My Cát Tiên National Park Adventure: A 2-Day DIY Itinerary
Just got back from an amazing self-planned 2-day, 1-night trip to Cát Tiên National Park! I wanted to share my itinerary so you can get some ideas for your own adventure. Feel free to ask if you have any questions!
Day 1: Exploring the Park's Highlights
- 6:30 AM: Departed from Saigon in my own car.
- 9:30 AM: Stopped by Thế giới Ca Cao (Cocoa World) to see cocoa trees and enjoy a refreshing cocoa drink.
- 10:00 AM: Arrived at Suối Mơ (Dream Stream). The water was crystal clear, cool, and full of fish – a must-try! It's a natural experience, focused on enjoying the stream itself, not commercial water park attractions. There's an inflatable water park area available.
- 12:00 PM: Checked into Green Bamboo Hotel in Nam Cát Tiên and had lunch at the hotel. The food was like a home-cooked meal, with generous portions. The hotel is conveniently located right next to the National Park entrance.
- 3:00 PM: Took the ferry across to the National Park. Since we only had about 2 hours in the afternoon, we rented bikes and explored on our own. We visited the Ancient Tung Tree, the Five-Trunk Lagerstroemia, the Cycas Tree, and finally, Ghềnh Bến Cự (Ben Cu Rapids). The paths are very easy to navigate and don't require much physical effort or experience.
- 5:00 PM: Returned to the starting point, visited the indoor exhibition (not a museum), and grabbed a snack.
- 6:45 PM: Went on the night animal watching tour, then took the ferry back to the hotel and called it a day.
Day 2: Deeper into the National Park
Cát Tiên National Park - Day 2:
- 7:00 AM: Enjoyed breakfast at Green Bamboo, which included breakfast and a drink with a super chill view overlooking the Đồng Nai River. We had to check out in the morning and leave our luggage in the car because it was Saturday and the hotel required checkout by 11:30 AM. Didn't want to risk being late and having to pay for the ferry twice. The hotel has a pool but we didn't have time to check it out.
- 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM: Took the ferry to the National Park for the tour we booked the day before. We chose the open-top jeep tour to the furthest point on the park map, the Hundred-Trunk Giant Fig Tree. It's about 15km from the entrance and the road wasn't as crowded as I expected, as not many people are willing to bike that far. This tour was truly amazing, especially with our guide, Mr. Vị. His knowledge and way of sharing about the forest were captivating for both adults and kids. He shared so much interesting information, so I highly recommend taking a tour if you can. He pointed out things we would never have noticed on our own, like a stick insect camouflaged on a branch. Our group chartered the whole jeep for 1.8 million VND (small group, maximum 7 people), which was definitely worth it.
- 11:30 AM: Had lunch at Cây Dầu Restaurant right inside the National Park. Pro-tip: order in advance because it was Saturday and there were many tour groups, so we had to wait a long time for our food.
- 1:30 PM: Tour of the Endangered Primate Rescue Center + Cát Tiên Museum. This is a crucial tip that we almost missed if Mr. Vị hadn't told us: you need to book a tour to visit these two sites; you can't just walk in whenever you want. Go back to the same place where you booked the night animal watching tour and the jeep tour, and let them know you want to buy the museum tour. It costs 50k VND for adults and 25k VND for children for both places. It's very interesting, with lots of animals. There are only 4 time slots per day (8:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:30 PM, 3:00 PM), so you need to plan your time accordingly to buy your tickets in advance and visit during these times. They only sell tickets about 15-20 minutes before the departure time, so you can't book too far in advance.
- 3:00 PM: Said goodbye to Cát Tiên National Park, promising to return because there's so much more to experience, like the gibbon watching tour, early morning bird watching tour, Bàu Sấu tour, or the boat tour.
- 4:30 PM: Stopped by Tà Lài rice fields to take photos and have a drink. The scenery was stunning, but it was cloudy in the afternoon, so the photos didn't turn out as beautiful as I hoped.
- 8:00 PM: Had dinner on the highway. The hủ tiếu (noodle soup) cost 85k VND and wasn't very good.
- 9:30 PM: Arrived back in Saigon.
