Central Vietnam Mar 13—28, 2011
Posted by David Bishop
David Bishop
David Bishop loves his vocation and cannot imagine anything better than exploring wild and beautiful places in Asia and the Pacific in the company of friends and clients. H...Related Trips
WOW! What a trip. It had been some years since I was last in Vietnam, and the changes and massive improvements in so many aspects of the country were palpable to say the least. And the birding was better than ever. Our list of some 336 species was very respectable indeed, despite being essentially fogged out of Tam Dao for two days. But a list never conveys the true essence of a trip.
Vietnam is an exotic kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, and smells; never mind how humble our surroundings—the food just got better and better; the friendliness and outstandingly courteous service left one astonished; and the natural history experiences were a joy to behold. We stayed at some exquisite accommodations, not least of which was the superb new Forest Floor Lodge which greatly enhanced our time at Cat Tien National Park. Doubtless no one will ever forget the beauty and comfort of our "hotel" in Hue, or the fact that almost everywhere we went we were able to access the Internet. But what of the nature of Vietnam? As mentioned above, we recorded 336 species including some special and little-known endemics or near endemics. And as for the mammals, we saw some very special critters. Some of the highlights (to mention but a few!) included:
• Exceptional and prolonged views of as many as eight male Siamese Firebacks, including two males exhibiting their wing-whirring display
• Fine and lengthy studies of the recently described and little-known Black-crowned Barwing
• An unforgettable start to our birding with thunderous Great Hornbills and Oriental Pied Hornbills together with large numbers of barbets and Golden-crowned Mynas attending a fruiting tree
• Three highly globally-threatened primates including superb views of the striking black-shanked douc langur, the restricted-range Hatinh leaf monkey, and the extremely endangered Delacour's leaf monkey
• Scope views of a glowing Bar-bellied Pitta
• Numerous encounters with the spectacular Sultan Tit
This was one of those trips that as a tour leader you dream of; to travel with such a lovely, wonderful group of people ranging in age from 32 to a little older and levels of experience from neophyte to the well-traveled was sheer joy. Thank you one and all for a trip I shall never forget.
Thanks to Richard Craik and Birding Vietnam; my outstanding colleagues Minh and Zum; and some of the finest drivers it has been my pleasure to work with. But most of all, thanks to you: Sarah, Ann, Lucy, Nancy, Irwin, Larry and Carolyn, and Linda. This is one tour I will never, ever forget.