Summary

Lo Xo Pass lies along the Ho Chi Minh Road between Da Nang and Kon Tum, close to the Lao border and the forests of the Kon Tum Plateau. The road passes through a mosaic of primary evergreen forest, secondary growth and scrub, giving birders access to several elevation zones without long trekking. Its main attraction is Black-crowned Barwing, a highly localised regional speciality discovered only in the 1990s and still known from a limited number of sites in Vietnam and Laos.

The barwing can often be searched for in scrub and secondary growth near the road, while surrounding forest may produce Yellow-billed Nuthatch, White-winged Magpie, White-cheeked, Black-hooded and Red-tailed Laughingthrushes and Indochinese Wren-Babbler. Some border roads require security permission and may not always be accessible, so current local information is important. Lo Xo is typically visited as part of a Central Highlands route linking Da Nang, Kham Duc and Mang Den rather than as a stand-alone destination.

Click here to see the full bird checklist in Lo Xo Pass

Most highlights

White-winged Magpie, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, White-cheeked Laughingthrush, Black-hooded Laughingthrush, Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Indochinese Wren-babbler, Red-tailed Minla, Black-crowned Barwing.

Black-crowned Barwing is one of the most highlighted birds in Lo Xo Pass

Birding routes

Keep along the main road 14, but find some scrub or coffee plantation to find the Black-crowned Barwing; the bird is easy to see around the area just about 2 km near Dak Che bridge.

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Transportation

You can travel by private car from Da Nang airport for about 3 hours. A connected trip with MANG DEN is usually a drive from Da Nang for a one-night stay in Kham Duc or vice versa.

Acommodation

There are two good hotels (Kham Duc and Be Chau Giang) located in Kham Duc town, Phuoc Son district, Quang Nam province, about 40 km directly from Da Nang.

Relevant tour

• Comprehensive Vietnam Birding Tour: South to North
• Central Highlands Vietnam Birding Tour
• Bach Ma National Park Birding Tour

More information about the birding sites in Vietnam

• Mang Den - Kon Plong Birding Site
• Da Lat Plateau Birding Site
• Cat Tien National Park Birding Site
• Yok Don National Park Birding Site
• Tam Dao National Park Birding Site
• Sa Pa - Fansipan Mt Birding Site
• Cuc Phuong National Park Birding Site
• Lo Xo Pass Birding Site
• Bach Ma National Park Birding Site
• Sa Mu & Bac Huong Hoa Birding Site
• Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Birding Site
• Tan Phu Forest (Thac Mai) Birding Site
• Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve Birding Site
• Mekong Delta Birding Site