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VIETNAM
Birdquest's Vietnam birding tour explores the entire length of the most endemic-rich country for birdwatching in Southeast Asia. Our Vietnam tour is the most comprehensive itinerary available in this fascinating and beautiful country and turns up more of its special birds than any other.
Sunday 17th February -
Monday 4th March 2013
(16 days)
Northern Vietnam Post-Tour Extension to Saturday 10th March (6 days)
Leader:
János Oláh
Group Size Limit: 9
Tour Category: Easy for the most part, occasionally Moderate
The near-endemic Bar-bellied Pitta is one of those fabulous Vietnamese specialities that every birder wants to see (Craig Robson)
Indochina, where the avifaunas of China, Malaysia and the Himalayas all meet, remains in ornithological terms amongst the least known and unexplored of all the regions of South-East Asia.
During the days when it was under French colonial administration, Vietnam was considered to be very much a land of remote forested mountains inhabited by wild tribespeople. Ravaged by thirty years of struggle, first in the independence war against the French and later during the civil war, Vietnam and its fantastic birdlife remained firmly off limits. Now the country has once more opened its doors to outsiders and for birdwatchers the old images of a war-torn country that came to exert such a powerful fascination for westerners are gradually being replaced by thoughts of the brilliant green paddyfields, forested hills with jutting limestone peaks and cool pine forests that have remained inaccessible for so long.
Vietnam has the most diverse avifauna in Indochina and amongst its birds are many of the most sought-after species of the Oriental region, including 13 endemic and near-endemic species (significantly more than any other country in South-East Asia), 11 additional species endemic to Indochina as a whole and a long series of endemic subspecies, some of which surely merit elevation to species status. Vietnam is still a rarely visited birding destination in spite of its very rich avifauna (rivalling Thailand in what it can produce in three weeks).
This tour, which will explore some of the finest areas for birds in the country, is specifically designed to concentrate on the Vietnamese endemics and other regional specialities, delivering more of these than any other bird tour.
We will begin our journey at Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City as it is nowadays officially known), but only pause here briefly on our way northeastwards to the unique Da Lat (or Lang Bian) plateau in south-central Vietnam where forested peaks rise to over 2000 metres. The forests here harbour such Vietnamese or Indochinese endemics as Black-crowned Parrotbill, Black-hooded, White-cheeked, Orange-breasted and Collared Laughingthrushes, Vietnamese Cutia, Black-crowned Fulvetta, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Grey-crowned Tit, Indochinese Green Magpie, Vietnamese Greenfinch and the strange Grey-crowned Crocias. Other specialities include Yellow-vented Green Pigeon, Hodgson’s Frogmouth, Blue Pitta, Swinhoe’s Minivet, Green Cochoa, White-spectacled and Grey-cheeked Warblers, and Black-headed Sibia.
Returning south, we will visit Cat Tien National Park in northern Cochinchina, which protects one of the largest remaining areas of lowland forest and wetlands in the country. Here we will be hoping to see the near-endemic Orange-necked Partridge, Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant, Red-vented Barbet, Bar-bellied and Blue-rumped Pittas, and Grey-faced Tit-Babbler, as well as a long list of more widespread species including specialities such as Scaly-breasted Partridge, Siamese Fireback, Green Peafowl, Pale-headed, Black-and-buff and Heart-spotted Woodpeckers, Vinous-breasted Starling and Golden-crested Myna.
Subsequently we will fly north to Da Nang in central Vietnam where we will visit some rarely explored reserves in search of some of Vietnam’s least known endemics and near-endemics, including Annam Partridge, Limestone Warbler, Indochinese Wren-Babbler (formerly Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler), Sooty Babbler, Black-crowned Barwing, White-winged Magpie and Ratchet-tailed Treepie.
During the optional extension to northern Vietnam we will first explore Cuc Phuong, the oldest of Vietnam’s national parks. Here in the moist evergreen forest we will look for a series of exciting birds, including Pied Falconet, White-bellied Green Pigeon, Japanese, Grey-backed and Black-breasted Thrushes, Limestone Wren-Babbler and Fork-tailed Sunbird.
Next we will, explore Mount Ba Vi with its Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrushes and Collared Treepies, and the old French hill station at Tam Dao, haunt of Blue-naped Pitta, Chestnut Bulbul, Fujian Niltava, White-gorgeted Flycatcher, Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler, Spot-necked Babbler, Grey Laughingthrush, Chestnut-collared Yuhina (split from Striated), and Greater Rufous-headed and Short-tailed Parrotbills.
Our final port of call will be Ba Be National Park where we should be able to observe the superb and very rare and endangered White-eared Night Heron at a recently discovered breeding site.
When the time comes to take our leave of this fascinating country we will surely agree with the comment made by Jean Delacour, a pioneer of South-East Asian ornithology, that “no other part of Asia is of greater interest to the ornithologist”.
Birdquest pioneered birding tours to Vietnam as far back as 1991.
(Note: The above is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed, day-by-day itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)
Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels/guesthouses are of normal Birdquest standard almost throughout. The guesthouse at Kham Duc is fairly simple, but all rooms have private bathrooms. Road transport is by small coach or minibus and roads are now generally good.
Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy, but there are some longer walks.
Climate: Most days at lower altitudes in the south will be warm or hot, dry and sunny. In the north and at higher altitudes in the south conditions range from warm to rather cool (or even cold during December-February). Overcast weather is not infrequent and it may well rain.
Bird Photography: Opportunities are worthwhile.
Tour Price: (provisional): $5140 Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi. Post-Tour Extension: $1780. Price includes all transportation (including Ho Chi Minh-Da Nang and Hue-Hanoi flights), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.
Single Room Supplement: (provisional): $386. Post-Tour Extension: $165.
Deposit: 10% of the tour price (excluding any single supplement).
Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.
Hodgson's Frogmouth is a rarely-seen nightbird across its range (János Oláh)
78 photos
View Gallery Photos From VIETNAM
The Black-crowned Barwing was only recently described as a new bird to science, endemic to the remote mountains of central Vietnam (János Oláh)
Siamese Firebacks are relatively common and unwary at Cat Tien National Park (János Oláh)
Eared Pitta is another of those dream birds which you may see in Vietnam (János Oláh)
The enigmatic endemic Grey-crowned Crocias was only recently rediscovered in southern Vietnam (Craig Robson)
It is thought that the poorly-known, near-endemic Short-tailed Scimitar-Babbler may be a missing link' between scimitar-babblers and wren-babblers (János Oláh)
Green Cochoa is one of these ultra-sought-after birds that eludes most birders (János Oláh)
The unique gayeti form of the Sultan Tit with its black crest is a strong candidate for a split.
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