Amazed by the diverse ecosystem in the wetlands of Con Dao National Park

1. A few words about Con Dao National Park

Con Dao National Park is located in the system of special forests of Vietnam, in Con Dao district, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province. Con Dao National Park belongs to the Con Dao archipelago and is about 83km from the Hau River mouth (Can Tho), about 185km from Vung Tau city and about 250km from Ho Chi Minh city. Con Dao archipelago currently has 16 small islands, the largest is Con Son island and Con Dao National Park is also located here. Con Son island is a famous tourist destination visited by many tourists.

Con Dao National Park has a total natural area of 19,883.15 hectares, including the forest conservation area on the islands (5,883.15 hectares); the marine conservation area (14,000 hectares) and the marine buffer zone area (20,500 hectares). Con Dao National Park is famous for its biodiversity of forests, seas, and wetlands and has been recognized by many domestic and foreign organizations as an Internationally Important Wetland (Ramsar Site) in 2013 - recognized as the 2,203rd Ramsar site in the world and the 6th in Vietnam.

Con Dao National Park has over 1,000 species of vascular plants and many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. There are many bird species in Con Dao that are not found anywhere else in Vietnam, such as the tropicbird, the blue-faced booby, and the white-rumped booby.

The marine ecosystem of the National Park includes mangrove forests, coral reefs and seagrass. A survey by the Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography has recorded over 1,300 species of marine flora and fauna, including 44 species listed in the Vietnam Red Book. In particular, the Dugong in Con Dao is a globally endangered marine mammal.

In addition, Con Dao National Park is an important nesting site for the globally endangered green sea turtle and sea turtle. Several species of marine mammals have also been recorded in Con Dao National Park.

2. How to get to Con Dao National Park

Visitors from the mainland who want to travel to Con Dao National Park can refer to the following means of transport:

2.1. Aircraft:

This is the fastest way to travel to Con Dao. Remember to check the airfare to Con Dao such as Saigon Con Dao airfare (from 940,000 VND), Hanoi Con Dao airfare (from 2,000,000 VND), Can Tho Con Dao airfare (from 1,600,000 VND).

2.2. High-speed train:

Currently, high-speed boats to Con Dao depart from many locations such as Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau, Soc Trang, Can Tho,... Ticket prices range from 360,000 VND to 950,000 VND depending on the time, shipping company and ticket type.

After arriving in Con Dao, visitors can choose to rent a motorbike, car or taxi to get to Con Dao National Park extremely easily.

3. Ideal time to visit Con Dao National Park

Landscape at Con Dao National Park will change extremely diversely depending on the season. To be suitable for tourism, visitors should choose to go from March to September, at this time it rains quite little, the sea is calm, the wind is small, so it is very suitable for visiting remote islands or participating in diving and taking pictures.

July to September is the season for sea turtles to breed, so it will be extremely interesting to explore. From October to March next year is the monsoon season, at this time Con Son Bay often has big waves, but in the West and Southwest of the big island, the sea is still calm, it does not rain so it does not affect tourism activities.

4. Experience many activities at Con Dao National Park

When coming to Con Dao National Park, visitors will experience and visit many interesting activities such as:

4.1. Explore biodiversity:

According to statistics Con Dao National Park 1,077 plant species with 640 genera, 160 families have been discovered, and 44 plant species have been found for the first time in Con Dao. The forest fauna has 160 species, including 26 mammal species, 85 bird species, 38 reptile species and 8 amphibian species. The marine ecosystem is diverse with 1,725 marine species; 23 mangrove species, 127 seaweed species, 7 seagrass species, 157 phytoplankton species, 115 zooplankton species, 219 coral species and 5 marine reptile species, along with many other rare animals.

4.2. Scuba diving to see coral:

You will be immersed in the deep ocean and admire the beautiful coral reefs. This activity is extremely safe due to the careful supervision of professional divers. Due to the excellent natural conditions, the coral reefs in Con Dao are extremely developed and will bring a super impressive visual "feast" to visitors.

4.3. Visiting turtles laying eggs:

If you go from July to September, you will experience watching turtles lay eggs. This is definitely a sight that anyone would want to see once in their life.

4.4. An Hai Lake:

A freshwater lake located inside Con Dao National Park, the lake is a source of fresh water for production, farming and the lives of local people. An Hai Lake has beautiful scenery, diverse ecosystems, especially it also possesses a poetic scene every time the lotus season blooms.

4.5. Virgin Mary Cave:

Inside the Grotto of Our Lady is a statue of the Virgin Mary and many ruins from the war against the French. Although the Grotto of Our Lady has a dangerous terrain and the way up is quite difficult, it is still chosen by many tourists to visit.

4.6. Ma Thien Lanh Bridge Relic:

It is a historical relic built by the French colonialists during the war. This is where more than 350 prisoners died during the construction process, demonstrating the misery and exploitation of the Vietnamese people by the French colonialists at that time.

5. Entrance fee to Con Dao National Park

The ticket price to visit Con Dao National Park is specifically regulated as follows:

• Adults: 60,000 VND/person
• Students: 20,000 VND/person
• Students/children: 10,000 VND/person
• Guide to see turtles lay eggs: 350,000 - 600,000 VND/person
• Guide to releasing turtles into the sea: 50,000 VND/person
• Full day tour guide: 600,000 - 700,000 VND/person

6. About accommodation when traveling to Con Dao

During the tourist season, hotel room prices in Con Dao will increase compared to other times, mostly from 450,000 VND - 600,000 VND/room/night or more.

To make your trip to Con Dao more complete, you should also bring mosquito repellent, insect repellent, seasickness medicine and raincoat in case of need. You can bring power outlets and spare batteries because the scenery on the island is very beautiful, making your phone and camera work continuously.

In addition, there are only about 2 ATMs on the island, so it is best to bring cash and note that most of the goods on the island are shipped from the mainland, so the prices are a bit higher than average.

7. What gifts should you buy when traveling to Con Dao?

7.1. Con Dao bird's nest

According to research results, out of 30 factors in bird's nest, 18 factors of Con Dao bird's nest have higher nutritional content than bird's nests in other places. Therefore, Con Dao bird's nest is also an extremely nutritious gift that you can buy after your trip to Con Dao for your relatives and family.

7.2. Con Dao Areca Nuts

The Con Dao almond tree is a forest tree with very large seeds. When the almond tree flowers and bears fruit, the islanders harvest the almond fruit, dry it, and split it to get the seeds. The almond seeds can be eaten immediately or roasted with salt or sugar as desired. The almond seeds are a specialty of Con Dao that you can easily buy anywhere on the island as gifts for your relatives.

There are also some other specialties you can choose as gifts for friends and relatives after a trip to Con Dao such as one-sun dried mackerel, one-sun dried squid, Con Dao ginseng,...

Hopefully, the above sharing about independent travel to Con Dao by iGuide.ai will be somewhat useful for you. Let's plan your trip to Con Dao with iGuide.ai's Trip Builder.