Vietnam - Bird Photography Expedition, Apr 2026

Wake up at 5:00 am. We will grab a quick bite with tea / coffee and then head towards the forest of Dong Nai Nature Reserve. The target species for today are Bar-bellied Pitta, Black and red broadbill, silver-breasted broadbill, banded kingfisher, Blue eared kingfisher, Siamese fireback, Laced woodpecker, Common flame back etc. Additionally, we may also see and photograph 4 species of babblers, 2 species of sunbirds and Drongos (white faced, ashy, greater racket-tailed). We will have a late lunch today and by 4:00 pm, we will drive ahead to Cat Tien National Park. The road drive is of approximately 2:30 hours. Complete check-in formalities, freshen up and meet for the dinner.

Dinner and overnight at Green Bamboo Hotel at Cat Tien NP.

Wake up early at 5:00 am. After grabbing a quick bite with tea / coffee, we will head towards the forest. The Cat Tien National Park is one of the two largest national parks of Vietnam, with hot and humid evergreen, broadleaf forest, or bamboo forest mixed with broadleaf trees and sometimes deciduous dipetocarp forests of Asia. 

Today’s activities will include exploring the forest trails as well as some of the amazing hides in this forest. The target species for today are Germain’s peacock pheasant, Siamese fireback, Scaly breasted partridge, Bar-bellied Pitta, Blue-rumped Pitta, Grey-faced Tit-babbler, Slaty legged Crake etc. After the hide session of the morning is done, we will have trails looking for birds. Some native birds that is possible to be spotted on trails include Heart spotted Woodpecker, Black and buff woodpecker, Green eared barbet, Lineated barbet, Blue eared barbet, Black hooded Oriole, Blue bearded bee-eater etc. Return to the hotel for lunch and then take some rest.

Dinner and overnight at Green Bamboo Hotel at Cat Tien NP.

Wake up at 5:00 am. A long day ahead today on the trails and hides. After grabbing a quick bite, we will head towards the forest. Possible target species include Black and Red broadbill, Banded Broadbill, Black hooded Oriole, Orange-breasted Trogon, Indochinese Cuckoo-shrike,  Blue winged leafbird, Golden fronted leafbird, Ruby cheeked Sunbird, Van hasselts sunbird, Grey breasted Prinia, Violet Cuckoo, Great Iora, Common Iora, large woodshrike etc. We have a possibility of Black shanked Douc photography today if we are lucky. During the night trails, we will explore the nearby forest area for owls.

Dinner and overnight at Green Bamboo Hotel at Cat Tien NP.

We will do morning birding at Cat Tien NP and then move to Dalat city. Target species for today are Green peafowl, Chinese francolin, pigeons and doves, lapwing, Wolly-necked Stork, warblers. We also have a possibility of Yellow checked Gibbon photography today. After our birding at Cat Tien, we will travel to Dalat City. Lunch will be on the way to Dalat city. In the afternoon, we will visit the first birding hotspot of Dalat looking for Annam sunbird, Langbian Sunbird, Swinhoe's white-eye, Plain Minla, Chestnut vented Nuthatch, Langbian Tit and many more.

Dinner and overnight at Thienly hotel at Dalat city.

Wake up early in the morning at 5:00 am. After grabbing a quick bite, we will head towards 2 more birding hotspot around Dalat city. The various bird species that you will be able to photograph include Collared laughingthrush, Indo Chinese Wren Babler, Grey crowned crocias, Black hooded laughingthrushes, Vietnamese Cutia and Vietnamese Greenfinch, Black crowned fulvetta, Yellow billed nuthatch and many more. After lunch, we will travel to Bidoup Nui Ba NP to visit the very popular hide for Crossbills.

Dinner and overnight at Thienly hotel at Dalat city.

Wake up early in the morning at 5:00 am. After grabbing a quick bite, we will head towards the birding locations of Bidoup Nui Ba NP. We will explore the trails in the morning for Necklaced Barbet and Plumbeous water-redstart. We will be at the bird-hides for Collared laughingthrush, Black-crowned fulvetta, Black-hooded laughingthrush, White cheeked laughingthrush, Indochinese green magpie, Large Niltava, White-tailed Robin, Mountain fulvetta, Black-headed Sibia. After lunch, we will visit the hide for: spotted forktail, slaty-backed forktail, Grey-bellied Tesia, Pygmy wren babbler, Chestnut-crowned babbler, Brown-throated Treecreeper, White-browed Scimitar-babbler, Rusty-naped Pitta. We will travel back to Dalat hotel in the evening and reach back by 7:00pm.

Dinner and overnight at Thienly hotel at Dalat city.

Have early morning breakfast at 6:00 am , vist Vietnamese cutia spots and then leave to Di Linh city. We will visit the hide for Blue pitta, Bar-backed partridge, Indochinese green magpie, Puff-throated Bulbul, Blue whistling thrush, Annam streaked Wren-babbler. After lunch, we will visit the other birding areas of Di Linh for Black-headed Parrotbill, Red-headed trogon, Long-tailed Broadbill, Black-chinned Yuhina, Red-billed Scimitar babbler. 

Overnight at Di Linh town Xanh resort

Early morning visit to hide for Blue pitta, Indochinese green magpie and then trails for Red vented barbet, Annam prinia etc. You will be transported to HCM City depending on your return flight time. Our bird photography expedition ends here and we head back to catch our respective flights.