Cuc Phuong National Park is one of the largest nature reserves in Vietnam. Let's find more detailed information about this national park with Handspan Travel Indochina!

Our article includes these pieces of information below.

An overview of Cuc Phuong National Park

With its ideal location, Cuc Phuong National Park is a part of 3 provinces, including Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, and Hoa Binh. It’s about 100 kilometers from Hanoi city. As one of Vietnam's largest national parks, Cuc Phuong National Park is so attractive and spectacular that it has attracted travelers. The park shows great sciences, aesthetics, economics, and humanities values.
Moreover, this park helps to connect the ancient moment to modern life amongst cultural and scientific values. Cuc Phuong National Park is a perfect place in Ninh Binh for those who want to participate in adventurous trips. It's a fantastic moment for tourists to contemplate impressive lush rainforests and the Endangered Primates Rescue Centre.

Cuc Phuong National Park

Cuc Phuong lies against Tam Diep mountain, Covering a total area of 22.200 hectares. Being established in 1962, Cuc Phuong National Park is one of the first national parks in Vietnam. About 1 kilometer from the main gate of the forest, you can breathe pure, and fresh and listen to many interesting sounds of animals. This national park is home to around 2000 species of plants and 2600 species of animals. Many of these are listed in Vietnamese and the World Red Book. Additionally, it’s one of the excellent plant diversity centers in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s first national park

Cuc Phuong Park is considered a large zone for nature preservation, a verdant botanical garden in both Vietnam and the world. Therefore, many scientists from Vietnam and other nations have come to this national park to research and study numerous plants and animals.

Nageia fleuryi tree (Kim Giao tree) inside Cuc Phuong National Park

The Turtle Conservation Center inside Cuc Phuong National Park

Special characteristics of Ninh Binh National Park - Cuc Phuong

Cuc Phuong Park features limestone mountains occupying ¾ of the jungle zone. It’s also a vast botanical garden because there are about 1.983 high plants and ancient trees. Amongst them, about 37 species are listed in the Vietnamese Red Book as endangered species.
Moreover, there are many trees with their unique shapes and ways of living. Some of them originated around 10 million years ago. Interestingly, this park is a tropical forest that keeps an essential zone of primitive forest and saves many freak types of flowers and fruits.

Vietorchis Aurea Averyanov inside Cuc Phuong National Park

The national park for wild animals

This park is famous for its plants and many kinds of animals. It has over 450 types of vertebrate animals, including 89 kinds of animals, 307 kinds of birds, 110 types of reptiles, 65 types of fish, and 2000 species of insects.

Some special things about Cuc Phuong National Park

Coming here, you can watch and even catch many butterflies around the park. A beautiful world of butterflies with bright and mysterious colors appears in the park, especially in April and May every year.
There are also several caves with exciting stories and names regarding Vui Xuan Cave (referring to something exciting in the spring), Trang Khuyet Cave (referring to the waning moon), etc. Each of them seems to be a lavish palace with magnificent stalactites.
A cave called “Dong Nguoi Xua” (literally the cave of prehistoric man) is around 30 m2 in total. Archaeologists have found three ancient tombs that lie deep under 0.4 and 1.4 meters. So it proves that there is a group of primitive people who used to live in Ninh Binh far from today, around 7000 to 12 500 years ago.

Nguoi Xua Cave inside Cuc Phuong National Park

Stalagmites inside Nguoi Xua Cave

Interesting activities in Cuc Phuong National Park

Between December and April, it’s considered the best time to visit Cuc Phuong when the weather is quite cool and the rainforest has just gone through. You should avoid traveling on rainy days due to the appearance of mosquitoes in wet areas.

Watching colorful butterflies

Cuc Phuong National Park’s Center for Ecotourism and Environmental Education introduces numerous tours to entertain tourists and enhance tourism activities. Although there are some ideal moments to travel to Cuc Phuong, this forest has a distinctive beauty every season. For example, summer is the season of insects, among which the most beautiful species are butterflies with many colors and kinds. From April to May, about 400 species of butterflies appear here simultaneously. That makes Cuc Phuong become a large colorful garden.

Butterflies season in Cuc Phuong National Park

Exploring reptiles’ inhabitants

Moreover, summer is also the time for different kinds of reptiles to produce for their next generations. Therefore, in the evening, sporting tours are often organized for tourists to discover the inhabitants of insects. You can choose among one-day, two-day, or three-day tours. So you can visit the rescue center for the primates and turtles and explore the garden for preserving precious plant genes, ancient grottoes, and trees.

Preserving plants area inside Cuc Phuong National Park

Discovering the ancient caves, trees

Additionally, travelers can also follow paths in the jungle, leading to the ancient caves and trees for exploration. There are traces of prehistoric people dating back to about 7500 years ago. It’s one of the earliest skeletons explored in the area of Southeast Asia. It’s time for you to know about interesting historical events.

Cho Chi Tree inside Cuc Phuong National Park

Adventure activities through the jungle

Among these, the most common activities are camping in the wilderness, exploring wildlife, trekking in the forest center, discovering more than 300 species of birds, kayaking on Mac Lake, etc. You’ll be led by a well-trained tour guide who always ensures your security and safety. Exploring the caves and sleeping in a comfortable tent in the forest bring a memorable experience for your trip here. There are some places for you to settle down for a campfire in the jungle.

Trekking inside Cuc Phuong National Park

Cycling inside Cuc Phuong National Park

How to get to this national park - Cuc Phuong

There are two ways to explore Cuc Phuong National Park from Hanoi and Ninh Binh. First of all, you can go directly into this national park from Hanoi city by train, coach, private car or motorbike.
You can also go from Ninh Binh center city to Cuc Phuong by motorbike, local bus, or taxi. Taking a local bus or taxi is the most convenient for foreign travelers.

By coach

Taking a coach to get to Cuc Phuong is an ideal choice for those who are tight-budgeted. Just remember that bus tickets vary according to the type of coach you go to. Many coach agencies offer pick-up services, so it’s pretty convenient for travelers. Or maybe you can come to Giap Bat Station to get on a coach for departure.

By private car

Going to Cuc Phuong National Park by private car is another option, especially for family trips with kids. Thereby, you’ll have more chances to contemplate many beautiful landscapes and Vietnam roads. Using a private car is quite expensive; however, it’s really comfortable and active when you have your own space.

By Train

Visiting this national park by train is also a great option. You can take a ticket at the station and buy an online ticket at the official website here. The train is comfortable. Besides, it’s a fascinating experience when you’re going on a trip by train since you can see many beautiful views. After arriving at the train station in Ninh Binh, you need to take a taxi to get to Cuc Phuong.

By motorbike

Last but not least, you can go to Cuc Phuong National Park by motorbike. This way is often suitable for the young who are adventure-lovers.

In conclusion, Cuc Phuong National Park is a worth-visiting spot in Ninh Binh. Let's come here, immerse yourself in, and explore magnificent nature!