Duy Son: 1-Night Herping Tour

The perfect tour for serious herpers with limited time, this focused full-night expedition explores high-quality highland and montane forest habitats. With an emphasis on rare and endemic snakes, frogs, geckos, lizards, and other nocturnal wildlife, it’s an immersive tour in some of the region’s most productive herping habitats.

Details

Summary
— 6-7hr Herping Tour
— Choose Your Ride: Motorbike or Car
— Bookings Available Year-Round
— Departs from Da Nang or Hoi An
— Private tours for individuals or small groups with options for larger groups available upon request

Prices From: (Motorbike / Car):
Single Person: $95 / $195 per person
Group of 2: $65 / $105 per person
Group of 3: $98 per person (car option only)
Group of 4: $80 per person (car option only)

Duy Son: 1-Night Herping Tour

Code: DNSD10 | Categories: Herping | Locations: Da Nang / Hoi An

Summary:

Join us on our specialist Duy Son Herping Tour and dive into Central Vietnam’s rugged highlands in search of rare specialist snakes, frogs and other herps. Hidden well off the main tourist trails, the Duy Son Highlands offer a wilder, more remote experience, the ideal tour for serious herpers and wildlife photographers targeting some of Vietnam’s more cryptic species.

This 1-night adventure begins in the afternoon, with pick-up available from both Hoi An and Da Nang. Led by our expert herping team, the tour explores mid-high elevation montane forest habitats and lowland fringes brimming, as well as a bit of paddy fields and lakes area on the way back.

Regular highlight species include the Malayan Krait (Bungarus candidus), Vietnamese Blue Beauty Ratsnake (Elaphe taeniura), Common Mock Viper (Psammodynastes pulverulentus), Green Cat Snake (Boiga cyanea), North China Green Snake (Ptyas multicinctus), Guangxi Cat Snake (Boiga guangxiensis), Many-spotted Cat Snake (Boiga multomaculata), Gia Lai Pricklenape (Acanthosaura nataliae), and Orange-winged Flying Lizard (Draco maculatus), along with many regional endemics. Also encountered are a wide variety of forest frogs, geckos, cat snakes and a host of other nocturnal specialists.

Duy Son terrain lends itself well to both walking in the higher peak reaches, as well as roadside spotlighting through the lower elevations. For solo travellers and small groups, this tour can be done by car or motorbike, with second-person bike trips including a secondary guide as driver and secondary guide. Like all herping tours, each night is adjusted based on recent sightings, weather conditions and seasonal shifts to maximise success. For those with specific targets, we recommend getting in touch with our team in advance to discuss your goals and come up with the best possible plan of attacks.

This is one of our most popular herping tours in Central Vietnam, a compact, focused, single-night experience. Starting in the mid to late afternoon (including pick-up and travel time), the tour continues late into the evening, with return to your accommodation around 11:00 PM. As dinner and restaurants are not easily accessible at the site, guests are advised to bring snacks for the evening. Please note that in the event of very wet conditions or following prolonged rainfall, the tour may be cancelled due to the risk of landslides and flooding.

Tour Pace

This tour is conducted at a moderate pace, suitable for slow, easy walking. While most of the forest trails are flat and well-maintained, there are a few moderately steep sections. Headlamps and torches are provided by our team.

Key Target Species & Other Wildlife Highlights

Snakes:
Common Mock Viper (Psammodynastes pulverulentus), Many-spotted Cat Snake (Boiga multomaculata), Green Cat Snake (Boiga cyanea), Keeled Rat Snake (Ptyas carinata), North China Green Snake (Ptyas multicincta), Beauty Ratsnake (Elaphe taeniura), Common Wolf Snake (Lycodon capucinus), Banded Wolf Snake (Lycodon fasciatus), Black Cross-barred Kukri Snake (Oligodon cinereus), Siamese Red-necked Keelback (Rhabdophis siamensis), Malayan Krait (Bungarus candidus), White-lipped Pit Viper (Trimeresurus albolabris), Vogel’s Pit Viper (Trimeresurus vogeli), Brown Spotted Pitviper (Protobothrops mucrosquamatus)

Geckos:
Thua Thien-Hue Bent-toed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus pseudoquadrivirgatus), Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus), Flat-tailed House Gecko (Hemidactylus platyurus)

Lizards:
Scale-bellied Tree Lizard (Acanthosaura lepidogaster), Green Pricklenape (Acanthosaura capra), Gia Lai Pricklenape (Acanthosaura nataliae), Indochinese Garden Lizard (Calotes irawadi), Oriental Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor), Vietnamese Blue Crested Lizard (Calotes bachae), Burmese False Bloodsucker (Pseudocalotes microlepis), Chinese Water Dragon (Physignathus cocincinus), Orange-winged Flying Lizard (Draco maculatus), South-East Asian Green Grass Lizard (Takydromus hani)

Skinks:
Longtail Mabuya (Eutropis longicaudata), Bronze Mabuya (Eutropis macularia), Common Sun Skink (Eutropis multifasciata), Lipinia microcerca, Cochinchinese Water Skink (Tropidophorus cocincinensis)

Turtles:
Common Thread Turtle (Mauremys sinensis)

Frogs and Toads:
Asian Common Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), Tubercled Pygmy Frog (Microhyla butleri), Mukhlesur’s Narrow-mouthed Frog (Microhyla mukhlesuri), Ophryophryne hansi, Leptobrachium banae, Leptobrachella aerea, Mortensen’s Frog (Sylvirana mortenseni), Black-striped Frog (Sylvirana nigrovittata), Tiny Bubble-nest Frog (Gracixalus supercornutus), Kurixalus banaensis, Vietnamese Bug-eyed Frog (Theloderma vietnamense), Rhacophorus annamensis

Birds & Other Wildlife:
Large-tailed Nightjar, Grey Nightjar, Collared Scops Owl, Mountain Scops Owl

Group Size

Private tours are available for individuals or small groups, with larger group options available on request. Solo herpers or pairs may choose to travel by motorbike with our guides instead of by car, this option slightly reduces costs, shortens travel times, and allows access to a few additional areas. Groups of three or more travel by car. Please note that during periods of heavy rain in the wet season, all participants (regardless of group size) may be required to travel by car for safety reasons. We may also opt for car transport if particularly wet weather is expected.

Photography Opportunites & Notes

Excellent herp and wildlife photography opportunities are available, both for serious camera users and even those equipped with smartphones. For guests with a serious interested in photographing reptiles, amphibians, and insects, a standard macro lens is ideal. If you’re unsure what to bring or want tailored advice based on your gear, feel free to contact our expert team, we’re happy to help you prepare for the best possible shots!

Discover More in Central Vietnam

If this tour caught your eye, you might also enjoy some of our other herping experiences in the region, each with its own unique focus and highlights. Below are some of our most popular and recommended options, perfect for discovering more of what Central Vietnam 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.

Hoi An Snakes & Vipers: 1-Night Herping Tours

Beyond the lantern-lit streets of Hoi An’s ancient town lies a world of extraordinary and rare wildlife. Designed for herpers, wildlife photographers, tourists, and families alike, this nocturnal experience reveals an opportunity to connect with spectacular creatures such as pit vipers, keelbacks, tree snakes, pipe snakes, tropical frogs, endemic geckos, and more. You might even spot the elusive Mainland Leopard Cat or catch a glimpse of an owl or nightjar, as no two nights are ever the same! So come see the wild side of Hoi An after dark and experience with nature like never before.

Bach Ma 2-Night Herping Tour

One of Vietnam’s most underrated endemic herping zones, this tour of the Annamite Mountains features a spectacular array of high-value target species including rare snakes, range-restricted amphibians, endemic tortoises, and even some species yet to be formally described. Join us for the ultimate herping adventure in Central Vietnam on this all-inclusive tour.

Da Nang Peninsula: 1-Night Herping Tour

Step into the spectacular nocturnal world of the Da Nang Peninsula, where the forest comes alive after sunset. This short but high-yield herping adventure offers the chance to encounter a remarkable array of reptiles and amphibians including leaf turtles, vipers, pythons, geckos, frogs, toads, and more! Whether you’re a dedicated herper, wildlife photographer, curious traveler, or family with a taste for the wild, this popular tour provides a rare window into the extraordinary diversity of Vietnam’s often-overlooked nighttime herpetofauna.

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

Very solid night with Black Cross-barred Kukri Snake and Malayan Krait major highlights amongst heaps of frogs and a couple of Mountain Scops Owls which is always good. Thanks Hoang and Tien for a really good night out!

Fantastic experience with a super knowledgeable guide. Amazed by Hoang’s skill at snake spotting particularly in thick Vietnamese jungle. Top highlight was a super fat Burmese Python at the last stop, but really enjoyed the Vogel’s Pit Vipers and the beautiful Golden Tree Snake.