An unexplored area in Earth – in 2006? Is this a fantasy? No Sir, this is a reality, here in Vietnam. Yes in Vietnam there is this amazing area known as the Cuc Phuong forest, and it is as yet unexplored. An unexplored forest is a great passion as it gives an explorer the trill of going someone where no one has gone before. But it is also useful for the scientist as it is an important area for biodiversity. Since no one has gone before, there has been almost no interaction with the local plant and animal life, and so, you can never be sure what you will find in such a forest.
Decades of violent struggle, civil war and internal conflicts have left most of the forested regions of Indochina in a perpetual gloom and even today, after peace has returned to the devastated landscape, certain regions of south-east Asia still remain unexplored and uncharted.
Take for example Vietnam. The country’s forested land is yet to be explored though it is fairly rich in both flora and fauna – specially the avifauna. Only in recent years have efforts been made to create nature reserves to protect the various species including the endangered ones. In Cuc Phuong National Park that was inaugurated by the legendary statesman, Ho Chi Minh in 1962, there exist a wide variety of plant, bird and mammal species that have been listed in the World Red Book. However, much of it still remain unexplored, and so a mystery. Cuc Phuong also boasts of varied wildlife and natural beauty though much of it is lost as a result of illegal felling and indiscriminate killing of wild animals.
Another curious aspect of Cuc Phuong is its numerous grottoes where samples of pre-historic tools and implements were discovered only in 1974. Another exploration a couple of year later unearthed ancient tombs in an artificially ornamented cave that is believed to be several hundred years old. The cave can be reached through a long staircase going down below where many stalactites were found in bizarre shape and sizes.
The 200 sq km forest in Cuc Phuong is home to an amazing variety of wildlife including some that were believed to have been long extinct. Visitors in the recent past have recorded sighting of the famous indo-Chinese Tiger, Clouded leopard and the exceptionally rare Delacour’s Langur. Besides, the Park contains a plethora of avifauna that includes bar-bellied, blue-rumped and eared Pitta, white winged Magpie, limestone Wren-Babbler, red-collared Woodpecker and Pied Falconets.
Treks to Cuc Phuong, which is around 160 km’s away from Hanoi can be arranged through privately owned tour operators. It takes about a couple of days to explore the mysteries of the forest’s ambiguity and weirdness. The trip usually combines a short trek through Cuc Phuong with a visit to Kenha village, a picturesque rural village in the Red River delta.