Tra Su Forest

The forest is about 20km from Chau Doc, which is on the Vietnam/Cambodia border in Southern Vietnam. There are tours that visit from Chau Doc, or can hire a motorbike and see some of the other sites in the area on the way. On the way, there is plenty of birdlife and you will see beautiful lotus flowers – the floral emblem of Vietnam. The speed boat takes you into the interior of the reserve where there are smaller boats with rowers waiting for the next segment of the trip. This is where the trip gets more relaxing as you now only have the sound of the rower’s oar while gliding through the flooded forest.

Coming to Tra Su forest, about 3-5 people sitting on a small boat and the staff of this tourism area will take you to visit around Tra Su forest. Tra Su forest is most beautiful in the flooding season from September to November every year, which is also the time when the water surface is fully covered by the green color of duckweed, which is very thick like a rug. Sailing on this "green road" will be your brand new experience. If you go in the dry season, you will see a lot of bird nests and have a chance to listen to the song of many species of birds.

Visiting Tra Su forest by boat

Tra Su forest has more than 70 species of birds, 11 mammals, 25 reptiles, and 10 species of fish. In addition, Tra Su forest is also a gathering place for 140 species of plants belonging to 52 families and 102 genera, including 22 species of timber and many other trees. After a boat tour around the Tra Su forest, tourists will be taken to a 120-step located in the center of the forest. From there, you can admire the panoramic view of the forest, dotted with the white which are hundreds of storks sitting on the treetops.

Tra Su forest has a diverse ecosystem

Besides some typical fishes of the western region, locals living near Tra Su forest also collect the tops of “don” vegetables (belonging to fern family) for food. This vegetable is processed by boiling or stir-frying like other vegetables.

The ticket price to visit Tra Su forest is about 190,000 VND for a single tourist. If traveling in groups of 7 or more, the ticket price will be cheaper.

Things to do in Tra Su Forest

Went you go to visit Tra Su mangrove, especially first-time travelers, there are some things you should not ignore:

Walking on Vietnam's longest bamboo bridge: this bridge is 10 kilometres in length. It is a signature of Tra Su mangrove forest. The bamboo bridge was assembled by more than 500 thousand bamboo trees and it cost approximately 15 billion VNĐ (approximately 650.000 USD). This bridge became the longest bamboo bridge in the world. From above, the bridge looks like a bamboo dragon winding in the middle of a green cajuput forest. Walking through the forest is the best idea for visitors who want to admire cajuput flowers with delicate scents and enjoy the fresh air.

Climbing up the watchtower: this tower is 14 meters high so you can see the whole beautiful scenery of the cajuput forest from here. It also has a telescope used to see the bird nests. Especially in the sunset, you can see a flock of birds flies back to their nests after finding food under the sunlight at the end of the day creating magnificent scenery.

Enjoy local specialities: eating local dishes in the centre of Tra Su forest is a great experience you must have. The main ingredient of the dishes is a variety of fish from the Mekong river combined with herbs and vegetables. Some typical foods that were highly recommended are hotpot of Linh fish and sesban flower, honey grilled chicken, grilled snakehead fish, etc. 

How to get there

There are two ways to go to Tra Su mangrove forest from Ho Chi Minh city and Can tho city. You can buy a bus ticket, which costs about 150.000VNĐ/one way. Some Brand names of the bus go to Tra Su forest are: 

• Phuong Trang Transportation company: Contact for booking: (+84) 2839 208 559, the price around 150,000 VND/person
•  Hung Cuong Transportation Company: Contact for booking: (+84) 2838 572 624, the price around 150,000 VND/person

Besides, you can also book a taxi from Ho Chi Minh city or Can Tho city, or rent a motorbike and follow the 91 national road to get there. 

Because of long-distance and travel time so BestPrice Travel recommend you to choose the bus or taxi to move, driving motorbike will make you feel quite tired and it is suitable for young people 

Travel tips

• The best time to adventure Tra Su mangrove is from September to November, you can see some animals and plants which only appear in this period. But the entrance fee will be higher on holiday so you can consider it before going in this time. 
• As I mentioned above, ticket prices will depend on group size. If you go alone or there are a few people in your group, the ticket price will be high. The larger number of people you have, the cheaper price you have to pay. 
• There are a lot of insects - animals in the forest, you should bring mosquito repellent to avoid malaria. In addition, sun cream and a hat are encouraged to bring 
• Do not make loud sounds, the birds will be scared

There are a lot of things to discover in Tra Su Mangrove forest, come and enjoy the beauty of nature on your way. Have a nice trip!

Thanh Van

Image sources: Internet