The fairy lost in Cat Tien National Park

Where is Cat Tien National Park?

Cat Tien National Park is a nature reserve located in 5 districts: Tan Phu, Vinh Cuu (Dong Nai province); Cat Tien, Bao Lam (Lam Dong); Bu Dang (Binh Phuoc). This tourist destination is 150 km north of Ho Chi Minh City. There are 3 parts that make up Cat Tien National Park including: Cat Loc, Nam Cat Tien, Tay Cat Tien.

Among them, Nam Cat Tien is the most chosen tourist destination by young people in Saigon because of its poetic and charming scenery, diverse ecosystem with hundreds of years old trees, this is also the common home of many rare animals. Another reason to choose Nam Cat Tien as a weekend destination is because the route here has been planned quite well, the perfect service is very suitable for going out with family and friends after hard working days.

2 days 1 night tour to explore Cat Tien National Park

Leaving Saigon at 8:30 am, Be bus picked us up at Nga 4 Ga bus station. After 5 hours of struggling on the bus, the whole group finally saw the garden gate.

The first thing after getting off the gate was to recharge our batteries, then buy the entrance ticket to cross the river. The journey was supposed to start with cycling to see the ancient trees, but since we arrived at 2:30 pm, there was no time to do that, so we hired a jeep to take us straight to Bau Sau area to trek 5 km through the forest.

After 9 km of driving through the cool green forests, the wind blew on the faces revealing refreshing smiles. The driver dropped us off at the entrance to Bau Sau. The first steps were easy, the whole group passed through the majestic primeval forests with many beautiful old trees. The names were very strange for the first time I heard: broad-leafed princess tree, black-skinned fig tree, Pi Ba fig tree, and hundreds of other trees whose names I could not remember.

We continued trekking along the cemented roads. It would be more accurate to call it walking, because the road was not steep, so it did not create pressure for the group. Suddenly a tree with a very large trunk appeared. That was the Tung tree.

The ancient Tung tree is located on the way to Bau Sau, the tree has an admirable age - 400 years old. 30 m high, the base of the tree requires nearly 20 people to hug. The tree's roots spread out on the rocky ground, making many people excited. This is also a great highlight on the road to explore ancient trees in Nam Cat Tien.

We took photos, checked in and then continued walking. 1.5 hours had passed, and the walking still hadn’t stopped. My groupmate kept saying we had 15 more minutes to go, but we had already passed so many 15-minute stops and still couldn’t see Bau Sau.

The journey became more brilliant when I saw the words “Bau Sau 1 km/15 minutes”. It was wonderful, after walking over a long bridge, then crawling a few more slopes, we officially arrived at Bau Sau ranger station.

Oh my god, is this a paradise? This is definitely Bau Sau Lake! The sun shines down on the water, reflecting the faint light of the railway lines all over the lake. In the distance are rows of green trees, dugout canoes right at the dock for visitors who want to admire the stunning beauty of 700 crocodiles living in the lake. It is truly worth the 2 hours of walking to get here.

The whole group of us checked in at the hotel, changed into nice clothes to take pictures. In the evening, we stood there like foolish couples, because what sunset scene doesn't make travelers stunned?

At night, the dim light from the solar power lit up the entire Bungalow 6. The Bau Sau forest ranger humorously said that only our area had electricity to use, the other places in the garden tonight had to read Ngo Tat To's novel "The Lights Go Out".

Tonight, the group enjoyed delicious food. There was crab soup, raw fish, stuffed fish, fried fish, pork, cabbage, eggplant… The food was raised and grown right in the garden so it was extremely clean and safe.

Mr. Khoi - the park ranger stopped by where we were eating and drinking and sat down to tell us stories. He was very funny, and the whole group burst out laughing as he told his story. The more he told us, the more we appreciated the job of being a ranger. You have to love the forest very much, to love the forest very much to spend 24/7 in the forest to protect this land.

That evening we also had a chance to see deer and crocodile eyes shining from the lake. The rain made the already beautiful scene even more pleasant. It was late, so the group went to their rooms to sleep.

5am, I woke up very early to catch the sunrise. But unfortunately today the sky was pitch black. Thick fog was everywhere. This morning I transformed into a fairy who had just descended to earth. I had prepared very carefully for the dance in the middle of the lake, because this poetic scene made any ancient dancer want to dance gracefully. However, the ground was too wet, so I had to walk on the wooden bridge.

The long dress flows gracefully, the jade-like legs glide gently on the wooden bridge. The sparkling dew drops still linger on the branches and blades of grass, I feel like I am lost in paradise. Every passing moment, I feel the absolute beauty of Bau Sau. Letting my soul follow the wind, gently swinging my hands to the mysterious ancient dances.

We had walked for quite a while and taken some beautiful pictures. We went back to the restaurant for breakfast with fish porridge and then left the Bau Sau area.

Back at the gate, the group rented bicycles to go on the last leg of exploring the ancient trees in the garden. Each person had a bicycle, and they just kept on speeding along the long road. Just by leisurely cycling on the road, everyone would notice more interesting things. There was Ben Cu rapids with ancient trees and gently flowing water, there was Bac Dong ironwood tree that was visited by the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong when he came here, there was Loc Giao banyan tree with tangled vines.

The image of Loc Giao banyan tree is also the last stop of the tour to Nam Cat Tien National Park. A member of the group had to exclaim, "Oh, the masterpiece of nature." That's right, the small tree roots are tightly intertwined, leaning on each other to live. Perhaps that's why this banyan tree is also called by quite unique names such as "strangling banyan tree", "unfaithful banyan tree".

Leaving the garden, we returned the bikes and got on the bus back to Saigon. I brought with me many interesting stories and pictures and videos of Bau Sau and Nam Cat Tien National Park. The whole group was happy and joyful because the trip was complete. I could feel it from everyone's eyes and smiles. Saying goodbye to an extremely interesting place!

Some notes when traveling to Cat Tien National Park

Place of residence

At the gate of Cat Tien National Park, there is a camping area for camping and resting rooms for tourists, you can book a room comfortably. However, if you intend to rest at Bau Sau, you must book a room in advance and deposit early because this area has very few rooms and there are many guests who want to stay. Bau Sau area does not allow camping because wild animals often visit at night.

Buses to Cat Tien National Park

There are many bus companies that take you to Nam Cat Tien bus station, however there are only about 2 bus companies that take you to the garden gate: Kim Hoan bus with a ticket price of 100,000 VND, and Be bus with a ticket price of 110,000 VND.

Should I buy a tour to Nam Cat Tien?

Nowadays, there are many places selling tours to Nam Cat Tien, mainly for groups of 10 or more people. For small groups, you can go straight to the national park to buy tickets and then choose the types of experiences. Because this route is not too difficult, mainly for relaxation, you also do not need to hire a tour guide for this route because everything has been planned and there are clear signs in the park.

What to prepare for Nam Cat Tien travel?

- Anti-leech medicine: There are a lot of leeches in the garden, so you need to prepare before the trip.

- Covered clothing and trekking shoes: Wear covered clothing and trekking shoes to help you move easily.

- Raincoats: There are no shops in the forest, sudden rain will make your journey of discovery more difficult. You should buy raincoats rather than batwing raincoats.

- Citizen ID: If traveling in a group and staying in Bau Sau area, each member must prepare a citizen ID card.

- Cash: Bau Sau area has no phone signal or wifi, so we do not accept money transfers. If you decide to stay, you must withdraw cash in advance to pay for expenses.

Phuong Thao is the Editor of Travellive Magazine. She is passionate about traveling and loves to capture moments with her camera in every land she visits. Travel, art, and lifestyle are her favorite writing topics.

Xu Kien - Photo: Phi Duy, Tien Nguyen, Xu Kien