In the early days of April, at Cuc Phuong National Park, millions of butterflies with many colors appeared densely on trails and forest canopies, creating a rare and lively scene.
Unlike every year, this year's butterfly season comes about 2-3 weeks earlier, coinciding with the start of the tourist season, causing the number of tourists to Cuc Phuong to increase significantly.
According to records of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, many forest tourism routes have become more bustling, especially on weekends. Many tourists choose to come to Cuc Phuong just to see with their own eyes flocks of butterflies flying all over the sky, an experience that is a "specialty" that not every destination has.
Along with colorful butterflies flying all over the sky during the day, millions of fireflies shine brightly at night under the canopy of Cuc Phuong forest, creating a "miniature universe" in nature.
Faced with this special natural phenomenon, coming earlier than every year, the Management Board of Cuc Phuong National Park quickly adjusted the plan and early deployed experiential tours to serve tourists.
Among them, daytime butterfly viewing tours and nighttime forest exploration tours - seeing fireflies, are becoming the most popular products at the present time.
During the day, visitors follow trails through the forest, witnessing with their own eyes flocks of butterflies flying in strips, covering the walkway. Not just simply sightseeing, the guides also introduce the life cycle of butterflies, the pollination role and the relationship between insects and the forest ecosystem.
At night, the firefly experience tour brings a completely different feeling. Tourists move in the quiet space of the forest, listen to natural sounds and observe thousands of bright spots sparkling like a galaxy. According to representatives of Cuc Phuong National Park, the organization of the tour is not for the purpose of "performing", but to help tourists understand more deeply about the forest with many senses.
Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh - Director of Cuc Phuong National Park shared, we always clearly define one principle: ecotourism is not "forest exploitation", but "forest interpretation", with the message "Nature is only truly beautiful when it is still intact".
Butterfly season, firefly season are not "tourism products" created by humans. They are the result of millions of years of evolution, of a fragile balance between countless biological and non-biological factors.
If we break that balance, even just a little, then such seasons will disappear and then there is no way to recreate them. Therefore, what we want is not that as many people as possible come, but that each person who comes understands, loves and is more responsible for the forest" - Mr. Chinh shared.
Mr. Bui Van Manh - Director of Ninh Binh Provincial Department of Tourism said that taking advantage of natural phenomena to build experiential products helps Ninh Binh diversify tourism types, extend stays and increase tourist spending.
However, along with the opportunity is the challenge in protecting the ecosystem. Species such as butterflies or fireflies are very sensitive to the environment, just a small change such as strong artificial light or human impact can reduce the number.
Therefore, experiential tours at Cuc Phuong are strictly controlled in terms of the number of visitors, time and routes. Tourists are advised not to use bright lights, not to catch insects, not to make loud noises... to avoid affecting the living environment of animals.
It can be seen that from fragile butterflies or flickering lights that seem small, a sustainable tourism direction is being shaped. Ninh Binh not only exploits the beauty of nature, but also knows how to tell stories about nature, turning experiences into awareness.
If well managed, these natural phenomena will not only be temporary "specialties", but become a long-term foundation, contributing to building a unique eco-tourism brand for Ninh Binh.
