Vietnam Mega Birding Tour 7th to 31st March 2018 (25 days) Bar-bellied Pitta by Suppalak Klabdee After being isolated from the birding and travelling world for so long, Vietnam has become one of the key destinations on the world birding travel map. This mega tour takes in all the essential sites, giving us an excellent chance of locating all of Vietnams’ endemic and near endemic species. Starting in Hanoi, we take in the best of Tam Dao, Ba Be, Cuc Phuong and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Parks, targeting White-eared Night Heron, Coral-billed and Red-billed Scimitar Babblers, Rufous- headed and Short-tailed Parrotbills, Collared Babbler, Limestone Leaf Warbler, Eared Pitta, White- tailed Flycatcher, Fujian Niltava, Red-collared Woodpecker, Austen’s Brown Hornbill and Limestone Wren-Babbler among many others. RBL Vietnam Mega Itinerary 2 Heading further south we cover another large variety of unique habitats from the dry woodlands of Yok Don and the lush montane forests of Mang Den and Nha-Ke Bang National Park to the scrubby, secondary forest of Lo Xo Pass and the limestone woodland and forest of Bach Ma National Park. These birding hotspots afford us the chance of seeing some of Vietnam’s most seldom-encountered avian specialties that include the near-mythical Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush, recently discovered Black- crowned Barwing and Annam Partridge, as well as localized endemics and global rarities such as Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler, Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Pale-capped Pigeon, White-winged Magpie, Red-collared Woodpecker, Mekong Wagtail and Sooty Babbler. A scenic drive from Yok Don will take us to Da Lat, a former French hill station at the southern extreme of the Central Highlands. From Da Lat we will make day trips to the nearby Mount Lang Bian, the Ta Nung Valley and Ho Tuyen Lam for Collared Laughingthrush, Grey-crowned Bushtit, Vietnamese Cutia, Vietnamese Greenfinch and Black-crowned Fulvetta, as well as the once mythical Grey-crowned Crocias, a species thought to have been extinct for over 50 years! Di Linh offers up some mouth-watering specialities including Black-hooded, White-cheeked and Orange-breasted Laughingthrushes as well as the near-endemic Black-crowned Parrotbill. We finish our tour in the magnificent lowland tropical forests of Cat Tien National Park. Numerous specialities, both avian and mammalian occur here, and we hope to find Blue-rumped and Bar-bellied Pittas, Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant, Green Peafowl, the elusive Orange-necked Partridge, Great Slaty, Pale-headed and Black-and-buff Woodpeckers, Lesser Adjutant and Grey-faced Tit-Babbler. Significant mammals could include Leopard Cat, Lesser Oriental Chevrotain, Gaur and three beautiful primates, Black-shanked Douc Langur, Silvered Lutung and Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbon. Now that peace reigns over the once troubled land of Vietnam, we invite those with a taste for the exotic to explore this incredible country. VIETNAM ITINERARY Day 1 Hanoi to Tam Dao Days 2 & 3 Tam Dao Day 4 Tam Dao to Ba Be National Park Day 5 Ba Be National Park to Cuc Phuong National Park Days 6 & 7 Cuc Phuong National Park Day 8 Cuc Phuong National Park to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park Day 9 Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park Day 10 Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to Bach Ma National Park Day 11 Bach Ma National Park to Kham Duc/Lo Xo Day 12 Kham Duc/Lo Xo to Mang Den Days 13 & 14 Mang Den Day 15 Mang Den to Yok Don National Park Day 16 Yok Don National Park to Da Lat RBL Vietnam Mega Itinerary 3 Days 17 to 19 Da Lat area Day 20 Da Lat to Di Linh Day 21 Di Linh to Cat Tien National Park Days 22 to 24 Cat Tien National Park Day 25 Cat Tien National Park to Ho Chi Minh City and depart TOUR MAP RBL Vietnam Mega Itinerary 4 THE TOUR IN DETAIL… Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi, transfer to Tam Dao. This morning we will all meet up at our hotel in Hanoi from where we begin our mega birding adventure through Vietnam. Starting in the north of the country and working our way south through all of the major habitats and birding hotspots, the first site that we will take in on this epic journey across the country will be the Tam Dao area. This is an old French hill station where the residents of Hanoi would vacation in the hot summer months. Located in the forested hills to the north-west of Vietnam’s capital city, the beautiful, lush forests surrounding this small town are home to a number of exciting species of a typically Himalayan flare as they reach the eastern most limit of their range in these forested hills. This afternoon we will have time for some introductory birding in the forest surrounding the Orange-bellied Leafbird by Rich Lindie village where a number of new and exciting species await us. Days 2 & 3: Tam Dao. We have two full days to explore the various trails that wind their way through the forested hills surrounding the town of Tam Dao. A number of very special species occur here and these will be our focus for the next two days. This is a wonderful area to begin our birding through Vietnam with an array of colourful, vibrant and showy species on offer that includes Orange-bellied Leafbird, Blyth’s Shrike-Babbler, the impressive Red-billed Blue Magpie, Golden Babbler, Black- chinned Yuhina, Ashy Bulbul and Red-headed Trogon. Black-winged Cuckooshrike and the range- restricted Chestnut Bulbul sometimes join mixed species flocks along with Pallas’s Leaf Warbler, Streak- breasted and Red-billed Scimitar Babblers and the recently split David’s Fulvetta (split from Grey- cheeked Fulvetta). Small family parties of shy and rather unobtrusive Collared Babblers skulk about in areas of dense bamboo clusters, which is also the habitat of the retiring White-gorgeted Flycatcher. The elusive Grey Laughingthrush and busy flocks of Rufous-headed Parrotbills can sometimes be found associating with understory flocks, especially when there are scimitar babblers present. Dense scrub and thickets at the forest edge and in clearings support further skulkers like Russet, Pale-footed and Brown- flanked Bush Warblers, while Grey-backed Shrike also favours openings and edge habitat. If we Golden Babbler by Markus Lilje RBL Vietnam Mega Itinerary 5 are very fortunate we may encounter a few of Tam Dao’s rare and particularly elusive species such as the always evasive and seldom-seen Green and Purple Cochoas, the smart Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler, Collared Treepie and the ultra-localized Short-tailed Parrotbill. Day 4: Tam Dao to Ba Be National Park. We have the early morning to search for any of the Tam Dao specialties that we may still require before departing for Ba Be National Park where we’ll spend just one night. Our main reason for visiting this reserve is to find the once mythical White-eared Night Heron. This very rarely seen, extremely localized and endangered species was recently found nesting in the National Park and we have an excellent chance of seeing this absolute mega that was almost unknown and completely unavailable before this Mandarin Duck by Rich Lindie site was discovered! While exploring the park and searching for the night heron we’ll certainly see a number of other interesting species although bird densities here can be particularly low. Apart from a number of fairly widespread species we may also encounter a few noteworthy gems like Pied Falconet, the rare White-winged Magpie and gorgeous Mandarin Ducks. Day 5: Ba Be National Park to Cuc Phuong National Park. After an early morning birding session at Ba Be we will depart on the drive south towards Cuc Phuong National Park, our base for the next three nights. We will be able to embark on a short, nocturnal foray this evening that may produce Collared Scops Owl and Brown Wood Owl in the forest surrounding our accommodation. Days 6 & 7: Cuc Phuong National Park. We have an exciting two full days to explore this beautiful, unique and fascinating area with its forested valleys and extensive limestone rock formations. Our explorations of the various trails through the national park will provide chances of some very exciting and special birds indeed. Highlights and target species are many and include the range and habitat-restricted Limestone Wren- Babbler, the localized and rather furtive Rufous- throated Fulvetta, the scarce and under-recorded White-tailed Flycatcher, the attractive Silver- breasted Broadbill, brilliant but shy Common Green Magpie, the bizarre and localized Ratchet- tailed Treepie, the impressive Large Scimitar Babbler, gorgeous White-tailed Robin, Fujian Niltava and Buff-breasted Babbler. In the early Pied Falconet by Rich Lindie RBL Vietnam Mega Itinerary 6 mornings and late afternoons we’ll watch carefully along the tracks and trails for Silver Pheasants, while flocks of White-bellied Green Pigeons may also be seen perched up at the tops of tall, emergent bare trees. Mixed species flocks are likely to harbour species like Rufous and Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpeckers, the immaculate Sultan Tit, Plain Flowerpecker, Grey- crowned and Bianchi’s Warblers and Japanese Tit. Two highly sought-after but often elusive and tough- to-see specialties that we will try our best to see during our time in the reserve are the gorgeous Blue-rumped and Eared Pittas, while forest streams support the boldly-patterned White-crowned Forktail. We will also keep a vigil skywards for Black Eagle and Brown-backed Needletails in flight over the forest canopy. Besides the beautiful but shy and secretive pittas, we will also be searching the forest undergrowth for skulking denizens like the rarely seen and migratory Rufous-tailed Robin, miniscule Asian Stubtail, Black-breasted, Japanese, Grey-backed and White’s Thrushes, Red-flanked Bluetail and Black-throated Laughinthrush by Keith Valentine Manchurian Bush Warbler.