Tra Su Forest in Chau Doc Town is one of the most beautiful destinations in Mekong Delta. With 845 Hectare of Cajuput trees in the forest, this area has become a Green-paradise world for wildlife animals and eco-system.
Location
Chau Doc and Long Xuyen city in An Giang province are famous for many different tourist attractions. Besides, Chau Doc city is not only a border place with Cambodia but also the land of two of ethnic minority groups of Vietnam, which are Cham people and Khmer people. These special features create diversity in the culture and make a visit to this place an interesting experience! You will have a great chance to visit Ta Pa Paddy Field (the perfectly beautiful rice-paddies scenery here will win your heart forever), or the floating village of Cham people with fish-farms and vegetable islet … All-above-all, Tra Su Cajuput Forest is the most beautiful site during this journey, which makes it a must-visit place once you set foot in the city. All of the trees are sunk deep in the water, creating a unique environment and urging you to discover this “sunken” forest.
Tra Su flooded forest, also referred to as Tra Su cajuput forest, Tra Su mangrove forest, Tra Su Melaleuca forest or Tra Su bird sanctuary, is located at Tinh Bien district, An Giang province, 10 km from Vietnam – Cambodia border and 60 km from Long Xuyen city. This is a flooded forest that features the typical ecosystem of the Mekong Delta, which can be seen clearly during the flooded season (from September, October to November). The forest is dressed up with the appealing look of the green carpet of duckweed covering the whole large area.
- Address: Tinh Bien district, An Giang Province, Việt Nam.
- Time of opening: 5h00 – 21h00
- Ticket price for visiting and boat ride: 200.000 VND/person, depending on group size.
Ticket price of Tra Su flooded forest
The entrance ticket price includes the entrance fee and boat fee, which is 95.000 – 190.000 VND. However, the price may vary depending on the number of the tourist group and the time of the visit (higher price on holidays). Going alone will cost more than going in the group! Children are free of charge.
- Excludes Personal Fee, fee for observations, food.
- Price for using Monocular at watchtower: 5.000 VND/time of use.
- Cost for food: 80.000 – 150.000 VND/dish.
Review of Tra Su forest
What’s interesting in Tra Su flooded forest?
Tra Su flooded forest is among many attractions of An Giang province, but what makes it so popular and attracts a large number of tourists? Let’s find out the answer with Mekong Smile Tour!
Explore Tra Su forest on “Tắc ráng” (motor boat)
After about 1 km of the walk from the parking place to the starting point of Tra Su forest tour, a small pier, you will be picked up by “Tắc ráng” (a long, small motorboat that can run quite fast and carry 10-12 people), a very common means of transportation in the South of Vietnam. The boat will bring you through different exciting waterways.
You will first go through a spacious area with dirt roads of big and old cajuput on one side and a wide area covered with water and numerous kinds of trees on the other side. On the way, you can observe plenty of birds and storks finding snails, fish… for their living. A swamp area is a perfect place for hundreds of species, from plants, fish, snails, crabs, frogs, to aquatic species… which are a great source of food for the storks and birds living above.
The next part of the way is much narrower. These are small canals shaded with scabrous, twisted trees, mainly cajuputs and mangrove. Less sunshine means cooler and less effort to explore the biodiversity of the area.
Occasionally, some storks, egrets or some birds shake the water under their feet and head to the sky, which may surprise the tourists with utmost curiosity or sometimes urge them to come back again for a clearer observation. Visitors could also have many chances to see bird nests on the trees with great density.
The diverse ecosystem of Tra Su flooded forest
With over 800 ha of the area covered mainly with cajuput, the forest has been a tourist site from 2005. Before 2005, the forest had a long time existence for hundreds of years. Especially, the wide duckweed carpets play an important role in maintaining the ecosystem because they can clean the water, create favorable environments for the fish, aquatic species, and wading birds like (herons, snake birds, kingfishers, bitterns, egret ….. These green carpets accidentally add astonishing beauty to already peaceful swampland.
It is estimated that there are 140 types of flora, 70 species of birds, 11 types of animals, 25 species of reptiles, and 23 kinds of fish. However, most of the species here are not poisonous although there are some types of snakes. Thus, enjoy the time here with no worries.
Watchtower with telescopes
After taking a ride with motorboat to the center of Tra Su forest, we will need to walk about 500 meters more to the eating area and watchtower. The watchtower is 5 stories and 14m high, which can take a bit effort to get to the top. This is the highest building in this area. On the top, the 360 views of the watchtower can help you get an overview of the forest and reach the view to some mountains like Cam (Forbidden) Mountain, Sam Mountain or the Cambodia – Vietnam border area. Some older visitors or children may need consideration and care when deciding to get to top of the watchtower.
Taking a rest after reaching the top, the watchtower is a good place to get the coolest winds while observing the daily life of the birds. There is also a telescope for those to want to get more details of the bird nests or a closer look to the birds underneath when they are finding food or building nests. The forest rhythm of life seems to be exposed to the visitors and even become more vivid and lively.
Authentic food from the South of Vietnam in combination with wilderness of the forest
The eating place in the center of Tra Su forest has a variety of dishes in the menu, including: hotpot of Linh fish and sesban flower, deep fried Linh fish, sour hotpot of catfish, honey grilled chicken, grilled snakehead fish… all of which are typical food for locals of this area. With healthy ingredients of tropical vegetables, fish from Mekong River and chicken around the gardens, a lunch among the natural atmosphere is a really unforgettable memory for those who go with their families and friends.
Some tips when coming to Tra Su flooded forest
The road to Tra Su flooded forest is kind of easy, but some tips may help to avoid waste of time and effort.
How to get to Tra Su flooded forest
Here is the Google maps address of the forest: Tra Su flooded forest in An Giang.
Means of transportation
- Motorbike: Motorbike is one of the convenient and cheapest types of movement in Vietnam but also requires a lot of effort to ride a long way. Riding a motorbike enables the riders to stop and access almost all the spots on the way, including beautiful scenery.=
- Car: the safest way for group of many people. A car full of passengers can save a lot of money for travelers but also cause a bit of inconvenience if we want to stop at certain places.
- Bus: This is also a suitable option for a small group.
a) From Ho Chi Minh city: Departing from Ho Chi Minh city, you can buy tickets from Mien Tay bus station (HCM city) to Chau Doc or Long Xuyen. The ticket is around 120.000 – 200.000 VND depending on the brand name or the type of bus or seat you choose. FUTA bus is a safe choice among other brands!
Phuong Trang (Futa)Transportation Company:
- Departure: Mien Tay Bus Station, 395 Kinh Duong Vuong Street, Ward An Lac, Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City
- Destination: Chau Doc Bus Station, National Road 91, Ward Vinh My, Chau Doc City, An Giang Province
- Contact for booking: (+84) 2839 208 559
- Price: around 150,000 VND per person
Hung Cuong Transportation Company
- Departure: Mien Dong Bus Station, 292 Dinh Bo Linh Street, Ward 26, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City
- Destination: Chau Doc Bus Station, National Road 91, Ward Vinh My, Chau Doc City, An Gian Province
- Contact for booking: (+84) 2838 572 624
- Price: around 150,000 VND per person
b) From Can Tho city: Bus is also available if you go from Can Tho city of other provinces in the Mekong Delta, of course with lower price than tickets from HCM city.
Phuong Trang (Futa)Transportation Company:
- Departure: Can Tho Bus Station No 1 A Street, Hưng Thành, Cái Răng, Cần Thơ
- Destination: Chau Doc Bus Station, National Road 91, Ward Vinh My, Chau Doc City, An Giang Province
- Contact for booking: (+84) 292.769.768
- Price: around 115,000 VND per person
c) From Long Xuyen city (An Giang province), you can go along the 91 national road to Chau Doc city by taxi or xe om.
d) From Chau Doc: take a taxi or xe om (motorbike taxi) and follow Tân Lộ Kiều Lương road to reach the gate of the forest.
Travel tips
- Hat, sun cream, and bug spray are recommended.
- A binocular is a great equipment to get extended reach.
- Visit early in the morning before 7:30 am (birds start finding for food) or late in the afternoon after 4:00 pm (birds come back after finding food).
- Avoid late morning and weekends.
Photography tips: For those who have cameras, that would be a plus to catch stunning moments. However, wildlife photography needs patience and sometimes luck. A half-press of the shutter is necessary when you see a bird is going to do something. Shooting in burst mode would get you the highest potential to catch the bird’s movement. The time of sunrise and sunset is a great addition to an impressive picture, and also the right time to witness the active birds. A telephoto range of above 100 mm with a narrow aperture between F8 to F11 is required to get a clear and sharp picture of birds. Remember to set the shutter speed faster than 1/200s. A zoom lens is a good choice for those who do not have much experience in the area.
Tra Su forest tour from Can Tho
Instead of spending time organizing trips on your own, you can book a tour to Tra Su flooded forest for a day tour. With competitive prices and quite good reviews proved, Mekong Smile Tour is not a bad choice.
More information: Tra Su Flooded forest tour
Get in touch
- MEKONG SMILE TRAVEL TRADING JOINT STOCK COMPANY
- Address: 10 Hai Ba Trung Street, Tan An Ward, Ninh Kieu District., Can Tho City.
- WeChat/WhatsApp/Viber/Hotline: +84774839165.
- Email: [email protected].
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