Son Tra Langur is exactly a red shanked douc, an endemic animal to Vietnam, and one of the most endangered monkeys globally. Because of its colors, it’s known as ‘queen of all primates’, so somehow it’s worth watching and ‘hunting’ special wildlife photos. Son Tra Peninsula in Da Nang is home to hundreds of red shanked douc individuals today. Sure, it’s the best place to meet them. Now, let’s HoiAn Day Trip Company provides all the information that visitors need to know about Son Tra Langur.
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• Content by Tam Le, founder of HOIAN DAY TRIP CO.,LTD
• Designed by Giang Cong Minh, co-founder of LS E&C LTD and his team
• Photo by Dang Cong Loi, Dao Xuan Son, Tam Le & others
Must Knows about Son Tra Peninsula
– Location/address: Tho Quang ward, Son Tra district, Da Nang city, Vietnam
– Name’s meaning: ‘Son Tra’ means ‘camellia (flower) mountain’
– How to pronounce:
– Other names: Son Tra Mountain, Monkey Mountain (since the Vietnam war), Son Cha Mountain, Monkey Island, the Clam Mountain
– Opening hours: sunrise to sunset
– Ticket price: free
– Area: 43,7 km2
– Height/elevation: 715 meters (2,198 ft)
– Reason(s) to visit: awe-inspiring sceneries from mountains to sea, untouched forests, red shanked douc (one of 25 world’s rarest primate species), 67-meters-tall Lady Buddha statue, Linh Ung Pagoda, beautiful beaches
– Best time to visit: early morning, late afternoon
– Time to spend: from 30 mins
– Travel blog: https://hoiandaytrip.com/son-tra-peninsula-travel-guide/
– Recognition(s): national nature reserve (1992)
– Emblem: red shanked douc
– Food & drink: yes available
– Shopping: no
– Tour guide: contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo)
Son Tra Peninsula on Map
Better to Know about Son Tra Langur
Son Tra langur is exactly red shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus, five-colored langur, vooc cha va chan nau, vooc cha va chan do), one of 25 world’s most endangered primates. This animal is endemic to Vietnam, southern Laos, and northeastern Cambodia (or Indochina region). According to IUCN, it is categorized conversation status ‘critically endangered’ because it has been facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Those who live near the peninsula call red shanked douc ‘the Pope’ because it has a beautiful and elegant ‘costume’ or ‘solder monkey’ because its crown hair looks like a beret hat which military soldiers wear.
In 1771, French scientists discovered and grouped up red shanked douc, grey shanked douc, and black shanked douc into the same ‘species’. In the late 20th century, their differences were clarified.
In Son Tra Peninsula, there are about 300 red shanked douc individuals living in its evergreen forests. This may be the largest population of the species known on the Earth. At the present, 550-700 doucs are recorded in the Indochina region.
Similar to other doucs, the red shanked douc is long and slender. The male has has a head and body length of 55-82 centimeters, with a tail that measures 56-74 centimeters, and the female is between 60–63 centimetres long with a tail that measures 44–60 centimetres long. Males weigh 8.6–11.4 kilograms, and females 6.6–10.5 kilograms.
Known as ‘queen of primates’, red shanked douc has the most colors in the primate family. Its name derives from red hair temples and red lower legs. Besides that, it has a silver crown, black forehead/back/abdomen/feet/hands/nipples, white whiskers/cheeks/throats/sacral area, orange collar, yellow-brown face, light blue eyelids, black arms. No surprise, it’s a muse of photographers who are willing to have lively, impressive wildlife pictures.
Red shanked douc appears in daytime (roughly from 4:30 am to 6 pm). Its family often stays in a tall, big, and lush tree, and includes from 4 to 12 members, with a male/father as leader, some females, and childs. It eats young leaves (maybe 1,8 kilograms a day) and spends hours digesting. It can jump with a distance up to 6 meters (approx 20 ft), mainly to move from tree to tree, and not to escape from dangers.
Female mature red shanked douc’s pregnancy lasts from 165 to 190 days. Usually, it has only one baby, and twins are rarely seen. The doucs begin mating at age of 4. Their life span is up to 25 years.
Red shanked douc is the mascot of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Conference) taking place in Da Nang from 6th to 11st November 2017. Likewise, traditionally it’s considered to be an emblematic animal to the city.
Monkeys in Linh Ung Pagoda and Lady Buddha statue, are not red shanked doucs. They are just normal monkeys which we can see everywhere in the world. However, if see them at the above attractions or on the way from the city, please don’t give them any food. It’s needed to protect the bag as well (because they may think that foods are in the bag).
Watching Red Shanked Doucs in Son Tra Peninsula
To watch and photograph the red shanked douc in Son Tra Peninsula, visitors can do it themselves or join a tour led by one local expert/specialist. The best time of the year is the dry season when it’s sunny and no rains, from February to the end of August. In this period, many trees bloom, attracting langurs to come to eat or play. For that reason, visitors and photographers have a great opportunity to catch beautiful moments about the animal’s activities (sitting by colorful flowers, jumping,…).
If just curious to see the langurs, nature lovers can walk along hiking trails inside the Son Tra Peninsula, and try the luck. Because this monkey doesn’t like noise or lots of humans, therefore it’s needed to avoid tourist spots or crowds .
To save time, visitors can ride the motorbike around the Son Tra Peninsula, to seek the doucs. Please keep in mind that only semi-automatic bikes (xe so) are allowed to go up the peaks of the mountain, due to safety reasons. Additionally, it’s needed to ride slowly and carefully (roads there are very steep), and wear helmets all the time. If not confident in your skills and experience, you should book a local driver or a motorbike tour, to safely discover the peninsula.
If go to Bach Ma National Park or Golden Hands Bridge (early morning or late afternoon), visitors may have a chance to see red shanked douc families.
HOIAN DAY TRIP company daily organizes private transfers and tours to Son Tra Peninsula, including ones to watch red shanked doucs. Contact us by +84968009827 (hotline/whatsapp/line/zalo) to book. Thank you very much!
Other Doucs & Douc Reserves in Vietnam
– Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus): This is an endemic langur to northern Vietnam, having black and white fur, pink noise and lips, and blue patches around the eyes. In the wild, there are less than 250 individually recorded today. It’s thought to be extinct, before rediscovered in 1989. The famous reserves of Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys are Na Hang Nature Reserve, Lam Binh Special-use Forest in Tuyen Quang province, and Ba Be National Park in Bac Kan province.
– Delacour’s langur (Trachypithecus delacouri): This is an endemic langur to northern Vietnam, and named after an American-French ornithologist Jean Theodore Delacour who went on numerous scientific expeditions in the country before. It has black and white fur, long and bushy tail, and a conspicuous crest. The famous reserves of Delacour’s langur are Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve and Cuc Phuong National Park, both in Ninh Binh province.
– Grey-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix cinerea): This is a native langur to Vietnam, particularly the northern part of the Central highlands (Tay Nguyen). It has light grey agouti decoration on the crown, the black belly and arms. Famous reserves of grey shanked douc is Kon Ka Kinh National Park in Gia Lai province.
– Black-shanked douc (Pygathrix nigripes): This is a native langur to southern-central Vietnam and eastern Cambodia. It has thin and short whiskers, blue face, and large yellow eye-rings. Famous reserves of black shanked douc are Cat Tien National Park and Nui Chua National Park.
– François’ langur (Trachypithecus francoisi): This is a native langur to southwestern China and northeastern Vietnam. It has a lightweight, long and thin tail, long pointed crest, and fine black fur. Famous reserves of Francois’ langur in Vietnam is Na Hang Nature Reserve.
– Cat Ba langur or golden-headed langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus): This langur is endemic to Cat Ba island, the largest limestone island and national park in Ha Long Bay. There are only less than 70 individuals recorded today. It has bright golden to yellowish-white head and shoulder, black skin, dark brown pelage, and long tail.
– Hatinh langur (Trachypithecus hatinhensis): This black langur is endemic to limestone mountains of Quang Binh and Ha Tinh province in Vietnam. It has a high pointed crest on the head, long tail, and a thin white line fur over the upper lip. Famous reserves of Hatinh langur are Vu Quang National Park and Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park.
Other Things to See in Son Tra Peninsula
In the same Son Tra Peninsula (Monkey Mountain), visitors can go to these places: Lady Buddha Statue (Vietnam’s tallest standing buddha), Linh Ung Son Tra Pagoda (the biggest Buddhist temple in the city), Ban Co Peak (one of the highest peaks, panoramic views), Tien Sa Beach (a lesser known, hidden white sandy beach), Dong Dinh Museum (a private museum and collection), Bai Nam Beach (a lesser-known, wide sandy beach), Son Tra Banyan Tree (the largest tree in Da Nang), Son Tra Tinh Vien (a bamboo museum), Mui Nghe (a rocky headland), Bai Bac Beach (a beautiful sandy beach inside the InterContinental Resort), Genh Bang Reef (a beautiful cove at foot of the mountain), Y Pha Nho Cemetary (Spanish and French solder’s tombs), Tho Quang Fishing Harbour & Market (lots of fishing boats with Vietnamese flags), Tho Quang Beach, or Son Tra Langur or Red Shanked Douc (one of the most endangered primates in the world).
Photos, Videos about Son Tra Langurs
Here are beautiful photos and videos about Son Tra langurs:
