Why travel this route
Cuc Phuong protects a thousand-year-old lowland rainforest two hours from Hanoi, and it is the best place in the country to actually see wildlife rather than read about it. The Endangered Primate Rescue Centre here houses langurs and gibbons confiscated from the trade, several of which exist nowhere else in captivity.
The night safari is the part people remember. Headlamps, a slow drive and walk through the forest, and — with reasonable luck — civets, flying squirrels, owls and a great deal of insect life that turns out to be far more interesting than expected.
- Visit the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre and the turtle conservation programme
- Walk the ancient forest trail to the thousand-year-old tree
- Night safari by headlamp for civets, flying squirrels and owls
- Botanical gardens and the park's insect and reptile life, which is where the guides get enthusiastic
- A rowboat trip through the flooded caves of Trang An on the way back
- Karst scenery of Ninh Binh, the dry-land counterpart to Ha Long Bay
Where you sleep, night by night
One night inside the park, at the guesthouse, which is what makes the night walk possible.
| Stop | Nights | Why we stop here |
|---|---|---|
| Ninh Binh | 2N | Karst peaks rising straight out of rice fields and slow rivers — the dry-land twin of Ha Long Bay. |
What you actually do
Walking of two to four hours on forest trails, plus the night walk. Nothing technical.
- Endangered Primate Rescue Centre and turtle centre
- Forest trekking to the ancient tree
- Night safari for nocturnal wildlife
- Botanical gardens and reptile spotting
- Rowboat through the Trang An cave system
- Karst landscape of Ninh Binh
Good to know before you book
Staying inside the park is essential — the night walk starts after the day visitors have left. Accommodation is a simple park guesthouse.
Plan this trip with us
Tell us your dates, how many of you are travelling and what you would like to change. A trip planner in our Hanoi office replies within one working day with a day-by-day plan and a price.