16 Oct 2019
Pick up from Ho Chi Minh Hotel down good roads to Cat Tien. Our Tour Guide was Jordan who used the outward bound journey to provide us with a lesson on the history and culture of Vietnam. This was backed up with some good visual aids.
Accommodation was at the Forest Floor Lodge which was across the river in basic but exotic individual huts over the banks of the river. Food was practical and hotel staff were friendly and helpful. Good cheap cold bear available after jungle walks was much appreciated.
Local guide Guur (phonetic) took us on two forest walks and provided invaluable insights. Good at spotting fauna and very knowledgeable of the flora. Translation was provided by Jordan, as required. Bird life on the river seemed to be limited. There wasn't much activity at crocodile lake, although the walk plus drive there was rewarding. The lake was choked by grasses so no paddling on the lake was possible.The time allotted to the lake plus walk was probably not long enough as there was so much to see in the forest on the way to the lake.
Jordan was very attentive to our needs throughout, the mosquitoes were a minor issue and the leeches provided some humorous moments. The driver provided for the the trip to and from HCM was excellent, providing a high standard of driving where the general standard was low.