Cuc Phuong was extremely annoying at first. After a frustrating several hours through busy traffic from Hanoi and then paying for entry to the park, I had to pay extra for a camping permit at the other end of the park. That’s fine but they also couldn’t figure out where I should camp out so I had to wander around until I found a large clearing to camp in. Then they asked for more money for parking my bike there, which is quite common in Vietnam but it should have been included in the ticket cost. Then they asked for more money to go on a guided tour to the Monkey and Reptile sanctuaries there. Each sanctuary was a separate fee and you weren’t allowed to go in without a guide. Fortunately, I did get to enjoy a cave and a hike in the park without having to fork over extra cash and I went late in the afternoon when most visitors were leaving the park.
Camping out in the Jungle was a cool experience. I didn’t get to hear any monkeys near my campsite but there was no shortage of other unusual sounds throughout the night. It was really humid and it started raining the next morning but my single-walled tent stayed dry inside so I was happy. I still got things wet when packing up though and it started raining again when I was riding through the jungle to my destination, a place I was really looking forward to.