How much does the Cat Tien night herping tour cost?

It is $110 for one guest, $95 per person for two, $78 for three, and $60 per person for four to eight guests. The park entry ticket of 60,000 VND per person is paid separately.

What time does the Cat Tien night herping tour run?

The night session runs from 18:30 to 23:00 on foot. If weather or seasonal conditions delay the start, the field time is extended by the same amount.

Do I need to book accommodation and transport myself?

Yes. This option is for guests who have already arranged their own room and their own way to Cat Tien. If you want transfers from Ho Chi Minh City and a room inside the park, choose the two-day or three-day Cat Tien package.

Are wildlife sightings guaranteed at Cat Tien?

No. Cat Tien is not covered by our Target Species Guarantee. Sightings depend on weather, season and field conditions. Your guide has twenty years of experience in the park and chooses the route for the night.

Closed shoes with good grip, long trousers and a light rain layer. Red and white flashlights are provided. Bring cash in Vietnamese dong for the park ticket and any ferry, jeep or bicycle you use.

Cat Tien Night Herping Tour

Viet Herping / Southern Vietnam · Cat Tien · Option 1

Cat Tien Night Herping Tour

Cat Tien night herping tour: one evening on foot through rainforest trails, stream edges and hidden microhabitats, for guests who have already sorted their own stay and transport.

Meet Your Expert Guide

Nguyễn Minh Phú

Founder, Viet Herping · Co-founder, Viet Snake Rescuer

From

per person · 4–8 guests

Group size

1 2 3 4-8

Check dates on WhatsApp or email contact@vietherping.com

30% deposit by Wise, balance in cash (VND) to your guide on the day. Reschedule up to 3 times free; deposit valid 6 months.

Questions before you book? WhatsApp +84 963 258 366 or email contact@vietherping.com. Returning guests get 5% off any tour.

Overview

The Cat Tien night herping tour is one night walk on foot in lowland rainforest about three hours from Ho Chi Minh City: the simplest way into the park after dark, and the right choice if your accommodation and transport are already booked.

Your guide worked twenty years as a ranger in this park. He reads the season and the weather and picks the route to match, rather than walking the same loop regardless of conditions. Red light keeps night mammals calm; white light shows the colour and scale detail you need to identify a snake or a frog. Every guest leaves with a completed wildlife checklist.

This is one of four options under our Cat Tien National Park herping tour programme. If you also want primates at dawn, look at the night and morning option; if you need transfers and a room, the two-day package covers both. Short on time? The Ho Chi Minh City herping tour runs in a single evening without the three-hour drive.

Field conditions, weather and difficulty

We rate this tour Easy. It is about four and a half hours on foot after dark, at a slow pace. Trails stay wet after rain, so bring closed shoes with good grip. Rain often improves herping: warm rain brings amphibians out and snakes follow the frogs, so the session runs in most weather. If conditions delay the start, the field time is extended by the same amount.

Safety and responsible herping

Venomous species are observed at the distance your guide sets. Any handling is offered, never assumed, and happens only under direct guide supervision. We do not bait, provision or move animals for photographs. Every tour carries a first aid kit and runs under a written emergency protocol.

How to book the Cat Tien night herping tour

To book the Cat Tien night herping tour, send us your preferred dates and group size on WhatsApp or by email at contact@vietherping.com. We reply with availability and the booking steps. 30% deposit by Wise, balance in cash (VND) to your guide on the day. Reschedule up to 3 times free; deposit valid 6 months. See the booking policy for the full terms.

Want different dates, pace or target species? We build private trips around what you want to see and when you can travel.

Ask for a tailor-made trip

Highlighted Species

Four animals people come to Cat Tien for. Sightings are seasonal and cannot be guaranteed. This is what our guide looks for on the night walk.

Highlight species on this tour

Ruby-eyed Pit Viper Trimeresurus rubeus

Venomous Target

A green pit viper with a red eye, and the signature night find at Cat Tien. White light picks up the colour and scale detail that confirm the identification. Venomous: observed at a distance only, never handled by guests.

King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah

Venomous Rare

The animal most herpers name first. It is on the Cat Tien list, though encounters are uncommon and never planned around. Venomous: watched from a distance, we do not approach.

Cat Tien Bent-toed Gecko Cyrtodactylus cattienensis

Target

A bent-toed gecko named after the park, which is why it sits on most guests' target list before they arrive. Harmless, and picked out by white light along the night route.

Red-tailed Racer Gonyosoma oxycephalum

Recorded

A green tree snake with a contrasting tail. Harmless, and often mistaken for a venomous species, which is exactly the kind of identification your guide walks you through in the field.

Also on the Cat Tien list

Banded Krait Venomous
Blue Krait Venomous
Indo-Chinese Spitting Cobra Venomous
Monocled Cobra Venomous
Burmese Python
Reticulated Python
Green Cat Snake
Jasper Cat Snake
Asian Sunbeam Snake
Laotian Wolf Snake
Chinese Water Dragon
Clouded Monitor
Common Water Monitor
Elongated Tortoise
Giant Asian Pond Turtle
Vietnamese Moss Frog
Annam Tree Frog
South Vietnamese Painted Frog
Cat Loc Caecilian
Nguyen's Caecilian

This is a reference list of species that may be found on our Cat Tien tours, not a complete inventory. Sightings vary with season, weather and conditions on the night and cannot be guaranteed.

Trip Report & Destination

Field notes and photos from our Cat Tien nights, written up after each trip.

All trip reports →What each group recorded, with dates and photos.Trip reports Cat Tien night and morning wildlife tour →Night herping plus a dawn session for primates. From $80.Option 2 Cat Tien 2 day herping tour from Ho Chi Minh City →Transfers, a room inside the park and both sessions. From $215.Option 3 Cat Tien 3 day wildlife tour with Crocodile Lake →Two nights inside the park and a day at Bau Sau. From $310.Option 4 Cat Tien National Park herping tour guide →All four options side by side, with seasons and access.Cat Tien

Viet Herping is run by field herpetologists who research and rescue Vietnam's snakes, and the same people lead you into the field. This trip is one Vietnam herping tour among several in southern Vietnam: compare every herping tour Vietnam has on our list by region, or ask us to build a tailor-made route. A portion of the revenue from each tour supports reptile conservation through Viet Snake Rescuer.

Ready to book? Send us your dates, your group size and the species you most want to see. We will confirm availability and tell you honestly what a night here produces at that time of year.

Message us on WhatsApp

Last updated: 2 October 2026 · Written by Nguyen Minh Phu, Founder of Viet Herping and Viet Snake Education, Co-founder of Viet Snake Rescuer.

Schedule

Timing adjusts to weather and wildlife activity. If conditions delay the start, field time is extended by the same amount.

18:00

Meet and brief

Meet your guide at Cat Tien National Park. Short safety briefing and field etiquette; red and white lights issued.
18:30 – 23:00

Night herping session

On foot through forest trails, stream edges and hidden microhabitats. The route adapts to what is active on the night. Maximum eight guests.
After 23:00

Return and checklist

Back to your accommodation. Your completed wildlife checklist follows after the tour.

Meals

Not included Food and drinks are not included; you eat at your accommodation.

Accommodation

Not included You book your own room, inside or outside the park, and we meet you at the park.

Transfers

Not included You arrange your own way to and from Cat Tien. The two-day package includes them.

Group

Private One to eight guests on foot.

Questions

Frequently asked

Price & Service

Cat Tien night herping tour price, per person (USD)

The rate drops as your group grows because the guide cost is shared.
Group size	1 guest	2 guests	3 guests	4–8 guests
Price per person	$110	$95	$78	$60

A 30% deposit by international transfer (Wise) secures your date. The 70% balance is paid in cash in Vietnamese dong to your guide on the day, at an exchange rate we confirm in writing four days before departure. The deposit is non-refundable but transferable: evening and one-night tours can be moved up to three times free of charge, with no notice period, and the deposit stays valid for six months from your original date. Full terms: booking policy and cancellation and refund policy.

What is included

Included

English-speaking professional Viet Herping guide
Professional flashlight: red light for night mammals, white light for reptiles and amphibians
A completed checklist of all wildlife recorded during your tour

Not included

Park entry ticket: 60,000 VND per person
Food and drinks
Accommodation
Transfers to and from Cat Tien National Park
Late-night ferry, only if you stay outside the park and return late: 200,000 VND per crossing

Optional, paid locally

Jeep ride: 360,000 VND one way, on request if you are tired
Bicycle rental: 200,000 VND half day · 400,000 VND full day

Does the guarantee apply to this tour?

No. Cat Tien is not one of the tours covered by our Target Species Guarantee.

Encounters here depend on weather, season and field conditions, and we would rather tell you that plainly than promise what the forest cannot. What you do get is a guide who has worked this park for twenty years and chooses the route for the night.

In the south the guarantee applies on the Ho Chi Minh City herping tour, where a live wild snake of any species is guaranteed and a quiet night means your next attempt is free.

Other Cat Tien options

If this one is not the fit

Dong Nai Night Herping Tour

Dong Nai night herping tour: a daytime forest walk and a night session along trails and streams in Dong Nai, with private car from Ho Chi Minh City and a return the same night.

Ho Chi Minh City Herping Tour

Ho Chi Minh City herping tour: one private evening in the field for reptiles and amphibians, with pick-up in the city and a guaranteed wild snake sighting.

Dong Nai Herping Tour: 2 Days 1 Night

SCHEDULE

2 Days/ 1 Night

PACKAGE

Full Package

LEVEL

Easy–Moderate

FROM

$210 /pax · 3–5

Dong Nai herping tour 2 days 1 night: overnight wildlife watching focused on reptiles and amphibians, with daytime birding and a nature walk, by private car from Ho Chi Minh City.

Cat Tien 3 Day Wildlife Tour: Premier with Crocodile Lake

Cat Tien Night Herping Tour

Cat Tien Night Herping Tour