Swamp safari reveals creatures of the night

     The floodlights do not faze them. Nor do they seem perturbed by the noise of the jeep’s engine.
It is thus that we behold the splendorous, heart warming sight of deer and hares drinking water at a small stream, grazing, or playing with each other on the lush grass.
That one sighting is well worth the night safari that my friends and I went on at Cat Tien National Park in the southern province of Dong Nai, and it proves to be an early taste of a communion with nature that borders on the spiritual.
There are about a dozen of us, foreigners and Vietnamese, on this special trip, in four-wheel drive vehicles driven by seasoned drivers. Thanks to the headlights of the forest ranger, who also acts as a tourist guide, we catch fascinating glimpses of a ‘wild night out’ played out right under our eyes.
Cat Tien National Park lies on a buffer zone between the highlands and the plains, extending across Cat Tien and Bao Lam Districts (Lam Dong Province), Bu Dang (Binh Phuoc Province), and Vinh Cuu and Tan Phu (Dong Nai Province). It presents an array of different terrains, from high mountain slopes and rolling hills to flat riverbeds, waterfalls, streams and submerged marshes.
Its diverse topography not only presents stunning scenery, but also a land that teems with biodiversity.
Legend has it that because of the region’s enchanting landscape, tien (fairies) would often come and bathe here. Cat Tien derives its name from this tale. For added cultural charm, local residents have maintained most of their traditional customs and habits.
The adventure
From HCM City, after taking National Highway 20 to Da Lat and turning left at Milestone No 174 – the Tan Phu cross-roads, visitors get their first view of Cat Tien National Park. A small boat ride across the Dong Nai River finished off our journey.
Park ranger and guide Nguyen Huu Thang tells us that we have the option of walking, cycling, taking the jeep, or cruising down the Dong Nai River on motorised boats. We opt to take the jeep.
After a ten-minute drive we arrive at the hiking trail. It is covered with several layers of leaves, and the sunshine is still glinting on the canopies. The cries of the cicadas resound all over the forest.
It is a forest, but we are still surprised by the giant trees hundreds of years old, including the Bang Lang (Lagerstroemia speciosia), one of which is almost 300 years old. From its trunk nearly three metres in diameter, six ivory branches have sprouted. Going a bit further I spot a 400 year-old conifer pine, and a Tung tree (Tetrameles nudiflora) that has a giant root above the ground which can hold about 20 people.
Park deputy director Nguyen Dinh Viet tells us that covering an area of 71,920ha, the park boasts a diverse ecological system including many rare and valuable species of animals listed in the Red Book of Endangered Animals.
"In 1978 the South Cat Tien and North Cat Tien parks were put under the state’s protection and in December 1998, the Cat Tien National Park was established.
"In 2001, the park was recognised by UNESCO as the world’s 411th Biosphere Reserve of the world and the second in Viet Nam."
Cat Tien National Park has six kinds of forests – evergreen, semi-deciduous forests, wood and bamboo, bamboo groves and wetlands, according to Thang. He rattles off the figures with the ease that comes out of repetition. "With 1,610 species of plants belonging to 75 orders and 162 families, 105 mammal species, 348 bird species, 133 freshwater fish species, 79 reptile species, 41 amphibian species and 439 butterfly species and thousands of other insect species, the park is really a living encyclopaedia for studying the natural world."
Cat Tien is host to many species of fauna listed in the Red Book, including the Ban ten bull, the Gaur bull, the black-foot monkey, the white-neck crane, and green peafowls. Noteworthy is a group of four to five single-tusked rhinoceros, which are among the most critically endangered animals in the world, Thang says.
However, for me, the Bau Sau (Crocodile Lake) is the most interesting discovery. A jeep takes us along a 10km-long concrete road before the 5km trek into the forest begins. The sounds of thousands of insects and long howls of grey monkeys and the startling strange chirps of a forest bird keep us company.
Sometimes, the forest is so calm that we can hear only our breath and footsteps. The trees are so dense that sunlight cannot penetrate to the forest floor where hundreds of leaches thrive under the fallen leaves, ready to cling on to our shoes at anytime.
But the leeches are just a fleeting thought, as the wild and superb beauty of the primitive forest absorbs us. Then, like a timeless photograph, a wooden bridge appears, crossing a stream lined with green bamboo on either bank.
The Bau Sau Forest Ranger Post is also the halting point for visitors to the lake. We are warmly welcomed by 23 – year old forest ranger Pham Xuan Linh who is on duty that day.
"The lake is the habitat of hundreds of species of fish and amphibians. Snakeheads weighing dozens of kilogrammes and Siamese crocodiles live in the swamp. The surrounding grass-plot is home to hundreds of water birds, pheasants and peacocks," he informs us.
We pay VND50,000 (about US$3) to rent a small boat to cruise around the lake and contemplate the flocks of cranes and bright white lotus flowers. Dusk on Bau Sau is a scene from a fairy tale, mysterious and enchanting.
Late that afternoon, we enjoy a simple but delicious dinner of rice, braised fish and forest vegetable soup with some forest rangers. Their stories about strange wild beasts as well as patrols to foil trespassers and poachers spice up the meal to no end.
At night, with the guidance and assistance of Linh, we go to observe the animals. We need not go very far, since some deers and boars are so bold that they hunt for prey right at the grass plot in front of the forest ranger’s house. There is no doubt that the solitary night at the Bau Sau swamp has left a lasting impression on all of us.
The guides tell us that we need at least four or five days if we want to hike all the 12 trails available at Cat Tien Park, with many more mysteries waiting.
We can take the water route to Ta Lai to visit the Chau Ma Community, or go upstream to Quang Ngai Commune and see the remains of the Oc Eo culture, dating back to the second to seventh century AD. There archaeologists discovered a temple and idols including the sacred Hindu symbol of Shiva – the Linga and Yoni – the largest in Southeast Asia at 2.1m high and 0.7m in diametre. They also found tools and jewellery made of gemstones, gold, silver and bronze. The area is also home to the X’tieng and Ma ethnic minorities with their unique, heroic history and distinct cultural traditions.
Children of the forest
It is also rewarding to interact with the people who have made very important contributions to preserving one of the country’s biggest national parks, recognised by both foreign and domestic scientists as the best protected among all the country’s natural reserves.
Park deputy director Viet says that the Dong Nai River forms a natural boundary that embraces three sides of Cat Tien Park. This has helped limit violation of the forest by poachers.
The forest ranger staff play the most important role in protecting the primitive forest, Viet stresses.
"We have 16 forest ranger stations each with five or six people. Each station is placed four or five kilometres away from the other, and responsible for controlling thousands of hectares," Viet says, adding: "Their work is very hard and even very dangerous but most of them love the forest very much and are ready to do anything for it."
Echoes Linh from the Bau Sau Forest Ranger Station: "Despite many difficulties, our life here is really interesting since we are very close to nature, and that is something not many people are lucky enough to have."
The wildlife rescue centre is Cat Tien Park’s pride. The centre was established in 2005 and is now caring for 15 gau ngua (Tibetan bear), one gau cho (Malayan bear) and seven vuon den ma vang (Nomascus gabriellae).
Eight of the Tibetan bears were transported to Cat Tien from Gia Lai Province after they were taken from illegal traffickers of wild animals.
Luong Van Hien, head of the centre, says: "When they were brought here, these bears were only dozens of kilos in weight, and all of them were in bad health because of injuries caused by hunters.
"Thanks to the assistance of some foreign experts, we’ve helped them recover their health and grow well, as you can see now.
"We have already released a Malayan bear into the Cat Tien forest and plan to free some Tibetan bears from the centre into the Hon Me Island in the southern province of Kien Giang."