Combination bird watching and cultural tours in Vietnam and Cambodia

This is a Sample itinerary for you who don’t want totally birdwatching, especially when travel with your wife or your husband or even with children. Its design for you not only can see special birds and but also can visit several sight-seeing places, temples, historical site…We will take care of you and your family both bird watching and cultural tours. Let’s see how it do:

In Combination of birding & cultural tours, you will visit 2 countries Vietnam and Cambodia

At Vietnam, from Sai Gon city you will reach Dalat for bird watching and culture tours there

“Dalat or Dalat Plateau is located in the Central highland (C Annam), it is an EBA has the natural evergreen-forest and coniferous forest where is home for six endemic birds species and also supports several subspecies.” You could find the birds target in Dalat here. This city is also known as the city of the Eternal Spring for its distinctive temperate climate and many beautiful landscapes, special architecture, temple…

And then from Dalat drive to Cat Tien National Park for mostly Bird watching and a little bit learn how the local people survival.

“Cat Tien national park is located in South Vietnam; it is one of the best birding sites with the most accessible site in South Annam for Orange-necked Partridge and lots of birder’s wanted bird.” You could find the birds target in Cat Tien here”

After Cat Tien, we will reach Mekong delta for mostly culture tours and a little bit for bird-watching.

“The Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is a vast maze of rivers, swamps and islands, home to floating markets, pagodas and villages surrounded by rice paddies. Boats are the main means of transportation, and tours of the region often start in nearby Ho Chi Minh City”

In there, you will take a boat trip for travel across Vietnam to Cambodia via Mekong River, after 200 km along the great river in Southeast you will reach the capital of Cambodia (Phnom peng).

Then drive to north Cambodia for Bird watching in Krati, Tmatboey, Ang Trapeang Thmor and culture in Angkor Temples

“Angkor was the capital city of Khmer Empire, which flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries. Angkor was a megacity supporting at least 0.1% of the global population during 1010-1220. UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription: 1992”

After all, Flight back home or other activated in Siem-Reap

Itinerary: 21 days combination of birding & cultural tours in Vietnam and Cambodia

Day 1: (L D) Sai Gon travel to Dalat by airplane on the morning

Start birding tour in the afternoon

Day 2 & 3: (B L D) Dalat

Combination Birding and cultural

Day 4: (B L D) Dalat – Di Linh

Leave Dalat for short drive to Di Linh for birding in Nui San Pass,

“Certain birds can be easier to locate here at the Nui San Pass than in Da Lat including Blue and Rusty-naped Pittas, Spotted Forktail, White-cheeked, Black-hooded, and Orange-breasted Laughing-Thrushes, Vietnamese Cutia and “Black-headed” Parrotbill “

Day 5: (B L D) Di Linh – Cat Tien National Park

Morning birding in Nui San pass and then drive to Cat Tien national park for 3 days birding there

Day 6 & 7: (B L D) Cat Tien National Park

Two full days birding and could have a night Safari mammals watching

Day 8: (B L D) Cat Tien National Park – Sai Gon

Last morning birding in Cat Tien national park and after that leave this national park for 3 hour-drive to Sai Gon

Day 9: (B L D) Sai Gon

Culture tours in Sai Gon to reach the most famous tourist destination in South-Vietnam

Day 10: (B L D) Sai Gon – Mekong delta     

Morning drive to find one of the rarest bird in the world “Spoon-billed Sandpiper” after that drive to My Tho city and have a night near the great Mekong river

Day 11: (B L D) My Tho – Tram Chim National Park

 After morning cultural sight-seeing along Mekong river bank, we travel to further south to reach Tram Chim National park (The first RASAR site in Vietnam).

Day 12: (B L D) Tram Chim – Chau Doc

Morning birding in Tram Chim National Park and then drive to a town on the Bassac River (Chau Doc city)

Day 13: (B L D) Chau Doc – Phnom Penh by Boat

Take an interesting boat trip upstream from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh and The afternoon for the cultural tour in Phnom Penh city

Day 14: (B L D) Phnom Penh – Kratie

Morning birding to find new species “Cambodia Tailorbird” and drive to Kratie

Spending the afternoon for the aboard small boat along The Mekong River to the north of Kratie for searching CR Irrawaddy Dolphin and other interesting birds as Mekong Wagtail, Grey-throated Sand Martin, Small Pratincole…

Day 15: (B L D) Kratie – Tmatboey Preah Vihear

Later morning, we will drive to Preah Vihear, for about 5 hours we arrive into our comfortable guesthouse in the mid-afternoon in time for some late afternoon birding.

Day 16 & 17: (B L D) Tmatboey

Full two days birding in Tmatboey forest with most wanted species Giant and White-shouldered Ibises

Day 18: (B L D) Tmatboey - Siem Reap

Spending the last morning birding at Tmatboey and drive to Siem Reap

Day 19: (B L D) Ang Trapeang Thmor

Drive an about 2 hours from Siem Reap for birding

Day 20: (B L D) Angkor Temples

Full day discover Angkor Temples

Day 21: (B L) Departure

Our tour ends after breakfast for flights home however if you have a late flight today, two optional trips can be choice

A full-day trip to Tonle Sap lake

Prek Toal might be the best choice to kill time and end-up the trip, here is the only place in South-east Asia to see Greater Adjutant and Milky Stork. It is also number of Spot-billed Pelican, trio species of Cormorants, Black-headed Ibis and Grey-headed Fish-eagle

Half-day tour to see Bengal Florican

Leaving early morning, we visit grasslands along the perimeter of the huge Tonle Sap in search of Bengal Florican. Large numbers of wintering migrants make these grasslands their home, especially large numbers of Eastern Marsh and Pied Harriers, and we may find water-birds including Sarus Crane, Lesser Adjutant, and Painted Stork.