I. Overview of Bang Lang Stork Garden
Bang Lang Stork Garden (or the Bang Lang Stork Sanctuary) is one of the popular natural destinations in the Mekong Delta. The place, surrounded by vast paddy fields and rivers, is home to a variety of storks and birds. For bird lovers or ornithologists, Bang Lang Stork Garden is the sound-after destination to watch and study these animals. Let’s explore the Bang Lang Stork Garden with Mekong Smile Tour!
II. Where is Bang Lang Stork Garden
Situated in Thuan An Ward, Thot Not District, this place is about 53km from the heart of Can Tho City. It is in the direction of the national high No.91 towards Long Xuyen City, An Giang Province. The garden is off the beaten track, so it will be worth exploring nature, watching storks, and relaxing.
* Entrance fee:
There is a small entrance fee for admission to the garden. The fee is to develop and maintain the stork garden.
– Adult: 20,000 VND/person
– Children: 10,000 VND/person
* Opening times:
The Stork Garden usually opens at 5:00 am and closes its door at 7:30 pm.
* How to get there:
Bang Lang Stork Garden has located approximately 53km from Can Tho City. There is a domestic airport with flights every day in Can Tho City. Thus, tourists always make a journey to the stork garden. From Can Tho Airport or the center of Can Tho city, tourists can go to Bang Lang Stork Garden by taxi or motorbike. Moreover, tourists can rent a car and drive to get there by following the guidelines of Google Maps.
III. Best time to visit there
Actually, tourists can visit this place at any time of year. However, this place is most populated with birds during their breeding season from August to January. At this time, around 300.000 storks with more than 20 species of birds come there to lay eggs. During this period, the Mekong Delta also experiences flooding season, so you can take a boat trip there. Moreover, between March and May, visitors can see little egrets from the three meters-high observatory.
IV. The story of The Bang Lang Stork Garden
In the past, the stork sanctuary was a rice paddy field surrounded by bamboo, nipa palms, and trees. Nguyen Ngoc Thuyen or also known as Mr. Bay Thuyen, the owner of the land, is a nature-loving farmer. He said that about 200 storks gathered and nested on his field in 1983. Instead of annoying or trapping them, Mr. Thuyen planted a lot of trees as a home for them to live and lay eggs. Since then, a huge number of birds and species of storks from everywhere flock more and more. In 1997 it started bringing tourists there and today the area is larger than 16,000 square meters. Now, the number of storks ranges from 100.000 to 150.000 over 20 species of storks.
* The name “Bang Lang Stork Garden”
Bang Lang is a tree species with blooming purple flowers in the summer. Its English name is Queen’s Grape-myrtle. In the past, the tree had been grown on the side of the path leading to the stork garden. Though there are not many trees along the road anymore, local people and visitors still call it “Bang Lang Stork Garden” or “Bang Lang Stork Sanctuary”. There are a lot bamboo bush planted on the side of the road leading to the garden.
V. What to do there
Explore the life of storks in the sanctuary
A stork lays eggs four times per year and every chick needs about six months to mature. Mr. Thuyen often goes around his sanctuary and helps animals. If a young bird falls down from its nest, he will bring it home and feed it until it can fly by itself. The area of the sanctuary is extremely large and accommodates thousands of nests. Thus, the check will be pecked to death by the matured storks if it is not in the right nests. Two months after the eggs hatch, mother storks and their chicks will leave the nests to make room for others.
When the dawn breaks, storks start flying to forage for food. The sight when storks flap their wings at the same time is magical and beautiful. Also, this is the most magnificent scenery of the day. If you don’t want to get up at the crack of dawn to see storks, you can visit there at dusk. This time when flocks of storks fly back to their nest after a hard-working day.
Enjoy the fresh air and beautiful nature
Apart from watching storks, visitors can spend time walking around this area. Having been covered by immense rice fields, Bang Lang Stork Garden with white storks creates an attractive scene from above. A 3-meters bird watchtower will provide visitors with a panoramic view of the sanctuary. From the tower, tourists will be able to look around the garden and admire the peaceful scenes of the countryside.
Taste delicious typical foods
After visiting and admiring the landscapes, tourists can enjoy the delicacies of Vietnam in Bang Lang Stork Garden. Visitors will have chances to try several popular Mekong Delta cuisine such as grilled pork chops, grilled snakehead fish, Vietnamese pancakes, and other delicious dishes. Besides, they can buy specialties made from palm trees to bring home as presents for family and friends.
VI. Tips for visiting
The stork garden obviously has innumerable trees and many canals, visitors should:
– Dress conservatively and don’t wear too bright to protect yourself from insects.
– Bring an insect spray and special medicines for first aid in case of being bitten by insects.
– Keep them hydrated and have light snacks during the walk and sightseeing.
– Bring a hat, sunglasses, or even a binocular to view storks.
– Bring a raincoat if making a trip to Can Tho in the rainy season.
– Respect and don’t hunt or kill storks and birds in the sanctuary.
These days, the owner of the sanctuary is calling for help against the hunting of people catching storks and birds. Several rare species here are on the verge of extinction. Therefore, it is necessary to raise people’s awareness and support the sanctuary.
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