you can take Best Birds Photography in Vietnam

This tour is birding and birds photography, focus to Endemic birds, conform with photographer want to have nice pictures of Endemic birds in Vietnam. We have some bird-hide for you can enjoy with photography.

Golden-winged Laughingthrush

What is the itinerary for 12 Days Birds Watching and Birds Photography in The Southern and Central Highland of Vietnam?

The 12-day program will cover two national parks and the three largest nature reserves in southern Vietnam.

• In Cat Tien National park (3 days) : Germain’s peacock pheasant, Bar-bellied Pitta, Blue-rumped Pitta, Grey-faced Tit Babbler, Green-legged Partridge and Orange-necked Partridge.
• In Di Linh (Deo nui San) (2 day) : Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, Black-hooded Laughingthrush, Black-headed Parrotbill, Langbian Sunbird.
• In Da Lat city and Bidoup Nui Ba National Park (3 days): Vietnamese Cutia, Collared Laughingthrush, Vietnamese Greenfinch, Grey-crowned Crocias, Annam Barbet, Da Lat Shrike Babbler, Black-crowned Fulvetta.
• In Mang Canh, Kontum (1,5 days) : Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush
• In Ngoc Linh Natural reserve (2,5 days) : Golden-winged Laughingthrush, Black-crowned Barwing, Indochinese fulvetta.

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City – Cat tien National Park

Guide will meet you at the hotel  at 6:00 am (you will confirm exactly hotel name) then go directly to Cat Tien National Park, arrive to Cat Tien after 3.5 hour on car, after check-in time, we will go to find some birds along the main road in side Cat tien NP.

With the main roads 3km, you can see some kind of bird Cat Tien: Drongos, leafbird, tailorbird, warbler, Grey-faced Tit-babbler, Pin-striped Tit-babbler, Sunbirds, Banded kingfisher, Square-taied Drongo-cuckoo, Thick-billed Green-pigeon,  Orange-breasted trogon, Woodpeckers,…

• Accommodation:
• The Guess house inside of National park  with the best room (Double room with air-condition, hot shower, free WIFI), as pictures attach below.
• Meals: Breakfast on the way to Cat Tien, you will surprise about “Pho” (Vietnamese noodle with beef or chicken ) , Lunch and dinner at the Tre vang restaurant inside of National park. That restaurant have menu open with Europian style or Asia style.

Day 2: Cat Tien National park – First Ideal Location for Birds Photography in Vietnam

We start at 6:00 to the restaurant for breakfast and then go to birding for highlight targets in Cat Tien: Bar-bellied Pitta, Blue-rumped Pitta, Germain’s peacock pheasant, Siamese fireback, Green-legged Partridge… in the bird-hide tent. More ever you can see some kinds of bulbul group, babbler group, warbler group, woodpeckers group …

• After Dinner , we go to find some Owls: Asian barred Owlet, Brown hawk owl, Collared Scops Owl, Large-tailed nighjar.
• Accommodation: At the same room
• Meals: B/L/D : at the restaurant same with the first day.

Day 3: Cat Tien to Da lat City 

We will leave at 6:00 am to be the first to arrive in the grasslands. This short tour will give you the experience of seeing and photographing Green peafowl, Red junglefowl, Imperial pigeon and many beautiful birds that appear early in the morning in the grasslands.

Moreover, there are many species of herbivores that also appear: sambar deer, red muntjak, wild boar, … if lucky, you can meet Gaurs.

• After lunch , check out at 1:00 and moving to Da lat City, we arrive after 3 hours transport (after 17:00pm).
• Accommodation in Dream Hotel – Phan Dinh Phung Street, Dalat City.

Dream Hotel is a mid-range hotel (2 stars) in Dalat. However, this is a hotel with more than 20 years serving birds, very experienced senior understand and serve the discerning birder. They have a breakfast from 5:00 am serving a variety of European and Asian styles.

There are many other accommodation options, in the more luxurious and central hotels, but serving breakfast at 5:00 am is not possible, which is very inconvenient for birders.

Day 4: Da Lat City – Bidoup Nuiba National Park

Breakfast at 5:30 and then we go directly to Bidoup Nuiba National park. Full-day for bird watching in Giang Ly and Hon Giao area. In this place, we have 3 bird-hide for us with some high-light target:  Collared laughingthrush (endemic), Black-hooded laughingthrush, White-cheeked Laughingthrush, Grey-bellied Tesia, White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Rufous-throated Partridge, Black-crowned Fulvetta (endemic), Pygmy Cupwing, Large Niltava, White-tailed Robin, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Orange-headed Thrush…

In addition, We will follow the streams along the stream, there will be many moments when there will be many birds living along the stream to take pictures: Spotted Forktail, Slaty-backed Forktail,Plumbeus Water Redstar, Blyth’s Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher.

We will move back to the hotel in Dalat city at 17:30pm.

• Accommodation : at the Dream Hotel.
• Meals : B at the Dream hotel restaurant
• L at the restaurant near birding hide
• D : Restaurant in Da lat City.

Day 5: Bidoup Nui ba National Park – Second Ideal Location for Birds Photography in Vietnam

• We continute birding in Bidoup Nui Ba national park in another place with some special birds: Rusty-naped Pitta, Orange-breasted laughingthrush,
• Vietnamese Greenfinch, Red-crossbill, Vietnamese Cutia, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Green-backed Tit, Chestnut vented Nuthatch…
• Nigh time for: Going to Da Lat night market.

Day 6: Dalat City – Di Linh Plateau

• Early morning to go to Hoa Son Dien Trang for endemic: Grey-crowned Crocias, and more rare birds : Rufous-backed Sibia, Black-headed Sibia, Bay Woodpecker, Speckled Piculet…
• Then enjoy lunch time in Datanla Water Fall for: Vietnamese Cutia, Annam Barbets, Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, Langbian Sunbirds…
• We will leave Da Lat at 17:00 and go to Di Linh, to Di Linh at 18:30 and stay at Thuy Duong hotel.

Day 7: Di Linh Plateau : Deo Nui San – Third Ideal Destination for Great Birds Photography in Vietnam

Full-day birding in Deo Nui San hot-spot, with 2 bird-hide, we can enjoy with more than 25 birds species in nice picture :

• Target birds: Indochinese Green-magpie, Black-headed Parrotbill, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Bar-backed Partridge, Large Scimitar Babbler, Red-billed Scimitar Babbler.
• Other birds: White-throated Rock-thrush, Siberian Thrush, Blue-throated Blue-flycatcher,  Orange-headed Thrush, Buff-breasted Babbler, Grey-throated Babbler, Puff-throated Bulbul, Ashy Bulbul, White-bellied Erpornis,…

Day 8: Di Linh – Ho Chi Minh City – Flight to Pleiku City.

• The morning bird photography at Nui San Pass. Another bird-hide for : Blue Pitta, bar-backed patridge, Streak-wren Babbler…
• We will leave Di Linh to return to Ho Chi Minh City after lunch. We will fly straight from Ho Chi Minh City to Pleiku City in the evening flight, to Pleiku City and travel by car at night in Kontum City, 40km from the airport.

Day 9: Kontum province – Mang Den town 

• Departing at 6:00 from Kontum to Mang Den town, With 60km road we will take an hour by car.
  The whole day will be looking for birds in Mang Mang, the goal is : Chestnut-eared Laugingthrush.
• More: Sultant Tits, Racket-tailed Treepie, Long-tailed Shrike, Crested Serpent Eagle, Stripe-breasted Woodpecker, Grey-cheeked Warbler…

Day 10: Mang Den town to Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve

• Continue a full morning for bird watching in Mang Den. We will leave Mang Den after to move to Tumorong town, Arrive at hotel at 19:00.
• Tumorong is a very remote town in the northern highlands of Vietnam, bordering Laos and Cambodia.

Day 11:  Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve

We will birding and bird photography at Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, After more than 1 hour moving from the hotel to the core of the Nature Reserve, where there are bird-hide we have set. You will find it interesting because the birds are so beautiful, many species come to bird-hide so you can take photos of the day. Some goals such as: Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Golden-winged Laughingthrush (endemic), Coral-billed Scimitar-babbler, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, Rusty-capped Fulvetta, Grey-bellied Tesia, …

Day 12: Ngoc Linh NR back to Hochiminh City

Continue a full morning walk in some trails in the nature reserve, bird watching and take photos of birds at Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, with the goals not to be missed such as: Black-crowned Barwing, Black-headed Sibia, Green Cochoa, Green-tailed Sunbirds…

• We will leave Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve and return to the airport after lunch.
• Fly straight from Pleiku airport to Ho Chi Minh City in the late afternoon and will arrive in Ho Chi Minh City in the evening of the same day.

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