Vietnam's ultimate endemic birding journey from the tropical forests of southern Vietnam to the cool highlands of Da Lat, the Central Highlands and Annamite mountains, and finally the limestone and montane forests of the north.
Wildtour’s flagship south-to-north birding journey links Vietnam’s major endemic-bird regions, from Cat Tien and the Da Lat Plateau through the Central Highlands and Annamites to the limestone forests and montane sites of northern Vietnam. The route is designed for serious birders seeking the broadest possible range of Vietnamese and Indochinese specialties.
This 22-day expedition offers the ultimate birding and wildlife journey across Vietnam, traversing the country’s most pristine ecosystems from the tropical south to the northern highlands during the optimal dry season. Vietnam supports a remarkable concentration of endemic and Indochinese birds, alongside an impressive array of endangered primates. The itinerary kicks off in the lowland evergreen forests of Cat Tien National Park, targeting iconic ground birds such as Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, and Green Peafowl. Moving up into the temperate Langbian Plateau, participants explore Di Linh and Da Lat to search for high-altitude endemics including the Grey-crowned Crocias, Collared Laughingthrush, and Vietnamese Cutia. Continuing into the Central Highlands, the tour visits the dry dipterocarp forests of Yok Don National Park, renowned for its diverse woodpeckers, raptors, and the Mekong Wagtail along the Serepok River. Further north, the itinerary explores the lush montane habitats of Mang Den and the recently accessible Mang Ri Pass within the Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, home to the elusive Golden-winged Laughingthrush and Black-crowned Barwing.
The journey then shifts to the historic Annamite mountain range, visiting the Sa Mu Pass near the Laotian border to seek out the near-endemic Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush and Indochinese Wren-Babbler. At Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, birders target limestone karst specialists such as the Sooty Babbler and Limestone Leaf-warbler, while also tracking rare primates like the Hatinh Langurs. The northern extension begins at Van Long Nature Reserve with a traditional sampan ride to view the critically endangered Delacour’s Langur against dramatic limestone cliffs. Next, the expedition explores Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam’s oldest protected area, focusing on pittas, woodpeckers, and forest broadbills. The tour concludes in the mist-shrouded forests of Tam Dao National Park, where target species include the Blue-naped Pitta, Short-tailed Parrotbill, and Grey Laughingthrush. Accompanied by expert local guides, travelers enjoy comfortable accommodations, private minibus transport, and authentic local cuisine throughout. Perfect for both serious birders and wildlife photographers, this comprehensive route maximizes sightings of Vietnam's most sought-after avian and mammalian treasures. Optional private customizations and further northern extensions to Fansipan and Ba Be National Park are also available.
Customize tour is availble for private groups; please contact us for your inquiry.
List of key species
Orange-necked Partridge, Germain's Peacock Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Green Peafowl, Blue-rumped and Bar-bellied Pittas, Pale-headed and Black-and-buff Woodpeckers, Black-and-red, Banded, Dusky Broadbills, Grey-faced Tit Babbler.
Germain's Peacock Pheasant
Bar-backed Partridge, Silver Pheasant, Red-vented Barbet, Black-browed Barbet (split as Annam/Indochinese Barbet), Red-headed Trogon, Long-tailed Broadbill, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Jerdon’s Baza, Rusty-naped Pitta, Blue Pitta, Burmese Shrike, Indochinese Green Magpie, Eurasian Jay, Slender-billed Oriole, Maroon Oriole, White-throated Rock Thrush, Green Cochoa, Rufous-browed Flycatcher, Blue-and-White Flycatcher, Mugimaki Flycatcher, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Little Pied Flycatcher, Large Niltava, Lesser Shortwing, White-tailed Robin, Spotted Forktail, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Grey-crowned Tit, Grey-bellied Tesia, White-spectacled Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Black-hooded Laughingthrush, White-cheeked Laughingthrush, Collared Laughingthrush, White-browed Scimitar Babbler, Streaked Wren Babbler, Eyebrowed Wren Babbler, Pygmy Wren Babbler, Rufous-capped Babbler, Vietnamese Cutia, Clicking Shrike Babbler, Da Lat Shrike Babbler (split from White-browed), Blue-winged Minla, Black-crowned Fulvetta (split from Rufous-winged), Grey-crowned Crocias, Rufous-backed Sibia, Black-headed Sibia, Black-headed Parrotbill, Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, Streaked Spiderhunter, Vietnamese Greenfinch, Red Crossbill.
Grey-crowned Crocias
White-rumped Falconet, Black-headed Woodpecker, Collared Falconet, Wooly-necked Stork, Chestnut-bellied (Burmese) Nuthatch, Crested Treeswift.
Crested Treeswift
Pale-capped Pigeon, Northern Brown Hornbill, Stripe-breasted Woodpecker, White-winged Magpie, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Pale Blue Flycatcher, Grey-crowned Tit, Rufous-faced Warbler, Grey-headed Parrotbill, Indochinese Wren-babbler, Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush, Black-hooded Laughingthrush, Rufous-backed Sibia, Grey-faced Warbler, Blue-rumped, Blue and Rusty-naped Pitta.
Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush
Golden-winged Laughingthrush, Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Black-crowned Barwing, Indochinese Fulvetta, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, Rusty-capped Fulvetta.
Golden-winged Laughingthrush
Meals: D
Arrival at Ho Chi Minh City International Airport, where you will be met by your WildTour guide and transferred to the hotel.
In the evening we will have a welcome dinner and tour briefing.
Depending on arrival time and season, an optional pre-tour visit to the Mekong Delta coast can be arranged for shorebirds such as Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann's Greenshank and White-faced Plover.
Overnight: Ho Chi Minh City
Meals: B, L, D
After breakfast we drive northeast to Cat Tien National Park. After checking in, we begin our first birding session in the lowland evergreen forest.
Overnight: Cat Tien National Park
Meals: B, L, D
Two full days are devoted to one of Vietnam's richest lowland forests.
We explore forest trails, jeep tracks, wetlands and open forest by foot and local vehicle. Principal targets include Germain's Peacock-Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Green Peafowl, Orange-necked Partridge, Blue-rumped Pitta, Bar-bellied Pitta, Grey-faced Tit-Babbler, Pale-headed Woodpecker and Black-and-buff Woodpecker.
Broadbills, hornbills, woodpeckers and mixed forest flocks provide plenty of additional interest.
Overnight: Cat Tien National Park - 3 nights total
Meals: B, L, D
After some final morning birding at Cat Tien, we travel into the foothills towards Di Linh and Nui San Pass.
The forests here provide opportunities for Blue Pitta, Rusty-naped Pitta, Spotted Forktail, White-cheeked Laughingthrush, Black-hooded Laughingthrush, Black-headed Parrotbill and Green Cochoa.
Overnight: Di Linh
Meals: B, L, D
We return to Nui San Pass early in the morning before continuing uphill to the Langbian Plateau and Da Lat.
As elevation increases, the bird community changes noticeably and we begin encountering the distinctive highland avifauna for which southern Vietnam is famous.
Overnight: Da Lat
Meals: B, L, D
Two full days are devoted to the Da Lat Plateau, one of the most important centres of avian endemism in Southeast Asia.
Sites may include Langbian Mountain, Ta Nung, Bidoup-Nui Ba and other productive highland forests depending on current conditions.
Major targets include Grey-crowned Crocias, Collared Laughingthrush, Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, Black-hooded Laughingthrush, Vietnamese Cutia, Vietnamese Greenfinch, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Black-crowned Fulvetta, Grey-crowned Tit and Da Lat Shrike-Babbler.
Overnight: Da Lat - 3 nights total
Meals: B, L, D
We leave Da Lat and travel north through the Central Highlands, stopping at Lak Lake and other suitable habitats en route.
Later we continue to Yok Don National Park, where the dry dipterocarp forest supports a bird community very different from the evergreen forests encountered earlier.
Depending on timing, we begin searching for Mekong Wagtail, Black-headed Woodpecker, Collared Falconet, White-rumped Falcon and Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch.
Overnight: Yok Don area
Meals: B, L, D
We spend the early morning birding Yok Don, concentrating on any remaining dry-forest targets.
Late morning we begin the long drive north to Mang Den in the Central Highlands.
Overnight: Mang Den
Meals: B, L, D
A full day in the montane forests around Mang Den and Mang Canh.
Our principal target is the endemic Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush. Other specialties include Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Pale-capped Pigeon, White-winged Magpie, Stripe-breasted Woodpecker, Indochinese Wren-Babbler, Grey-headed Parrotbill, Rufous-faced Warbler and Black-hooded Laughingthrush.
Overnight: Mang Den
Meals: B, L, D
We have another morning in the Mang Den forests, giving us time to search for species missed the previous day.
Later we travel towards Tu Mo Rong, our base for exploring the Ngoc Linh area.
Overnight: Tu Mo Rong
Meals: B, L, D
Today is devoted to one of Vietnam's most exciting endemic bird areas.
The primary target is the highly localised Golden-winged Laughingthrush. Other important birds include Black-crowned Barwing, Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Indochinese Fulvetta, Indochinese Wren-Babbler, White-winged Magpie, Green Shrike-Babbler and a number of other montane specialties.
Overnight: Tu Mo Rong
Meals: B, L, D
If necessary, we spend the early morning back in the Ngoc Linh area searching for any important targets missed the previous day.
We then begin our journey north through the Central Annamites towards Khe Sanh in Quang Tri Province, with birding stops along the way where conditions allow.
This is primarily a transfer day, allowing us to position ourselves for the next morning's birding along the western Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Overnight: Khe Sanh
Meals: B, L, D
We leave Khe Sanh early and travel along the western branch of the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail to Sa Mu Pass.
This remote montane area provides our best opportunities for several Central Annamite specialties, particularly Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush, Indochinese Wren-Babbler and the difficult Moustached Barbet.
After lunch we continue north to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.
Overnight: Phong Nha
Meals: B, L, D
A full day exploring the spectacular limestone karst forests of this UNESCO World Heritage landscape.
Two principal targets are the near-endemic Sooty Babbler and Limestone Leaf Warbler. Other possibilities include Red-collared Woodpecker, Brown Hornbill, Siamese Fireback and a variety of limestone and forest species.
The region is also particularly interesting for primates, and where current access and conditions permit we will look for Ha Tinh Langur and other threatened mammals.
Overnight: Phong Nha
Meals: B, L, D
We have an early morning opportunity for birding and primate watching before beginning the long drive north to Cuc Phuong National Park.
Rather than trying to bird intensively during this long transfer, we use the day to reposition ourselves for two productive days in northern Vietnam's lowland limestone forest.
Overnight: Cuc Phuong National Park
Meals: B, L, D
A full day exploring Vietnam's oldest national park.
The limestone forest supports an impressive northern bird community. Targets include Red-collared Woodpecker, White-winged Magpie, Eared Pitta, Blue-rumped Pitta, Bar-bellied Pitta, Silver-breasted Broadbill, White-tailed Flycatcher, Fujian Niltava and Limestone Wren-Babbler.
Overnight: Cuc Phuong National Park
Meals: B, L, D
A second full day allows us to explore different sections of the park, including the Bong forest area, botanical garden and forest trails.
The programme will be adjusted according to what we have already seen and which targets remain.
Overnight: Cuc Phuong National Park
Meals: B, L, D
After some final morning birding at Cuc Phuong, we travel to nearby Van Long Nature Reserve.
Here we take a traditional sampan through dramatic limestone scenery while looking for the Critically Endangered Delacour's Langur, one of the rarest primates in the world.
In the afternoon we drive north to Tam Dao.
Overnight: Tam Dao
Meals: B, L, D
A full day in the cool montane forests of Tam Dao.
Important targets include Blue-naped Pitta, Short-tailed Parrotbill, Grey Laughingthrush, Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler, Coral-billed Scimitar-Babbler, Black-throated Laughingthrush, Chestnut Bulbul, White-gorgeted Flycatcher, Spot-necked Babbler and Collared Treepie.
This is also an excellent opportunity to catch up with northern species that may have escaped us earlier.
Overnight: Tam Dao
Meals: B, L
Our final morning is spent birding the upper and middle elevations of Tam Dao, concentrating on any remaining targets.
After lunch we drive directly to Noi Bai International Airport, where the tour ends.
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A further northern extension can also be added for Ba Be (White-eared Night-heron) and Sa Pa; 1 week of birding at these two sites is recommended. Please contact us for more information.
Tour price: Contact
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