Cuc Phuong-An ideal place for nature enthusiasts

Located 120 kilometers south of Hanoi, the Cuc Phuong national park was established in 1962, with its forests spanning parts of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces and consisting of more than 200 square kilometers of tropical forests and many caves.

It is home to dense forests of millennia-old trees, prehistoric caves, botanical gardens, and two animal sanctuaries which are worth exploring.

The Endangered Primate Rescue Centre provides recovery and rehabilitation services for illegally captured primates which have been saved and sent to the place for care while the Turtle Conservation Centre runs rescue, conservation, and breeding programmes.

The most popular activities for tourists are camping in the forest, hiking in the heart of the forest, bird watching, and kayaking on the Mac Lake or Yen Quang Lake,or enjoying a night stay in the stilt houses of the hospitable Muong people.

The Mac lake is a tranquil and beautiful lake in the Cuc Phuong national park. It is less than two kilometers from the reception area and is accessible by foot. There are accommodations and a restaurant along the banks of the lake.

Around five kilometers further on is a cave featuring prehistoric tools and ancient tombs of prehistoric men. It is now apparently a refuge for bats.

The park centre houses a restaurant, a cafe, a shop and more accommodations, and is the starting point for a six-kilometer walk to the destination where the thousand-year-old tree is located. The tree is 50 meters high and its 5-meters diameter is fully embraced by over 20 people.

For those who like to take a longer walk, they can visit a Hmong village which is 16 kilometers from the park centre. This trip needs to be included in an organised tour as a guide is required.

Cuc Phuong's Endangered Primate Rescue Centre houses around 150 primates classified as endangered species. It works to release the animals back into the wild, however, the animals, which had been captured for a long time, need more time to re-adapt to the environment they used to live in, so a small number of them have been released into the wild successfully since the center opened in 1995.

Endangered Primate Rescue Centre.

Meanwhile, the Turtle Conservation Centre has some well-presented displays detailing the problem facing the animal and 19 species of turtles.

April and May are ideal months for visitors to tour the park when it becomes lively with various kinds of butterflies flying around.

With its rich fauna and flora, Cuc Phuong is viewed as a peaceful place where visitors can leave all their troubles behind and immerse themselves into the beauty of nature.

Translated by Nguyen Thuy