Phu Quoc National Park (NPP) has an area of more than 31,000 hectares, located in 6 communes of Cua Duong, Cua Can, Ganh Dau, Bai Thom, Ham Ninh and part of Duong To commune. The garden has three ecosystems: evergreen broadleaf forest, melaleuca forest and coastal mangrove forest. Here, there are about 1,400 species of plants and nearly 500 species of animals.
Nguyen Thanh Binh (black shirt), born in 1988, lives in Phu Quoc, is passionate about forest tourism, often organizes trekking and camping tours in Phu Quoc, said that there are 4 trekking tours in the Garden for tourists to register for experience. The longest bow with a total journey of 9 km, usually on weekends. Mr. Binh said that trekking through the forest in Phu Quoc National Park is a new experience that has appeared in the past two years, not known to many tourists.
"When it comes to Phu Quoc, everyone thinks of beach tourism but ignores the interesting experiences in the forest," Thanh Binh said.
Fairy Stream
The Tien stream trek is about 4 km, the travel time is about 3 hours is enough, the route to and from is different with three rest points. According to Mr. Binh, the Tien stream is relatively easy to walk, not too steep, suitable for newbies and children. However, guests should bring water, fruits, and snacks to replenish energy. The road to the rocky stream is slippery, many steep sections, guests should prepare shoes with good grip and move slowly.
Suoi Tien is formed from underground geysers in the forest, clean water. One of the experiences here is to filter the spring water through many layers of pebbles and cotton wool to collect clean drinking water directly.
"After the experience, the plastic bottles were collected by the group and taken out of the forest," Mr. Binh said, adding that in the Phu Quoc forest experience arcs, only Tien stream is allowed to camp and light fires.
The night experience at Tien stream is "tried" by many tourists. Entering the forest, the feeling of getting dark faster, the sound of running water, and the chirping of insects are the main sounds. Visitors often light fires to grill food, light rechargeable lamps to chat, and explore wildlife.
Phu Quoc National Park Center (Seedling Forest)
The trekking bow is also with a distance of 4 km but more difficult, visitors have to cross 6 streams, the path is wet and slippery, Binh advises guests to need a climbing stick.
Entering the forest, visitors can see a variety of vegetation, giant vines crossing other tree trunks like natural hammocks, and there are large trees that are hundreds of years old.
According to Mr. Binh, the most beautiful season for trekking this bow is the dry season, from October to April after there is little rain, but the stream is still full of water and lush trees. In the rainy season, the water of the streams rises and flows rapidly, there are no bridges and streams, which is prone to accidents.
The location in the photo is in the core area of Phu Quoc National Park, where the air is fresh and there are many ancient trees. The advantage of the seedling forest route is that it is short, does not take too much physical strength, tourists have time to admire the scenery, experience picking and eating forest fruits such as sim, bua (mangosteen family), and mushroom picking. Depending on the season, there will be different types of forest fruits and leaves.
The tour guide also introduces guests to rare plants that are in the Red Book, or strange plants whose names are heard for the first time. Some medicinal herbs and herbs can be found on the trek such as reishi mushrooms, rhizome mushrooms, and anthill plants (male squash).
Mr. Binh said that one of the situations that easily makes many people panic when trekking in the forest is meeting snakes. In this case, visitors need to be calm, do not chase away on their own, avoid causing snakes to be injured or attacked. Experienced guides will assist in handling the situation.
Bat cave - Tien Son peak
Bat Cave is located in the National Park, made up of limestone stalactites formed millions of years ago, with more than a thousand bats inhabiting.
From the main road to the cave is about 3 km away, but it is difficult to move, many sections lack light and have to use flashlights. Interesting experiences here, according to Binh, are startled times because bats fly over their heads or listen to the sound of a little cup of underground water flowing in the cave.
Tourists often spend a lot of time exploring the Bat Cave because the deeper they go into the strangely shaped stalactite blocks, the more attractive they are. The bed of the Bat Cave is a shallow stream bottom, with many pebbles with fancy shapes.
Leaving the cave, the road will lead to the top of Tien Son. Standing on the top, visitors will cover the entire park with deep green forest colors and open space. Here, trekking groups often hang in hammocks, eat and relax.
Mr. Binh said that he wants to build a camping trekking tour as an opportunity to return to nature, no garbage, no noise pollution, "leaving nothing in the forest except footprints". Phu Quoc Forest has many relatively complex terrains, guests should not experience it on their own to avoid getting lost. It is recommended to register for a group tour to be supported during the trekking process such as guide directions, providing information, porter providing food, luggage support if needed.
Temple of the Priest
As the longest trekking bow in Phu Quoc National Park with about 9 km, visitors will experience hiking, wading streams with many stages of rest, eating, and sightseeing.
The highlight of this route is the Tho Tu waterfall about 5 m high, the water is clear and cool all year round. Around the waterfall are large arched rocks that can be used for rest; There are sinkholes that are checked in by many customers because of the beautiful photo angle.
The road to Tho Tu waterfall is not too complicated, in the rainy season visitors can still trekking, but heavy rain will not experience much landscape.
Mr. Binh said that trekking Phu Quoc forest during the day is a suitable experience for all visitors. However, the dry season from November to April next year will be more suitable because the weather is favorable, and the forest scenery also has its own beauty. If you go in the rainy season, it is necessary to find out in advance the weather and terrain of the area to avoid risks. If you want to go back during the day to ensure safety, you can start the journey early in the morning to rest in the forest at noon and return in the early afternoon.
However, to experience the uninterrupted forest routes, visitors need to exercise before the trip. Beginners should start with short trekking arcs. The cost for a day trek is 1.2 million VND per person, including a shuttle, guide and meals.
Image: Peaceful
According to VnE