The best birding tour in the southern & highlands Vietnam (9 days)

Cat Tien national park contains the largest remaining area of lowland tropical forest in southern Vietnam and an incredible diversity of birds and mammals while Da Lat is the endemic rich region of birds
Highlight species: Bar-bellied and Blue-rumped Pitta, as well as Germain’s Peacock-pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Green Peafowl, Orange-necked Partridge, Scaly-breasted Partridge; numerous woodpeckers (White-bellied, Great Slaty, Pale-headed, Black-and-buff, Heart-spotted); Great Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Orange-breasted Trogon, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Banded Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Blyth’s Frogmouth, Great-eared Nightjar, Grey-headed Fish-eagle, Lesser Fish-eagle, Black Baza, Collared Falconet, Woolly-necked Stork, Lesser Adjutant, Black-and-red Broadbill, Banded Broadbill, Dusky Broadbill, Golden-crested Myna, Grey-faced Tit-babbler…

Di Linh: Indochinese Barbet, Red-vented Barbet Blue Pitta, Rufous-browed Flycatcher, Black-hooded and Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, Black-crowned Parrotbill, Red-billed Scimitar Babbler, Black-chinned Yuhina, Black-chinned Yuhina, Black-throated Sunbird,

Da Lat and Bi Doup National Park  as known as the endemic near endemic bird area of Vietnam and Indochina such as Vietnamese Green Finch, Grey-crowned Crocias, Vietnamese Cutia, Collared laughingthrush, Black-hooded Laughingthrush…. The plateau reaches elevations of over 2,000 meters, making it much cooler than the surrounding countryside (this climate also helps explain the evergreen forests on the plateau, uncommon for Vietnam).

Highlight species: Silver Pheasant, Red-vented Barbet, Indochinese Barbet, Red-headed Trogon, Long-tailed Broadbill, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Black Eagle, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Rusty-naped Pitta, Blue Pitta, Burmese Shrike, Indochinese Green Magpie, Eurasian Jay, Slender-billed Oriole, Little Pied Flycatcher, Large Niltava, White-tailed Robin, Spotted Forktail, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Grey-crowned Tit, White-spectacled Warbler, Grey-cheeked Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Black-hooded Laughingthrush, White-cheeked Laughingthrush, Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, Collared Laughingthrush, White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Rufous-capped Babbler, Vietnamese Cutia, Chestnut-fronted Shrike-Babbler, Vietnamese Shrike-Babbler, Blue-winged Minla, Black-crowned Fulvetta, Indochinese Fulvetta, Grey-crowned Crocias, Rufous-backed Sibia, Black-headed Sibia, Black-crowned Parrotbill, Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, Vietnamese Greenfinch, Red Crossbill.

Itinerary    

Day#1: Sai Gon > Cat Tien National Park . Taking a drive about 3.5 hours from Sai Gon to Cat Tien National Park then birding at the park.

Day#2 #3: Birding at Cat Tien

Day#4: Driving about 2.5 hours from Cat Tien to Di Linh- Birding at Di Linh

Day#5: Birding at Di Linh then driving about 1.5 hours to Da Lat

Day#6#7#8:  Birding at Da Lat & Bi Doup National Park

Day#9: Taking a domestic flight from Da Lat to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Sai Gon.