Basic ecotouristic information on Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam) - localization, access, characteristic, fauna and flora, possible activities.
Localization
South Vietnam, 150 km north-east of Ho Chi Minh City
Access
Easy, on the road about 3 hours from Ho Chi Minh City or 4 hours from Dalat.
Characteristic
739 km2; Cat Tien National Park consists of two adjacent segments, separated by agricultural land: Cat Loc is in the north and Nam Cat Tien which contains the Park HQ and is most often visited. Park area is mostly formed by flat lowland landscape, part of it is seasonally flooded. There is the only hilly part of the park in the north with the highest point of 659 meters.There are largest areas of lowland tropical rain forest left in Vietnam. Park has refreshing and mild climate all year round with an average temperature of 27oC. Dry season lasts from December to late May, rainy season from June to November. Typical ecosystems: primary evergreen forest (about 2% of total area), primary and secondary mixed or deciduous forest, secondary forest with abundant bamboo species, bamboo forest, seasonally flooded grasslands and wetlands (approximately 10% of the area), freshwater ecosystems (rivers and lakes).
Fauna + Flora
Species List - See the Attachment Below
(Species list may not be complete)
Possible activities
Many hiking trails of various lengths and difficulty, night safari.
Mountain bikes, off-road vehicles, canoeing.
Note
Best time to visit: XII-V.
Substantial park damage was done by logging up until the 1990s. To this day these areas have extensive bamboo and grassland cover and trees have not yet grown back.