Exciting experience in the far South - Mui Ca Mau National Park Wetland Reserve

Mui Ca Mau National Park is a famous sacred place in the hearts of every Vietnamese person, not only for its geographical, cultural and eco-tourism value but also for its proud sovereignty milestone, marking the southernmost point of Vietnam.

In 2012, Mui Ca Mau National Park (Ca Mau) was recognized as the 2,088th Ramsar site in the world and the 5th in Vietnam. Mui Ca Mau National Park has a large area of tidal mudflats and mangrove forests with dominant species such as mangroves, mangroves, and cypresses. This is the only area in Vietnam that has three sides bordering the sea, affected by two tidal regimes (diurnal tide in the West and semi-diurnal tide in the East). Due to its special geographical location, the marine and coastal ecosystem in Mui Ca Mau National Park is of particular importance in providing suitable conditions for the migration, growth and reproduction of a number of aquatic species; it is a very important stopover and wintering place for many migratory waterbirds. In 2010, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) identified many species as globally threatened, including primates, birds, otters, apes and fish.

The lovely natural scenery of Mui Ca Mau National Park will leave many unforgettable impressions in your heart. Follow iguide.ai to explore the proud southernmost land of the Fatherland in the article below.

1. A few words about Mui Ca Mau National Park

In 2003, Mui Ca Mau National Park was established when Dat Mui Nature Reserve was converted into a national park at the time the government built a system of special-use forests in Vietnam.

Ca Mau Cape is the largest primeval mangrove forest in our country, bordering both the East Sea and the West Sea, so it is affected by two tidal currents at sea: the semi-diurnal current of the East Sea and the diurnal current of the West Sea. Therefore, this place has a diverse aquatic system, many species of high economic value.

With a total land area of about 41,862 hectares, of which about 15,262 hectares is mainland area, the remaining 26,600 hectares is mainland area in contact with the coast, so Mui Ca Mau National Park is known as the largest primeval mangrove forest in Vietnam.

Mui Ca Mau National Park is divided into 4 main sub-zones: a strictly protected sub-zone with a total area of 12,203 hectares, an ecological restoration sub-zone with an area of 2,869 hectares, an administrative - service sub-zone with about 200 hectares and a marine conservation sub-zone with 26,600 hectares.

This place has a rich and diverse ecosystem with about 28 to 32 species of mangrove trees, 93 species of birds, about 26 species of mammals, 43 species of reptiles, 9 species of amphibians, 139 species of fish... and many other rare species of flora and fauna. Among them, there are 2 species of animals, the silvered langur (Trachypithecus cristatus) and the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) listed in the world red book and 4 species listed in the Vietnam red book.

On May 26, 2009, Mui Ca Mau National Park was included in the list of world biosphere reserves by UNESCO. And on April 13, 2013, this place continued to be recognized by the Secretariat of the World Ramsar Convention as the world's 2,088th Ramsar site (wetland of international importance).

2. How to get to Mui Ca Mau National Park

Mui Ca Mau National Park stretches across 3 communes: Dat Mui, Vien An and Dat Moi in Ngoc Hien district, Ca Mau province. The national park is located in the southernmost part of the country, quite far from the city center, about 100km from Ca Mau city and about 400km from Ho Chi Minh City and even further from Hanoi. Therefore, the fastest and most convenient way to get to Mui Ca Mau is by plane.

a. Airplane

Currently, Ca Mau airport only operates one flight route, Saigon - Ca Mau, so if you depart from Hanoi or other provinces, you can fly to Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City and then transfer to Ca Mau airport.

After landing at Ca Mau airport, it only takes about 15 minutes to get to Ca Mau city center. As soon as you get off the airport, you can choose a motorbike taxi, taxi or airport shuttle bus for more convenience.

b. Passenger cars, cars

In Ho Chi Minh City, you can also travel to Mui Ca Mau National Park by car or bus. Currently, there are many bus routes from the center of Ho Chi Minh City to the bus stations of Ca Mau City with ticket prices ranging from 170,000 - 200,000 VND. However, because the distance of 400km is quite far, the travel time can be up to 7-8 hours.

c. Motorcycle

If you are a lover of backpacking trips, starting from Ca Mau city, you can rent a motorbike to go to Mui Ca Mau National Park. Go along Highway 1A for about 50km to Nam Can town, then from here go another 50km along Ho Chi Minh road to get there.

3. Experiences not to be missed at Mui Ca Mau National Park

When traveling to experience Mui Ca Mau National Park, don't miss the following interesting activities:

a. Rowing through the mangrove forest

Mangrove forests are a characteristic that creates the unique beauty of Mui Ca Mau National Park. When participating in the experience of crossing the forest, you will be able to sail or canoe on Lach Vam canal to see the oyster cages lying close together on the river surface. In particular, you will have the opportunity to learn about oyster cage farming - an aquaculture profession that brings a stable economic source to the people of Dat Mui area.

Along the canal, you can admire the largest mangrove ecosystem in the country, learn about the creatures here and take souvenir photos next to the old mangrove roots.

Stopping at Dat Mui Alluvial Land, you will see many flocks of migratory birds. If you observe closely, you can see the movements under the alluvial land - the habitat of countless aquatic species typical of Mui Ca Mau National Park.

b. Watch the sunrise and sunset

Thanks to its unique geographical location with a strip of land jutting out into the sea in the shape of a boat's bow, the southernmost land of the Fatherland, called Dat Mui, is where you can clearly see both the sunrise in the East Sea at dawn and the sunset in the West Sea at dusk.

The best place to admire this brilliant scene is the long, winding breakwater that surrounds the mangrove forest of Mui Ca Mau National Park and the mainland inside Dat Mui.

As the first rays of light appear in the sky, the mangrove forest gradually awakens to welcome the dawn. The immense green of the mangrove forest blends with the sparkling blue of the sea and the fiery red of the horizon, creating a captivating scene.

When the sunset falls, colorful clouds follow, making the mangrove forest gentle and peaceful like a vast mother's arms, adding romance to the sea and forest of Dat Mui.

d. Visit Mui Ca Mau Cultural Tourism Park

When coming to Mui Ca Mau National Park, you cannot miss the opportunity to touch the GPS coordinate marker 0001 at Mui Ca Mau Cultural Tourism Park. This is the sacred southernmost land of the Fatherland that every Vietnamese person wishes to visit once.

In addition to taking souvenir photos with GPS coordinates 0001, you can visit the miniature landscape of the billboard, the breakwater, the mudskipper and snail symbols, the forest village bridge, the final milestone of the Ho Chi Minh trail, the statue of Mother Au Co, the temple of Lac Long Quan,...

Or to see the whole mangrove forest from above, overlooking the vast East Sea, you can walk up to the upper floors of the Hanoi Flag Tower.

In addition, right at the Mui Ca Mau Cultural Tourism Park, there is a Don Ca Tai Tu performance club. This is a useful playground for those who are passionate and want to learn about these traditional folk art forms. Here, you can enjoy and participate in Don Ca Tai Tu tourism in a "homegrown" style to interact with the people of Dat Mui.

e. Experience the life of the people of Ca Mau Cape

People living around Mui Ca Mau National Park have a lifestyle that has been closely linked to the mangrove forest canopy for generations. The residential area in Dat Mui Commune is also the last residential area of Vietnam on the mainland. People here often live along canals for convenient trade and earn a living mainly by fishing and shrimp farming.

Here, you can experience the typical lifestyle of Ca Mau people - "on the wharf, under the boat", staying in houses without doors, with a direct view of the floating river.

People here still preserve the cultural lifestyle of their ancestors, so the doorless houses have become a typical cultural feature of the people around Mui Ca Mau National Park.

4. Special dishes of Ca Mau Cape

When coming to Mui Ca Mau National Park, you can both rest and relax in the fresh air and row a boat in the shrimp farm, experience fishing, catch crabs, catch snails,... and enjoy the typical seafood of the mangrove ecosystem.

The people of Dat Mui "reveal" many delicious seafoods bestowed by nature such as coconut-fried snails, tamarind-fried three-sided crab, grilled mudskipper with salt and chili,... In particular, a typical seafood famous throughout the country is Ca Mau crab. Crabs here are famous for their sweet taste, fragrant, firm meat because they live in coastal alluvial land, rich in alluvium and minerals.

Enjoy dishes with the rich flavors of the Cape region under a thatched roof, surrounded by cool breezes blowing the scent of the sea, bringing you wonderful experiences.

Tourists can also buy as gifts for relatives and friends the typical products of the Cape such as: dried shrimp, dried pineapple fish, dried fish of all kinds, three-crab fish sauce, mangrove chopsticks, honey, souvenirs with the symbol of the Cape... after finishing the tour to Ca Mau.