Vietnam’s Cat Tien Ranger Tour Reaches Final of International Tourism Awards

Four Day Jungle Experience Named Vietnam’s Only Finalist in 2026 British Travel Writers Awards

A four day jungle expedition that lets travelers patrol Cat Tien National Park alongside Vietnamese rangers has been shortlisted for a major international tourism award, putting one of Vietnam’s most immersive wildlife experiences on the global travel map.

The Katien Ranger Patrol is the only Vietnamese project to reach the final round of the 2026 International Tourism Awards, organized by the British Guild of Travel Writers. It is competing in the Best Wider World Tourism Project category against projects from Brazil and Cameroon.

Winners are expected to be announced at a ceremony in London on November 2.

What Makes the Cat Tien Tour Different?

Developed by Vietnamese adventure travel company Oxalis, the experience takes groups of no more than four visitors deep into the national park for four days and three nights.

Rather than following a conventional sightseeing itinerary, travelers accompany forest rangers on patrol across more than 3,200 hectares of forest.

Activities include:

• Learning how rangers identify animal tracks and signs
• Checking areas where illegal traps may have been placed
• Using camera traps to monitor wildlife
• Trekking through the forest with conservation teams
• Spending a night sleeping in hammocks at a forest campsite

The experience costs nearly VND40 million, or roughly US$1,500, per person.

Tourism Funding Conservation

The project is designed to connect tourism revenue with conservation work.

According to the operator, part of the tour revenue is allocated to conservation activities in Cat Tien National Park. The model also creates employment opportunities for people living around the park, including work related to guiding and visitor services.

This approach is particularly relevant in the communities around Ta Lai, where Ma, S’tieng and Choro ethnic groups live.

By creating income from tourism, the project aims to provide alternative livelihoods that can reduce dependence on extracting resources from the forest.

Inside One of Vietnam’s Biodiversity Hotspots

Cat Tien National Park spans parts of Dong Nai and Lam Dong provinces and is one of Vietnam’s important biodiversity areas.

Its tropical forests and wetland ecosystems support a wide range of wildlife, including rare and endangered species. The park is also part of the Dong Nai Biosphere Reserve, recognized by UNESCO.

For international travelers, the ranger experience offers something different from a conventional national park visit. Instead of simply observing wildlife, visitors get an introduction to the work required to protect it.

Why the International Recognition Matters

The British Guild of Travel Writers has organized its International Tourism Awards since 1978. Projects are nominated by guild members following direct experience, with finalists selected through a voting process.

The awards assess projects based on their contribution to destinations, with particular attention to environmental protection, local communities and sustainable tourism.

For Vietnam, the Cat Tien nomination highlights a growing shift toward tourism experiences built around conservation and local communities rather than simply sightseeing.

The project will now compete against finalists from Brazil and Cameroon, with the winner to be announced in London in November.