During the Tet holiday in February, I spent
five days in Cat Tien National Park in the South of Vietnam. This was pretty much at the height of the dry
season. The river levels were low and many streams completely dry in the
forest. There was still plenty of water at Bau Sau however.
Bau Sau (Crocodile lake) and trail.
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Bau Sau |
Walking through the forest to Bau Sau
was the highlight of the trip for me.
The trail to the lake is an easy walk, taking a couple of hours going at
a leisurely pace. Near the head of the
trail, I was excited to spot the endangered black shanked douc. I managed to get a couple of photos from
range of this beautiful primate. The population in the park in 2005, was
estimated to be no more than 109 individuals and the species is on the IUCN
red list. I also sighted and heard gibbons but was
unable to photograph them at this point.
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Pygathrix nigripes (Black shanke douc) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
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Pygathrix nigripes (Black shanke douc) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
The Giant Tung tree half way along the
trail was an impressive site and worth a photo.
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Tetrameles nudiflora (Giant Tung Tree) |
Along the trail to the lake I also
encountered this large species of gliding lizard Draco indochinensis.
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Draco indochinensis (Indochinese flying lizard ) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
The crocodile lake itself was spectacular
and I pretty much had the place to myself.
I initially thought that it might be hard to spot the wild Siamese
crocodiles. I needn’t have worried, there
were plenty to see swimming in the water. These freshwater crocodiles were re-introduced in 2000 and
there is now a thriving population.
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Bau Sau |
I got some great shots of this juvenile crocodile basking on the shore and gaping to loose heat.
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Crocodylus siamensis (Siamese crocodile) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
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Crocodylus siamensis (Siamese crocodile) Cat Tien NP Vietnam. Another juvenile in the water in the background. |
I got a little too close in my eagerness to get a good shot and did not notice the large 3 meter long mother hiding under the water. She leapt out towards me with a loud splash to warn me off. Fortunately she did not chase me onto land, nonetheless it was a heart stopping moment.
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Angry mother just after giving me a warning |
The mothers of this species are known to aggressively defend their young.
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Another adult patrolling the lake. |
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Porphyrio indicus (The black-backed swamphen) Bau Sau Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
The national park headquarters and the main trails.
There were a few almost dry waterholes near
the main trail through the national park. From the numerous tracks in the mud they had
clearly attracted several animals overnight in search of a drink. I could identify wild boar tracks and these
paw prints that probably belong to a small carnivore, though which type I could
not say.
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Carnivore tracks |
There were several animal droppings in the
water hole, some full of seeds. These along with the wet mud attracted several
butterflies keen to suck up extra nutrients and mineral salts.
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Graphium agamemnon (Tailed Jay) feeding on animal droppings Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
The main trails from the park headquarters
are great to explore by bike and provide good opportunities for spotting small
reptiles, birds and insects.
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Rhabdophis subminiatus (Red necked keelback) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
This beautiful but venomous snake crossed the path in front of my mountain bike before taking a good look at me from the cover of the leaf litter.
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Penthema darlisa annamitica (Blue Kaiser) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
I found this striking butterfly feasting on carrion on the trail past the botanical garden area.
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Euploea mulcibar (Striped Blue Crow) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
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Calotes bachae Cat Tien Vietnam |
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Calotes bachae Cat Tien Vietnam |
This striking lizard camouflages itself perfectly with dull mottled brown colours. However, when displaying to attract a mate or fight off rivals its head and upper body parts flush a deep vivid neon blue. This species is endemic to Cat Tien NP and southern Vietnam and is fairly easy to spot when it is displaying on a tree trunk near the trails.
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Pseudophyllus titan (Giant False Leaf Katydid) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
This huge bug was almost as big as my daughters hand.
The Grassland.
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Grassland at the edge of Cat Tien NP Vietnam. |
The grassland area on the edge of the park
has a viewing tower from which it is occasionally possible to spot large
mammals and grassland birds. Unfortunately, I did not see much here apart from
a martin that slunk off before I could shoot it and a few long tailed macaques
in the orchards nearby. However, I did
see several lovely red jungle fowl.
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Gallus gallus (red junglefowl) Male Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
This species is the ancestor of the modern farm chicken.
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Gallus gallus (red junglefowl) Female Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
The Ben Cu Rapids
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Ben Cu Rapids Looking Upstream |
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Ben Cu Rapids Looking Downstream |
The Ben Cu rapids are nice to explore. The
water level was relatively low when I visited but the rapids were impressive
none the less. There were many tracks on the bank which I think may have been left by otters.
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Otter Tracks |
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Otter Track close up |
A number of different butterflies were puddling on the damp sand at the riverbank.
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Graphium antiphates pompilus (Fivebar Swordtail) and Graphium aristeus (Chain Swordtail) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
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Euploea mulcibar (Striped Blue Crow) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
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Pachliopta aristolochiae (Common Rose) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
Forest Floor Lodge overlooking the rapids was
a great place to have lunch and watch the blue-winged leafbirds in the trees
near the balcony overlooking the rapids.
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Chloropsis cochinchinensis (Blue-winged Leafbird ) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
The Primate Centre
A visit to the primate centre within the park
was a very worthwhile way to end my time in Cat Tien. The centre rehabilitates primates rescued from the illegal
wildlife and pet trade, with the aim of release them back into the park
wherever possible. The money from
tourists that visit the centre is used to carry out this work. I took these shots of a pair of young male yellow-cheeked gibbons in an open enclosure used to prepare the gibbons for release.
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Nomascus gabriellae (yellow-cheeked gibbon) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
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Nomascus gabriellae (yellow-cheeked gibbon) Cat Tien NP Vietnam |
Overall, I found Cat Tien National Park a great place to
visit and to spot wildlife. I am now looking forward to returning in the wet season.