ITINERARY FOR 12 HARDCORE BIRDING IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN OF VIETNAM

Day 1. Sai Gon – Ban Me Thuot

Drive (or fly) from Sai Gon to Ban Me Thuot city.  It takes about 8 hours to drive by private car.

Overnight at Dam San hotel (1 night)

Day 2.  Yok Don National Park

An early morning start to Yok Don national park, which borders north-western Cambodia, where it is a 50 km drive from Ban Me Thuot to the park. Yok Don’s dry dipterocarp forest has a similar avifauna to that of north-western Cambodia. This day we will find chances to see some birds that are otherwise difficult or impossible to find at other sites in Vietnam such as Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Black-headed Woodpecker, Alexandrine Parakeet, White-rumped Falcon, Pied Falconet, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Rufous Treepie and Mekong Wagtail.

 Overnight at Ban Don Tourism area (2 night)

Day 3. Yok Don

Full day birding at Yokdon

Day 4.  Yok Don – Da Lat

After a morning at Yok Don, drive eastwards through the cultivated lowlands before climbing up onto the Lang Bian Plateau and the charming town of Da Lat. We will make several stops along the way at any patch of interesting-looking habitat, including Lak lake.

The hill resort of Da Lat, perhaps the most attractive large town in Vietnam, is located at 4,900 feet (ca. 1,475 meters) in a temperate region dotted with lakes and waterfalls and surrounded by evergreen forests, including various native pine woodlands.

Overnight at hotel Ngoc Lan (3 nights)

Days 5, 6. Da Lat Plateau Endemic Bird Area

Two full days exploring Da Lat plateau, first of our visits is Ta Nung, a small private evergreen forest but is the most accessible site for the rare and endemic species Grey-crowned Crocias. Other goodies endemic such as Orange-breasted, Black-hooded Laughingthrushes, Vietnamese Cutia, Vietnamese Greenfinch may also be found here.

The second visit is Langbian Mt, the high peak at 2,169 m asl. This forest support to the most sought-after species, the beautiful and skulking endemic Collared Laughingthrush. The Black-crowned Fulvetta (split from Rufous-winged Fulvetta) is the common endemic among other targets: Wintering Mugimaki Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Grey-crowned Tit (Black-throated Tit), Vietnamese Cutia,...

Day 7. Da Lat – Di Linh

The third visit of Da Lat plateau is Tuyen Lam Lake in this morning for Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Burmese Shrike, Slender-billed Oriole, Indochinese Cuckooshrike, Vietnamese Cutia, Red Crossbill. Later the morning, we drive to Mt. pass Di Linh, about 2 hours to the south of Da Lat. A good road leading to the coast (Phan Thiet) branches off from Di Linh and a forested mountain pass 20 minutes along this road 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 afternoon is spent birding along the road returning to Di Linh for the night for one night stay.

Overnight at standard hotel in Di Linh town (1 night)

Day 8. Di Linh – Cat Tien

An early start to the mountain pass at Di Linh where other exciting possibilities include Blue and Rusty-naped Pitta, Indochinese Green Magpie, Spotted Forkail and Green Cochoa. Later in the morning we drive to commence exploration of this fabulous reserve during the afternoon.
Overnight at Cat Tien National Park HQ (4 nights)

Days 9 & 10 & 11. Cat Tien National Park

Two full days birding at the top birding site in Vietnam, we walk along the road, trails in the forest and also use jeeps to visit some areas such as Crocodile lake, Heaven rapid for a long list of targets such as Germain's Peacock Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Green Peafowl, Wreathed Hornbill, Lesser Adjutant, Woolly-necked Stork, Blue-rumped and Bar-bellied Pittas, Pale-headed and Black-and-buff Woodpeckers, Black-and-red, Banded, Dusky Broadbill, Blyth’s Frogmouth, Grey-faced Tit Babbler.

Day 12. Cat Tien – Sai Gon airport – Tour conclusion

A morning birding until 10:00 a.m, leaving the park for driving to Tan Son Nhat aiport. It takes around 3 and half hours to drive.

Price: Including accommodation, bird guide, private car with driver, meals and entrance fee, jeeps. Providing birding spotting scope, bird book.

Group	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
USD/pax	3,040	1,960	1,600	1,420	1,312	1,240	1,189	1,150	1,120	1,096