This 21-day expedition offers the ultimate birding and wildlife journey across Vietnam, traversing the country’s most pristine ecosystems from the tropical south to the northern highlands during the optimal dry season. Vietnam’s extraordinary biodiversity boasts over 14 true endemic bird species and more than 30 Indochinese specialties, alongside an impressive array of endangered primates. The itinerary kicks off in the lowland evergreen forests of Cat Tien National Park, targeting iconic ground birds such as Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, and Green Peafowl. Moving up into the temperate Langbian Plateau, participants explore Di Linh and Da Lat to search for high-altitude endemics including the Grey-crowned Crocias, Collared Laughingthrush, and Vietnamese Cutia. Continuing into the Central Highlands, the tour visits the dry dipterocarp forests of Yok Don National Park, renowned for its diverse woodpeckers, raptors, and the Mekong Wagtail along the Serepok River. Further north, the itinerary explores the lush montane habitats of Mang Den and the recently accessible Mang Ri Pass within the Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, home to the elusive Golden-winged Laughingthrush and Black-crowned Barwing.

The journey then shifts to the historic Annamite mountain range, visiting the Sa Mu Pass near the Laotian border to seek out the near-endemic Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush and Indochinese Wren-Babbler. At Phong Nha–Ke Bang National Park, birders target limestone karst specialists such as the Sooty Babbler and Limestone Leaf-warbler, while also tracking rare primates like the Hatinh and Black Langurs. The northern extension begins at Van Long Nature Reserve with a traditional sampan ride to view the critically endangered Delacour’s Langur against dramatic limestone cliffs. Next, the expedition explores Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam’s oldest protected area, focusing on pittas, woodpeckers, and forest broadbills. The tour concludes in the mist-shrouded forests of Tam Dao National Park, where target species include the Blue-naped Pitta, Short-tailed Parrotbill, and Grey Laughingthrush. Accompanied by expert local guides, travelers enjoy comfortable accommodations, private minibus transport, and authentic local cuisine throughout. Perfect for both serious birders and wildlife photographers, this comprehensive route maximizes sightings of Vietnam's most sought-after avian and mammalian treasures. Optional private customizations and further northern extensions to Fansipan and Ba Be National Park are also available.

Customize tour is availble for private group, please contact us for your inquiry.

List of the most wanted species

Cat Tien National Park

Orange-necked Partridge, Germain's Peacock Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Green Peafowl, Wreathed Hornbill, Blue-rumped and Bar-bellied Pittas, Pale-headed and Black-and-buff Woodpeckers, Black-and-red, Banded, Dusky Broadbills, Blyth’s Frogmouth, Grey-faced Tit Babbler.

Germain's Peacock Pheasant

Di Linh & Da Lat

Bar-backed Partridge, Silver Pheasant, Red-vented Barbet, Black-browed Barbet (split as Annam/Indochinese Barbet), Red-headed Trogon, Long-tailed Broadbill, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Jerdon’s Baza, Rusty-naped Pitta, Blue Pitta, Burmese Shrike, Indochinese Green Magpie, Eurasian Jay, Slender-billed Oriole, Maroon Oriole, White-throated Rock Thrush, Green Cochoa, Rufous-browed Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Mugimaki Flycatcher, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Little Pied Flycatcher, Large Niltava, Lesser Shortwing, White-tailed Robin, Spotted Forktail, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Grey-crowned Tit, Grey-bellied Tesia, White-spectacled Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Black-hooded Laughingthrush, White-cheeked Laughingthrush, Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, Collared Laughingthrush, White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Streaked Wren Babbler, Eyebrowed Wren Babbler, Pygmy Wren Babbler, Rufous-capped Babbler, Vietnamese Cutia, Chestnut-fronted Shrike-Babbler, Da Lat Shrike-Babbler (split from White-browed), Blue-winged Minla, Black-crowned Fulvetta, Indochinese Fulvetta (no chance on this itinerary), Grey-crowned Crocias, Rufous-backed Sibia, Black-headed Sibia, Black-headed Parrotbill, Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, Streaked Spiderhunter, Vietnamese Greenfinch, Red Crossbill, Brown Bullfinch.

Grey-crowned Crocias

Yok Don

White-rumped Falconet, Black-headed Woodpecker, Collared Falconet, Wooly-necked Stork, Chesnut-bellied (Burmese) Nuthatch, Crested Treeswift.

Crested Treeswift

Mang Den

Pale-capped Pigeon, Northern Brown Hornbill, Stripe-breasted Woodpecker, White-winged Magpie, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Pale Blue Flycatcher, Grey-crowned Tit, Rufous-faced Warbler, Grey-headed Parrotbill, Indochinese Wren-babbler, Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush, Black-hooded Laughingthrush, Grey-crowned Crocias (rare), Rufous-backed Sibia, Grey-faced Warbler, Blue-rumped, Blue and Rusty-naped Pittas.

Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush

Ngoc Linh

Golden-winged Laughingthrush, Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Black-crowned Barwing, Indochinese Fulvetta, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, Rusty-capped Fulvetta

Golden-winged Laughingthrush

Itinerary

• Day 1 (D): Arrival day

Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), pick up at the airport and transfer to Victory hotel.

Optional

If time permits, we can visit Go Cong beach, a river mouth in Mekong delta, this mudflat is home for some interest targets such as Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordman Greenshank, White-faced Plover, and other common shorebirds. More information about this option, please visit our Spoon-billed Sandpiper tour.

Welcome dinner and briefing

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

• Day 2 (B, L, D): Transfer to Cat Tien National Park

After an early start we will drive northwards towards the renowned Cat Tien National Park for our first exploration of the Park in the afternoon.

Overnight at the Cat Tien National Park headquarters guesthouse (3 nights)

• Day 3 & 4 (B, L, D): Birding in Cat Tien NP

The premier National Park in South Vietnam, Cat Tien is located in Cochinchina in the Da Lat foothills and boasts an impressive mosaic of forest and seasonal wetlands which largely escaped the defoliants used in the Vietnam War. We will birding by jeep or on foot on tracks and forest trails to seek out the endemic Germain’s Peackock-Pheasant, other spectacular birds such as Siamese Fireback, Green Peafowl and Scaly-breasted Partridge, near-endemic Bar-bellied Pitta, the endemic Grey-faced Tit-Babbler and a host of other species also known from Malaysia and Thailand.

• Day 5 (B, L, D): Transfer to Di Linh (Deo Nui San)

We leave Cat Tien for the relatively short drive to Di Linh. Certain birds can be easier to locate here at the Nui San Pass than in Da Lat, including Blue and Rusty-naped Pitta, Spotted Forktail, White-cheeked and Black-hooded Laughingthrush, Black-headed Parrotbill and possibly Orange-breasted Laughingthrush andVietnamese Cutia.

Overnight Sillverfall Villa (1 night)

• Day 6 (B, L, D): Birding Di Linh - Transfer to Da Lat

After an early morning return to the Deo Nui San (which will give us our first chance for the elusive Green Cochoa), we will drive up to the Langbian Plateau and the evocative French hill-town resort of Da Lat. We will stop to bird any interesting patches of habitat en route and we'll also see several attractive waterfalls. Da Lat is situated at a delightfully cool 1475 m (4800 feet) asl in a temperate region dotted with lakes and waterfalls and surrounded by forest, including various native pine woodlands.

Overnight Da Lat city (3 nights)

• Day 7 & 8 (B, L, D): Birding in Da Lat

We will explore the Da Lat Plateau including the 2169 m (7100 feet) asl Mt Langbian, cloaked with evergreen forest right up to its peak and accessed by a progressively-steeper footpath. Our efforts should be rewarded, however, as this is the home of the spectacular endemic Collared Laughing-Thrush, as well as Yellow-billed Nuthatch and the Vietnamese forms of Cutia, Rufous-winged (Black-crowned) Fulvetta and Black-throated (Grey-crowned) Tit which are sure-fire bets for splitting before too long. The elusive and handsome Green Cochoa is also here and should be vocal at this time of year; a number of other Asian and wintering birds will also be encountered.

Nearer to Da Lat itself is Ta Nung Valley, famous for the relatively recently re-discovered Grey-crowned Crocias which is regularly encountered here. Other endemics such as Black-hooded and Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, and Vietnamese Greenfinch are also possible.

• Day 9 (B, L, D): Transfer to Ban Me Thuot

We make an early morning departure for Ban Me Thuot and a stop at Lak Lake for some waterbirds and wintering warblers en route. Later on we reach Yok Don National Park for a 1-night stay at Ban Don Tourism Area. Our main target here is Mekong Wagtail, but other species such as Black-headed Woodpecker, Collared Falconet, White-rumped Falcon, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch are among the specialties.

Overnight Yok Don National Park (1 night)

• Day 10 (B, L, D): Birding in Yok Don NP - Transfer to Mang Den

After our morning birding Yok Don the heading to Mang Den with a relative long driving

Overnight T&T hotel (2 nights)

• Day 11 (B, L, D): Birding in Mang Den

Our main target for a full day of birding at Mang Canh is the Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush, but we will also be on the lookout for Black-hooded Laughingthrush, Pale-capped Pigeon, the endemic Ratchet-tailed Treepie and we have another chance for Yellow-billed Nuthatch, as well as our first chance tosee the Brown Hornbill.

• Day 12 (B, L, D): Transfer to Dak To or Tu Mo Rong

In the morning, we will bird in the Mang Den area to pick up a few more to complete our bird list. In the late afternoon we will drive on to Dak To town for 1-night stay. If time permits, we can take further drive to the very small town of Tu Mo Rong, where a small guesthouse can accommodate maximum 6 people.

Overnight at Hoang Gia Trang hotel (2 night)

• Day 13 (B, L, D): Birding at Mang Ri - Special quest for Golden-winged Laughingthrush

Mang Ri pass, a new road crossing the Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, was completed in May, 2016. This is now the site to see the endemic Golden-winged Laughingthush, as well as the Indochinese Fulvetta, and Black-crowned Barwing. Here, at the forest edge, we have a great chance of finding this recently-described species and others, and to look for the Brown Hornbill, Indochinese Wren-Babbler (formerly known as Short-tailed Scimitar-Babbler), White-winged Magpie, Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Himalayan Cutia, Green Shrike-babbler and a another chance for Yellow-billed Nuthatch.

Overnight at Hoang Gia Trang hotel

• Day 14 (B, L, D): Birding in Bach Ma - Transfer to Khe Sanh

We will spend a morning birding again at Ngoc Linh if we miss something on previoous day, otherwise we drive all the way (with some enroute birding and relaxing) to Khe Sanh city in Quang Tri province, near Laos border

Overnight at Green Hotel (Khe Sanh town)

• Day 15 (B, L, D): Birding at Sa Mu pass

We leave early this morning for a 2.5-hour drive to Sa Mu Pass via the Ho Chi Minh trail's western branch. This is a fairly new spot near the Laos border that is home to the near-endemics Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush, Indochinese Wren Babbler and the rarely-seen Moustached Barbet.

This afternoon we drive to Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park. Stay overnight at Ho Chi Minh City-Phong Nha hotel (2 nights)

• Day 16 (B, L, D): Birding in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park

Two major birding target species will occupy our time in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park: The near-endemic Sooty Babbler and Limestone Leaf-warbler (also found in similar habitats in adjacent Laos) . Here we also have further chances for a range of birds including Siamese Fireback, Red-collared Woodpecker, Brown Hornbill as well as the isolated form of Sulphur-breasted Warbler now split as “Limestone Warbler”

• Day 17 (B, L, D): Driving northward

We will conduct a predawn search for two endangered primates - Black and Ha Tinh Leaf Monkeys as well as the beautiful Red-shanked Duoc langur before the drive north to Cuc Phuong National Park, but we might break up this long drive.

Those ending the tour on today will be transferred to Dong Hoi airport.

Night at Cuc Phuong national park (night 0 of extension)

Northern extension

• Day 18 (B, L, D): Drive to Cuc Phuong, stop for en route birding at Van Long

We leave early for Cuc Phuong and stop en route at Van Long Van Long Nature Reserve, 30km from Cuc Phong, where we will take a sampan ride to some dramatic limestone cliffs that are one of the last haunts of the critically endangered Delacour’s Leaf-Monkey.

Cuc Phong is Vietnam’s oldest National Park and an area of lowland forest and lakes easily accessed by a paved road. It is rich in birdlife and here we have our last chances to see both Pitta species, Red-collared Woodpecker and White-winged Magpie as well as a supporting cast which includes Malayan Night-Heron, Pied Falconet, Eared Pitta, Silver-breasted Broadbill, White-tailed Flycatcher, Fujian Niltava and the annamensis form of Limestone Wren-Babbler.

Overnight at Cuc Phuong National Park (2 nights)

• Day 19 (B, L, D): Birding in Cuc Phuong National Park

We will have our final morning's birding at the Bong area, then we drive back to the Park’s gate for afternoon birding around the nearby botanical garden, as well as visiting the Primate Center in Cuc Phuong National Park

• Day 20 (B, L, D): Transfer to Tam Dao

Our last morning in Cuc Phuong will be spent looking for the White-winged Magpie, and also Rachet-tailed Treepie if we have missed them before.

In the afternoon, we will drive to Tam Dao Mountain for 2 nights (overnight at Gia Le hotel)

• Day 21 (B, L, D): Birding in Tam Dao National Park

Our targets in Tam Dao are the Blue-naped Pitta, Short-tailed Parrotbill and Grey Laughingthrus, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler but also many other sought-after species. This will be the best opportunity to finalise our trip with species such as the 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 22 (B, L): Birding in Tam Dao, tour ends

We have a full morning of birding at Tam Dao summit, and later we spend a bit time in the mid-altitudes of the mountain.

After lunch, we will take a short drive to Noi Bai airport to meet your evening flights home.

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A northern further extension can be also be added for Ba Be (White-eared Night-heron) and Sa Pa; 1 week of birding at these two sites is recommended. Please contact us for more information.

Tour price: Contact

• Includes: Bird guide, transportation by private car, accommodation (share twin room), daily meals and drinking water, entrance fees, local transfer (jeeps, boat, truck). Also provide birding spotting scope and bird ID manual.
• Excludes: Personal expense (e.g., beverage, laundry), tipping for guide and driver (optional but appreciated), single supplement.

Relevant tours:

• Central Highland
• Central Highland and Southern of Vietnam
• Cat Tien & Da Lat