Explore Cat Tien: Nocturnal Safari

When people talk about Cat Tien, they often rave about the iconic daytime stars: the Black-shanked Douc Langur, Siamese Crocodile, Bar-bellied Pitta, and Southern Yellow-cheeked Gibbon (just to name a few!). But few realise that once the sun dips below the horizon, the forest doesn’t go quiet, it absolutely erupts with extraordinary and diverse life!

Drawing on years of field experience, we’ve crafted our signature Nocturnal Safari to bring this nocturnal world into view. This dual-style adventure begins at dusk with a jeep ride across the vast grasslands, where you’ll watch Green Peafowl, Oriental Pied Hornbills, and Chinese Francolins settle in for the night. Then, as the bamboo thickets begin to sing with the eerie descending whistles of the Great Eared Nightjar and Samba Deer edge into the open, you’ll know that night has begun!

For the first hour, you’ll trundle through open terrain, scanning for grassland specialists such as Small Indian Civet, East Asian Porcupine, and the mighty Gaur. Next, we head toward a secret wetlands in search of one of the forest’s most spectacular predators, the Spot-bellied Eagle Owl. 

Finally, we transfer to the rainforest edge near Heaven Rapid. Under a canopy of stars, we continue on foot, using ethical red-light torches to search the forest floor and canopy for rare geckos, snakes, frogs, owls, nightjars, bats, and the elusive Pygmy Slow Loris.

Led by our expert naturalists, you’ll witness the nocturnal jungle as few ever do. No special skills required, just a sense of wonder and curiosity to explore the wild. This is Cat Tien, after dark.