The MAG Vietnam Vol 3 Nov 2016 | Page 56

FOREST CALL LODGE Address: 4 Nam Cat Tien Commune, Tan Phu District, Dong Nai Province Price: $ 15- $ 30 | Contact: info @ cattienforestcall. com
Travel Adventures
JUNGLE LODGE cont..
Most of the rooms are arranged in a row among the gardens, with patios fronting onto a water feature and the river beyond. The more expensive rooms are in atmospheric wood and brick bungalows close to the river. All rooms have lots of space and are attractively furnished with wooden desks, rugs, lamps, ceiling fans, and mosquito nets. Large bathrooms( with excellent showers) and modern conveniences, such as flat screen TVs and air-con, also feature in all rooms. The restaurant serves good food, including lots of vegetarian options, and the bar has a couple of cocktails on the menu( a rarity in these parts). In the early morning, the exotic call of the golden-cheeked gibbon can be clearly heard, coming across the river from the steamy canopy of the national park. Staff can arrange any number of park activities. Rates are between $ 70- $ 140 a night.
The riverside bar & swimming pool is the perfect place to relax after a day exploring the national park

FOREST CALL LODGE Address: 4 Nam Cat Tien Commune, Tan Phu District, Dong Nai Province Price: $ 15- $ 30 | Contact: info @ cattienforestcall. com

Down a concrete lane lined with hibiscus hedges, and then down a gravel pathway surrounded by cashew trees and banana plants, Forest Call Lodge lives up to its evocative name. The gardens shimmer with birdsong and are thick with the scent of fruit trees and flowers. The reception is a beautiful bamboo and thatch structure, which also doubles as a communal living and dining room for guests. Owner, Mr Thuat, has years of experience working in the national park, and has successfully stopped the construction of dams and roads that would have destroyed the park’ s habitat.( For more about Mr Thuat’ s work, read this article in the New York Times.) Forest Call offers quiet, restrained, clean and affordable accommodation in brick and tile bungalows. Arranged in a line among the lush foliage of the garden, the eight rooms( 6 fan-cooled, 2 with air-con: $ 20- $ 30 respectively) are simple and plain with semi-outdoor bathrooms. There’ s also
Rooms are clean and plain at Forest Call Lodge, set in lush gardens on the Da Huoai River
Owner, Mr Thuat, demonstrating his zip-line / cable car across the river to a small island a dormitory( with good, shared bathroom facilities), consisting of bamboo beds and rattan mats, for $ 4 per person. They are currently in the process of building rooms in bamboo tree houses. Forest Call’ s main strengths are its lovely gardens and its good location, on the banks of the Da Huoai River. In the raining season, the grounds are so verdant that you can almost see the plants growing. Log seats, benches, and hammocks dot the garden; there are wood and rubber-tyre swings over the river; and a zip-line across to the small island opposite the property, where you can climb a lookout tower for excellent views. Unlike the Dong Nai River, which encompasses the national park and flows muddy and fast all year, the Da Huoai River runs slow and clear in the dry season, making it suitable for swimming and kayaking, both of which can be enjoyed at Forest Call. Breakfast is included and Thuat can arrange all park-related activities. Rates are between $ 15- $ 30 a night.
56 The MAG Vung Tau