Day 725: September 20, 2026 – Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam

A 3-hour drive from the bustle of Ho Chi Minh City is Cat Tien National Park, a jungle oasis chock full of birds, monkeys, and crocodiles. As well as leeches and poisonous snakes. I joined fellow birder Tim and fledgling birder Michelle on an overnight excursion into the park.

On our itinerary was Crocodile Lake, which required a 5 km hike on a jungle trail.

Rather than doing a return 5 km hike out of the jungle, we were offered the opportunity to make the return trip on a motorbike. It turned out to be a hair-raising romp on the narrow, rocky trail filled with potholes. I just held on for dear life! That squealing sound is our brakes. And no, helmets were not an option.

The plan was for us to take a boat ride on Crocodile Lake, but when we got there, we found out they were not allowing boats on the water that day because of the danger of aggressive crocodiles hopping on to the boat. We did manage to see a few of them from a safe distance.