Located about 40 kilometers from Ca Mau city, U Minh Ha National Park is one of the three core zones of the Ca Mau Biosphere Reserve. UNESCO listed it as a world biosphere reserve. This is an ecosystem region with the unique characteristics of wetlands on peat.
Plants here are typically vines and melaleuca. The animal system is relatively rich with fish, snakes, pythons, monkeys, deer, boar,… It’s a wonderful place for enthusiasts and adventurous travelers because this is a part of the Mekong Delta adventure tourism destination.
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When Is The Best Time To Travel To U Minh Ha National Park?
Ca Mau has two seasons: the rainy season (from November to April), and the dry season (from May to October). During the rainy season, you can easily travel by boat around the mangrove forest because the water rises. However, traveling in the dry season will be more convenient for moving because of the sunny weather.
How To Go To U Minh Ha National Park?
To come to the U Minh Ha forest from Saigon, we have two ways:
Travel by motorbike: You move towards 1A highway over Ca Mau bridge – Ngo Quyen – Vo Van Kiet – follow the sign that leads to U Minh Ha forest (if you do not know, you can ask the locals).
Travel by car/bus: From Ho Chi Minh City to Ca Mau, there are passenger cars such as Mai Linh, Lien Hung, Giap Diep, Ngoc Ha, and Phuong Trang at the East, West, or An Suong bus stations. You can take a taxi or motorcycle taxi to U Minh Ha National Park, after arriving at Ca Mau bus station. You will have to take a taxi to take another 20km to reach U Minh Ha forest if you take a bus from Ca Mau bus station to U Minh town
Why U Minh Ha National Park unique?
There are almost 250 plant species, 182 bird species, 20 reptiles, and amphibian species, 40 animal species, and several other insect species in this area, making up an incredibly rich and diversified flora and fauna system. Traveling by car or bus: to Ca Mau from Ho Chi Minh City. The East, West, or An Suong bus terminals have passenger vehicles such as Mai Linh, Lien Hung, Giap Diep, Ngoc Ha, and Phuong Trang. After arriving at Ca Mau bus station, you can take a cab or a motorbike taxi to U Minh Ha National Park. If you take a bus from Ca Mau bus station to U Minh townere there are numerous species registered in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, you will need to take a cab to go a further 20km to reach U Minh Ha forest.
Due to the area’s stable and adequate biological condition, birds and storks congregate here to breed, live, and develop in great numbers. These include species like storks, mallards, Oriental darters, watercocks, great egrets, black cranes, and cormorants, as well as a variety of stork species, including white storks, blue storks, red storks, incense storks, and bat storks. Several endangered bird and animal species are listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The U Minh Ha forest also boasts an abundance of water resources, including numerous fish species native to the Mekong Delta area, including yellow catfish, snakehead fish, and strabismus (cá thác lác), which are not only valuable biologically but also economically. The most prominent of these recently discovered uncommon wildlife species in the U Minh Ha Melaleuca forest is the wild boar, a rare animal that has been “lost” for decades. The resurgence of several wild creatures, including wild boars, tiny Indian civets, cobras, iguanas, crocodiles, and hundreds of other species, has enriched the forest’s flora and wildlife.
U Minh Ha Melaleuca Forest served as the revolutionary base for the whole South throughout the two resistance battles against the American empire and French colonialists, and it played a significant role in the history of the valiant struggle of the country. Numerous senior Party officials once resided and worked at U Minh Forest. MR.Le Duan, then the Secretary of the Southern Party Committee and a member of the Politburo, returned to U Minh Forest in 1954 immediately after boarding the train for the North to lead the southern revolution. Another individual who had a close relationship with U Minh Ha was MR.Vo Van Kiet, who at the time served as Secretary of the Bac Lieu Provincial Party Committee.
The path is smooth and clean from the forest gate (Vo Doi hamlet, Tran Hoi commune, Tran Van Thoi district), taking tourists to the observation platform up to 24 meters high. Tourists who stand in the observatory to get a panoramic view are unavoidably taken aback by the immense green hue of the leaves. The forest appears to go on forever, making visitors feel little in comparison to the vastness of nature.
***Best Things to do in U Minh Ha National Park
Traveling to Ca Mau, you will see U Minh Ha Forest due to the wild beauty that is not present anyplace else.
Nothing is more fascinating than floating along on boats while following canals, entering dense melaleuca woods through reeds, and so on. This service is only offered during certain seasons, thus it won’t be effective if the weather is too dry or the water level is high during that time.
The untamed beauty of the forest, which is hundreds of years old, is more palpable the farther you walk within. You may view the incredibly varied flora and wildlife while floating on the Ca Mau River and Water and hear tales from the prehistoric eras that populated the Mekong Delta, such as the story of Uncle Ba Phi. Visitors will see farmers releasing their fishing boats from the banks of rivers and streams while admiring the just captured fresh aquatic creatures.
You can rent a canoe that allows visitors to explore the area and choose a fishing spot or a place to cast their own nets. The abundance of fish makes it easy for guests to return from their fishing expedition with a basket full of fish. If you’re lucky, you can also capture snakehead fish weighing approximately 1kg, or sometimes up to 2 or 3kg, because there are many native species here that are protected pretty rigorously. You may also go gather flowers, tubs, lotuses, or firearms with the others in the forest, or you could join them there depending on the time.
The greatest way to enjoy nature is to stay in a homestay in the center of U Minh Ha National Park.
In particular, for large-scale yearly production, bees meticulously collect honey from the pistils of Melaleuca flowers under the forest canopy and return it to the hive. Visiting U Minh Ha Forest will give you the chance to follow the woodworkers to the forest to collect honey during the bee-eating season, which runs from December to June. This is both an interesting experience and a chance to enjoy the freshly cut young bees, which are sweet to the tip of the tongue and are flecked with a little bit of golden molasses.
Beginning in early 2020, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism officially recognized bee guarding as a national intangible cultural treasure practiced by residents of the U Minh Ha woodland (U Minh district and Tran Van Thoi district, Ca Mau province).
1. Observatory
by way of the woodland gate (Vo Doi hamlet, Tran Hoi commune, Tran Van Thoi district), visitors may access an observation platform that is up to 24 meters high by traveling along a clean, asphalted path. Reaching the summit allows you to see a hazy sky, vast, lush water on all four sides, and a far-off horizon.
2. Take A Boat To Visit The Mangrove Forest
The service of visiting the National Park by boat will helps visitors to experience true mangrove forest tourism. However, this service is only open seasonally, this form of travel will not work if the water season is right or it is too dry. To make sure, you will able to use a boat trip, you should contact management before going. Floating on the Ca Mau river, you will be able to see the very diverse and abundant flora and fauna. There are many animals listed in the Red Book of Vietnam.
3. Fishing Or Catch The Bee Bile In The Forest
You will be able to hire a boat to get deep into the forest for fishing. In summer and weekends, quite a lot of guests in HCMC and other provinces come to enjoy jungle food and relaxing fishing. It’s easy for you to fish here. You may catch big fish 2 or 3 kg if you are lucky. In U Minh Ha, wild fish is still quite abundant because of strict conservation.
Especially, under the canopy of the forest, bee herds attract honey from melaleuca stamens to bring back to the nest, annually giving large production. During the bee-feeding season from December to June, visiting the U Minh Ha forest, you will have the chance to follow the workers who guard the raft into the forest to have the honey. It’s a wonderful experience while enjoying the freshly cut bee, adding a bit of smooth, golden honey. It is sweet and smooth to the tip of the tongue.
What Specialties Does U Minh Ha Have?
After U Minh Ha returns, take a seat on the floor of the home in the shade of the trees and enjoy delicacies from the Melaleuca forest, such as grilled hybrid snakehead fish or spiky salt-spotted snake with green peppers. cooked fish sauce for copper perch green eel, fried green beans, and a hot pot Taking a vehicle or bus: to Ca Mau from Ho Chi Minh City. The East, West, or An Suong bus terminals have passenger vehicles such Mai Linh, Lien Hung, Giap Diep, Ngoc Ha, and Phuong Trang. After arriving at Ca Mau bus station, you can take a cab or a motorbike taxi to U Minh Ha National Park. If you take a bus from Ca Mau bus station to U Minh town oatmeal, stewed with lemongrass or grilled everything, fried ham rats, drink with a rich flavor of left-handed wine – nicknamed “forest wine” U Minh Ha — you will need to rent a cab to go another 20 miles to reach U Minh Ha woodland. Visitors will undoubtedly have a taste of the outdoors while also experiencing the simplicity of a rural area.
Visitors will delight in the brackish water fish, freshwater fish, crab, shrimp, eel, and other delights of the U Minh Ha forest after their journey through it. When you visit, you may sample authentic U Minh fish sauce hot pot, eel cooked with wild vegetables, or the Ca Mau-style cobra, onion, and green bean porridge with its untamed flavor. There are also many other delectable foods, such as grilled snakehead fish, water lilies that have been dipped in salt and green chilies, Anabas testudineus (Cá rô ng) that has been cooked in a fish sauce hot pot, and fried rice hamsters. Visitors will be able to completely experience the wild yet idyllic flavor of the actual Mekong area by sipping the rich flavor of the fruit wine, referred to as the “forest wine” of U Minh Ha.
Notes
- Remember to bring bug repellent if you want to go during the rainy season because there are a lot of insects, particularly mosquitoes.
- To protect against the weather, bring caps and umbrellas.
- If you would like to take a boat tour to explore the forest, please make a reservation in advance.
- People who come to U Minh Ha Forest to play travel back to U Minh Town or Ca Mau City to rest as there is neither camping nor a hotel service there.
- Anyone visiting Ca Mau should go on an eco excursion to U Minh Ha National Park, which is a fascinating place. To unwind in a serene and natural setting, visit U Minh Ha National Park. Don’t pass up the chance to visit this renowned national park in the South of Vietnam if you get the chance to travel to Ca Mau.
U Minh Ha National Park
U Minh Ha National Park
U Minh Ha National Park
U Minh Ha National Park
U Minh Ha National Park
