Cat Tien 3-Day Birding Tour
Our ultimate Cat Tien birding experience. From pittas to peacock-pheasants, Cat Tien offers some of the best lowland forest birding in Southeast Asia. This high-action tour targets the full range of the park’s specialties, with extensive daytime birding and spotlighting after dark. Expect 100+ species in just three days. Private tours led by expert guides, tailored for serious birders, photographers, and anyone after the best quality birding Vietnam has to offer.
Details
Summary:
— 3-Day / 2-Night Tour
— Bookings Available Year-Round
— Departs from Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat, or other locations on request
— Private Tours for Individuals or Small Groups, with Options for Larger Groups Available Upon Request
Prices From:
Single Person: $1,125 per person
Group of 2: $645 per person
Group of 3: $540 per person
Group of 4: $455 per person
Cat Tien 3-Day Birding Tour
Code: CTMD01 | Categories: Birding | Locations: Cat Tien National Park, Ho Chi Minh City
Summary:
Join us on our classic 3-Day / 2-Night comprehensive birding tour of Cát Tiên National Park, one of Vietnam’s most iconic wildlife reserves and home to an extraordinary diversity of lowland tropical species. This tour is perfect for experiencing the birding highlights of Southern Vietnam, with a special focus on sought-after regional endemics, elusive forest birds, and unbeatable photographic opportunities. While we follow a general itinerary, every tour is tailored to your personal interests, whether that’s chasing new species, moving at a relaxed pace, focusing on photography or something in between.
The tour typically begins in either Ho Chi Minh City or Da Lat, though we can arrange custom departures from other locations on request. Over three days, you’ll explore all major habitat types of the park, from rich evergreen forests and bamboo thickets to wetlands and river edges. Our world-class guiding team will help you track down key species, and we provide spotting scopes and all spotlighting equipment to ensure nothing is missed.
Spotlighting sessions are included on both nights, offering opportunity to target owls, frogmouths, nightjars, and other nocturnal wildlife. Our team provides red-light torches, headlamps, and expert tracking to maximise night-time sightings.
Cat Tien is home to over 350 species of birds and is renowned for specialties such as: Orange-necked Partridge, Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant, Siamese Fireback, Green Peafowl, Bar-bellied and Blue-rumped Pittas, Banded Kingfisher, Great Eared Nightjar, Black-and-red Broadbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Orange-breasted Trogon, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Spot-bellied Eagle Owl, Dusky Broadbill, Collared Falconet, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, and Asian Woolly-necked Stork, just to name a small selection (all of which are featured on this tour).
Accommodation is at the park headquarters, offering basic but comfortable rooms with private amenities, air-conditioning, and WIFI, perfectly located for immediate access to trails and night outings. While meals are not included by default (to offer guests flexibility with dietary needs and self-catering), we are happy to assist with recommendations or include full meal options upon request.
In addition to birdlife, our expert guides are expert wildlife guides and will gladly highlight Cat Tien’s rare mammals & primates, reptiles, amphibians, and other wildlfie along the way.
This tour can be extended to 4 days or combined with our Da Lat Birding Tours for a complete Southern Vietnam birding experience. For those short on time, ask us about our 2-Day / 1-Night version of this trip also.
Itinerary
While we follow a general structure, no two tours are the same. We tailor each day’s locations and trails based on your target species, photography goals, and local conditions. This flexible, guest-focused approach consistently leads to better results, higher species counts, and more enjoyable experiences for our guests overall.
Day 1 begins with a transfer from either Ho Chi Minh City or Da Lat to Cát Tiên National Park. Your guide will handle park entry tickets, the ferry crossing, and check-in at your accommodation. From there, we dive straight into birding, focusing on key habitats and priority targets. After dinner, we head out spotlighting for owls, nightjars, and other nocturnal wildlife.
On Day 2, we explore deeper into the park, making the most of the early morning activity and venturing to more remote areas such as Crocodile Lake and old-growth forest. In the afternoon, we work through lowland forest, rapids, and open grassland habitats. Optional spotlighting is offered again in the evening, depending on remaining targets and guest interest.
Day 3 is our final big morning in the park — a last chance to pick up any missing species or revisit productive areas. After lunch, we begin the return journey to Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat, or your next destination.
Top Target Birds
As mentioned above, Cat Tien has an impressive bird list of over 350 species, including some exceptional rarities and a noteworthy number of Vietnamese and Indochinese endemics. On a typical 3-day tour (season-dependent), we usually target around 100 species, with especially productive trips yielding 130 or more, particularly when winter migrants are present.
Besides the species mentioned in the opening summary, some regular highlight Cotton Pygmy Goose, Scaly-breasted Partridge, Chinese Francolin, Ashy-headed Green Pigeon, Violet Cuckoo, Blyth’s Frogmouth, Silver-backed Needletail, Bronze-winged Jacana, Lesser Adjutant, Black Bittern, Shikra, Lesser Fish Eagle, Brown Fish Owl, Brown Boobook, Great Hornbill, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Black-backed Dwarf Kingfisher, Indochinese Roller, Red-vented Barbet, White-browed Piculet, White-bellied Woodpecker, Black-and-red Broadbill, Blue-winged Pitta, Blyth’s Paradise Flycatcher, Rufescent Prinia, Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Grey-faced Tit Babbler, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Golden-crested Myna, Ruby-cheeked Sunbird, Van Hasselt’s Sunbird, Purple-naped Spiderhunter, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Forest Wagtail and much, much more.
A comprehensive list can be viewed on eBird. If you have specific questions around species or targets, please feel free to get in touch!
Other Wildlife Highlights
It’s no secret that where birding is spectacular, other wildlife experiences often follow and Cát Tiên National Park is no exception. From primates like the Southern Yellow-cheeked Gibbon and Black-shanked Douc Langur to mammals such as the Gaur and Asian Elephant, the park offers outstanding wildlife encounters.
It’s also a major hotspot for herping, with species like the Ruby-eyed Pit Viper, Mekong Snail-eating Turtle, Cat Tien Bent-toed Gecko, and Banded Krait. Butterfly watching, rare orchids, and tropical invertebrates add even more depth to the experience. The entire Next Continent team is thoroughly trained across major wildlife groups, so whether you want to add a bit of herping, track down a gibbon, or search for rare tropical moths during your birding tour, we’re ready to help.
If you want to learn more, visit our Cat Tien Wildlife Tours page, or get in touch with our team directly.
Tour Pace
Conditions in Cat Tien are generally easy, though after several long days in the field, they can begin to feel moderate to challenging. The park features a network of relatively well-maintained trails and roads, making walking and biking straightforward. However, being in a tropical climate, it can get very hot and humid, and certain times of year may bring river flooding and other weather-related challenges. Throughout your tour, we’ll adapt to the best locations based on your pace, comfort, and target species.
Group Size
Private tours for individuals or small groups with options for larger groups available upon request.
Climate & Weather Conditions
Hot and humid year-round. Mornings can be misty, especially during the wet season. Heavy rain is common from May to October, while the dry season from November to April brings clearer skies and more comfortable field conditions.
Tour Inclusions
- Private guide specialising in birds, natural history and other wildlife
- Private vehicle transfer to and from the park
- Accommodation throughout the tour
- All necessary entrance tickets and permits
- All meals can be included (optional)
- Non-alcoholic beverages throughout the day
- Water bottles
- Comprehensive insurance coverage
- First aid and a COVID-safe environment
Photography Opportunites & Notes
Cat Tien offers consistently rewarding photographic opportunities across a wide range of habitats. With a rich diversity of wildlife and generally accessible terrain, it’s a great destination for both casual and serious photographers. While conditions (and some tricky targets) can be moderately challenging in places, the park provides solid chances for capturing a variety of subjects all year round. To make the most of your time, we recommend discussing your specific goals with the Next Continent team in advance so we can tailor the experience to your interests.
Discover More in Southern Vietnam
If this tour caught your eye, you might also enjoy some of our other highlight birding experiences in Southern Vietnam, each with its own unique focus and highlights. Below are some of our most popular and recommended options, perfect for discovering more of what this region has to offer. Thinking of doing more than one? Let us know and we’ll be happy to create a customised package to suit your journey.
The Best of Southern Vietnam: 10-Day Comprehensive Birding Tour
Covering all key habitats and target species of the region, this expertly guided tour spans the wetland expanses of the Mekong Delta, the lowland forests of Cat Tien , and the endemic-rich Da Lat Plateau. Designed for serious birders & photographers, it focuses on southern Vietnam’s endemic / near-endemic specialties, including Bar-bellied Pitta, Germain’s Peacock Pheasant, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Collared Laughingthrush, and many more. With comfortable accommodations, diverse landscapes, and exceptional birding throughout, this tour offers a truly rewarding, world-class experience.
Explore the diverse and spectacular birding opportunities of Vietnam’s endemic-rich hotspot, the Da Lat Plateau. We offer the widest range of exclusive single & multi-day tours, including endemic-focussed tours, spotlighting, custom target tours, photography experiences, and combination itineraries, ensuring a world-class birding experience for every enthusiast.
Our ultimate Mekong Delta birding experience. From storks and cranes, to bee-eaters and shorebirds, the Mekong Delta offers some of the best wetland and coastal habitat birding in Indochina. This high-action tour targets the full range of specialties of this region, with extensive daytime birding, spotlighting, dawn river cruises and visits to high-tide wader roosts. Expect 120~ species in just three days.
Tailor Your Experience
Looking to enhance your experience? Whether it’s adding an extra day, making an additional stop, arranging pick-up from a distant location, hiring a camera, or combining your tour with another one of our amazing experiences, we’ve got you covered. Get in touch today, and let our experts craft a private, customised itinerary with dates and prices tailored to your needs
Tour Reviews
Still have questions? Get in touch with us directly
- info@nextcontinent.travel
- Phone / WhatsApp / Zalo: (+84) 328 955 019
- Frequently Asked Questions
