Nature Tour 10 days

Destination: Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh Long - Nam Cat Tien National Park - Buon Ma Thuot

Highlights: Receive the gift of nature offered by this interesting trip. You'll have the opportunity to visit Nam Cat Tien National Park to watch the its wild diverse fauna and flora. You may see some kind of animals such as monkeys, deer and other small mammals. Ride an elephant to visit M'lieng village and the natural forest. Take a boat trip along Krong Ana River and fill your mind with amazement at the splendor of fairy waterfalls. Yet, there's still something more.

Details Itinerary 

Code: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, G = Guide

Day 1: Arrival at Ho Chi Minh City (D)

Arriving at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll be driven to your hotel. Rest of the day, you'll be free to stroll around the city as you wish.

19.00 - 20.30: You’ll a Welcome dinner at one of a famous restaurant.

You’ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City/Vinh Long (B, L, G)

8.30 - 10.30: Drive to Vinh Long, a city famous by the Mekong River and floating market

10.30 - 15.30: You’ll cruise to visit Cai Be floating market, fruit orchards, a traditional family-run brick kiln, and drop in to look at some traditional cottage industries - a workshop making the huge coffins unique to the Mekong is particularly interesting. You'll have a lunch at one of the local family and have a shot show of traditional music in Mekong Delta which is operated by the local people.

15.30 - 16.00: You'll have time to wonder around the fruit market to buy some kind of famoust tropical fruit such as banana, pomelo, dragon fruit, mangostin and so on.

16.00 - 18.00: You’ll return to Ho Chi Minh City. You'll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh City/Nam Cat Tien (B, L, D, G)

8.30 - 11.00: You’ll be driven to Nam Cat Tien National Park which is one of Vietnam’s largest protected areas – a complicated network of wetlands and tropical forest nearly 74,000 hectares in two sections bisected by a river, the larger about fifty or sixty kilometres across in both directions. Its bio-diversity is considerable with over fifty endangered species listed in the ‘Red Book’ including the Javan Rhinoceros, the Siamese Crocodile and the Indochina Tiger. Of particular interest is its large bird population – well over three hundred species have been identified so far.

There are several trails through the forest. Although they avoid the deeper areas that are the habitat of the rarer species, they are well designed and offer good opportunities to see a wide range of flora and fauna. The best time to visit Nam Cat Tien National Park is the dry season from December to late May.

The Bird Lake is a good alternative for the Crocodile Lake for those who like bird watching. The Orange-necked Partridge is one of the rare bird species that live in the park. The best time for bird watching is from February to April.

11.00 - 12.15: You’ll take a boat trip to cross the river to the Park centre and have lunch at the park restaurant.

12.15 - 13.45: You’ll drive 9 km in a Jeep and then hike for three kilometres through the rainforest to Crocodile Lake - you may see some of the typical wild fauna en-route.

13.45 - 17.00: You’ll be able to watch the wildlife around the lake in the evening when the wild animals come to the lake to drink. From your hide, you’re likely to see monkeys, deer and other small mammals, and with a good pair of binoculars, there’s a good chance of spotting less familiar fauna, such as the Siamese crocodiles after which the lake is named.

You’ll be able to watch the wildlife around the lake when the wild animals come to the lake to drink.

You’ll spend the night at the guesthouse in the park.

Day 4: Nam Cat Tien (B, L, D, G)

6.00 - 6.30: You'll have opportunity to spy on the park's wildlife and row on the lake will be mainly to watch the park's feathered inhabitants.

6.30 - 9.30: After breakfast at your guesthouse, you'll then hike back to the main road and drive to the westwards and hike along the forest trail to the giant Ficus Tree which covers over two hectares.

9.30 - 13.15: You'll drive back to the canteen and have a cruise down Dong Nai River on a motor boat takes you to Ta Lai village to visit the farms and houses of S'Tieng and Chau Ma ethnic minorities. You'll enjoy your lunch box on the way.

13.15 - 15.15: You'll have time to visit the ethnic minority people in Dong Nai River.

15.15 - 17.15: Take a boat trip back to the Park Centre to spend the night.

Day 5: Nam Cat Tien/Ho Chi Minh City (B, L, G)

7.30 - 8.00: Breakfast at your guest house

8.00 - 11.00: You’ll cycle to Ben Ngu cycle to the nearby Ben Ngu area. After wandering around the massive trees, dripping vines, and visiting the rapids.

11.00 - 16.00:  You'll have your time for lunch in the canteen and your return to Ho Chi Minh City. You'll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 6: Ho Chi Minh City/Buon Ma Thuot (B, L, G)

After breakfast, your time will be your own until you'll be driven to the airport for your flight to Buon Ma Thuot. You'll have a lunch in the local restaurant and half day city tour to visit Akodhong village, Ethnology Museum. You'll spend the night in Buon Ma Thuot.

Day 7: Buon Ma Thuot/Lak/Namka (B, L, D, G)

Your breakfast will be served from 6am to 9am at your hotel. You'll then have a city tour.

8.30 - 9.30: You'll travel to Lak District where you'll visit Jun village, taking fugout on Lak-Lake to M'lieng village for your riding elephants to visit M'lieng and the natural forest. In the afternoon, you'll travel to Krong No, then walk to Nam Ka forest (12 km). You'll have dinner and and spend the night at long house of Ede people.

Day 8: Namka/Draysap Waterfalls Group (B, L, D, G)

After breakfast, you'll walk into natural Nam Ka Forest (12 km) to Lach Lo Village for lunch. After noon, you'll walk through the forest to Krong Ana River, you'll take a boat trip along the river and then take your vehicle to natural Dray Nur waterfall group, you'll visit Gia Long waterfall. Your overnight stay will be at a long house in Gia Long Waterfall.

Day 9: Gia Long/Buon Ma Thuot/Ho Chi Minh City (B, L, G)

You'll walk to visit Dray Nur waterfall, which is the most splendid view on the Serepok river. You'll then take your vehicle to Buon Ma Thuot for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. You'll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City departure (B, G)

Your time will be your own until your private car and driver arrives to take you to Tan Son Nhat airport for your departure flight.

Prices per person in US$:

Contact Us for more details

Valid until December 31, 2010

Surcharge for peak season of hotels are not inclusive in the prices above.

Prices include:

• Breakfast and accommodation sharing a twin or double room.

• Return domestic flight tickets: Ho Chi Minh City - Buon Ma Thuot - Ho Chi Minh City, including domestic airport taxes.

• Boat cruise as programme.
• Elephant ride as in the programme
• Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced driver.
• English-speaking guides as indicated in the itinerary
• Where necessary, entry fees for all visits as mentioned in the programme.
• Lunches and dinners, as specified, in the local restaurants.
• Government taxes

Price do not include:

• International flight tickets and airport tax.
• Visas.
• Dinners except as specified above.
• Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.
• Insurance.

Hotel list:

• Ho Chi Minh City: Elios Hotel (*** city centre) or similar
• Nam Cat Tien: National Park's guest house
• Buon Ma Thuot: Dam San Hotel (*** the best local standard)

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  All the touring itineraries on this website have been carefully crafted by our in-country management teams and represent a series of experiences we can certainly recommend. However, we understand that every travel experience should be as unique and individual as each traveler. Our consultants are waiting to hear from you so that we can tailor or custom design a tour to your individual specifications.