Cat Tien 3 Day Wildlife Tour: Premier with Crocodile Lake

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Cat Tien 3 Day Wildlife Tour: Premier with Crocodile Lake
Viet Herping / Southern Vietnam · Cat Tien · Option 4 · Premier

Cat Tien 3 Day Wildlife Tour: Premier with Crocodile Lake

Cat Tien 3 day wildlife tour from Ho Chi Minh City: two nights inside the national park, two night herping sessions and a full day out to Bau Sau, the Crocodile Lake.

Meet Your Expert Guide

Nguyễn Minh Phú

Nguyễn Minh Phú

Founder, Viet Herping · Co-founder, Viet Snake Rescuer

From

  • $310
per person · 2 guests

Group size

Check dates on WhatsApp or email contact@vietherping.com

30% deposit by Wise, balance in cash (VND) on day one. Reschedule up to 2 times free with 5 days' notice; deposit valid 6 months.

Questions before you book? WhatsApp +84 963 258 366 or email contact@vietherping.com. Returning guests get 5% off any tour.

Overview

The Cat Tien 3 day wildlife tour is our premier option in the park: transfers from Ho Chi Minh City, two nights in a hotel inside Cat Tien, two night herping sessions, and a day out to Bau Sau (Crocodile Lake) for daytime wildlife.

It is for guests who want a longer itinerary with several sessions, and who want transfers, accommodation and the main fees arranged by Viet Herping. Your guide worked twenty years as a ranger in this park. He reads the season and the weather and picks the route to match, rather than walking the same loop regardless of conditions. Red light keeps night mammals calm; white light shows the colour and scale detail you need to identify a snake or a frog. Every guest leaves with a completed wildlife checklist.

This is one of four options under our Cat Tien National Park herping tour programme. Shorter on days? The two-day package keeps the transfers and the room and drops Bau Sau. Short on time? The Ho Chi Minh City herping tour runs in a single evening without the three-hour drive.

Field conditions and getting around

We rate this tour Moderate because of the Bau Sau day and the second night walking back. If your fitness is not strong, a bicycle inside the park makes moving around much easier, and you can call a jeep back if you feel tired; both are paid locally. Tell your guide your preferred return time at least one day ahead so he can book your bus ticket.

Safety and responsible herping

Venomous species are observed at the distance your guide sets. Any handling is offered, never assumed, and happens only under direct guide supervision. We do not bait, provision or move animals for photographs. Every tour carries a first aid kit and runs under a written emergency protocol.

How to book the Cat Tien 3 day wildlife tour

To book the Cat Tien 3 day wildlife tour, send us your preferred dates and group size on WhatsApp or by email at contact@vietherping.com. We reply with availability and the booking steps. 30% deposit by Wise, balance in cash (VND) on day one. Reschedule up to 2 times free with 5 days' notice; deposit valid 6 months. See the booking policy for the full terms.

Viet Herping logo, operator of the Cat Tien 3 day wildlife tour

Want different dates, pace or target species? We build private trips around what you want to see and when you can travel.

Ask for a tailor-made trip

Highlighted Species

The longest Cat Tien option adds Bau Sau and a second night in the forest, which is where the crocodile and a wider night list come in. Sightings are not guaranteed.

Highlight species on this tour

Siamese Crocodile Crocodylus siamensis

Target

The reason the three-day option goes to Bau Sau, the Crocodile Lake. Daytime wildlife watching on Day 2 focuses on crocodiles and langurs, with rest time at the lake in the afternoon.

Ruby-eyed Pit Viper Trimeresurus rubeus

Venomous Target

A green pit viper with a red eye, and the signature night find at Cat Tien. White light picks up the colour and scale detail that confirm the identification. Venomous: observed at a distance only, never handled by guests.

Black-shanked Douc Langur Pygathrix nigripes

Target

The primate most guests hope for on the morning session. A daytime animal of the forest canopy, searched for from 05:00 when the forest is most active. Not guaranteed.

King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah

Venomous Rare

The animal most herpers name first. It is on the Cat Tien list, though encounters are uncommon and never planned around. Venomous: watched from a distance, we do not approach.

Also on the Cat Tien list

  • Banded Krait Venomous
  • Blue Krait Venomous
  • Indo-Chinese Spitting Cobra Venomous
  • Monocled Cobra Venomous
  • Burmese Python
  • Reticulated Python
  • Green Cat Snake
  • Jasper Cat Snake
  • Asian Sunbeam Snake
  • Laotian Wolf Snake
  • Chinese Water Dragon
  • Clouded Monitor
  • Common Water Monitor
  • Elongated Tortoise
  • Giant Asian Pond Turtle
  • Vietnamese Moss Frog
  • Annam Tree Frog
  • South Vietnamese Painted Frog
  • Cat Loc Caecilian
  • Nguyen's Caecilian

Mammals and birds on the list

  • Pygmy Slow Loris
  • Sunda Pangolin
  • Mainland Leopard Cat
  • Gaur
  • Asian Elephant Rare
  • Asian Small-clawed Otter
  • Black Giant Squirrel
  • Green Peafowl
  • Siamese Fireback
  • Germain's Peacock-Pheasant
  • Great Hornbill
  • Bar-bellied Pitta

This is a reference list of species that may be found on our Cat Tien tours, not a complete inventory. Sightings vary with season, weather and conditions on the night and cannot be guaranteed.

Trip Report & Destination

Field notes and photos from our longer Cat Tien trips, written up after each one.

All trip reports →What each group recorded, with dates and photos.Trip reports Cat Tien night herping tour →One night session on foot. From $60 per person.Option 1 Cat Tien night and morning wildlife tour →Night herping plus a dawn session for primates. From $80.Option 2 Cat Tien 2 day herping tour from Ho Chi Minh City →Transfers, a room inside the park and both sessions. From $215.Option 3 Cat Tien National Park herping tour guide →All four options side by side, with seasons and access.Cat Tien
 

Viet Herping is run by field herpetologists who research and rescue Vietnam's snakes, and the same people lead you into the field. This trip is one Vietnam herping tour among several in southern Vietnam: compare every herping tour Vietnam has on our list by region, or ask us to build a tailor-made route. A portion of the revenue from each tour supports reptile conservation through Viet Snake Rescuer.

Ready to book? Send us your dates, your group size and the species you most want to see. We will confirm availability and tell you honestly what a night here produces at that time of year.

Message us on WhatsApp

Last updated: 2 October 2026 · Written by Nguyen Minh Phu, Founder of Viet Herping and Viet Snake Education, Co-founder of Viet Snake Rescuer.

Schedule

Arrival time depends on traffic and the bus schedule. Timing adjusts to weather and wildlife activity.

Day 1 · Pick-up and first night

  1. 08:45

    Private car pick-up

    At your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

  2. 10:00

    Bus station

    Our team helps you board; the bus runs directly to Cat Tien National Park.

  3. ~15:30

    Arrive and check in

    Meet your Viet Herping guide, check in to the hotel inside the park, rest. Dinner is paid directly.

  4. 18:30 – 23:00

    Night herping

    First night session on foot.

Day 2 · Bau Sau and second night

  1. 05:30

    Daytime wildlife watching

    Langurs and crocodiles on the way to and around Bau Sau.

  2. Midday

    Lunch and rest at Bau Sau

    Rest time at the Crocodile Lake in the afternoon.

  3. Evening – 23:30

    Night herping on the way back

    The return route begins in the evening, herping along the way to the hotel.

Day 3 · Return

  1. Flexible

    Check out

    At a time that suits your bus.

  2. Departure

    Bus to Ho Chi Minh City

    Your guide sees you onto the right bus. Our driver meets you at the city bus station and takes you to your hotel.

Meals

Not included Meals and drinks in Cat Tien are paid directly by guests.

Accommodation

2 nights inside the park Hotel inside Cat Tien National Park.

Room for two

Shared by default The price assumes two guests share one room. Separate rooms: 800,000 VND surcharge.

Transfers

Included Private car in the city and round-trip bus tickets to Cat Tien.

Questions

Frequently asked

Price & Service

Cat Tien 3 day wildlife tour price (USD)

Groups of three or more are quoted on request by WhatsApp or email.
Group size 1 guest 2 guests 3+ guests
Price $480 total $310 per person Contact us

A 30% deposit by international transfer (Wise) secures your dates. The 70% balance is paid in cash in Vietnamese dong to your guide on the first day, at an exchange rate we confirm in writing four days before departure. The deposit is non-refundable but transferable: two-day and three-day tours can be moved up to two times free of charge with at least five days' notice, and the deposit stays valid for six months from your original date. Full terms: booking policy and cancellation and refund policy.

What is included

Included

  • Private car in Ho Chi Minh City: hotel to bus station, and bus station back to hotel
  • Round-trip bus tickets to and from Cat Tien
  • 2 nights in a hotel inside Cat Tien National Park
  • Viet Herping guide in Cat Tien
  • Cat Tien National Park entrance ticket
  • Bau Sau ticket

Not included

  • Meals and drinks in Cat Tien
  • Separate-room surcharge if two guests do not share: 800,000 VND
  • Anything not listed as included

Optional, paid locally

  • Jeep ride: 360,000 VND one way, on request if you are tired
  • Bicycle rental: 200,000 VND half day · 400,000 VND full day

Does the guarantee apply to this tour?

No. Cat Tien is not one of the tours covered by our Target Species Guarantee.

Encounters here depend on weather, season and field conditions, and we would rather tell you that plainly than promise what the forest cannot. What you do get is a guide who has worked this park for twenty years and chooses the route for the night.

In the south the guarantee applies on the Ho Chi Minh City herping tour, where a live wild snake of any species is guaranteed and a quiet night means your next attempt is free.

Other Cat Tien options

If this one is not the fit

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Ho Chi Minh City Herping Tour

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SCHEDULE

SCHEDULE

2 Days/ 1 Night
PACKAGE

PACKAGE

Full Package
LEVEL

LEVEL

Easy–Moderate
FROM

FROM

$210 /pax · 3–5

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