Where it is located?
Ba Bể National Park is placed in Ba Ba District, about 240 kilometers north of Hanoi and about 70 km Northwest of the provincial Bac Kan, and it about 14 km West of Cho Ra town.
What does Ba Ba Lake mean?
Ba Bể Lake (Vietnamese: Hồ Ba Bể, Ba Bể mean to "3-Lakes" in Viet language) is one of the largest natural fresh water lake in Vietnam, with more than 8 kilometers long from North-South direction. The surface area of the lake is about 500ha and it unlike many other lake in limestone mountain areas, Ba Bể Lake never get dry with average depth range between 25 - 30 meters and some place can reach up to 35 meters depth. The lake lies 60 meters above sea level, the name "Three Lakes" refers to the three parts of the lake in regards to named Pe Leng, Pe Lu, and Pe Lam. All these three lake are connected together into a single continuous body of water. However, Ta Han, Bo Lu, and Leng Rivers fill water into the lake from South and West. During the dry season, water is drained from the lake Northwards into the Nang River. During the rainy season the water-flow is also refill the lake. However, and the lake takes up water from the Nang River thereby acting as a buffer regulating flooding.
About Flora and fauna in Ba Be Park
Ba Bể National Park mainly consists of limestone and ever-green forest. The former covers steep mountain high slopes percent in regard with the soil cover is thin. It is depends on the thickness of the soil cover and has a higher species diversity. The main tree species of the limestone forest are Burretiodendron hsienmu (Tiliacea familly) and Streblus tonkinensis (Moreacea). Climbing bamboo (Ampelocalamus) is a regional endemic species common on the hill slopes near the lake bank. So far, find out 65 mammal species have been recorded in the park, among them: Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), slow loris (Nycticebus coucang), rhesus macaque, stump-tailed macaque, François' langur, Asian black bear, European otter, Owston's palm civet, Asian golden cat, mainland serow, red giant flying squirrel, particolored flying squirrel (Hylopetes alboniger), hairy-footed flying squirrel as well as 27 bat species.
Moreover, 233 bird species, 43 reptile and amphibian species among them the king cobra and the Vietnamese salamander (Paramesotriton deloustali), have been recorded. In Ba Be lake, 106 fish species from 61 genera, 17 families, and 5 orders have been recorded. The park is also noteworthy for its diversity in butterflies for which 354 species have been recorded.
Scenic landscape features of Ba Be National Park
(1) Puong Cave is a large cave located in the North of Ba Be Park with the Nang River flows through. The main cave is up to 50 meters high and about 300 meters long. It is inhabited by a population of 5 to 10 000 bats belonging to 18 species. (2) "Fairy Pond" is rock basin filled with clear water which seeps through the surrounding limestone rock. (3) Dau Dang Waterfall is formed by the Nang River. It consist of a sequence of rapids which stretch over a length of almost one kilometer. Widow Island is a small, cone-shaped islet near the center of the southern lake. According to the local legend, the islet was once the home of an old widow who was spared from a flood through divine intervention.