What is OEP policy ?

At Viet Herping, we are committed to ensuring the best possible chances of encountering reptiles during your tour. Our Optimize Encounter Percentage (OEP) policy is designed to maximize your experience and give you the thrill of seeing wildlife in its natural habitat.

How do we ensure high encounter percentage ?

To make sure you have the best chances of spotting snakes, we take the following steps:

• We monitor snake activity weekly, collecting statistical data and updating it regularly on our website. This helps us stay up-to-date on snake movements and behaviors.

• We create natural shelters, such as caves and holes, to provide safe hiding places for snakes, while also ensuring these locations have water sources to keep the snakes comfortable and healthy.

• We actively maintain the biodiversity of the herping locations by ensuring that food sources (for example: frogs, rats, lizards,…) are always plenty for the snakes. We also create rainwater collection holes to support their habitat.

What happen if we don’t find any snake ?

In the rare case that we do not encounter any of the expected snakes during your tour, rest assured that we will continue the tour until we find one, no matter how long it takes. We are passionate about ensuring your experience is memorable, so if no snakes are found during your tour, we will offer a free follow-up herping trip on the next day or on a day of your choice. This is our commitment to making sure you get the most out of your tour. But don’t worry, this situation has never happened before.

How do we handle low encounter rates ?

In the event that the latest statistics (updated weekly) show a low encounter rate—below 90%, for example—we may temporarily stop accepting new bookings to maintain the quality of the experience. However, if a guest still wishes to proceed despite the low chances, we will provide a discount for the tour. This situation typically occurs during times of low snake activity, such as the winter months (December to February), when snakes hibernate.

What about other tours ?

For tours that do not fall under the OEP policy, we still prepare by checking snake activity at least a week before the tour. While these tours may not have the same level of detailed tracking as OEP tours, we still ensure that the areas are prepared for herping activities.

OEP policy applied tours

Currently, OEP policy is being applied to the following tours:

• Hanoi Urban Herping Tour

We track encounter rates for each of our tours that apply OEP to ensure the best experience for our guests. This data is continuously updated and is available on our website for transparency. Click on the tours listed above to visit their detail pages and view the latest statistical data for each tour.

At Viet Herping, we understand how exciting it is to encounter reptiles in the wild, and we are dedicated to providing you with the best experience possible. Whether it's through our OEP policy or our careful planning, we are here to ensure that you leave with great memories of your herping adventure.