Interest list open

Vietnam Bird Photography Expedition

Endemic pittas, peacock-pheasants and the red-shanked douc langur — an intense, hide-based photographic journey through southern Vietnam.

Vietnam
8 days / 7 nights
Specialized and intense — long sessions from photographic hides; flexible rhythm around bird activity

Join the interest list

A journey focused entirely on bird photography in southern Vietnam, exploring some of the country’s best forests and regions for endemic and highly sought-after species — Cat Tien National Park, Da Lat, Di Linh and Da Nang.

The core of the trip is photography from hides and specially prepared settings: carefully placed photographic blinds allowing close encounters, clean backgrounds and excellent opportunities for behavior and portrait work. In the Da Nang region we also search for one of Asia’s most spectacular primates — the red-shanked douc langur, considered one of the most colorful monkeys in the world.

Destination: Vietnam
Duration: 8 days / 7 nights
Group size: Maximum 8 travelers
Activity level: Specialized and intense — long sessions from photographic hides; flexible rhythm around bird activity
Dates: 6 – 13 March 2028
Price: Pricing available soon

Expedition highlights

Bar-bellied pitta, blue pitta and blue-rumped pitta from forest hides
Germain's peacock-pheasant and siamese fireback at Cat Tien
Collared laughingthrush, Vietnamese cutia and Da Lat's endemics
Silver-breasted and long-tailed broadbills
The red-shanked douc langur near Da Nang
Hides and prepared settings for clean backgrounds and close encounters

Who this expedition is for

Nature photographers and birders seeking a specialized, intense experience focused completely on Southeast Asia's tropical birds — close encounters, clean backgrounds, behavior and portrait work.

The photography experience

Vietnam's forest birds are shy, dark-forest subjects — and this expedition solves that problem with hides. At Cat Tien, prepared settings bring the bar-bellied pitta, Germain's peacock-pheasant and the siamese fireback into clean, close range. In the highlands around Da Lat the targets shift to endemics: the collared laughingthrush, the Vietnamese cutia and both silver-breasted and long-tailed broadbills.

Hide work is its own discipline — low light, quiet patience, disciplined technique — and your leader guides settings and timing session by session. Near Da Nang the finale is a primate: the red-shanked douc langur, among the most colorful monkeys in the world. This is a specialist itinerary for photographers who value close encounters and clean backgrounds over long species lists.

Day by day

Ho Chi Minh City — expedition start
The expedition begins in Ho Chi Minh City, from where we move between the strategic bird photography regions of southern and central Vietnam.
Cat Tien National Park — lowland forest hides
Working carefully placed hides in one of Vietnam's finest lowland forests for close encounters with bar-bellied pitta, blue-rumped pitta, Germain's peacock-pheasant, siamese fireback, green-legged partridge and red-vented barbet.
Da Lat and Di Linh — highland endemics
The highland forests around Da Lat and Di Linh hold many of Vietnam's most wanted species: collared laughingthrush, rusty-naped pitta, Vietnamese cutia, black-hooded laughingthrush, Vietnamese greenfinch, Indochinese green magpie, black-headed parrotbill and Annam prinia — worked patiently from hides in excellent light.
Da Nang — broadbills and the douc langur
The final region brings silver-breasted and long-tailed broadbills — and the chance to search for and photograph the red-shanked douc langur, one of the most spectacular and colorful primates in the world.

On the ground

Accommodation

All accommodation during the expedition, close to the photographic sites.

Meals

All breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

Transportation

Private transport throughout the trip. Arrival via Tan Son Nhat International (Ho Chi Minh City); departure via Da Nang International.

What is included

Included

All accommodation during the expedition
Private transport throughout the trip
All breakfasts, lunches and dinners
Entrances to national parks and reserves
Access to photographic hides and specialist settings
Local guides specialized in birds
Photographic leadership by Álvaro Cubero
Water during transfers and photography sessions

Not included

International flights to and from Vietnam
Alcoholic and soft drinks
Travel insurance (required)
Personal expenses and laundry
Gratuities for guides and local staff
Any service not listed in the inclusions

International airfare is not included. Travelers arrange and purchase their own international flights; we provide clear arrival guidance for every expedition.

Important considerations

The itinerary stays flexible to maximize photographic opportunities depending on bird activity, weather and local conditions — the absolute priority is the best possible photographic experience. Sightings are never guaranteed.

Travel insurance

Comprehensive travel insurance, including medical evacuation coverage, is required for all Okapi expeditions.

Your expedition leader

Álvaro Cubero

Co-Founder & Expedition Director · Wildlife Photographer

Álvaro Cubero is a wildlife photographer and expedition leader with more than a decade behind the camera — a Canon EOS Master Ambassador whose photographs have been published in National Geographic and reached the finals of the Smithsonian Photo Contest. He has organized and led photography expeditions and workshops in more than 25 countries across four continents, from the savannas…

Meet the whole team