I first learned about Bu Gia Map from a program on VTV2, and I just found the name... funny. Yet, many years later, I had the chance to visit and fell in love with this place. The origin of the name Bu Gia Map is unclear. Some say it's a corrupted pronunciation from the S'tieng language, often using terms like Bu Gia and Gia Mac. Others suggest Bu means "village," while Gia Map is a proper name.

Bu Gia Map National Park is located in Binh Phuoc province, nearly 200 km north of Ho Chi Minh City. It shares a portion of its forest area with neighboring Dak Nong province and is separated from the Cambodian border by the Border Patrol Road, running parallel to the natural border along the Dak Huyt River.

Streams, waterfalls, and rich flora and fauna.

Covering an area of ​​approximately 26,000 hectares, Bu Gia Map's "specialty" is its breathtaking streams and waterfalls. Perhaps this is thanks to the forest's abundance of large, ancient trees and multiple layers of vegetation, which help retain rainwater for year-round use – a precious characteristic of tropical evergreen rainforests. Hundreds of kilometers of streams meander through the forest, creating interesting new pathways while also avoiding leeches lurking beneath the dry leaves on the ground.

Do you know why walking in a stream is so much more enjoyable than walking on land? If you ignore the refreshing coolness of the water, there are so many other fascinating things about walking underwater that I could spend all day in a stream without getting bored. Walking in water, you can't see what your next step will lead you to – it could be a deep pool, a slippery patch of moss, a rotting log, or a sharp rock. Because you don't know what lies ahead, you have to walk slowly and steadily. That feeling is like practicing meditation, focusing your full awareness on each step and always being ready to face any challenge ahead.

Bu Gia Map is also a conservation area for many endangered plant and animal species such as the five-colored langur, the yellow-cheeked gibbon, and rare orchid species of Vietnam and Asia. According to the 2012 biodiversity statistics, Bu Gia Map National Park currently has over 1,100 plant species along with more than 100 mammal species, 240 bird species, and 270 insect species. Among them are endemic species named after the National Park itself.Cyrtodactylus bugiamapensis, Camellia bugiamapensis…

Misty dawns, night hunts

You can choose a high vantage point to admire this rich forest from above, in the cool, misty morning air, with the clear calls of langurs echoing in the distance, enjoying a hot cup of tea and breathing in the fresh air. No phone signal, no internet, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of city life. Your five senses are immersed in this pristine environment.

At night, without electricity, we took a few flashlights and walked along the road near the ranger station to "hunt for nocturnal animals," or more accurately, to hunt with our eyes, since no one had a camera. We just looked, to feel the vibrant, colorful life that still unfolds in the night.

A meal in the forest of the S'tieng people.

Visiting Bu Gia Map is also an opportunity to enjoy unique S'tieng dishes such as "canh thut," a soup made by placing ingredients into bamboo tubes and repeatedly stirring them together. Bamboo tubes are used to cook soup and other dishes, while reeds are used to cook the incredibly delicious sticky rice cooked in bamboo. This sticky rice is often served with grilled pork or chicken, which is equally delicious with its crispy, golden-brown skin. Or you can save some of the sticky rice for the next day's trek through the forest to enjoy with peanut salt – a truly heavenly experience after dozens of kilometers of trekking.

Bu Gia Map is like a hospitable and generous host, offering all its precious products to visitors from afar. The friendly forest rangers and the simple, kind S'tieng people make each trip promise another, together being embraced by Mother Nature.

Additional information

To visit Bu Gia Map National Park, you can contact the Park Management Office in Bu Gia Map commune, Phuoc Long district, Binh Phuoc province.

Popular waterfalls include: Luu Ly Waterfall, Dak Manh Waterfall, and Dak Bo Waterfall.

government:http://vuonquocgiabugiamap.vn/vi/about/

Loan Nguyen