Van Long Nature Preserve

November 29, 2008
This afternoon we visited a beautiful area called Van Long Nature Preserve. This area, and all around it, has several limestone mountains reminiscent of Ha Long Bay, except there is land all around the hills rather than ocean. The land surrounding the hills is mostly rice paddies and wetlands. On one of the larger karst hills within Van Long resides a rare species of primate, called the Delacour's Langur. These monkeys used to live within Cuc Phuong National Park and some of the surrounding areas, but now it is assumed that they only live on the hills within Van Long. They are one of 6 species of "Limestone Monkeys" in Vietnam, and one of the top five most critically endangered species of primates in the world. A colleague and friend of ours, Catherine, conducted her dissertation research here last year.

We arrived at Van Long on a series of mini-buses, unloaded, and headed to the water, where we boarded boats and were paddled out to the limestone. We searched for an hour for the monkeys on the limestone, but couldn't find them. They are really very beautiful, with mostly black bodies, except for their "white shorts". We enjoyed sitting on the peaceful water, staring at the mountain as the sun set over this beautiful land.