Day 1: Saigon On arriving in Saigon we will have the rest of the day to explore this vibrant and historic city.

Day 2: Cat Tien National Park From Saigon we will drive down from the highlands to Cat Tien National Park, arguably south Vietnam’s best area of lowland rainforest. Here we will stay in very comfortable bungalows from where we have easy access to the nearby forest. Cat Tien offers fantastic birding – the road leading from the headquarters adjacent to the river is alive with birds in the mornings and a number of nearby tracks are always rewarding.

Day 3~4: Cat Tien National Park An early start for Crocodile Lake will maximise our chances of observing the endangered Green Peafowl which can be seen at dawn flying down from the trees to feed in the grassland surrounding the lake. A six-kilometre walk through excellent forest leads to this magnificent lake. Crocodiles are no longer found here but the lake plays host to a range of waterbirds including Bronze-winged Jacana, Lesser Adjutant, Grey and Purple Heron and White-breasted Waterhen. On our return journey we will slowly make our way back to the road while hoping to see Bar-bellied Pitta or Red-and-black Broadbill amongst others. In the afternoon birding around the headquarters trails may reveal Blue-rumped Pitta, the fabulous Germain’s Peacock-pheasant, Wreathed Hornbill or Great Slaty Woodpecker. Spotlighting in the evening may add Mountain Scops-owl, Brown Hawk-owl or Asian Barred Owlet to our list. We have a very good chance of finding Burmese Ferret-badger or Small Indian Civet as well.

Day 5: Nam Cat Tien - Di Linh - Bao Loc. This morning we will drive northwards through the cultivated lowlands before climbing up onto the Lang Bian Plateau.  The Di Linh Pass is an area of montane forest where Rusty-naped Pitta, White-cheeked Laughing-thrush and Black-browed Barbet are regularly recorded. We will make several stops along the way at any patch of interesting looking habitat including some very attractive waterfalls.

Day 6: Bao Loc - Di Linh – Da Lat.  After a morning birding in the Di Linh area we make our way to Da Lat. The hill resort of Da Lat, perhaps the most attractive large town in Vietnam, is located at 1475 meters in a temperate region dotted with lakes and waterfalls and surrounded by evergreen forests, including various native pine woodlands. A number of high altitude species can be found here.

Day 7-8: Da Lat  The delightful town of Da Lat is located on the Da Lat Plateau, an area of high endemicity located about 300 km north of Saigon. In the afternoon we will explore the nearby Ho Tuyen Lam Lake where we will concentrate our efforts on the specialities of the region, which include Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Black-hooded and White-cheeked laughing-thrush and the recently rediscovered Grey-crowned Crocias. Other birds of interest may include Grey-headed Parrotbill, Grey-bellied Tesia, Yellow-breasted Magpie or even Cutia or Vietnamese Greenfinch in the pine forest.At Mount Lang Bian our main quarry will be Collared Laughingthrush, one of Vietnam’s most attractive endemics, but we may also see Grey-headed Woodpecker, Short-tailed Scimitar-babbler or Silver Pheasant. We’ll also visit Ho Tuyen Lam and Ta Nung Valley as these are very rich birding areas and our birding should be rewarded with sightings of a number of sought-after species.

Day 9: Da Lat to Saigon  After another morning’s birding at Mount Lang Bian we will return to Saigon in order to catch our flight to Hanoi.

Day 10: Hanoi  Arriving in Hanoi around midday we will have a bit of time to look around this beautiful French-influenced city with its unique atmosphere and attractive architecture. In the evening some people may want to attend the world-famous water puppet show – a unique experience.

Day 11~13: Cuc Phuong National Park  Our next destination is the outstanding Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam’s oldest park. Here we will be based at the headquarters of the park from where we will venture out to explore the surrounding forest. With its stunning mature forest and limestone formations this is one of the best areas for birding in Vietnam. Some of the birds we will hope to see here are Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Bar-bellied, Blue-rumped and, if we’re lucky, Eared Pitta, Silver Pheasant, Limestone Wren-babbler, Large Scimitar-babbler, Sultan Tit and the endemic Red-vented Barbet. In the open areas we may be lucky to find the diminutive Pied Falconet. At night Mountain and Collared Scops-owls are frequently heard.

Day 14: Drive to Tam Dao. This morning we will drive northwards to the hill station of Tam Dao. We should arrive in time to commence exploration of this area during the afternoon.

Day 15: Tam Dao. We have a full day to explore the forests surrounding the old French hill station of Tam Dao. Despite the apparent extensive area of forest encompassed within the national park surrounding the town, birds and most other forms of wildlife have been intensively hunted. However, the area supports several species of birds that we are very unlikely to encounter elsewhere, hence we have set aside a full day in which to search for: the skulking Blue-naped Pitta; Chestnut Bulbul; Chestnut-headed Tesia; Grey-cheeked Fulvetta; Black-chinned Yuhina; the localized and enigmatic Grey Laughingthrush; Streak-breasted; Red-billed and Coral-billed scimitar-babblers; White-hooded Babbler; and Greater Rufous-headed and Short-tailed parrotbills.

Day 16: Tam Dao - Ha Noi - Lao Kai. Departing early we will return to Ha Noi to board our train for the comfortable overnight journey to Sa Pa in the Hoang Lien Mountains of northern Vietnam near the border with China.

Day 17-19: Sa Pa  Sapa is a small market town located in the north-west of Vietnam almost on the Chinese border. Until recently this area was seldom visited by tourists but has lately been “discovered” and access has become far less problematic. Our journey will take us along the Red River through the small villages of some the minority hill tribes. In the afternoon we will relax as we walk around this fascinating town, populated by a number of different hill-tribes people in their respective traditional dress. Over the next two days we will explore the lower slopes of Mount Fan Si Pan, Vietnam’s highest mountain. The Hoang Lien Son Nature Reserve holds a fascinating mixture of Chinese, Vietnamese and Himalayan species. Some of the birds we may see here include Little Forktail, Red-tailed Minla, Red-billed Leiothrix, Whiskered Yuhina, Buff-throated Warbler and Green-tailed Sunbird. We will also make time to visit the nearby Ham Rong Gardens set amongst the limestone hills with a mixture of cultivated gardens and scrubby forest. Here we may find Chestnut-bellied Rock-thrush, Golden-spectacled Warbler, Spot-breasted Parrotbill or White-browed Fulvetta. We’ll spend one night here in comfortable tent accommodation with full catering before returning for our last night to our hotel in Sa Pa.

Day 20: Sa Pa to Hanoi  We leave this morning for Hanoi. In Hanoi we will have an afternoon free to enjoy some last minute shopping and the atmosphere of this very attractive, French-influenced city.

Day 21: Hanoi  Morning flight from Noi Bai Airport.