The Cuc Phuong National Park in the northern province of Ninh Binh launched night wildlife tours from the beginning of May, offering visitors a chance to explore night activities of wild animals and enjoy the light show by fireflies that typically live in the park.
The daily tour, aboard electric cars, is available from 7pm-10pm, with each tour taking approximately 1-1.5 hours.It takes visitors to a 5-km journey on a path through the forest, passing rows of tall trees.
Here, visitors can immerse themselves in the enchanting magical scene of millions of fireflies sparkling like stars in the sky. Through flashlights, visitors can see animals and various types of insects.
Visitors can even encounter rare animals such as pangolins, striped civets, ink otter civets, wild cats, otters, and lorises. Nighttime is ideal to easily observe and learn about rare animals with nocturnal activity.
"I used to take wildlife night tours at many places, but this is different because of its complete nature," said Thanh Tung, a visitor from Ninh Binh.
It is difficult to take photographs because it is too dark, but seeing fireflies and wildlife firsthand was really enjoyable, he said.
Along with wildlife exploration, the tour also provides environmental education, increasing visitors’ understanding about nature and wildlife.
Pham Kien Cuong, director of the Centre for Environmental Education and Service in Cuc Phuong National Park, said that to ensure the tour does not affect creatures' natural habitat, there are only about 100 visitors per session, and they can only visit certain areas in the forest.
The night tour costs 100,000 VND (3.93 USD) for adults and 50,000 VND for kids.Situated southwest of Hanoi and across the three provinces of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa, Cuc Phuong was the first national park in Vietnam, and is characterised by a tropical rainforest.
It was honoured as Asia's Leading National Park by World Travel Awards for five years in a row from 2019 to 2023. The park has a diverse ecosystem, contributing to making Cuc Phuong a top natural-ecological destination for domestic and international tourists.
