Sa Pa - Hoang Lien National Park

The environs of Sa Pa town include Hoang Lien National Park, which contains Vietnam's highest mountain: Fan Si Pan. The area supports a rich montane bird fauna. Although access to the most rewarding habitats for birding necessitates hiking and overnight stays, a few more accessible localities can be visited in one-day or half-day trip from Sa Pa town

Birding highlights : Beautiful Nuthatch, Red-tailed, White-browed and Black-faced Laughingthrushes, Streaked and Spectacled Barwings, Blue-winged, Chestnut-tailed and Red-tailed Minlas, Black-headed Sibia, Vinous-throated, Ashy-throated and Golden Parrotbills, Mrs Gould's Sunbird and Black-headed Greenfinch.

Star rating :

 

Bird fauna : Mountainous.

Recorded bird species richness in the Sa Pa area is higher than at any other site in Vietnam, with c. 350 species being recorded to date, although this may, in part, reflect the high levels of historical and recent survey effort. The avifauna of the area has strong Himalayan affinities, and includes many species that are known from few or no other sites in Vietnam, such as Gould's Shortwing, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Crested Finchbill and White-collared Yuhina. Although bird richness is high, abundance, particularly of medium-sized birds, is low, relative to certain other forest areas in Vietnam, and a considerable amount of effort is needed to see a high proportion of the area's specialities.

Other features : Scenic beauty, highest point in Vietnam, ethnic minority villages.

Transportation : Car (10 hours) or train (overnight) from Hanoi to Lao Cai town, from where Sa Pa is one hour by road.

Accommodation :  Numerous hotels and restaurants in town

Permission : Tourism site. Permits are required to climb Fan Si Pan mountain but can be arranged from tour operators and cafes in Sa Pa town.

Birding routes : 

Ham Rong Orchid Garden: The Ham Rong Orchid Garden is found behind Sa Pa town, with access to it along the road behind the church. The garden comprises a series of ornamental gardens, linked by pathways, all of which reward careful exploration for birds. With a bit of searching, Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler, White-browed Laughingthrush and Ashy-throated and Vinous-throated Parrotbills can be found year-round, while, during the winter, the site is good for passerine migrants.

Fan Si Pan mountain: All three trails to the summit of Fan Si Pan mountain (from Cat Cat village, Sin Chai village and Tram Ton pass) are good for montane species, particularly higher elevations. The trails are difficult going in places, and can be dangerous during bad weather. Therefore, it is inadvisable to attempt any of these routes without a guide, or to attempt them at all during the rainy season.

Contact details : 

Sa Pa Tourism Information, Tel.: +(84 20) 871975

Hoang Lien - Sa Pa National Park, Tel.: +(84 20) 871433

Bird list (source: BirdLife International Vietnam Programme) : 

1. Chinese Francolin

2. Hill Partridge

3. Mountain Bamboo Partridge

4. Red Junglefowl

5. Silver Pheasant

6. Yellow-legged Buttonquail

7. Barred Buttonquail

8. Speckled Piculet

9. White-browed Piculet

10. Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker

11. Stripe-breasted Woodpecker

12. Rufous-bellied Woodpecker

13. Crimson-breasted Woodpecker

14. Darjeeling Woodpecker

15. Great Spotted Woodpecker

16. Rufous Woodpecker

17. Lesser Yellownape

18. Bay Woodpecker

19. Great Barbet

20. Red-vented Barbet

21. Green-eared Barbet

22. Golden-throated Barbet

23. Blue-throated Barbet

24. Common Hoopoe

25. Dollarbird

26. Common Kingfisher

27. White-throated Kingfisher

28. Black-capped Kingfisher

29. Crested Kingfisher

30. Chestnut-winged Cuckoo

31. Large Hawk Cuckoo

32. Indian Cuckoo

33. Plaintive Cuckoo

34. Green-billed Malkoha

35. Lesser Coucal

36. Grey-headed Parakeet

37. Silver-backed Needletail

38. Brown-backed Needletail

39. Asian Palm Swift

40. Fork-tailed Swift

41. House Swift

42. Mountain Scops Owl

43. Collared Scops Owl

44. Collared Owlet

45. Asian Barred Owlet

46. Grey Nightjar

47. Ashy Wood Pigeon

48. Oriental Turtle Dove

49. Spotted Dove

50. Red Collared Dove

51. Barred Cuckoo Dove

52. Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon

53. Mountain Imperial Pigeon

54. White-breasted Waterhen

55. Eurasian Woodcock

56. Wood Snipe

57. Pintail Snipe

58. Common Snipe

59. Common Sandpiper

60. Black Baza

61. Oriental Honey-buzzard

62. Black Kite

63. Crested Serpent Eagle

64. Pied Harrier

65. Shikra

66. Japanese Sparrowhawk

67. Eurasian Sparrowhawk

68. Northern Goshawk

69. Grey-faced Buzzard

70. Common Buzzard

71. Black Eagle

72. Greater Spotted Eagle

73. Mountain Hawk Eagle

74. Common Kestrel

75. Amur Falcon

76. Eurasian Hobby

77. Oriental Hobby

78. Peregrine Falcon

79. Little Egret

80. Chinese Pond Heron

81. Cinnamon Bittern

82. Woolly-necked Stork

83. Silver-breasted Broadbill

84. Blue-winged Leafbird

85. Orange-bellied Leafbird

86. Tiger Shrike

87. Long-tailed Shrike

88. Grey-backed Shrike

89. Yellow-billed Blue Magpie

90. Red-billed Blue Magpie

91. Common Green Magpie

92. Grey Treepie

93. Racket-tailed Treepie

94. Large-billed Crow

95. Ashy Woodswallow

96. Black-naped Oriole

97. Rosy Minivet

98. Grey-chinned Minivet

99. Long-tailed Minivet

100. Short-billed Minivet

101. Scarlet Minivet

102. Yellow-bellied Fantail

103. White-throated Fantail

104. Black Drongo

105. Ashy Drongo

106. Bronzed Drongo

107. Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo

108. Spangled Drongo

109. Brown Dipper

110. Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush

111. Blue Rock Thrush

112. Blue Whistling Thrush

113. Siberian Thrush

114. Plain-backed Thrush

115. Long-tailed Thrush

116. Scaly Thrush

117. Grey-winged Blackbird

118. Eurasian Blackbird

119. Eyebrowed Thrush

120. Dusky Thrush**

121. Gould's Shortwing

122. Lesser Shortwing

123. White-browed Shortwing

124. Asian Brown Flycatcher

125. Ferruginous Flycatcher

126. Yellow-rumped Flycatcher

127. Mugimaki Flycatcher

128. Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher

129. Red-throated Flycatcher

130. White-gorgeted Flycatcher

131. Snowy-browed Flycatcher

132. Little Pied Flycatcher

133. Slaty-blue Flycatcher

134. Verditer Flycatcher

135. Large Niltava

136. Small Niltava

137. Fujian Niltava

138. Vivid Niltava

139. Hainan Blue Flycatcher

140. Hill Blue Flycatcher

141. Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

142. Orange-flanked Bush Robin

143. White-browed Bush Robin

144. Oriental Magpie Robin

145. Black Redstart

146. Daurian Redstart

147. Blue-fronted Redstart

148. White-capped Water Redstart

149. Plumbeous Water Redstart

150. White-tailed Robin

151. Blue-fronted Robin

152. Little Forktail

153. Slaty-backed Forktail

154. White-crowned Forktail

155. Spotted Forktail

156. Purple Cochoa

157. Green Cochoa

158. Common Stonechat

159. Grey Bushchat

160. Crested Myna

161. Hill Myna

162. Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch

163. White-tailed Nuthatch

164. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

165. Beautiful Nuthatch

166. Brown-throated Treecreeper

167. Great Tit

168. Green-backed Tit

169. Yellow-cheeked Tit

170. Yellow-browed Tit

171. Black-throated Tit

172. Barn Swallow

173. Red-rumped Swallow

174. Nepal House Martin

175. Crested Finchbill

176. Collared Finchbill

177. Striated Bulbul

178. Red-whiskered Bulbul

179. Brown-breasted Bulbul

180. Light-vented Bulbul

181. Sooty-headed Bulbul

182. Puff-throated Bulbul

183. Chestnut Bulbul

184. Mountain Bulbul

185. Black Bulbul

186. Hill Prinia

187. Rufescent Prinia

188. Grey-breasted Prinia

189. Plain Prinia

190. Chestnut-flanked White-eye

191. Oriental White-eye

192. Japanese White-eye

193. Chestnut-headed Tesia

194. Slaty-bellied Tesia

195. Grey-bellied Tesia

196. Asian Stubtail

197. Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler

198. Black-browed Reed Warbler

199. Thick-billed Warbler

200. Mountain Tailorbird

201. Common Tailorbird

202. Dusky Warbler

203. Buff-throated Warbler

204. Buff-barred Warbler

205. Ashy-throated Warbler

206. Pallas's Leaf Warbler

207. Yellow-browed Warbler

208. Arctic Warbler

209. Eastern Crowned Warbler

210. Blyth's Leaf Warbler

211. White-tailed Leaf Warbler

212. Golden-spectacled Warbler

213. White-spectacled Warbler

214. Grey-cheeked Warbler

215. Chestnut-crowned Warbler

216. Broad-billed Warbler

217. Black-faced Warbler

218. Striated Grassbird

219. White-throated Laughingthrush

220. White-crested Laughingthrush

221. Black-throated Laughingthrush

222. Spot-breasted Laughingthrush

223. Hwamei

224. White-browed Laughingthrush

225. Blue-winged Laughingthrush

226. Scaly Laughingthrush

227. Black-faced Laughingthrush

228. Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush

229. Red-winged Laughingthrush

230. Red-tailed Laughingthrush

231. Red-faced Liocichla

232. Large Scimitar Babbler

233. Spot-breasted Scimitar Babbler

234. Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler

235. Red-billed Scimitar Babbler

236. Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler

237. Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler

238. Eyebrowed Wren Babbler

239. Pygmy Wren Babbler

240. Rufous-capped Babbler

241. Golden Babbler

242. Grey-throated Babbler

243. Yellow-eyed Babbler

244. Silver-eared Mesia

245. Red-billed Leiothrix

246. Cutia

247. Black-headed Shrike Babbler

248. White-browed Shrike Babbler

249. Black-eared Shrike Babbler

250. Chestnut-fronted Shrike Babbler

251. Spectacled Barwing

252. Streaked Barwing

253. Blue-winged Minla

254. Chestnut-tailed Minla

255. Red-tailed Minla

256. Golden-breasted Fulvetta

257. Yellow-throated Fulvetta

258. Rufous-winged Fulvetta

259. White-browed Fulvetta

260. Streak-throated Fulvetta

261. Rusty-capped Fulvetta

262. Grey-cheeked Fulvetta

263. Rufous-backed Sibia

264. Black-headed Sibia

265. Striated Yuhina

266. Whiskered Yuhina

267. Stripe-throated Yuhina

268. White-collared Yuhina

269. Black-chinned Yuhina

270. White-bellied Yuhina

271. Grey-headed Parrotbill

272. Spot-breasted Parrotbill

273. Vinous-throated Parrotbill

274. Ashy-throated Parrotbill

275. Golden Parrotbill

276. Short-tailed Parrotbill

277. Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker

278. Plain Flowerpecker

279. Fire-breasted Flowerpecker

280. Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker

281. Mrs Gould's Sunbird

282. Green-tailed Sunbird

283. Fork-tailed Sunbird

284. Black-throated Sunbird

285. Crimson Sunbird

286. Little Spiderhunter

287. Streaked Spiderhunter

288. Russet Sparrow

289. Eurasian Tree Sparrow

290. White Wagtail

291. Yellow Wagtail

292. Grey Wagtail

293. Olive-backed Pipit

294. White-rumped Munia

295. Scaly-breasted Munia

296. Brambling

297. Black-headed Greenfinch

298. Dark-breasted Rosefinch

299. Common Rosefinch

300. Scarlet Finch

301. Crested Bunting

302. Little Bunting

303. Chestnut Bunting