Prince Cruise
Language
Cat Ba National Park- Halong Bay
In the Halong bay area (Hai Phong Province)
Area
15,200 ha
Coordinates
20o44' – 20o51'N, 106o58' – 106o45'E
Distance(s)
From Hai Phong City
From Halong City
From Hanoi
Eco-tours
Trekking, Kayaking… Contact us for more information
Topography and hydrology
Cat
Ba National Park is located in Cat Hai district, Hai Phong city. The
national park is centred on Cat Ba island, a 28,500 ha island, which
lies 20 km due east of Hai Phong city and immediately to the west of
Halong bay. The national park also incorporates some of the small
islands and marine waters situated to the east of Cat Ba island.
Like Halong bay, the landscape of Cat Ba
National Park is dominated by karst limestone islands rising
abruptly from the sea. The topography is rugged and marked by steep
outcrops and areas of bare rock. The national park ranges in elevation
from sea level to 331 m at the summit of Mount Cao Vong.
As is typical in well developed karst landscapes, drainage patterns are
complicated by subterranean passages, which probably account for most of
the drainage in the national park. The centre of Cat Ba island is no
more than 5 km from the coast, and surface drainage is poorly developed
and seasonal.
Biodiversity values
Cat
Ba National Park supports a diversity of natural habitats, including
forested hills, small freshwater lakes, freshwater swamp forest,
mangroves, sandy beaches and coral reefs. The main natural vegetation
type on Cat Ba island is limestone forest. To date, 839 vascular plant
species have been recorded at the national park, including 25 species
listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam.
Due to the isolated nature of the island and high levels of hunting, the
diversity and abundance of mammals at Cat Ba are low compared to other
national parks in Vietnam. Scientists report that the only ungulates on
the island are Southern Serow Naemorhedus sumatraensis, Eurasian Wild
Pig Sus scrofa and Red Muntjac Muntiacus muntjak but that only the
former is common.
Of highest importance from a conservation perspective, Cat Ba National
Park supports the only known population of Cat Ba Leaf Monkey
Trachypithecus poliocephalus in the world. The results of a detailed
survey of this endemic primate in 1999 and 2000 indicate that the total
population of Cat Ba Leaf Monkey is only between 104 and 135
individuals, including only 50 to 75 adults.
The limestone habitats at Cat Ba National Park are important for a
number of invertebrate taxa. A survey in 1998, for instance, revealed
that, because of an abundance of suitable moist niches within the
limestone forest, the national park had a rich and diverse snail fauna.
Other documented values
Each year, Cat Ba island receives large numbers of domestic and overseas
tourists. A significant proportion of these tourists visit the national
park, either on foot, along one of the hiking trails, or by boat,
through the marine component. The national park can, therefore, be
considered to be making an important contribution to the island's
economy.
Copyright by Prince Cruise