I’m Diệp Tùng, the principal herping guide at Next Continent. This is a trip report and summary of a tour I lead in Bạch Mã National Park herping tour, joined by my guest Joost from Thailand.
We first met on iNaturalist, where I identified one of Joost’s snake observations as Elaphe moellendorffi. He later reached out on WhatsApp to thank me and ask about joining a Bạch Mã herping trip with Next Continent and soon enough, our tour was set.
We met at the park entrance at 9 a.m. and drove halfway up the mountain to begin our search for tarantulas. This part of the Annamite Ranges has its own endemic species of undescribed scientifically known as Cyriopagopus sp. ‘Bach Ma’, or Haplopelma sp. ‘Bach Ma’. It is a fossorial species that can be very difficult to view in the wild.
After around 45 minutes, our efforts were rewarded with a large, hairy specimen, our first main target of the day. On the way back, we spotted a Grey Wagtail, two Pallas’s Squirrel, and as a bonus, a Stump-tailed Macaque.
From there, we continued to the summit to explore the area and enjoy a pre-ordered lunches. Afterwards, we took a short rest at the accommodation so we could prepare for what would surely be a big night of epic herping.
After a great dinner (the team here do amazing food!), and within just 30 minutes of heading out we encountered our first snake, a Vogel’s Pit Viper (Trimeresurus vogeli), easily recognised by its green-tipped tail. Soon after, we found a Taiwan Slug-eating Snake (Pareas cf. fosmosensis) near one of the mountain streams, making the tally two snake species within the first hour!
During the second hour, we added the following to our list:
- Gia Lai Pricklenape (Acanthosaura nataliae)
- Four-striped Bent-toed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus cf. quadrivirgatus)
- Bana Spadefoot Toad (Leptobrachium banae)
We also encountered three insect species endemic to Bạch Mã National Park, Orestes bachmaensis, Lobofemora bachmaensis, and Phryganistria bachmaensis.
As the night went on, we spotted additional individuals of Trimeresurus vogeli and Pareas cf. fosmosensis, and the highlight of the evening was a magnificent Jade Tree Snake (Gonyosoma iadinum), a species only recently described. The final snake of the night was a Common Mock Viper (Psammodynastes pulverulentus), making it a 4x snake species night.
On our way back, we made one last exciting find, a Binh’s Spiny Frog (Quasipaa binhi), a newly described amphibian (June 2025), along with a Eurasian Woodcock, a bird species rarely recorded in Vietnam.
By the end of the night, we had recorded eight individual snakes from four species:
- Gonyosoma iadinum ×1
- Trimeresurus vogeli ×3
- Pareas fosmosensis ×3
- Psammodynastes pulverulentus ×1
After a good night’s rest, we enjoyed breakfast with noodles, beef, and eggs before heading out again in search of some extra diurnal species. The morning brought another highlight, a group of Red-shanked Douc Langur, including both adults and juveniles. We also saw three Giant Black Squirrel before wrapping up the trip.
After lunch, we departed Bạch Mã National Park and said goodbye. Joost was truly lucky to get such a great haul in a single night. Thanks to Joost for joining us and the Next Continent team.
You can learn more about our Bach Ma Herping Tours by visiting https://nextcontinenttours.com/bach-ma-herping-tour/
