Among the more than 450 butterfly species that gather in Nam Cat Tien forest, there are species that are "indigenous" but there are also species that migrate from other places. Coming here, you will have the opportunity to see unique species such as Bien Hoa silver butterflies, rare swallowtail butterflies... Preliminarily, the number of butterfly species in Nam Cat Tien forest is 50% more than the butterfly species recorded in Vietnam.
On the nearly 10km long forest path, you can see countless flocks of butterflies flying along the path. Especially in wet areas, there are stagnant puddles where butterflies gather in large numbers. Nam Cat Tien National Park, with most of its area in Dong Nai province, nearly 150km from Ho Chi Minh City, is an ideal place for short weekend picnics for many families, groups of young people and foreign visitors. With diverse accommodation services from pristine to high-end, when coming to Nam Cat Tien, you will be able to enjoy the fresh air away from the dust of the city in a completely isolated area separated by the Dong Nai River.
Coming here, you will see shimmering blue butterflies, bright yellow butterflies like the color of sunlight and countless other colors. In particular, among them is the rare swallowtail butterfly that has been listed in the "Red Book" and the endemic animal of Dong Nai province, the Bien Hoa silver butterfly.
To fully admire the beauty of Cat Tien butterfly season, you should start your journey at 8am, when the butterflies begin to flock out to enjoy the warm rays of sunlight penetrating through the forest canopy.
Choose one of the means of transport: bicycle, walk or register for the National Park's sightseeing car, visitors are free to visit many destinations such as: 300-year-old tung tree, Troi waterfall, Dung waterfall, Bau Sau, village of the S'tieng ethnic people...
1. Move
CAR
From the Eastern Bus Station, you can buy a bus ticket from Ho Chi Minh City to Nam Cat Tien National Park. Or you can take the Ho Chi Minh City - Da Lat bus route and stop at the intersection to Nam Cat Tien National Park, then travel more than 20km by motorbike taxi or taxi.
MOTORBIKE
From Saigon, follow Highway 1A to Dau Giay intersection for about 67km. Then, turn left and follow Highway 20 for about 58km to Ta Lai intersection, also known as kilometer 125. From this intersection, continue to turn left and continue for about 24km to Cat Tien National Park.
Note:When you ask for directions, you should clearly state the name of Cat Tien National Park because in Lam Dong province there is also a place named Cat Tien so it is easy to get confused.
2. Accommodation
For those who like to travel and have limited budget, you can choose to bring a tent to camp in the forest, it will definitely be very interesting.
In addition, Nam Cat Tien National Park has a variety of accommodation services from tent rentals, dorm rooms, and separate luxury housing with prices ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 VND per person per day and night. The rooms are equipped with mattresses, fans, air conditioners, and shared/private bathrooms. Regarding accommodation services, you should book in advance through the website.http://namcattien.vn/
3. Eating and drinking
Visitors can prepare their own food or eat at the two restaurants of the National Park with a diverse menu of rice dishes, catfish hotpot, free-range chicken, etc. However, during peak season or weekends, it is recommended to book 4-6 hours in advance for the best service.
Water hyacinth soup
You should try the specialties in Nam Cat Tien National Park such as: Water hyacinth soup; River fish hotpot, wild vegetables; Wild perch, snakehead fish.
4. Main activities at Nam Cat Tien National Park
The ideal time to visit here is usually 2 days 1 night. The activities you should participate in are:
+ Explore Bau Sau: Bau Sau is the most famous tourist destination in Nam Cat Tien forest, anyone who comes here will feel nostalgic. To get here, you need to rent a car to travel about 10km and then walk another 5km to get there. Because you have to walk a long distance, you need to prepare your health and drinks to rest.
+ Visiting Tien Island: Many people think that Tien Island is an island located in the middle of the river. But in fact, this place is just a forest surrounded by a protective fence. With an area of up to 57 hectares, Tien Island is a place to preserve rare animals. In addition, there is a lush primeval forest system waiting for you to explore.
+ Join the night animal watching tour with the guidance of rangers and tour guides. In this tour, you have the opportunity to see animals foraging at night.
+ Cycling through the forest to explore waterfalls and streams following the map, exploring the diverse flora and fauna of the National Park, admiring many flowers blooming along the road, many creatures such as birds, butterflies... Bicycle rental price: 30k/hour, 150k/day.
+ Visit the S'tieng and Ma ethnic villages in Ta Lai
