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Itinerary - Birds in Vietnam:
Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi, transfer to the hotel. If arriving early in the morning, we offer an optional guided city tour. In the evening, we will have a welcome dinner with a short briefing. Overnight at the hotel.Day 2: Bus to Xuan Thuy, an International Ramsar Reserve. Situated at the mouth of the Red River, Xuan Thuy serves as a wintering ground and stop-over site for thousands of waders and other waterbirds each year. With some luck, one can see (amongst other species) Black-faced Spoonbill, Asian Dowitcher and Chinese Merganser. We will be guided by a ranger of Bird Life International, who takes care of the site. Overnight in a village hotel close by.Day 3: If the tide is right, we will go by boat to Luu Island, right where the Red River meets the South China Sea. These sandbanks are the regular haunts of such rarities as Nordman's Greenshank or Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
In the afternoon, we will go by bus to Cuc Phuong National Park. Overnight at the National Park HeadquartersDay 4: Cuc Phuong National Park is the oldest and (still) the largest national park in Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh himself inaugurated it. More than 300 bird species have been found here, such as Grey Peacock-Pheasant, Bar-bellied, Blue-rumped and Eared Pitta, White-winged Magpie, Limestone Wren-Babbler, Fujian Niltava and Pied Falconet. We will go birding for the whole day along the paths in the primary forest. We offer an optional treck to minority villages, where one can spend a night in the stilt houses of the so-called montagnards. Otherwise overnight at the headquarters.Day 5: Another day of birding in Cuc Phuong Nationalpark. Possibilities include Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, Ruddy Kingfisher, Silver-breasted Broadbill and White-tailed Flycatcher. Among the mammals that have been seen by lucky observers are tiger, cloud leopard and the very rare delacour langur, which was discovered as late as 1991. Overnight at headquarters.Day 6: After some final birdwatching in the morning, we will leave Cuc Phuong Nationalpark for the mountain village of Tam Dao. Here, in the Tam Dao National Park, we will make an excursion up the mountains and into the cloudforests to search for rare pittas, cuckoos, doves and many more birds. Tam Dao is a small town in the Tam Dao Mountain Area that has been well-known for a long time to ornithologists. Overnight at hotel.Day 7: We will use the time to search for birds in the bamboo forest or along the long stairway, which leads through primary forest right up to the mountain top. Tam Dao is a secret hotspot for birders all over the world. Alternatively, one can go trekking in the forests to hilltribe villages. Overnight at hotel.Day 8: Bus transfer to Noi Bai Airport, short domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh City, better known as Saigon, the pearl of the Orient. We offer an optional city tour on foot or by cyclo, the Vietnamese rick-shaw. Overnight at hotel.Day 8: Bus transfer to Noi Bai Airport, short domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh City, better known as Saigon, the pearl of the Orient. We offer an optional city tour on foot or by cyclo, the Vietnamese rick-shaw. Overnight at hotel.Day 9: Bus to Cat Tien National Park, 170 km north-east of Saigon. This national park is well known for its diversity of birds, including a few globally endangered species such as White-winged Duck, White-shouldered Ibis, Germaine's Peacock-Pheasant and Orange-necked Partridge. Overnight at headquarters.Day 10: We will get up early to hike to Crocodile Lake, where - apart from some great bird species - crocodiles can be seen by the lucky. We offer the option of staying at Crocodile Lake overnight. At night, one can go out and do some mammal-watching, with the chance of seeing elephants, rhinos or tigers. Theses sightings are extremely rare, however, and cannot be guaranteed. Otherwise overnight at headquarters.Day 11: Another early-morning start for the 6km walk through good forest to the so-called Bird Lake. This is located in tropical rainforest with inhabitants such as Bronze-winged Jacana and Lesser Adjutant. In the forest, we will look out for Red-and-Black and Banded Broadbill, Orange-breasted Trogon, several species of babblers, pittas, partridges, woodpeckers such as Pale-headed and birds of prey. Around noon, we will depart for Dalat. We will bird the pass along the road from Di Linh to Phan Tiet, a little explored area in which a newly built path now gives access to some excellent montane forest around 1200m. This is the only reliable site in the world for the beuatiful Orange-breasted Laughingthrush, though other regional endemics are also regularly seen, such as Black-hooded and White-cheeked Laughingthrush. On a scouting trip to this area in April 2003, we made the first South Annamese record of Pin-tailed Parrotfinch, a hard-to-find bamboo specialist. Other goodies that have been seen here recently include Rusty-naped Pitta, Green Cochoa, Spotted Forktail and Gray-headed Parrotbill. Overnight at hotel.Day 12:We will visit Mt. Lang Bian, which is - at 2100m - one of the higher mountains of the Dalat Plateau and has an avifauna that is distinctly different from most other sites in the vicinity. Crossing the pine forest on our ascent, we will have the chance to find the endemic Vietnamese Greenfinch among many other species, which include Annamese populations such widespread species as Crossbill and Eurasian Jay. In the broadleaved forest near the summit, we will try for the rare and elusive Collared Laughingthrush, one of the most beautiful Dalat endemics. Mixed flocks in this area usually hold Rufous-winged Fulvetta, Chestnut-crowned Warbler and Silver-eared Mesia. Overnight at hotel.Day 13 Ta Nung Valley is one of less than a handful of sites from where the recently rediscovered Gray-crowned Crocias is known. On this day, we will put a special effort into finding this globally endangered Dalat endemic. The excellent path through the montane forest is good for seeing many other rare and spectacular species, like Red-vented Barbet, Blue-winged Minla, Rufous-backed Sibia and Red-headed Trogon. Afterwards, we will go back to Saigon by bus. Good-bye dinner with a wrap-up of the tour and compilation of trip list. Overnight at hotel.Day 14 Airport transfer.The trip itinerary is open to minor changes that may arise because of changing conditions in the field so long as they do not alter the character of the tour.
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