Cuc Phuong National Park
🇻🇳 Vietnam
Southeast Asia, Vietnam 995 spp. recorded
Cuc Phuong National Park is a dense tropical rainforest located in northern Vietnam, featuring ancient limestone mountains, deep valleys, and shaded jungle trails. This protected expanse is famously home to the vibrant scale-bellied tree lizard, a signature reptile that clings to mossy tree trunks along the main paths during warm afternoon hours.
20.338° N 105.606° E
🦜 Nature
342 Species sighted
8,405 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jun Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 815 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Cuc Phuong National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
49Jan
50Feb
49Mar
49Apr
73May
96Jun
34Jul
38Aug
40Sep
44Oct
49Nov
45Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Bong Substation
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
20.316° N, 105.635° E
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Scale-bellied Tree Lizard~80%≈
Oriental Whipsnake~60%+10%
Common Indian Toad~60%-10%
Emma Gray's Forest Lizard~50%≈
Taiwanese Habu~50%+10%
Formosa Slug Snake~50%+10%
North China Green Snake~50%≈
Rufous-throated Fulvetta~50%≈
Chinese Green Tree Viper~40%≈
Hairy-footed Flying Squirrel~40%+10%
Dotted Bubble-nest Frog~40%+10%
Chinese Flying Frog~40%≈
-
Park headquarters
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Common Indian Toad~80%+10%
- Scale-bellied Tree Lizard~70%≈
- Emma Gray's Forest Lizard~60%+10%
- North China Green Snake~60%+10%
Common House Gecko~60%+20%- Oriental Whipsnake~40%-10%
Arcuate-spotted Pygmy Frog~40%+10%
Vietnamese Bronzeback~40%+10%
Spot-legged Tree Frog~40%+10%
Common Tailorbird~40%-10%
Common Mock Viper~30%≈
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Low
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Hard
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.3
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 605
🐒 Mammals 176
🦎 Reptiles 154
🐸 Amphibians 60
995 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
68 Threatened 2 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
2.9
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
57% 📊
Coverage (206 species at ≥5% of 995 in the inventory)
21% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (8 bird, 3 reptile, 1 amphibian)
65% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
107 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
3 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
24 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.3
Climate Mixed Medium
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Medium Medium
Trails Hard Low
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
We unfortunately didn’t see our snake targets, horned pit viper (Protobothrops cornutus) and flower snake (Elaphe moellendorffi) but, thanks to Jesse’s eagle eyes and great timing, we got a chance to spend some time with a gorgeous male king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah).
When we first arrived to our homestay in Ninh Bình, our host warned us against going to Cúc Phương because it was too rainy, which meant the park would be muddy and mosquito filled, so we canceled our Klook trip to the National park.
We went to Cuc Phuong largely because it is the oldest national park in Vietnam.
We booked the Van Long and Cuc Phuong day trip through TGROUP the evening before, and a minivan was outside the homestay at eight.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Cuc Phuong National Park?
995 species
Cuc Phuong National Park has 995 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Scale-bellied Tree Lizard (about 80%), Common Indian Toad (about 70%), Pin-striped Tit-Babbler (about 60%), Fork-tailed Sunbird (about 60%) and White-bellied Yuhina (about 50%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Perny's Long-nosed Squirrel (about 40%).
When is the best time to visit Cuc Phuong National Park for wildlife?
February, June, August, October and December
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 60% on a given day, against about 50% in January, March–May, September and November.
Can you see a Fork-tailed Sunbird in Cuc Phuong National Park?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Fork-tailed Sunbird sighting in Cuc Phuong National Park on a given day, based on 181 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is December (about 70%).
Can you see a Scale-bellied Tree Lizard in Cuc Phuong National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Scale-bellied Tree Lizard sighting in Cuc Phuong National Park on a given day, based on 58 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June–July and September (about 90%).
Where in Cuc Phuong National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Bong Substation
The richest sighting zone is around Bong Substation, followed by Park headquarters, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Cuc Phuong National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.3 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Cuc Phuong National Park rates 3.3/5: 238th of 316 parks worldwide and 20th in Southeast Asia. 35 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
