The Tra Su Cajuput Forest is a protected nature reserve in the South of Vietnam, home to a diverse ecosystem of birds, plants and fish. During the Vietnam-America war, the area was intensely bombed, destroying much of the diversity here. Since then, the area has been protected and reforested, returning hundreds of species to the area.
Weaving through the tranquil floating cajuput forest on row boats fulfils the iconic image many visitors have of the Mekong Delta.
Tra Su Cajuput Forest is about 23km from Chau Doc, so you will need a motorbike for the 45-minute drive. If you don’t want to drive a scooter yourself, I have heard that you can organise tours in the city, however haven’t been able to find any information about this online and would recommend asking your hotel* for assistance.
The roads are mostly good, looping around Sam Mountain before heading off the highways and onto narrow country roads (though well kept). If you enjoy exploring pagodas then stop off at Sam Mountain, which is a place of holy pilgrimage and adorned with many different pagodas.
When we visited Tra Su Cajuput Forest at the end of 2020, there was a new visitor centre and ticket office being created and it was clear that there was lots of investment going into the nature reserve to make it more of an attraction. You can purchase entrance tickets for only 100k but I highly recommend buying a bundle ticket that includes the speed boat (additional 50k) and rowboat (a further 50k) making the full ticket 200k.
Once into the reserve, there’s a short boardwalk over a lake that takes you to a dock. Here you board a speed boat that will take you through the wide avenues of the floating forests. To enter the floating forest we travelled across a swampy area, painted a vibrant green by a sea of floating plants.
The Tra Su Cajuput Forest is part of a vast wetland ecosystem, home to many different species of birds. Our guide pointed out many of the birds to us as we paddled through the floating cajuput forest but the language barrier made it hard to tell the exact species and whether they were endangered, I have heard that there are endangered birds here.
Disembarking at a boardwalk deep in the floating forest, you’ll find a number of different pathways to explore and from here you can see the floating trees up close. There are also a number of vendors serving drinks and ice creams, plus a few souvenir shops and even some local from the Cham ethnic tribe weaving traditional fabric for purses and scarves to sell.
After a short wander around the forest, we were ready to head onto the smaller rowboats and wind through the narrow waterways. This was the most tranquil part of the day as we paddled silently through the floating trees. For this part of the day, you’ll most likely find yourself on a private rowboat. These boats are hand-paddled by the local people and it is hard work for them, so I highly recommend bringing extra cash to tip them.
