Nam Cat Tien is one of the most beautiful national parks in Vietnam. Its attractive landscapes include hills, riverside, vast flat grasslands, and streams.
Nam Cat Tien is located in an area with a climate that transitions from mountains to plains, making it a unique environment.
Vietnamdrive recognized that the best time to explore this park is from December to May of the following year. During this time, Nam Cat Tien forest experiences little rain and a dry environment, making it convenient to discover its nature.
The top highlights are:
- The leaf-changing season of Nam Cat Tien forest is from January of every year.
- Butterfly season is from April to early May every year.
1. The location of Nam Cat Tien
Nam Cat Tien National Park is 160 km from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and it takes us about 4 hours to drive.
Cat Tien National Park is located on the Dong Nai River, in the territory of the three provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc, and Lam Dong. It has a total area of 70.548ha. Of this, 39.108 ha is in Dong Nai, 26.969 ha is in Lam Dong, and 4.469 ha is in Binh Phuoc.
- Address: Hamlet 1, Nam Cat Tien commune, Tan Phu district, Dong Nai province, Vietnam
- Phone: +84 2513 669 228
- Email: cattienvietnam@gmail.com
- Website: www.cattiennationalpark.com.vn
2. Transportation to and from Nam Cat Tien from Ho Chi Minh
You can take various forms of transportation from Ho Chi Minh City to Nam Cat Tien, including motorbikes, local buses, or private cars.
Traveling by motorbike is an adventurous way, and a local bus is not convenient for most foreign tourists because of the language barrier and low conditions of the coaches. A private car is the better choice but is much higher priced.
2.1. Motorbike
Vietnamdrive does not recommend that international tourists use motorbikes for this route in Vietnam are too adventurous.
Many cars, trucks, and millions of motorbikes run in Ho Chi Minh City and on roads to Cat Tien.
If you want to try a motorbike, hire a driver. The receptionists of most hotels can help you connect with motorbike rental shops.
2.2. Buses
The local buses are inconvenient for traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to this forest.
- The condition of the local buses is not suitable for international tourists.
- The timing of local buses is not stable.
- Most local buses want to get as many guests as possible.
- The destination does not come to the gate of Nam Cat Tien, so you have to take a taxi from the bus station in Dong Nai to the correct place to stop.
The only thing is the low price of a local bus from Saigon to Dong Nai province.
2.3. A private car
This vehicle is the most convenient transportation route from Saigon to Nam Cat Tien.
- It costs more than other kinds of transport.
- You’ll get door-to-door service and can start at any time.
When you need support, we are here!
3. Stories telling about Cat Tien Forest
Many legendaries talk about Nam Cat Tien. Vietnamdrive collected three excellent stories to tell you, as shown below.
The first story is about the name Nam Cat Tien. The park had a beautiful river sandbank that could be seen from heaven. Attracted by the beauty of the forest and river, many beautiful fairies from heaven often came to swim in the river south of the national park. When hunters passed this area, they saw the fairies swimming. It is called “Nam Cat Tien,” which means “South Fairy National Park.”
The second legend tells about the creation of the waterfalls and lakes in the park. In the past, while hunting in the forest, the Chau Ma hunter found a colorful deer gassing near the waterfall, which looked very beautiful.
He used a sword to shoot that deer. Suddenly, water rushed vigorously and quickly to chase him. The man ran, and the stream still followed him over the hills and trees, creating many waterfalls in the forest. When he was too tired to stop to rest, water covered him, making the lakes in the park.
>> You may like to see the top well-known waterfalls in Vietnam.
The third story talks about the orchids seen in the national park when discovering this place.
K’Du was a local living alone, without relatives, near the forest. And, the fairy Ka Mai from heaven came to travel in the woods and to swim at the waterfalls. She often saw K’Du work here. And, day by day, she fell in love with him and became a husband and wife living together.
They had lived happily for a while, but because of breaking the law of heaven, the Ka Mai fairy was captured and sent to heaven. The husband, K’Du, missed his wife, and he died and became the trees living in the forest. In heaven, Ka Mai wished to incarnate and become the orchid, living on the trees and with her husband in the mountains.
Their love was finally rewarded through many challenges, though not in human form. K’Du and Ka Mai fairies still lived together as orchids and trees in the forest, which you can see in the Nam Cat Tien National Park.
4. The diversity of this national park
The diversity of animal species includes many species in the Red Book of World, including one-horn rhinoceros, Asian elephants, Gaur, Dog bears, Horse bears, Buffalo, Tiger, Leopard, Clouded leopard, Deer, Black Eagle, and White-winged ducks.
There are 62 animal species and 350 species of birds, with some rare birds such as pheasants, green ibis, rhinos, and elephants.
Flora of Cat Tien National Park is also diverse, with more than 1,362 flora species of vascular plants, more than 440 species of precious wood, hundreds of medicinal plants, and 133 species of orchids.
In general, the variety of plant species includes:
- 50% of the area is a green forest
- 40% of the area is a bamboo forest
- 10% of the area is a farm
Cat Tien National Park, mainly Nam Cat Tien (South Cat Tien), is a good eco-tourism destination. You can choose from many activities in this forest, including hiking, bird watching, camping, boating, and adventure travel.
>>> You may want to know forest survival skills.
5. What to see and do in Nam Cat Tien National Park
When coming here, you can choose the eco-tourism tour, rent a bicycle to ride on the old road or walk to view more of nature. Many streets near the forest’s edge make biking or walking to the streams easy.
Now, check out more about what to see, and some suggested activities in the national park.
5.1. Visit Crocodile Lake
Crocodile Lake (Bàu Sấu) is far from the center of the forest, so if you cannot walk for a long distance, 5 km or more, you should choose a bicycle to visit it. You should also prepare water to ride a bike through the woods.
This lake has many birds and crocodiles. Sometimes, you will enjoy the dance of peacocks and lovely scenery; you may see the attractive eyes of crocodiles somewhere.
5.2. Walking or trekking to see nature with rich vegetation
In Nam Cat Tien Park, the first experience is that you can walk or trek on narrow trails surrounded by small and big trees. The particular trees are hundreds of years old, divided into many branches with pleasant shade.
Trekking in the forest is the best way to enjoy the true beauty of Nam Cat Tien. While trekking, you may see butterflies, birds, and other animals.
If you’re really into trekking, you can walk a long distance to Bau Sau (5 to 14 km, depending on the route).
5.3. Biking through the forest
Many narrow roads through Nam Cat Tien are interesting for biking. You can ride a bicycle through the forest streets in the early morning. This activity helps you enjoy the fresh air and nature of the morning and see trees with tropical fruits.
Cycling in the Nam Cat Tien National Park is the most popular activity here because it is easy and allows visitors to travel a long distance through the forest.
You can also take a trip early in the morning to explore gibbons in the forest.
5.4. Bear Rescue Station
You may check out the bear rescue station in Cat Tien if you are an animal lover, typically a bear. It is around 2 km from the gate through the green plants to the center.
However, this center has not opened to the public, so it limits the number of visitors. Thus, you have to contact the management staff of Cat Tien at the phone number near the top of this post to ask to visit it.
5.5. Watching birds
With different kinds of birds in Cat Tien National Park, watching birds attracts many tourists. With over 350 species of birds, Cat Tien is famous as the kingdom of birds.
Book a local guide to see the birds in Nam Cat Tien. It is because this is a complex activity in the national park.
Come to Cat Tien with a camera and binoculars and travel with the local guide. You will have priceless memories. The color of nature is shown in colorful birds.
5.6. Watch animals at night
Watching animals at night is one of the exciting activities many visitors choose. You discover the life of the animals at night to find a different experience.
To participate in this activity, you must book the service in advance (you cannot do it alone because of safety). You contact Nam Cat Tien National Park management to buy tickets to join a group. Please note that you should not open the car door to ensure safety when watching animals at night.
6. Where to stay in Nam Cat Tien
Different kinds of accommodations are available in Nam Cat Tien. Depending on your budget, you can check some of the homestays, hotels, and resorts, which are near the gate of the forest, as below:
- Cat Tien Jungle Lodge: It is more expensive than many accommodations in this region, but it is valuable to stay overnight. The accommodation is near the forest’s gate and has a quiet atmosphere.
- Orchard Resort Nam Cat Tien offers a tranquil space for overnight stays. Like many accommodations in Cat Tien, it has old facilities; typically, a few washrooms need more hygiene.
- Cat Tien Farm Stay provides quiet accommodations, but almost all rooms lack air conditioning and are not clean enough for toilets.
- CThe camping region in the park offers open air for camping activities and BBQs, which has become a memorable exploration of this forest.
Please check for more accommodations on the map below!
Notes while exploring the national park
- Cat Tien National Park is a biosphere reservation, so it is strictly forbidden to capture and exploit flora and fauna, so just leave footprints and don’t take anything but photos.
- The forest has many leeches and other reptiles (snakes or centipedes), so you should prepare all necessary protective equipment such as specialized climbing shoes, leggings, gloves, and medicine (DEP medicine is famous in Vietnam to avoid leeches).
- Comply with the instructions of the park staff, and avoid going to areas with dangerous big animals such as bears, bulls, and rhinos.
- You should check the weather forecast before traveling to this for the rest of the year because it can get heavy rain anytime. Thus, you pay attention to traveling near rivers and waterfalls during the rain to avoid sudden floods.
- Traveling to Nam Cat Tien Forest, you may not wait for good food because this destination focuses on eco-tourism and nature.
