Talking a little about Cat Tien National Park, this is a nature reserve located in 5 districts: Tan Phu, Vinh Cuu (Dong Nai), Cat Tien, Bao Lam (Lam Dong) and Bu Dang (Binh Phuoc). About 50% of Cat Tien's area is green forest, 40% is bamboo forest, 10% is farm. Typical animals include: Javan rhinoceros, Asian elephant, gaur, sun bear, black bear, wild buffalo, tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, deer... Birds here are also rich and diverse: black eagle, white-winged duck, large hornbill... In addition to the rich amount of animals, Cat Tien is also the home of 62 species of orchids. Cat Tien has also been recognized by UNESCO as a "World Biosphere Reserve".
Cat Tien National Park has been recognized by UNESCO as a "World Biosphere Reserve"
On the occasion of the 2019 Cat Tien National Park Tourism Promotion Conference, our group traveled from Ho Chi Minh City to Cat Tien National Park. After about 4 hours of travel by car, we took a ferry across the Dong Nai River, then the organizers took us to the Cat Tien National Park Ecotourism Area's accommodation by electric car.
The landscape here is impressive, each one-story resort is located about 50 meters apart, named after rare plants and animals in Cat Tien National Park such as: Bear Villa, Elephant House, Rosemary House, Orchid House...
Cat Tien National Park Tourism Promotion Conference 2019
The 2019 Cat Tien National Park Tourism Promotion Conference seems to be more like a discussion with very frank sharing with the common goal of developing tourism in Cat Tien National Park. Ecotourism is not like organizing a summer vacation in a coastal city. To solve problems such as: how to exploit forest routes, increase the length of trekking routes, build biking routes to ensure wildness (avoid concreting) ... is not a story of one day or one afternoon and requires the joint efforts of the whole system.
Mr. Pham Hong Luong, Director of Cat Tien National Park, spoke at the conference.
Sharing with Travellive magazine reporter, Mr. Pham Hong Luong, Director of Cat Tien National Park said: “Cat Tien National Park develops tourism in the direction of association, cooperation to develop tourism responsibly, respecting nature, without harmful impacts to nature, that is the consistent viewpoint. In the future, we will develop tourism in Cat Tien National Park in general and Bau Sau area in particular in a reasonable way. The model of combining with businesses like Son Doong Tourist Area with Oxalis company is currently doing will also be a suggestion for us to consider”.
Bau Sau is located in the south of Cat Tien National Park. This is the home of freshwater crocodiles typical of Vietnam. Bau Sau area also concentrates many species of flora and fauna listed in the Vietnam and world Red Book. Like many other endemic areas of Cat Tien National Park, Bau Sau is in the conservation area so it is managed and monitored very closely.
Crocodiles in Bau Sau area
One of the most unforgettable experiences during our trip to Cat Tien National Park was to watch animals foraging at night. It was a great feeling to sit on a large, open-top truck and go through the forest in the fresh air. Occasionally, we could hear the footsteps of wild animals lightly trampling on the grass and bushes as if running away from the sound of the car engine.
With the enthusiastic guidance of the tour guide, we were able to see the gentle deer bowing their heads to graze, the wild boars quietly moving in the night or hear the black-shanked douc calling for their friends throughout the mountains and forests... These were all vibrant images of animals living in a free, wild environment, not at all the sad and weak things we had seen in the zoos in the urban areas.
Gala dinner at Cat Tien National Park
The Gala Dinner at Cat Tien National Park also left an unforgettable impression on the delegates. We were exposed to the local culture, and had the opportunity to interact with the members of the delegation, the organizer (Cat Tien National Park) and the local community (the performers). Everyone participated in the program, performing songs introducing Cat Tien, folk songs of the Ma people, gong dances of the Ma and Stieng people, and bamboo dances of the Thai people...
Museum of Biology in Cat Tien National Park
On the second day, we visited the Museum of Biology, which houses replicas of countless colorful exotic butterflies and species such as pangolins, civets, weasels, bears, rhinoceroses, birds (thrushes, ibises, hornbills), primates... In addition, the Organizing Committee also took us to visit many other interesting places such as: Dao Tien Primate Rescue Center, Bear Rescue Center, visit the flora routes such as: ancient Tung tree, Bac Dong Gõ tree, Ben Cu rapids, Bang Lang Da Co forest; visit and learn about the FFL accommodation area...
Cat Tien National Park, an attractive destination
During our stay at Cat Tien National Park, we constantly encountered foreign visitors neatly dressed, cameras in hand, walking in the forest. Perhaps they were scientists researching the diverse flora and fauna of Nam Cat Tien National Park. This is also something that the Cat Tien National Park Management Board needs to consider in the process of tourism development. They need to select visitors to meet the right needs, the right target, and need to manage the number of visitors at each time and each location to ensure that they do not exceed the capacity, avoiding harm to the environment and tourism resources, leading to negative impacts on the tourism development of Cat Tien National Park.
